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How To Select the Best Business Phone Service

Business phone is a must-have tool for every business. Did you know that you can do so much more with your phone service than just make calls?

Making and receiving calls is one aspect of business phone systems. Today, having a small business phone system is almost as a mini-office.

The advent of cloud-based telephony systems and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has revolutionized business operations. Apart from giving a wide range of choices and convenience, these phones offer your business, flexibility, and mobility. There is no reliance on any particular phone company anymore.

You can use them for messaging, video conferencing, audio conferencing, call forwards and converting voicemail to emails! Additionally, seamless integration with third-party software’s makes the simple business phone, an absolute must-have for your business.

Things to Consider Before Making Your Choice

If you are considering a phone system for your small business, there are a host of factors you should consider. Let’s know more about them.

Type of Connection

A simple old-fashioned landline or a smart VoIP connection are the two choices you have for your business. Landline phone systems can be costly to maintain and install. They also need considerably more space for copper wirings, hardware, and other accessories.

Today, many companies prefer being lean and VoIP fits in perfectly well with their strategy. VoIP is based on internet telephony and can be installed quite easily. Its installation and maintenance expenses are much cheaper than traditional phone lines.

Virtual or Office

Many companies need entire phone systems while others can do without them. Companies with remote employees or not having physical offices typically prefer a virtual phone system. It allows them business-friendly features such as call forwarding to employee’s smartphones, calls waiting, calls screening, automated call attendants and voicemail. Business VoIP solutions are typically more feature rich than landline phones and are suitable for small to medium-sized companies.

Hosting

VoIP phone services can be hosted in your office or on the cloud. Many service providers give you the choice of choosing either of the two options while many offer only one choice.

The space requirement, cost outlay, and maintenance are the primary differences between the two options. In an on-premise solution, you host the equipment in your office and your in-house IT team take care of all repair and maintenance. In cloud hosting, equipment and maintenance are taken care of by the service provider. Landlines phones don’t offer this flexibility as they have to be hosted in your premises.

Budget

In on-premises systems, the cost of equipment, its maintenance, licensing fees are paid upfront. The expenses can quickly escalate with a higher employee count or the type of equipment selected. Monthly payment plans are available for the actual call usage. In cloud hosting, upfront fees are zero. You pay a monthly fee per user which can be scaled up as and when needed as per the number of users.

Features

The feature-rich functionality of VoIP phones gives a much-needed competitive edge to business. Micro and small enterprises can elevate their communication and business operations to a level which was accessible previously only to large enterprises.

With more than 50 enhanced calling features, the VoIP industry is coming up with newer functionalities almost every month.  Missed call notifications, call forwarding, mobile applications, converting voicemail to email, call recording, call logs and making calls from your laptops are just some of the features available.

Collaborative Technology

Every business needs strong teamwork and communication to be successful. Phone systems are filling that crucial gap in communications while enabling enterprises to have real-time communication and information access. They are enhancing collaboration amongst employees located across countries and continents. Time zones are becoming extinct with features such as conference calling, instant messaging and web conferencing.

Mobility

Mobile applications integrated with the phone systems have made the entire VoIP service user-friendly.  Once you download the mobile app into your smartphone, you can easily access your business phone line, its messages, and notifications directly from your device. Mobility is at your fingertips and fits in perfectly with your lifestyle and business needs.

You are free to choose the service provider as per your budget, features and whether you want them hosted on your premises or cloud. If you need flexibility in your business operations, choose a cloud connection. Do you have remote employees? Just pick a virtual number.  Whatever your need is, you will certainly find suitable options.

Your business can expect to receive a unified communications experience and a uniform brand voice by using today’s dynamic business phones. The seamless integration they offer can give immense value at a reasonable cost to small, medium and even micro businesses.

Check out the Mitel reviews, plans and pricing and much more.

John Morris
John Morrishttps://www.tenoblog.com
John Morris is a self-motivated person, a blogging enthusiast who loves to peek into the minds of innovative entrepreneurs. He's inspired by emerging tech & business trends and is dedicated to sharing his passion with readers.

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