Regardless of the nature of your business, communication is key to your success, and despite the increasing use of email, social media, and other online networking tools, organizations still depend on the telephone for a large portion of their communications. Technology has brought a plethora of options for business owners to select from, including traditional land line service, voice over IP service and cell phone service. In order to get the most for your money, you need to evaluate your needs, seek out quality service providers and consider each plan carefully.
Step 1
Determine your company’s needs, including how many phone lines you require and how many employees your business expects to have. Quantifying the scope of your organization will ensure accurate quotes on the new business phone system your company requires. You can discover which companies serve business customers in your area online, as well as in your local telephone directory, local business journals, newspapers, and periodicals.
Step 2
Compare both traditional land line service and voice over IP services. In many cases VoIP can provide lower rates than traditional services, but it is still best to compare both kinds of phone service. Many VoIP or virtual PBX solutions don’t require a physical office phone. You can utilize an app on your computer (sometimes known as a “softphone”) or a smartphone to serve in place of a telephone, which can make teleworking easier. Let’s face it, many companies from busy cities such as DC Metro, Northern Virginia and Richmond area are saving with VoIP/Teleworking.
A hosted VoIP phone system allows you to receive messages from your phone, on your PC, on another PC using the web portal, or even as a simple .wav file in your email inbox. You can also manage your phone system via a web portal, which allows you to turn features on and off, manage messages and configure your phone from any web browser.
Step 3
Compare the total costs of each plan, including the basic cost of service and any add-ons you might be required to pay. Choosing a business service plan with a monthly fee allows for consistent budgeting and business planning.
A hosted VoIP phone system is very scalable, so almost any business can afford and benefit from features that you used to only see in big, expensive systems. As a business owner, you pay only for the phones you need and can add them easily when your staff grows. Your hosted VoIP phone system provider can easily deploy hundreds of phones, so it’s unlikely you’ll ever outgrow it. Only a small business containing one or two people is too small to profit from hosted VoIP features.
Step 4
Get a list of the standard services that come with each plan. Plans that include popular services like voice mail, call forwarding and caller ID can make your business telephone service more useful and versatile.
A standard hosted VoIP phone can be connected to any Internet connection and handle incoming and outgoing calls, transfers and messages just like it would at your office. A hosted VoIP phone system features Find-Me, Follow-Me, which is particularly useful for workers who are typically away from the office. Employees can set their phone to ring to other numbers (home, cell, etc.) with no interruption to customers/clients.
Step 5
Compare the warranty plans for each business telephone system. A lengthy warranty plan can be very valuable, since it can save the company money down the line.
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