Business Phone System Buying Guide - The Right Business Telephone System Checklist
By Al ScillitaniThere are so many companies that sell business phone systems, it gets very confusing and even frustrating at times trying to figure out which one to choose. There are several items you must look for in a business phone system and others that are nice to have. Below is a breakdown of the most common features, what you should ask when speaking with companies (use a checklist), and a list of phone system definitions.
First and foremost, you are looking for the least expensive complete phone system that works. Does it matter how it works or why it works, probably not. As long as the phone system can reliably make and receive calls, has the features you need, sounds great, and is the right price most people are not concerned if the system is using traditional phone lines or VOIP (uses the internet rather than traditional phone lines - see definitions below).
First question to ask yourself is how many users you will have. Do you need 1 phone, 2 phones, a conference phone, etc... You may be able to discuss this with some of the companies and let them give you suggestions on set up and usage.
You will also need to know which features are must haves and which ones are just nice to have. For example, if you are a business with only 1 or 2 employees, it may be more important to you to have an auto-attendant to answer the phone when you are not there and call forwarding for when you are on the road. Voice to text transcription is becoming more and more popular. Some are charging extra for this service, so make sure you ask if this is a needed feature.
Once you have your list of users and features, you are ready to start contacting phone companies to see what they offer and prices.
Name of phone company:
Website:
Phone Number:
Date:
Cost: What is the cost per user?
If you are planning to higher more people within the next year, ask about adding users as well. Make sure the system is scalable.
Is there a contract or is it month to month?
Does the plan include any phone numbers? Local numbers? Toll Free numbers?
Does the plan include unlimited local and long distance?
If you will be calling internationally, you will want to ask about that as well.
I need features "x" "y" and "z" are they included in the price?
List of Features - do not forget to ask if it is free and unlimited, free with limits, or immediate costs per use:
Voicemail
Auto Attendant
Call Forwarding
Conferencing
Voice to text
Ability to create Groups
What additional free features do you offer?
How easy is it to manage the phone system? If I want to add a user, what would the steps be?
Do you offer customer support? Where is the company and support located?
Do you have any testimonials or references I can contact?
Do you sell business phones? If so, what are the prices and can I buy them elsewhere if I would like?
Phone System Definitions
Analog - Older technology used by first generation cell phones. Homes and small offices still may use analog phones. Converts air vibrations into electrical frequency.
Auto Attendant - Allows callers to be automatically transferred to a phone extension.
Business Class Internet Connection - xDSL, Cable, T1 or better.
Call Forwarding - Ability for incoming calls to be transferred automatically to another number or extension.
Call Parking - Ability to put a call on hold and pick the call up at a different phone.
Call Conferencing - A phone and service that allows more than two parties to talk and/or listen.
Digital - Newer phone technology. Phones that use a digital signal, like a computer, that represents the sound and increased functionality.
Direct Inward Dialing (DID) - A block of phone numbers so a company can offer its customers individual phone numbers for each person within the company without requiring a physical line for each possible connection.
Edgemarc - Combines multiple voice and data features into a single, easy to use networking router.
Private Branch Exchange (PBX) - A device that connects business telephones with the public telephone network.
Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) - Phone system based on copper wires carrying analog voice data.
Router - An electronic device that connects two or more computer networks and interchanges data between them.
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) - An internet signaling protocol that is used to start and terminate voice calls over the Internet.
SIP Trunks - A device that allows data and voice to be used in a single line.
Voice Over IP (VOIP) - Transmitting voice over your internet line rather than traditional phone line.
Voice to text transcription - Ability of voicemail system to accept speech and transcribe it into written language.
Voicemail - Phone feature that stores and delivers recorded voice messages.
For more definitions and information, visit Business Phone Systems
Al Scillitani
Manager - http://www.Bandwidth.com Inc
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Al_Scillitani/114231