There are many aspects to business phone systems. It is an excellent way to communicate with clients, employees, vendors, and other business entities. There are several systems on the market, but only a select few can be considered the best phone system. To make this decision for you, follow the tips below. Learn how the new phone system will work for your business.
Below is a list of the leading eight business phone systems for today. See the links at the end of this article to read complete reviews. See more detailed information on rating the Best Business Phone Systems of 2021, which includes independent ratings for large, medium, and small businesses. GSM Internet Protocol is the leading technology used by small businesses, yet many small businesses do not have it. A business phone system should include GSM Internet Protocol capability.
Small businesses that do not want to use traditional landlines need business phone systems with voice over IP (VOIP). There are two types of VOIP, business phone systems that use the packet data technology or ATA (analogue telephone adapter) and VOIP that uses broadband Internet. The following paragraphs provide information on each type and what benefits each has.
Traditional packet data business phone systems require long distance calls, since the voice data must be transmitted over long distances. The advantage of VOIP is that calls can be made within the same network and without the cost of using another company’s infrastructure. A business phone service using VOIP has the advantage of lower overall costs than traditional systems. The disadvantages of VOIP include high call costs, lower reliability, possible connection failure, reliance on a remote data service provider, and lack of support for broadband Internet.
Most business phone systems today include PBX services, a telecommunication function traditionally reserved for large companies. PBX services are offered in both analog and digital formats and include the features of a private branch exchange, or PBX. A business phone system will include extensions and trunking in addition to the standard features of a pbx.
In contrast to business phone systems, there are no dedicated lines of communication between your customer and you. This feature is called cloud telephony. Cloud phone services connect your customers through a virtual private network instead of using a traditional network. Your business phone system allows you to manage the call flow within the cloud, rather than managing the underlying infrastructure.
Some of the major advantages of VOIP over business phone systems are the ability to conduct business face-to-face, as well as remote meetings. Today’s devices also include audio/video conferencing and a wide range of additional capabilities, such as advanced caller identification. Video conferencing has now become affordable for businesses of all sizes, and allows employees to conduct meetings virtually. Audio/video conferencing is similar to video conferencing, but incorporates a variety of options for collaboration that cannot be duplicated with voice telephony. Allowing users to see and hear the same information simultaneously, audio/video conferencing can increase the efficiency of business phone systems by reducing travel, freeing up time for staff to handle other business functions, and eliminating the need for employees to physically travel to business telephone systems.
Business phone systems offer businesses many options for communication and integrate seamlessly with existing CRM or ERP applications. Many integrated phone systems offer advanced call routing, call forwarding, call routing with caller identification, automatic call distribution, automated call routing with extension dialing and more. Some even integrate with sales, accounting and human resource applications.
IP Telephony is voice over internet protocol, which allows voice calls to be made over a broadband Internet connection, instead of through traditional telephone lines. IP telephony services are offered through a computer network rather than the public internet. The advantages of IP telephony include cost savings, as there are no long distance charges associated with making phone calls using IP and Internet connections, speedier communications using IP telephony, and the ability to connect with multiple computers and file reports and appointment histories across the entire company. IP phone systems do require a high-speed Internet connection, however. There are also IP phones available that allow users to use VoIP directly, without the use of an internet service provider (ISP).
Poor Customer Service. No matter how good a business phone system is, it will not always be effective if the customer service is bad. Business phone systems must be easy to contact and understand, and they should always be able to get back to you in a timely fashion when you need them. Nothing frustrates a client or prospective client more than getting a bad shopping advice, a bad customer service experience, a late phone order, or other kind of poor customer service. Customers want and expect to be treated like VIPs with excellent customer service.
Data Center Utilization and Network Utilization. Business phone systems have a major advantage over other forms of communication technology, as they can support voice and data communications from one point in the company’s data center to another. This is especially important if the business has a vast number of offices or branches in different geographic areas. A major disadvantage of an ip pbx phone system is that the central office system must be connected to a high-speed Internet connection to stay in constant contact with all employees at all times.
