Through the internet, small business can attract customers from all over the world. While that works for 
companies dealing mostly with sales, those selling services tend to be much more local and that means a lot more phone use. Sadly, the phone system is often very low on the things which many small business owners think of when starting up. However phone traffic is one of the important points of contacts with your clients/customers and needs to be managed properly. Here are some tips on how to find the best small business phone systems.
Your Business Pain Points
What are the challenges either facing your company or problems your existing system has. There are many possible pain points affecting your decision from both your employees and your customers. Where your customers may be angry at long wait-time and confusing options, your employees may be using unsecure cell phones to conduct business so they can have modern phone options. Knowing the ‘ground truth’ can help define what needs to be changed and what additional features are needed.
Productivity versus Technology
Newer isn’t always better in all cases and this can apply to many small business models. A return on investment (ROI) model needs to be developed so the expected gains versus cost can be looked at. It can be very easy to be swayed by the promise of what certain technologies offer only to end up paying for options which are not needed. Deciding on what options are needed is also a good opportunity for the company to reassess their processes.
Can you work smarter, not harder? Is some company policies restricting productivity. Too often companies with older technology or proprietary software with outdated options cause employees to use other options which can come back to bite the company in increased risk to sensitive information. Knowing the day-to-day technology use by the employees is key to managing that risk.
On-site versus the Cloud
Traditionally businesses in the past have bought and managed both the hardware and software so they could manage their own telephone system. This is a capital investment model where there are the upfront costs as well as continued maintenance and operations. This allows for more control but also more costs.
Many companies are choosing to use hosted or cloud service. Here a company generally pays the one-time installment costs and then monthly cost-per-user fees. This pushes much of the risk (and cost) away from the company and onto the cloud service provider. Sometimes the best phone system for a small business is one they don't own themselves. As the company grows, a future switch to the more traditional, in-house managed phone system is always possible.
Geography Issues
Even small businesses today can have a long, even global reach. However even if a business just has more than one location raises important issues which need to be address. More locations bring more problems, especially if those locations are in different states or even countries. What works great at the main office might be over-kill at the satellite branches. Likewise the satellites might need more mobile communications technology (say to track construction teams on-site) the home office doesn’t. Every office has its own needs which need to be addressed as a unified package.
Training
How difficult will it be for your employees and clients/customers to adapt to the new system? A new system may be the answer to your needs only to see your productivity lag without proper training. Can you ‘test-drive’ the system first or have your employees trained prior to installation? Technology transitions dangers usually come from lack of training on the new system which causes frustration, slowed productivity and customer complaint.
There are many factors going into what makes the best phone system for a small business so take advantage of with subject matter experts to help you make the right decisions for your company.
