If you look back a few decades ago, the average corporate phone system was rather simple, involving a switchboard and several desk phones around the workplace. These days though, new technological developments have combined with greater competition to create an environment in which the simple telephony service of the past has evolved into a very different character. If you’re confused about which options to take, here are three of the best to benefit your business.
Hosted IP PBX Services
In the past, a large business would have to invest in an expensive private branch exchange (PBX): a system of telephones, switchboards & cables that ran throughout the office. These required external contractors for repair and maintenance as the typical corporate employee wouldn’t have the technical experience.
Needless to say, this was a bulky, inefficient option that has now been replaced by the hosted IP PBX service which requires no setup costs or technical expertise. With these packages, your provider has already established a state-of-the-art system on their premises. For a monthly fee, you can tap into this and gain a fully functional communications platform without any large installation and maintenance costs. These systems also offer other features such as:
- Unified messaging
- Softphones
This is the ideal solution for anyone seeking a better corporate telephone system without the hassle and cost of installing one directly onsite.
Call Answering Providers
When running a company, you’ll also have to determine how to successfully handle your incoming calls throughout the day and night. While you could hire a team of fulltime receptionists, the resultant salaries can be quite costly. A better solution is to outsource these services to a locally based agency instead. The good news is that anyone can find telephone answering packages tailored to their company. In this way, you can hire a third party to take your excess calls whenever you need it. They will be fully trained in your preferred manner, systems and corporate details too, allowing you to handle all incoming calls in the following situations:
- Talking to customers after hours and on weekends
- Temporarily replacing receptionists who call in sick
- Hiring additional staff during high volume call periods
Thus, you can take important customer messages regardless of what’s happening without any reduction in your quality of service or client satisfaction.
Voice over IP (VoIP) Packages
The last essential service is the VoIP package, an option that allows you to make calls over the internet instead of through the traditional phone line. Not only will this save you money when it comes to overseas or interstate calls but the call quality will also be a lot better especially if you’re using fibre optics or a 4G data connection. If you’ve chosen an affordable call handling package for your business, you should then have enough money to consider a VoIP phone system and call plan as well! Of course, you’ll have to consider the following options before you sign the contract:
- The cost per month or per call of the package
- Whether you can call for free to any devices or apps
- The change in rates for long distance phone calls
- The type of softphone that you need to install
- The compatibility of these with your current setup
Just think carefully and compare what’s on offer, and you should then be able to choose a VoIP provider and package that suits your corporate needs perfectly.
These three services are absolutely essential for the modern business. If you’ve yet to experience their benefits, we recommend you get in touch with the appropriate specialists as soon as possible. The success of your business depends on this!
Author Bio:
Lucy Iliffe is a freelance writer for Livetel, a dependable specialist when it comes to telephone answering services. They also offer virtual assistance and mail forwarding solutions. A business that carefully chooses their call handling experts.
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