Choosing a telephone system for your new business is a very important decision. It’s really on a par with choosing your business location and should be accorded sufficient time and planning to give you the best possible chance of making the right decisions.
Prioritising Your Requirements First
Itemising what you want from your phone system is an obvious first step but surprisingly few people do this properly. Very often, they look at options offered by a major supplier and think that will fit the bill nicely. It’s only weeks or months later that deficiencies become apparent because their business needs features that the chosen system does not provide, or they are locked into an unsuitable long term contract.
The Major Suppliers May Not Be Your Best Option
While there is nothing wrong with the services provided by the big names such as BT, Vodafone, Virgin and so on, a new business can very often benefit by exploring options from smaller and less well-known suppliers. The reasons are generally based around these four core rationales:
- Specialist niche suppliers often provide better features
- Smaller companies give excellent customer service because their success depends on it more
- You may find far more competitive pricing from smaller suppliers
- Greater flexibility in aspects such as minimum contract duration removes risk of being tied down
Watch For Constraints That May Limit Your Business
It’s worth your while to note these pointers from our experience with clients who have fallen foul of them:
Choose business grade systems. Only consider business quality systems and equipment. Consumer models are cheaper but are not built to take the wear and tear of business use.
Serviced offices may seem like a great idea initially, with low capital outlay, but they may constrain your business in several ways. For example:
- It’s unlikely they will be equipped with the latest technology in Internet and phone line connectivity. If that does not matter now, it may well do in the near future.
- You are unlikely to be able to take the phone number with you when you move to new premises.
Choose The Technology That Best Suits Your Requirements
Knowing what your requirements are will guide you to correctly choosing the appropriate technology. For example, a retail outlet or dental reception area are just two examples of locations that would require credit card authorisation machines. These may require “old fashioned” analogue PSTN (public service telephone network) phone lines.
Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Expert Advice
As the very brief outline above suggests, there are potential pitfalls for the unwary and the unprepared when choosing a telephone system for a new business. It is advisable to run your requirements and priorities past experts like ourselves for a professional opinion on what systems best suits your needs. However, thinking through those requirements should be the first step in your plan for obtaining a new telephone system.
We have put together an introductory guide specifically aimed at new businesses that are about to select a telephone system. It is packed with sound advice and useful tips. Feel free to download The New Business Telecoms Guide with our compliments.
