Business phone is still the dominant communication channel for most companies in today’s world. A professional phone system can always increase the trustworthiness of your business and streamline your internal and external communication process.
The best business phone system should offer you the features you need while keeping costs low. Therefore, more and more organizations are upgrading their communication systems given the advantages of VoIP. If you’re also looking for a new business phone system of the right size and features in 2018, you need to ask yourself 5 fundamental questions below.
- What is the type of phone system you need?
- How much are you willing to invest?
- Do you want a cloud-based system or a premises-based one?
- Do you need to do business over mobile phones?
- How much fluctuation is there in your communications needs?
To answer the questions above, it is very important that you understand the options available for you.
What are the types of phone systems available today?
There are 2 main types of phone systems: Analog and VoIP.
Analog
Traditional analog phone service is typically supported by local telcos. It relies on the PSTN – complex system of hardwired landlines – to transmit calls. We’re all familiar with it. Yet that doesn’t mean it is still the best choice, especially for businesses in global market.
In fact, this old school and inflexible solution is being phased out by VoIP and other Virtual phone systems because it can no longer compete with those new services in terms of features, cost and maintenance.
VoIP System
VoIP phone system works through the Internet you are using rather than a copper wiring. Demand for VoIP services is rising owing to low upfront, maintenance and usage cost with higher flexibility, effortless customization, unrestricted scalability.
Cloud-based or premises-based system?
If you are interested in VoIP and then reach out to VoIP service providers, they will offer you either Cloud-based or premises-based system. We don’t always trust sales guys and simply accept what they offer but do you want to delve into telecom world to choose the best one for your company?
To make a right decision, consider 3 basic differences between Premises-based and Cloud-based systems below.
1. Cost
If you go for premises-based system, you should expect to pay high upfront cost for a device called IP-PBX, high subscription plan and installation costs. Beside hardware and setup costs, there will be maintenance and service costs in case you need to re-configure or add more phone lines.
However, modern companies like yours are moving away from aging software and hardware phone solutions to cloud-based communication system because it offers features of an on-premises system at much cheaper price. Besides, you can literally call anywhere in the world at a fraction of the rates you would normally pay. You still have full control over your phone system and change it when you need with an online account. So there is no need to assign a dedicated IT personnel to manage the system.
2. Flexibility
On-premise systems require a third-party softphone to communicate between a mobile device and the on-premise software. It’s definitely not a big problem as you can download many softphone apps for free. However, you will need to buy softphone business plan to have all necessary features and this can add more cost into the already expensive IP-PBX system.
In contrast, most cloud systems can be accessed easily from mobile devices, and many even offer built-in mobile apps allowing you to stay in touch with business calls regardless of where you are.
3. Scalability
You should also consider whether your team will grow fast and hence need to increase the number of phone lines. If there will be great fluctuation in your communication need, then a premises-based phone system will not as suitable to you as a cloud-based one. To reconfigure an on-premise IP-PBX you need to hire an IT specialist, while cloud PBX allows you to simply add or remove phone extensions from your online account.
About Cloud PBX
Cloud PBX solution enables you to easily mix and match the various apps to fit your communication needs, giving you the ability to extend and scale your phone system effortlessly.
You can setup voice greetings, create phone extensions to forward calls anywhere: office, mobile or home. Furthermore, you can buy landline, mobile, toll-free or golden DID numbers of more than 60 countries and all calls made between DID numbers are free. Best of all, there is no minimum contract.
Features
- Unlimited layers of automated phone attendant
- Call transfer, call hold and call into conference
- Call hunting – ring queue and ring group
- Missed call message and voicemail notification to email
- Built-in Bizphone apps and compatibility with all SIP-enabled devices
- Separate DID for each sub-IVR menu level
- International numbers, toll free, landline, mobile and golden numbers
- User-friendly portal to set up and update phone system
Leave your phone number at the form below to get 1 month free trial. If you haven’t made the decision yet, still feel free to fill the form. We would be happy to help you assess your goals and resources and guide you through the solutions we offer through free consultation. No contract or credit card required!
Interested? Contact us thru this link: http://helpdesk.ispeed.sg/support/tickets/new