Archive for the ‘Business Telephone Systems’ Category

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Top tips for selecting an office telephone system

Monday, January 16th, 2012

If you are looking for a new office telephone system, you may find the following points are worth keeping in mind:

  • in technology, as in other areas of life, there may be a tendency to get what you pay for – so it may be advisable to be extremely cautious about very low-cost business telephony solutions coming from unknown manufacturers or technology providers;
  • purchasing a system and then hoping that it subsequently meets your requirements is typically a highly risky approach and may lead to severe disappointment. Instead, perform a detailed requirements analysis  - and with expert assistance (we would be happy to offer our services to help you with this);
  • plan for tomorrow – your business telephone needs and requirements today may not be the same as they will be in the immediate future, therefore, try to select solutions that are likely to be as future proof as they can be and which will be capable of changing and growing as your business changes and grows;
  • think about the broader picture – business telephone systems are no longer simply about telephoning people in the outside world. They may need to integrate with other technical systems and perhaps provide the backbone administrative support functions to your business itself;
  • avoid opting for DIY installation solutions – an office telephone system may need to have its implementation carefully planned and managed if you are to avoid a sub-optimal configuration  - as well as potentially being in conflict with health and safety legislation too;
  • look for continuity – once you have installed your telephones system it may be advisable to have regular support and maintenance activities carried out on it, as this may reduce the chances of problems arising. Finding a solutions provider such as ourselves who are able to support the system after installation and on an ongoing basis, may be extremely important;
  • select an office telephone system solution from a tried and tested manufacturer such as Siemens business telephone systems – companies such as this, with a major global track record in the delivery of quality solutions, may overall reduce your risks by a considerable degree.

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Small business phone system considerations

Monday, January 9th, 2012

If you are choosing a new small business phone system, you may be wondering what would be the most suitable for your particular environment.

Certain things are common

In the case of a small business phone system, prior to purchase it is typically a good idea to have a fairly solid understanding of the way your business currently operates and the way that it may do so in future.

Of course, some businesses and operations may have certain factors in common even though their core business activities are in fact widely diverse.

Take, for example, a school or college, a care home for the elderly or a veterinary practice. At first glance, these may appear to have relatively little in common with each other, however, in terms of selecting a business telephone system solution, there may be certain principles that apply to all of them:

• resilience – no business telephone system is likely to be of any use to any organisation if it isn’t working. Therefore, having a system that is reliable and built to a high quality may be extremely important;

• expansion capabilities – systems need to be able to flex and expand in line with the changing nature of your business, irrespective of its nature;

• compliance with standards – today, businesses need to be capable of seamless interaction with other organisations around them. The extent to which your telephony system is built to international standards may play an important part in helping to make that happen;

• cost-effectiveness – paying for state-of-the-art capabilities that you do not need or for flagship solutions to pragmatic needs, may be something best avoided.

These are all generic requirements that may apply to the vast majority of businesses seeking a new telephone system solution.

The specifics

Inevitably, there may be certain characteristics of your industry sector – or even your specific individual operation – that need to be understood if an appropriate solution is to be identified.

This is where a professional analysis of requirements may be advisable – an area where we have considerable expertise.

For example, perhaps you have two or three offices in different geographic locations and wish to link them together. Today, a small business phone system may be able to do that for you, providing that requirement is identified at the outset! So, whatever your needs, please get in touch and we will be happy to discuss with you what we believe are cost-effective business telephone solutions.

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Business phone systems – frequently asked questions

Sunday, December 25th, 2011

Here are some frequently asked questions relating to business phone systems that we come across from time to time.

How expensive are new business phone systems?

This question is also sometimes expressed as: is it possible to find cheap telephone systems?

The answer is that a great deal may depend upon the size of your operation and what type of system you require in order to support the development of your activities.

Entry-level systems can be as simple as just two handsets and are available at attractive prices, even when sourced from internationally renowned suppliers such as Siemens business telephone systems.

Trying to ascertain your requirements and conduct your search for systems, based exclusively upon the hunt for cheap solutions, may be risky.

What is cheap for one person may not prove to be cheap for you if it is subsequently unable to prove itself suitable for your needs. It may also be the case that extremely low-cost systems from unproven suppliers, may have quality and standardisation issues.

We will always be pleased to explain a little more about some of the issues here.

Can I integrate my business telecoms systems with other technology?

The answer to this is, typically, yes.

However, there is a caveat or two.

The integration of conventional phone systems with things such as video is now relatively established but we cannot give an unconditional guarantee that any system you have will connect to any other system, unless we have an understanding of the specific nature of the systems concerned.

It is also worth bearing in mind, when talking about the integration of business phone systems, that not all systems have necessarily been built to international standards and protocols. Some may prove to be rather more difficult to integrate than others.

As mentioned above, this is another reason why we favour solutions from business telephony providers such as Siemens.

To save money, can I install my own system?

The answer to this is typically yes, however, whether it is necessarily advisable is a different matter.

