When buying a office phone system, a primary concern is to make sure that the system is the right size for your firm. Knowing your requirements in advance and understanding the size constraints of a system will help you negotiate with vendors. There are two main factors that will determine the size of the system you need:

• Lines. Also called trunks, lines indicate the total number of outside phone lines used by the company.
• Extensions. Extensions are needed for every device within the company that connects to the phone system. Most of the extensions will be for telephones. However, fax machines, credit card terminals, modems, and any other equipment that requires a phone connection must also be tallied.

In key systems, system size is usually indicated as a combination of lines and extensions. For example, a 12 x 36 system accommodates up to 12 lines and 36 extensions. In contrast, most PBXs define size in terms of "ports," which indicate the maximum number of connections that can be made to the system. This includes outside lines and inside extensions, as well as phone system accessories such as voicemail or automated attendants.

Even if an office phone system can handle your current phone traffic, you should be sure that it can also handle your future needs. The ideal system should be able to handle expansion in a very cost-effective manner. PBX systems allow you to increase capacity by adding new cards that increase the total number of ports available; some key systems are expandable by simply adding another cabinet identical to the first.

For planning purposes, inquire about how much it will cost to add more extensions, making sure to specify different amounts, e.g., 10 vs. 20 vs. 50 more extensions. Learning the exact method of expansion is not important – what is important is that expansion is easy and affordable.

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