Buying a new business phone system is one of the
most important purchases any business will ever
make. Choosing the right phone system can help
you to grow and develop closer links with your
clients, bringing a business
closer to its customers and clients or, cause
confusion and chaos amongst all that use or
interact with it. Select Service offer
totally free consultancy, regardless of the size
of your telephone system requirements. We pride
ourselves in advising you on the best telephone
system package for your requirements, that
incorporates the facilities you need with 'no
excess baggage' and at very competitive prices.
Assessing your telephone system needs
There are lots of factors that need to be taken
into consideration when choosing a new business
telephone system and it's important to spend time to
consider all the options before selecting a system.
Below are a few of the main ones:
1. What call volume will your telephone system have
to deal with now and is that volume likely to grow?
2. how many incoming lines (possibly including modem
and fax machines) and user extensions do you
require.
3. Do you need to ensure compatibility with any
equipment you already own (headsets, handsets,
conferencing equipment, cabling etc).
4. What special functions would you like your
telephone system to perform?
You may not know the answer to all these
questions yet but by the end of this guide you will
hopefully understand a little more about what’s on
the market and what would be right for you. We are
always available to advise you further.
De-mystifying the phone system jargon
The world of business phone systems can be an
endlessly confusing jumble of
jargon and abbreviations. So if like most
people, you don’t know your VOIP from your PBX
then please read on.
KSU-Less Telephone Systems
As suggested, this is a phone system that offers
similar features as a full KSU telephone system,
without a lot of the expensive technology. However
although KSU-Less phone systems are very cheap and
simple to set-up, these telephone systems are really only suited to
small phone systems with less than 10 users. KSU-Less
phone systems can be easily unplugged and relocated,
as they are not permanently wired into your office.
KSU Telephone Systems
KSU stands for key system unit. KSU type telephone
systems have a central hub (the key system unit
itself) which allows some features which normal
phones cannot offer, such as allowing one extension
to call another in house extension, and preventing
other users from picking up a line that is already
in use. This type of telephone system works most
efficiently in systems with up to 50 users.
PBX telephone Systems
Private Branch exchange or PBX, is a term that
comes from the era of the centralised switchboard
operator and although what it initially described
has now become obsolete the term still refers to a
telephone system which automatically selects an
available outside line for the user, unlike KSU type
systems, where the user manually selects the line
for an outgoing call. Traditionally, PBX telephone
systems have been very expensive and only suitable
for large companies investing significant funds in
their telephone system. However, advances in
technology have now made possible virtual PBX’s,
most commonly using broadband internet to carry the
data and has reduced costs brining the advantages of
this type of telephone system to small and medium
sized businesses.
VOIP or IP Telephone Systems
VOIP stands for voice over internet protocol and
the later term IP or IP telephony just stands for
internet protocol and your call data is carried over
the internet rather than over traditional telephone
lines. VoIP telephone systems have the benefit of
reducing the cost of phone use, as data and voice
calls can be carried by the same network. IP systems
are by far the most popular option these days for
majority of businesses, with the adaptability of the
telephone systems, their relatively low running
costs and ability to integrate easily with client
management software these telephone systems offer
many benefits over traditional phone systems.
Telephone System Facilities
Further factors to consider are the expansion
possibilities and add-ons you may require or wish to
invest in at a later stage, below are a few
examples:
Voice mail - message facilities
Call recording - the ability to record and store
call conversations
Call logging - records the numbers dialled by
individual extensions
Call barring - barring users from dialling out
certain numbers
Automated attendant - callers are offered
numbers to press to get to the correct
department/extension
Conference calling - handsets used must have a
reliable and efficient microphone as well as a
speaker
Paging - again, ensure microphones and speakers
are adequate
Calling line identification (CLI) - requires a
good handset with an adequate display screen
Music on hold - can add your own choice of music
or radio station ?
Directory phone book - an internal directory
listing all company contacts available for users
to dial
Door system - the facility to link a door lock
to the telephone system
Further Reading
Mitel Telephone Systems
NEC Telephone Systems
SpliceCom Telephone Systems
Siemens Telephone Systems |
