One of the best ways a small business can look and act like a larger company is to choose the right phone system. By providing big-business features at an affordable price, small business phone systems are a powerful tool for growing your business.

Does my small business need a PBX phone system?
Simply put: probably not. One way to save money on small business phone systems is to choose a key system unit (KSU) instead of a more expensive PBX system. A KSU is easier to install and manage than PBX hardware, and can support the calling needs of up to about 40 people.

You'll get all the basic business calling features you’d expect: call forwarding and transferring, caller ID, extension dialing, voice mail, and more. You won't get the flexibility that PBX systems offer: programming options are more limited. Furthermore, a KSU can't be integrated with robust call center management software and doesn't offer the detailed reporting on call times, hold queues, and other call center statistics that you might want.

Do make sure you plan for the future. You should expect to get 3 to 5 years out your phone system before it needs a major upgrade or replacement, so it's important to look at your plans for growth and verify that the KSU you choose will be able to grow with you.

You might not need a phone system at all
A newer alternative to traditional small business phone systems is a hosted PBX service. With hosted PBX service, you get the full power of a business-grade PBX system without having to install any hardware or pay significant upfront costs. For small businesses, hosted PBX is definitely worth a look.

Hosted PBX services operate on an application service provider (ASP) model: the service provider runs the PBXes in their data center, and all the work of routing and handling your calls is done there. Calls don't reach your office until they're connected to a live phone number. Even your voicemail is stored in the data center.

Hosted PBX providers are able to offer these services through the Internet: your calls are transferred from their data center to your office over a broadband Internet connection. If you don't have a broadband connection, you won't be able to use a hosted PBX service.

To get started with hosted PBX, submit a free request for hosted phone service quotes and we'll put you in touch with several leading vendors.

Choosing the best small business phone systems
Whichever type of phone system you choose, it's important to find a vendor who can work with you to develop the right system for your small business. You don't need the power and flexibility of a $15,000 phone system – but you need reliability and professional features. That's why it's important to look for vendors who can understand the unique needs of your small business.

Comments