Posts Tagged ‘Business Telephone Systems’

 

Options for a cheap telephone systems installation

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

In our experience, when people talk about cheap telephone systems installation, they are referring to potentially one of three different things:

  • the purchase of a low-cost telephone system;
  • installing a system as quickly and cheaply as possible;
  • doing the two things together on as low a cost basis as possible.

It may be worth examining each of these in turn while, of course, recognising the enormous pressures in today’s economy to keep costs down.

Low-cost telephone systems

There are a wide number of business telephone systems available in the marketplace, occupying a very significant price spectrum.

Whenever speaking about business telecoms and a cheap telephone systems installation, it is important to keep in mind that if your telephone system is constantly causing you difficulties or is unable to support the direction of your business and its future growth, then you may be unimpressed by excuses and justifications based around the fact that it was a low-cost solution.

With business telecoms there is, at least to some extent, a tendency to get a quality and capability that is related to the price you pay.

Going for the very cheapest telephone systems you can find may be a mistake in the long-term and that is why we tend to favour solutions from quality manufacturers such as Siemens business telephones.

Installing systems cheaply

The ultimate in cheap telephone systems installation may appear to be a DIY approach.

Theoretically, this is perfectly possible.

Yet there are some dangers – telephone systems installation is rarely a case of simply running few cables around and pressing the start button.

Your telephone system needs to be designed and installed, taking into account things such as technical configurations, the topology and prevailing health and safety legislation. Professional installers will also be careful not to do the equivalent of painting themselves into a corner, by taking steps such as leaving room for potential future expansion.

We have extensive experience of telephone systems maintenance in Kent and the South East and we know how difficult it can be at times to support and maintain a system that was not professionally installed.

It may not be a risk worth taking.

Managed cost purchase and implementation

We understand the business pressures that our clients are under and we will always work to try and find cost-effective solutions for their requirements.

Yet in the 21st century, virtually all forms of businesses are being constructed and grown around a core of business telecoms technology.

The requirements of no two businesses are identical and a cheap telephone systems installation that may have been suitable for someone else may not prove to be suitable for you. That is why we take very seriously, the business of understanding your requirements and matching an appropriately cost-attractive solution to them.

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Selecting new phone systems

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

It is not too unusual to go into an office (or any other form of professional environment) and see something of a rag-tag collection of old telephony. It may be difficult to immediately understand why the people concerned have not invested in new phone systems.

Financial constraints

Nobody can doubt that in tough economic times, there is a constant pressure to defer expenditure until a better day arrives.

In the case of business telephone systems, this is sometimes done under the justifications of:

  • nobody can see your antiquated technology but you; and/or
  • what you have seems to be working – so why change it?

Of course, in some situations these may be valid expressions of reality and a sensible business decision but in other cases they may be rather paper-thin.

Visibility and risk

Firstly, you may be surprised at how easily others can see your technology.

This isn’t just a case of people looking for the latest fashion but of practical problems in interacting with your business telephony, such as when they ask you to transfer them to one of your other locations, only to find that you’re unable to do so.

This may communicate the wrong message about your professional operation because if you are not seen to be taking your operations seriously then it may be unreasonable to ask your customers and associates to do so.

Secondly, you may think your current antiquated system is working well but new phone systems may offer you a vast range of additional features that simply cannot be supported on your existing system.

You are, therefore, missing out entirely on the opportunity to drive your business or operation forward through the use of the news facilities (e.g. conference calling and so on).

Reviewing the position

There is little doubt that many of us have to juggle conflicting priorities for our finances.

Trying to understand what new phone systems may be able to contribute to your operation also isn’t entirely easy. It requires a systematic analysis of your current business operations, your current telephone set-up and knowledge of the technology available in the marketplace.

We believe we have the skills to help you realistically assess your position as outlined above.

So, rather than simply writing off new phone systems as either unaffordable or unnecessary (or possibly both), why not talk to us for an initial consultation? It may be your first step on the road towards a cost-effective new business telephones system.

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Selecting a business telephone system

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

If you are considering a new business telephone system, here are some tips on how get the most suitable solution:

  • firstly, do you have your own requirements clearly thought through? You may struggle to get a suitable solution if, to start with, you are unsure what you want;
  • analysing your requirements is a skilled job – something that we are well-equipped to help you with by virtue of our extensive experience;
  • once you are clear as to your needs, it is then a question of mapping those against potential solutions;
  • some business telephone system providers may offer solutions from manufacturers that are relatively unknown to the marketplace – selecting such a system may be risky in terms of future maintainability and service etc (its quality and reliability may also be unproven). We recommend the use of reputable telephone systems from reputable brands such as Siemens telephone systems;
  • it is important to remember that whatever your requirements are today, they may be very different tomorrow – that is why it’s important to select a solution for business telecoms that is capable of easy expansion and adaptation, as your business evolves and flows (in technology terms, this is sometimes referred to as scalability);
  • remember that, impressive as a solution appears in the box, it won’t be of much use to you unless it is correctly installed and functioning – what that means is that it is important to select a solution from a provider that also has excellent capabilities in terms of installation;
  • on a related subject, your systems, once installed and working, can’t simply be regarded as being the end of the story – any technology may malfunction and post-installation support and maintenance will be required, which is another reason why the selection of your telecoms solution provider may be as important as the selection of the given technical solution itself;
  • don’t forget that there will be health and safety requirements you will need to meet when installing your system (for example, where leads are placed etc);
  • to get the most out of your system, you and your colleagues will need to understand its capabilities – being just handed a manual and left to get on with it may not be the best approach, which is why a provider that is willing to help you get the best out of your phone system, may be a good idea.

