The phone system plays a significant role in the world of business. Whether it is a traditional office phone system or VoIP phone system, telecommunication is critical for every aspect of a business’s operations. In this article, we are going to discuss the value of phone communication in businesses.
Text vs. Voice Communication
It is essential to understand the role of communication in the business world. While it is easier to send a client or colleague an email or text, however, this kind of communication doesn’t have the same weight as a usual phone call. In a lot of situations, a text can ruin some delicate and vital part of human communication. For instance, some individuals in business relationships may make friendly jokes or small talk during a chat. Jokes that can be clear in verbal conversation can appear bizarre in a text message. People might misunderstand or misconstrue jokes made over email or text easily. Businesses cannot underestimate the significance of verbal communication while dealing with potential clients. There is no doubt that verbal communication allows workers to notice subtle signs in a conversation that may not obvious under other conditions. In several scenarios, these subtle signs can make or break a business relationship.
The Value of Interactive Communication
Modern communication mediums have made it possible to have live conversations without being in the same room through teleconferencing. Participants can call in through a toll-free phone number and access code to join a virtual video conference room where participants can interact with the moderator or other members. People can use conference calls in conjunction with video conferencing to ask questions, view presentations, and discuss answers with all participants.
Increase Communication Efficiency
In today’s world lag times have become important as well. Conversing through email can usually involve delays that can last for hours. While text messages are faster, but it still is not like a live conversation. With a normal phone call, talk to people and receive responses on ideas in real-time, which can be valuable in a business setting. For a business of every size having a telephone system is essential. Newer communication systems like business VoIP, hosted PBX, or a traditional phone system all help to ensure that individuals can stay in touch.
Better Security for Business
It is essential to understand that some of the security risks related to text, messages, email and other kinds of communication methods that leave detailed documentation in their wake. While it is easier to record calls, a lot of businesses do not have procedures to do this. But several businesses will retain text messages and emails for many years. If these text messages or emails are subpoenaed by a judge, a business might be forced to release them as part of legal action or lawsuit.
With voice communication, it is possible to be open in a way that one cannot be with other kinds of communication. Business leaders and employees can talk to each other and brainstorm ideas in a way that is not possible through emails or text. If you are in the market to find a phone system for your business, then you need to check out VoIP business. They offer a wide range of features and have very affordable prices. They can help you achieve more success through seamless communication.
How to Find and Choose the Right Business Phone System for Your Small Business
A company’s phone services are the lifeline to its suppliers and customers. It is one of the easiest and most important ways of communicating within the company and beyond the walls or organization. Choosing the right business telephone system is a tough and most significant decision that can have operational and financial repercussions if a wrong phone system is selected. In order to make the right telephony decision, you have to look ahead and do some planning. Don’t worry we are going to help you with that and enlist the things that you need to do to make the right decision.
- Creating a staffing plan: First, you need to look at your business plan and then decide how many of your employees will need a phone. A simple 2 line business telephone system can support up to 4 or 5 employees easily, however, if you plan on hiring more staff or growing then that phone system will become unacceptable quickly.
- Select phone technology: Private Branch Exchange (PBX) phone systems place the telephone technology on a piece of hardware that accepts the phone lines from the phone utility. Whenever there is a call, the PBX will route that call to the right person or department. PBX phone systems can be costly and are usually hard to program but they can scale and the additional handsets are cheap. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone system doesn’t use phone lines or a piece of hardware. Every handset is a small computer that plugs into the internet connection. The VoIP phone system is very user-friendly and they can be spread across different locations. You need to look at your business plan to compare the two phone systems and know which is right for your business.
- Consider business’s geographic locations: By having multiple branches or offices demand a phone solution that is different from the traditional phones which operate only in one location. A lot of telephone systems need a costly piece of hardware in every company location. If your offices are different in size then you might have to purchase different kinds of phone systems for each office. Hence, instead of going to all this hassle just deploy voice over IP phone services that work over the internet and the best part is that all VoIP to VoIP calls are free meaning your employees can communicate to each other regardless of a location easily.
- Create a list of essential features: to create such a list you will have to know the answers to a few questions. Does your company have a receptionist or do you want to use an auto-attendant to answer calls? Do you need call forwarding or conference call? Do you want a voicemail inbox? If you are not sure of what feature you will need then just search for the variety of features available on the market and decide which ones you will need for your business. VoIP business is a great business phone provider; you can check their website to learn about the features and can look at their affordable pricing plan.
- Test options before buying: before you make the decision and buy a phone system make sure you give it a try first. You need to understand how simple they are, whether you can add new phone lines easily, add new features, and remove users from the system. A lot of key systems can be tough to program and hence businesses are forced to pay technicians to program some typical requests. You need a system that will reduce the ongoing service cost.
Useful Bonus Tips
- Before buying ask the provider for references that are using the phone system you are considering and get to know how they like it.
- Ask for a demonstration and see whether the system is easy to use or not.
DepositPhotos – VoIP
