Choosing The Best Telephone System For Your Business
When you own and operate a growing business, you need a phone system that will grow with you. Most commercial telephone systems are designed for large-scale installations, so they can be hard to scale down for a smaller operation. If you're not ready to invest in something that extensive but you don't know what else to do, you may want to take some time to determine exactly what you need. Here are a few of the things you should be thinking about to get the right phone system for your business.
How Will The System Affect Your Phone Number?
Your company's phone number is going to become a lasting part of the brand identity. If you already have a phone number that's recognized among your target customer base, you will want to choose a system that allows you to maintain that phone number. You might also want to consider a system that lets you add an 800 number for some of your other customers to be able to reach you more easily.
If you do opt for an 800 number, make sure that you can get one that's alphanumeric. That way, you can spell out your business name or your branded product. That makes it more recognizable and easier for prospective customers to remember.
Can You Implement a Recording System?
Especially when you have an in-house customer service team, the capability to record phone calls is important. By recording all of the inbound and outbound calls, you'll be able to use some of them for training purposes. They will help new hires understand what kinds of calls they can expect as well as how those calls should be handled.
In addition, being able to record calls will help you maintain records of every customer complaint and any communication from your staff to a potential customer. If ever the legality of something is called into question, you'll have the documentation of it.
Do You Get Location Flexibility?
If you're looking for a phone system that's versatile enough to be accessible from both your home office and the company buildings, you might want to think about a virtual phone system. That way, if you're out with clients as often as you're in the building, you'll still be reachable when necessary. Virtual lines allow you to forward incoming calls to any phone, whether it's your cell phone or even your home line.
Understanding how important your company's phone system choice is will help you to get the one that makes business easier, not more complicated. Talk with a local business telephone service like Garden State Communications, Inc. to see what choices are available for you.
