Choosing a business telephone system for increased efficiency

A key element of any business, no matter whether it's an office or retail environment, is its telephone system. The telephone is your link with suppliers, other business sites and clients, so it's crucial to make sure you have a set-up that is adequately able to fulfil your needs.

Telephone system basics

The first thing to do when looking into business telephone systems is to work out how many telephones and how many lines you'll need.

"A phone system should allow the efficient handling of a high volume of calls; getting the ratio of the number of lines to the number of phones in an office or retail environment correct is important," explains Terence Tutaan from Telstra.

Knowing how many calls will be accepted at any one time will determine how many lines you need, as the number of lines determines how many simultaneous calls you can be on at any time.

Consider business processes

The next thing to think about is the kinds of processes that exist in your business and how the telephone system might be tailored to these.

"For example, a manufacturing business with large warehouses to operate might need to consider things that are a bit more specialised," says Terence. "This might be mobile phones, cordless phones, or even wireless wi-fi type handsets that are now commonly available."

Other options 

If your business is larger, you could consider some more complex technologies, such as linking your phone system to your company's IT system.

In a call centre or helpdesk environment, for instance, you could have a set-up where customer details pop up on your computer screen as they are calling in. The phone system recognises the number that the customer is calling from and interrogates your database to get the information. 

"Then there's complex integration of a phone system with a company's inventory systems, where you can be guided by prompts," says Terence. "That's those digital voices, where you are asked to punch in your account code or, if you're looking to place an order, you work your way through what's called an IVR - interactive voice response system."

The right system for your business

Choosing the right business telephone system will ensure: 

• enough lines are available for incoming calls so that no business is lost
• no money is wasted on a system that is too complex for your needs
• business processes are streamlined with the help of the latest technology. 

Don't just phone it in

Your telephone system is vitally important when it comes to dealing with both existing and new clients, and getting it right can save you money in the long term.

So to work out what kind of system is best for your needs, contact a communications technology company today.