If you have selected a small entry-level system, connectivity and installation may appear to be straightforward but with slightly larger systems, it may be far more complicated.

Even in the case of the smaller systems, it is imperative that the design and installation is conducted in accordance with professional standards – and there may also be regulatory compliance issues that need to be taken into account.

As a general principle, it may be advisable in the first instance to consider business phone systems installation as a job for qualified professionals such as ourselves.

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Looking for telephone systems maintenance in Kent?

Monday, December 12th, 2011

If you are looking for telephone systems maintenance in Kent and the immediate surrounding area, then we can help!

Of course, when speaking of telephone systems maintenance in Kent, the term may cover a wide variety of services.

Maintenance

Strictly speaking, maintenance suggests regular care and attention. Business telephone systems may be as much in need of that as is a motor vehicle.

There is a wide range of jobs that should periodically be undertaken on even the simplest of business telephone systems, all of which are designed to keep your system operating to the optimum level. If these are undertaken both regularly and professionally, then you may reduce the likelihood of problems arising on your system with all the subsequent impact that may entail to your operations.

The nature of these tasks may vary depending upon the age and type of your system. They may involve things such as checking problem log files and volumes and performing various forms of circuit testing to check for things such as loose connections etc.

In tough economic conditions, there is always the temptation to economise on this sort of activity in the same way as some people may economise on servicing and maintenance of their car.

Attractive as the possibility may appear, it may be worth weighing it up carefully against the direct and indirect costs that your business may incur if you are without your telephone system due to a failure that could have been prevented with appropriate maintenance.

Emergency problem resolution

When speaking of telephone systems maintenance in Kent (or anywhere else for that matter!), it is worth keeping in mind that however well maintained your system is, a problem or system failure is always a possibility.

In those situations, the difference between something being a minor inconvenience and a major catastrophe may simply be the extent to which you have problem resolution support available to you.

If you have a relationship with a service provider, you may be able to put in place what is called a Service Level Agreement (SLA), which will clarify for you, how to call upon emergency assistance and what your chosen provider will be able to do for you under what circumstances.

For example, if one of your peak business periods happens to be the weekend, then finding that your technical support is only available Monday to Friday, may come as something of a shock if your system fails on a Saturday.

By contrast, Monday-Friday support may be perfectly adequate for business phone systems for schools.

Having an agreement in place with a company that is able to supply this particular type of telephone systems maintenance in Kent (including emergency problem response) may be highly advisable. We can offer tailor made SLA’s to match your needs and your budget and will be more than happy to discuss this principle further with you, so please get in touch!

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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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Which are the best small business telephones?

Thursday, November 24th, 2011

This is a very difficult question to answer in absolute terms, because so much will depend upon your own business circumstances. However, we hope the following few points may help you think further as to what may be the best small business telephones for you:

  • try to keep in mind that the best small business telephones for another organisation may not be the best solution for you – only an analysis of your requirements and a matching of those against available options, will be able to help you identify suitable solutions;
  • clearly, any solution you select for business telecoms must be capable of supporting the functions you require – for example, if you have offices in different locations, you may wish to make use of conference calling between multiple sites, something that some systems and infrastructures can support;
  • reliability is typically a critical selection criteria for many businesses large or small and that may suggest that using providers with a globally recognised brand and quality reputation (e.g. Siemens business telephone systems) may help avoid down-time and problems;
  • there is a rather inelegant word called scalability that is used to describe how easily a system may be expanded to grow as your business grows – some systems have easy expansion capabilities through plug-in compatible modules and facilities, so they may be more able to cope with your changing needs;
  • post-sales support is also an area to pay attention to – that’s because any business telephone system may occasionally go wrong and if it does, you may expect that you’ll receive excellent and prompt support. It may be advisable to make sure, however, that your supplier is capable of delivering that;
  • it may also be sensible to ensure that the provider of your telephone system has a verifiable track-record in systems installation – some potentially excellent equipment has delivered sub-optimal post-sales service simply because of installation errors due to a lack of expertise;
  • in the final analysis, the business of selecting the best small business telephones may not always be easy – we’d be only too pleased to offer you further help and advice, so why not get in touch today?

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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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Business telecoms for the small business – frequent questions

Sunday, October 30th, 2011

We regularly receive questions relating to business telecoms with emphasis on solutions for smaller businesses such as doctors, vets, schools and colleges etc.

Here are some responses that you may find useful.

Should we buy the cheapest possible business telecoms system?

Any systems we supply will be ones we know meet certain minimum standards of quality and reliability.

We do supply what we call entry-level economic solutions but without sacrificing the above objective.

It may be possible to find extremely low-priced solutions but a little caution may be advisable. If those systems don’t conform to accepted international standards for telecoms and quality, you may find yourself having difficulties in future – both in terms of integration with other technologies and the reliability of your system.

What can a small business telecoms system connect to?

Over the past decade or so, people have made huge progress in enabling various technology systems to connect with each other.

