Few elements of setting up a new business are as critical to success as a well-chosen, appropriate and highly functional phone system. Modern technology means these systems are capable of far more than voice traffic and now act as tools for many communication tasks from video conferencing to virtual support from remote locations.
High Technology To The Forefront Of Delivering Benefits
Modern business phone systems provide a wealth of functionality to streamline communications and deliver increased productivity. Two developments in particular have underpinned this surge in features:
- Fast broadband that enables VOIP
- Cloud services
It is now possible to deploy a cloud based PABX system that does more than the conventional hardware units found in many offices. This type of cloud based service is typically fast to configure and re-configure. This delivers attributes which are keenly sought by new businesses, such as:
- Short term contracts, which enable a business to trial a service, or even selected features of a service, knowing that they can chop and change without suffering financial penalties.
- Scalability, which guarantees that successful trading and company growth will still be adequately supported by the chosen system or supplier.
The Importance Of Planning And Research
Choosing a suitable telephony solution is (or should be) a top priority of every new business – right up there with choosing a premises. Not every organisation enjoys the benefits of a green field site or is totally unconstrained in its choices. For example, a business that must depend on serviced office accommodation is unlikely to be able to choose a customised phone system of its own.
Research is important on two fronts:
- Learning what is available and what different technologies deliver
- Knowing what suppliers specialise in which services and their USPs
Planning and research dovetail to result in a shortlist of desirable services, prioritised features and likely suppliers.
The Options Can Be Confusing
The world of business telecoms is one of high technology and computerised systems, typified by a plethora of acronyms and many names for identical functions or services. To the uninitiated it can be a confusing mass of detail. That’s why it always pays to engage professionals on your side to help you sift through the detail and highlight those aspects that are truly important.
We at GPS Telecom are very conscious that a good telephone system is one that delivers the requirements of the business and not a load of attractive but unused features that sound good on a supplier’s website. That’s why we strongly recommend a professional consultation so your list of requirements can be mapped to system’s features and/or specific equipment. We can also advise on what types of telephone line to install to enable the correct technologies to meet the requirements of your business.
Our New Business Telecoms Guide
Downloading our free New Business Telecoms Guide is a great place to start. It will tell you what to look for as well as what pitfalls to avoid, and will arm you with a checklist to help make your search easier and more focussed.
