How to Shop for a Business Telephone System

For all businesses, having a communications system is very important, and the most valuable piece of equipment in the office is going to be the telephone system that enables you to stay connected to the outside world. Unlike telephones for personal use, office phone systems are typically quite pricey, but they’re also quite loaded in terms of features and capabilities.

When looking at feature-loaded telephone systems for your business, think of the basic features you’ll need, as well as the extra features that you’d like to have – but don’t necessarily need. Here is a general guide as to the typical features you can expect to find in a basic office telephone system setup:

• An automatic directory: callers can find employee extensions by the first couple of letters of the employee’s first or last name; an automated listing of employees and their extensions may also be possible
• Voicemail: can’t get through? Simply leave a message after the beep. Some systems allow for employees to call in from outside lines to check their messages.
• Conference calls: conference calls are practically a given with the majority of companies, so you’d be extremely hard-pressed to find a system that didn’t offer the ability to connect two or more extensions together
• Call holds and forwards: put calls on hold while you take care of other matters, or forward calls to another extension or even an outside line
• Speed dial: for frequent calls to the same number, take advantage of speed dial services

Office telephone systems are available in numerous sizes, and are generally defined by the number of lines that can be connected to them. When deciding what size is best for you, think about the number of phones you will want to connect, and where these phones will be – such as in reception, in each office, connected to the fax machine and printer, on the warehouse floor, etc.

If you’re not sure about the setup you should select for your office, an office telephone system vendor can come into your office and go over floor plans with you, and make recommendations that will best work for you.