As you can see, choosing, installing and maintaining a business telephone system involves a lot of skill and knowledge. We will be more than happy to help and give advice on what is the most cost-effective and efficient way forward for you and your business.

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An office phone system to revolutionise your business

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

An office phone system may prove to be a huge facilitator of success for your business – or it may help bring it to its knees. Here’s why:

  • like it or not, a very significant component of any 21st century business revolves around its internal and external communications;
  • small business telephone systems are typically at the heart of such communications, particularly when integrated with the use of the internet and wireless services around the organisation;
  • if your office phone system is unreliable, it may cause severe difficulties both in terms of your internal processes and management systems, as well as your day-to-day communications with your clients and suppliers;
  • whatever may have been the case in the past, today’s customers are not inclined to wait around while companies ‘sort out’ their telephone system problems and inadequacies – they will simply go elsewhere to your competitors, who may not have such difficulty in supporting them;
  • it may also be important to realistically assess what is called the ‘cost of ownership’ of your existing, perhaps antiquated system – if you are constantly calling people out to fix and repair it, the direct and hidden costs may be rather more substantial than you would imagine;
  • whether you are a major corporate business or a SME, the capital investment required to obtain and install a modern business telephone system may pale into insignificance when compared against the various costs and service issues associated with running an outdated and outmoded alternative;
  • selecting the right solution is more than just a case of looking in a few glossy brochures – this is where our services and expertise can help analyse and assess your requirements, then help you choose an effective solution;
  • if you have made the decision to procure a new system, it may be important to guard against the tendency to look for the system with the lowest price tag – a system that uses non-standard technology or which has been built to poor quality standards, may prove to be equally as disastrous for your business future as an outmoded and outdated system would be;
  • a typical office phone system supplied by a major global player, such as Siemens business telephone systems, may provide you with a platform from which you can exploit compatible plug-in technologies and be capable of growing with your company – that may be rather less assured if you select a system from a relatively unknown and marginal manufacturer;
  • taking a chance with the selection of your office phone system might not be advisable, as it seems intuitively unlikely that this technology will become any less critical in future.

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Choosing a business telephone system

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

If you’re looking for a business telephone system, you may believe at a first glance that you’re going to have an excess of choice.

While that may seem great initially, in practice it may cause you some difficulty. The sheer volume of different types of technology and solutions may make the selection process bewildering. So, what can you do to make it all a little easier?

Preparation

It’s typically a good idea to avoid diving-in headfirst and contacting lots of suppliers, as you may find that you just get inundated with confusing brochures and annoying sales calls.

Before you start looking around, it’s important to think-through your basic requirements in terms of supporting your business operations. For example, do you need:

  • multiple concurrent external calls;
  • heavy internal extension-to-extension dialling;
  • a human voice to receive all incoming calls or direct-inward dialling to specific extensions;
  • fax connectivity;
  • internet connectivity;
  • etc.

Once you have all that clear in your mind, it will position you to better understand the offers and proposals in the context of your given business needs.

The systems

There are now so many competing options that it’s not easy to outline what is a typical business telephone system. Typically though, business telecoms phone systems fall into one of several basic categories:

  • one or more direct external lines (numbers) with multiple extensions and faxes connected onto them – this is the classic very small business and possibly most economical solution;
  • keyed systems (KTS) that again provide a number of lines coming in which are distributed to the extensions, which can pick up calls and outside lines via a variety of buttons on the handsets – a classic smaller business telecoms solution but now becoming superseded by other approaches;
  • PBX (private branch exchange) – essentially a computer that performs all the functions of what was once called the switchboard giving multiple outside lines and full internal extension connectivity;
  • VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) – a method of receiving and making your calls over the internet and likely to be an area of huge growth in future.

Integration

In fact, these distinctions are rapidly becoming a little artificial when talking about a business telephone system. Office telephone systems in general are coming together with things such as PBXs not being easily distinguishable in function from a PC network router.

That’s why understanding what business functionality you need to support your operations is more important at the outset than trying to grasp all of the technical implications of the wide range of business telecoms systems out there.

For example, if all of your staff are on PCs that are internet connected then perhaps a VOIP solution may be more practical and economic than having entirely separate internet and business telephone systems. Yet in terms of risk, an internet delivery problem would not only disrupt your PCs but also your telephone communications!

Advice

In the end, selecting your business telephone system will require a balancing of cost, functionality and risk, all against a backdrop of your business needs. Getting professional advice and help in selection will, in due course, probably be highly advisable.

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