In the past, companies would purchase a new phone system, with the expectation of keeping it for about five years, before upgrading to the latest model. This was the only way to keep ahead and of the trend with new features such as voicemail, speakerphones, and call queuing.
However, in the present, that is no longer true. Today, most systems offer comparable features, and it is not a matter of which business phone system has which feature, but instead for the buyer to understand which features are most important. These are just a few of the features you should be aware of:
- Find Me / Follow Me — This allows you to designate a number of phones to ring simultaneously when your number is dialed.
- Voicemail Transcription — This feature will turn any voicemail into a readable document.
- Web Meetings — Allows users to have online meetings including voice, video and screen sharing.
- Mobile Phone Integration — Allows mobile phones to be an integrated part of a company’s communications platform.
- Call Monitoring — A tool for managers that allows them to listen in on phone calls. This is especially handy as a training tool for call center applications.
- Call Recording — Allows calls to be recorded for later playback.
- Web-based Dialing — Allows users to dial a number on a website with a click of the mouse.
- Caller ID — A feature that displays the caller’s telephone number.
- Hot Desking — This gives employees the ability to “log in” to any telephone regardless of location and make and receive phone calls.
- Unified Messaging — Voicemails are delivered direct to a user’s inbox.