Considering a business phone system in 2015

Choosing a phone system for your first office can sometimes be overlooked by new business owners, or business owners with expanding needs.

When choosing Business phone system, some people fall into the pitfall of getting a system which is satisfactory to their current needs, but with little regard to how they could possibly run into problems in the future. If you’re reading this, you are likely far more prepared than this, and you are looking for some information to future proof your business. There are several options available from a small multi line PABX to much larget PABX systems. There is also the recently popular cloud based phone system over the traditional phone system to consider.

When choosing a phone system there are several factors to consider:

Do I invest in a phone system sufficient for just for my current requirements or do I want to invest in a system which can grow with my business?
Should we use Analogue, ISDN lines or move over to a Cloud based hosted VoIP platform?
How does the call quality differ from the current options available?
Which solution would suit us best if say we have home workers, remote offices or sales reps out on the road using mobiles?
What important data can we retrieve from our phone system call logs, call duration, time kept on hold etc?
What infrastructure do I need in place in order to have a phone system installed?
Do we need specialist training on how to use the system?

Types of Phone System Solutions

Simple plug and play single line DECT or Corded telephone and headset package

If you simply work from home and require a simple plug and play solution which runs off a single analogue line then why not consider a telephone and headset bundle package starting from only £26.30. This enables you to make and receive calls without having to hold the handset for long periods of time making your work flow much more efficient and no neck pain! You could even go for a Cordless DECT phone with a headset bundle also giving the benefit of no neck strain however also giving you the freedom to walk around the home or office.

Small business multi line PABX

If you work home or a small office and have more than one person working in the company, having a single line would restrict you from working efficiently and productively. Imagine having to wait for your colleague to finish off a call in order for you to make that all important sales call to your client or even a potential customer trying to contact you and hearing an engaged tone.

We can arrange multiple lines to be installed at your office still keeping your current number for both lines. We supply Orchid Telecom simple plug and play analogue phone systems which can be installed in less than 20 minutes with no technical experience necessary. These systems would enable you to answer the calls on both lines, put the caller on hold and even transfer the call to your colleague.

Medium to large size business multi line PABX

We would recommend if you have four or more employees to go for Panasonic KX-NS700 Smart Hybrid PBX System This feature rich hybrid phone system offers rock solid stability you would expect from Panasonic, it’s totally expandable, you could simply start with one or two analogue lines and expand up to for up to 120 incoming lines and 288 extensions by simply adding lines and expansion cards into the system. The systems is packed rich with features which include:

• A PBX also utilises Auto attendant – this directs all incoming calls to the appropriate destination by asking the caller to choose an option by using their numerical keypad on their phone.

• Direct calling – Your customers can now call your employees phones directly if you wish, they will have their own extension number which is dial-able from outside the company.

• Individual voicemail – You customers can now leave voicemails specifically for an employee which will be left on their extension number.

Ok – That’s great but what’s this Cloud Hosted PABX I keep hearing about?

Hosted PABX

VoIP Phone Systems are phone systems run over the internet. What this basically boils down to is rather than using your phone line, you will use your internet connection , Cloud based Hosted PABX are certainly the future of telephone systems, there hundreds of advantages of using a cloud based hosted PABX over standard hardware system. We can supply a number of solutions in order to offer a Hosted PABX to any company within the UK ensuring crystal clear call quality, stability, cost savings and features only top of the range phone systems could offer.

The beauty of the cloud is that there is no upfront cost for any extra equipment, all you need is a POE switch, the phones, and an internet connection.

Minimal installation cost – no need to hire a telephone engineer to install lots of hardware into your office
Trade from anywhere in the world– you have one number and if a client calls that number you can take the call from home, office, hotel room, or even the beach
Free online portal – You can change all your settings in real time, out of office, voicemail to email, call forwarding etc. No need to call the office asking to put on your out of office again!
Free office to office calling – Imagine having offices round the world, you can speak to them 24/7 for free, even transfer calls and have group conference calls
Scalability – Hosted PABX enables your company to grow from just one employee to hundred thousand employees. There is no limit on how many handsets. As your company grows you simply purchase another handset and user licence
Trade more efficiently – Traditionally when you to leave the office, a client would have to call you on your mobile in order to make contact, this is not the case with hosted, if anyone calls your landline number is can seamlessly call your mobile number enabling you never to miss that important call. However if you do miss that call the system would then email you a voicemail ensuring you can trade 100% efficiently

Cloud based Non Geo Graphic numbers

Cloud based Non geographic numbers are a great way to give your business that more professional, established feel, depending on your type of business there are a number of different variants which would fit into your business profile

0845 – Ideal to use as a standard business number, as the calls are charged at local rate

0800 – Freephone number ideal to attract sales calls

0871- 0844 – These are great for generating revenue when offering services such as technical support and advise lines

03 – Ideal to use as a standard business number, as the calls are charged at lower call rate ideal national presence

One number stays with you for life, even if you live in Scotland and then move to London, that number is yours
FREE call recording – record all you incoming calls for free, simply log onto the free portal to retrieve the files
FREE online portal with hundreds of features, music on hold – with apology on hold announcements, unlimited call queuing, call statistics
Follow me – Simply set your number to divert to your mobile via the online portal without your customer ever knowing. This is ideal for any person who is out of the office and wants to make it easy for potential customer to contact you.

Contact PMC telecom today to discuss your business needs and find the Best business phone systems for your needs on: 0845 180 9988