TELEPHONE SYSTEM
WHAT IS A BUSINESS TELEPHONE SYSTEM?
A business telephone system is a multiline telephone system typically used in business environments, encompassing systems ranging from small key telephone systems to largescale private branch exchanges. A business telephone system differs from an installation of several telephones with multiple central office (CO) lines in that the CO lines used are directly controllable in key telephone systems from multiple telephone stations, and that such a system often provides additional features related to call handling. Business telephone systems are often broadly classified into key telephone systems, and private branch exchanges, but many hybrid systems exist. A key telephone system was originally distinguished from a private branch exchange (PBX) in that it did not require an operator or attendant at the switchboard to establish connections between the central office trunks and stations, or between stations. Technologically, private branch exchanges share lineage withcentral office telephone systems, and in larger or more complex systems, may rival a central office system in capacity and features.With a key telephone system, a station user could control the connections directly using line buttons, which indicated the status of lines with built-in lamps.
WHY DO YOU NEED A BUSINESS PHONE SYSTEM?
1. Ease of use
A business phone system simplifies your business communication to a great extent. You no longer have to use several tools to record, forward, or organize calls. Instead, you can use just a single tool for the same. Cloud telephony systems shift your regular business phone system to the cloud making your lives even simpler. They can be integrated with tools like CRMs and ATSs to ensure that all your data remains in the same place.
2. Cost-effective
The phones used in offices historically have always been expensive and bulky. The worst part was wiring them into the building. The more the number of employees in the building, the more complex it became. On top of it, maintaining these phone systems was a cumbersome task. You needed an expert 24/7 to handle outages and downtimes
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All these shot up the price of setting up and managing business phone systems. Modern business phone systems, particularly those working via VoIP or cloud, are highly cost-effective and cheaper to set up and run. For starters, they do not need any hardware or software to operate. Secondly, maintenance is completely handled by the vendor.
3. Helps project a professional image
This point is particularly applicable if you are running a small business or a startup. As a business owner, you might be handling most of the tasks yourself. But this is also the time when your business needs to exude a professional image to the outside world. This is easily achievable through a business phone system. Thanks to features like call redirecting, IVR, call scheduling, etc., your business will look and act like it’s a large and professionally-run organization.
4. Improved customer experience
Earlier business phone systems had one major flaw – you had to be at the office to attend to any incoming calls. This greatly increased the number of missed calls, which, in turn, led to customer dissatisfaction. Modern-day business phone systems are fueled by VoIP and cloud technology, making the business phone system totally device agnostic. This means you or your employees can answer customer calls anytime, anywhere. No more dropped calls, leading to improved customer experience.
5. Helps in making data-driven decisions
Present-day business phone systems come with a powerful analytics engine that generates valuable insights to better understand your company’s collaboration process. Based on this data, you can tailor the call flow. This data is also used for understanding the performance of your teams and helping the low-performing employees to communicate better. But the most important benefit is it allows you to track and analyze your customer’s behavior, which helps in crafting the perfect experience for them.
How to Choose the Best Business Phone Systems?
Here are the different factors you must consider while selecting a business phone system for your business
- Feature-rich: Make sure that the business phone system you choose has all the must-have features like call recording, call forwardings, plug-n-play integrations, etc.
- Customized: The phone system must be tailored to your industry and all your necessary use cases. Never waste too much time customizing a platform after subscribing to it.
- Pricing: Ensure that the cost of the phone system fits your budget. If not, your ROI will be negatively impacted. Bonus if you could find a platform offering a free trial. It will help you test the platform without committing to it.
- Learning curve: The phone system must be easy to use, even for someone who has just joined your organization. This way, you can save on unwanted training and workshops.
- Scalability: No organization will remain the same forever; the number of employees will constantly grow. This means your phone system must be able to accommodate any number of employees without the need to break the bank.
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