Your business phone system is, perhaps, your most vital communication tool. However, sometimes Business Phone System aggravations make it seem like more trouble than it’s worth. Fortunately, for each of the following Business Phone System aggravations, there is a solution.
#1. When The Phone Lines Go Down, I Have to Fix the Problem
Hosted voice solutions are delivered via the Internet, which begs a valid question: “When the Internet crashes, what happens?” Unfortunately, when the Internet is down, your phone will go dark until Internet service is restored. In this scenario, your provider will work on finding the problem and fixing it as soon as possible.
However, that doesn’t exactly answer the question of what happens with the phone lines go down? If your company has a traditional business phone system, then you are accountable for power, uptime, connectivity, vendor management, and carrier services. If the lines go down, you will be completely without service until you can take care of the problem.
The upside to hosted voice is that if your Internet crashes, while your phone will not ring at your desk, other features will remain operational due to built-in redundancy:
- Call Routing
- Voicemail
- Auto-Attendant
- Soft Phone
- Direct Inward Dial (DID)
- Find Me Follow Me – also known as Mobile Twinning
#2. It is Very Difficult for Employees to Make Changes, and Yet it is Our Responsibility to Make the Updates
One of the biggest problems with a traditional business phone system is that they are not easy to alter after they have been installed. The biggest reason for this is because they are proprietary—meaning they require a qualified engineer to make the necessary changes and updates. For this customer, that means that they have to pay (typically be the hour) each time the technician visits.
The great thing about hosted voice solutions is that you can make most of the basic changes or upgrades without help. Your provider should make the large changes and upgrades.
#3. Scaling your Business Phone System is Difficult
Premise-based business phone systems aren’t easy to scale. Usually modular components and software licenses are needed if you want to expand your premise-based system. This puts a business in the challenging spot of attempting to predict what kind of phone system they will need 5-10 years down the line. Not only is that risky, but you can end up purchasing equipment you don’t need.
Hosted voice solutions remove this aggravation. Adding or eliminating users and services can be done without breaking a sweat by simply telling your provider when you need the change made. They can virtually make the change and adjust your monthly cost accordingly.
#4. The Only Thing my Phone Can Do is Make Calls and Receive Voicemails
Unfortunately, most business phone systems friendly to your budget are typically lacking in features. Budget-friendly business phone systems often are only capable of receiving/making calls and getting voicemails.
Hosted voice, however, allows you a vast assortment of advanced features. Here are the most popular:
- Voicemail to email/text
- Caller ID business name and phone number
- Personal Attendant and Virtual Auto Attendant
- Find Me Follow Me: allows your desk phone to ring on 5 different devices at the same time (so wherever you are, you can receive calls made to your office)
- Receptionist Dashboard: give your receptionist an all-encompassing view of your phone system
- Soft Phones: no handset needed because you can make calls right from your computer or web browser
- Move Your Phone: from desk to desk, to conference room, to home (work from anywhere)
- Reporting: how many calls in and out; full call detail records; available at any time
Many premise-based Business Phone System aggravations are erased by a hosted voice solution, assuming it’s a good fit for your business.
If you have any questions regarding hosted voice, please contact Advanced Communication Systems today at 800-750-3624. You can also follow us on Twitter.
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