It is now possible to connect a small business system to the much wider telecoms world including the internet etc, however, it would be necessary to examine your precise requirements in order to give a specific answer.

What facilities do such systems provide?

There are a very large number of facilities available – depending upon a combination of your requirements and budget of course.

Examples may include;

  • video calls;
  • follow me call re-routing;
  • conference calling;
  • multiple line numbers
  • etc.

A typical small business may not need all of these facilities but if you select a solution from a major supplier, it should typically be possible to add functionality to your system relatively easily, should you need it in future.

What happens if my business phone system develops a fault?

Professional providers of telecoms solutions will typically undertake fault resolution within a specified time period.  Individual components should, typically, be under manufacturer’s warranty if you select a quality solution.

Once the warranty has expired, it may be possible to take out a phone maintenance and support contract with the solution providers. It is highly advisable to do so, thereby avoiding the need to engage in panic calls trying to find someone to help you in the event you develop a fault.

What does future-proofing mean?

Little is more annoying that investing in a new piece of technology only to find that shortly afterwards it becomes obsolete due to other developments.

In some cases, such as perhaps music or TV systems, this is more a question of style and marginal functionality, however, in the case of phone systems it may seriously affect your ability to link to or communicate with others.

Future proofing simply means taking steps to avoid your business telecoms becoming rapidly outdated by other events, to the extent that it can no longer support your business.  It is typically a justification for using major technology suppliers such as Siemens that are using fully internationally compliant systems.

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The apparent attractions of the cheap small business phone system

Monday, October 17th, 2011

Through our extensive customer-facing experience, we know that budget is often a factor in selection of a business telephone system. Particularly when economic times are hard, advertisements for a cheap small business phone system may prove to be particularly eye-catching.

The dangers

Unfortunately, there are some potential problems in being influenced exclusively by the price.

We do supply what we consider are low-cost entry systems but we do so without compromising on the quality of the systems we install.  Other very low-cost solutions may not have the same approach.

The quality of a cheap small business phone system is important for three major reasons:

  • reducing downtime – you may find that cheaper systems are rather more prone to failure and being unable to use your phones may be at best a serious inconvenience and at worst, a veritable disaster;
  • ease of maintenance and reduced fix times – when something does go wrong, it may be easier for your support engineers to diagnose and remedy the problem if they’re dealing with a quality system;
  • the potential for easy and relatively inexpensive expansion.

The small business and telephony

Small entry-level systems are typically required for people such as schools, colleges, care homes, veterinary practices, garage services and small factories.

In all such cases, typically the procurer won’t want a vastly complicated system – but things may change.

Take for example, a hypothetical college.  Perhaps today a relatively small system may suit your needs well in terms of connecting classrooms, halls and administration areas.

Yet in the future, perhaps you will merge or form a working partnership with another college in the area. In such situation, you may wish to link your two phone systems.

If both establishments have small and cost-effective but nevertheless standard systems, it may be relatively easy to achieve the objective and without needing access to a huge budget.

By contrast, if one or both establishments have systems that were procured entirely on the lowest-cost basis, they may use non-standard technical approaches and may potentially be largely or entirely incompatible with each other.

That’s why looking for a cheap small business phone system must be tempered with a little reality.  We would be only too happy to advise further on the subject.

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Installing an office telephone system

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

In terms of installing an office telephone system, it’s worth keeping in mind your own limitations.

The temptation

Some systems, from suppliers such as Siemens Business Telephones, are designed to be modular in the sense that other components can be easily plugged in to allow your system to grow with you.

Great at such flexibility is, it may encourage the belief that installing an entirely new system is really just a question of snap-click-fix.

In fact, it is a little more complicated than that.

Planning

Your office telephone system installation needs to be thoroughly planned if potential problems are to be avoided.

This isn’t just a question of deciding where to place handsets and boxes but crucially, where cable runs are going to be.

As you may know, health and safety legislation is very specific about where cables may or may not be run in areas used by people for work – and those regulations aren’t necessarily that easy to get to grips with if you are not familiar with them.

Then there is what’s called deliberate redundancy. That basically involves perhaps laying a few more cables than you currently need so that if you decide to expand or change the system in future, you don’t need to start pulling up floorboards or lifting panels etc.

That may be particularly important if you’re based in an older building that does not have easy-access cable ducting etc.

Maintenance and repairs

It is sometimes a sensible idea to take out a support and phone maintenance contract with the people, such as us, that originally installed your phone system. It makes it easier for engineers in future if the system they’re looking at is one their company installed.

Even if you choose to use different support staff, they will find it easier to resolve issues if your system has been professionally designed and installed, rather than if you have adopted a DIY approach.

Playing it safe

Your business telephone system is very likely to rapidly become a key backbone of your operation and not something that you’ll wish to take chances with.

That is why it typically makes sense to avoid gambling on your own installation skills and instead, to call upon the services of well qualified professionals to install your office telephone system.

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