Much like a website and company email address, business phone systems are an essential part of a growing company. In the face of a looming recession and an increasing cost of living, it is more important than ever to find an affordable phone system that offers your business the best value for money as well as productive features.
Gone are the days of simply adding your landline or mobile phone number to your site and using that to receive calls from customers. Office telephone systems are key factors in running a sustainable business that can stand the test of time. The right comms solution can streamline your systems and increase the productivity of your staff – transforming your business communications and processes.
Some of the key benefits of upgrading to a business phone system include:
- The ability to share one business phone number among several users simultaneously.
- Easy reporting on call duration, hold times, wait times, and overall usage.
- Simple maintenance (Admins can add new employees without calling in an IT technician).
- Modern business phone systems transmit voice over internet (VoIP systems), meaning more flexibility as all you will need is a high-speed internet connection.
- Phone systems enable device adaptability allowing you to use a desk phone system, cordless phones, mobiles, or a computer to receive and make calls.
Our team of telecoms experts have carried out extensive analysis of the best phone systems for small businesses, allowing you to choose from the top phone solutions on the market.
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Types of business phone systems available
Business phone systems provide companies of all sizes with a reliable way to manage their inbound and outbound calls. Many SME businesses tend to choose between two main types of solution: A VoIP phone system which uses softphones or IP phone systems, or a PBX system (private branch exchange) which uses traditional telephone lines.
The features of a system will differ significantly, depending on which type you opt for. A good office phone system must be designed to handle multiple calls at once, be reliable and not cost too much.
VoIP phone system
Voice over Internet Protocol is the more advanced and usually more adaptable telecoms platform and is a very popular choice amongst small to medium businesses. VoIP phone systems use your internet connection for phone calls instead of outdated ISDN lines. Many VoIP phone providers allow for “pay as you go” billing and it’s easy to set up and maintain.
VoIP is arguably the most advanced comms system by far as it allows potential clients and phone operators to communicate, no matter the country or device. As it requires the use of both the internet and a computer and often features a “softphone” app, it is a flexible and innovative telephone solution.
PBX systems
Often seen as the more “investment-heavy” telecoms option, a private branch exchange (PBX) usually requires businesses to buy more hardware upfront and may call for an IT person to come in and help you with changes. A PBX system uses programmable switching devices, enabling the automatic routing of incoming calls and, as it is largely automated, can be a good solution for a company with 40-plus employees.
A key benefit of the PBX system is that it features an uninterruptible power supply, allowing a business to remain functional without electricity (for a limited time).
3CX Phone Systems
If you need your business phone system to be flexible, secure and cost-effective then 3CX is the perfect comms solution for you. This VoIP phone system eliminates the headaches and hassle of traditional phone systems and offers companies access to an all-in-one communication solution.
3CX Phone Systems is one of the leading telecoms solutions for working professionals and SMEs as it enables your business to benefit from all of the features of on-premises phone systems without the need to purchase expensive hardware (or pay for additional hardware maintenance). With 3CX, we use SIP trunks to deliver and receive calls over your internet connection which enables us to future-proof your business phones.
The most beneficial features of 3CX are:
- The Software-based platform means a simple installation.
- A simultaneous-call billing structure means lower costs.
- Easier remote working with office extensions on Android & iOS apps.
- A host of additional features such as Web Video Conferencing, Call Recording, and Instant Messaging.
Microsoft Teams Phone System
It’s now possible to make outgoing calls from Microsoft Teams, as well as internal ones between colleagues. After the immense popularity that Teams gained throughout 2020, it is no wonder that they took the step into phone systems. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the global usage of Teams jumped from 44 million daily active users in March 2020 to more than 75 million in April of the same year and quickly turned into a household name.
This long-awaited Microsoft365 package can enable you to use the features you use every day with Teams. By utilising the phone system features of teams, professionals can quickly access content from Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote directly within the Teams platform as well as a host of call features.
Microsoft Teams as a phone solution offers call capabilities beyond those traditionally associated with phone systems. Dynamic Caller ID, Meeting Captions and Co-Organizer Capability are just some of the advantages that using Teams as an Office phone solution brings you.
Hosted Phone Systems
There has been a rapid rise in businesses switching to Hosted Phone Systems in the last few years. As some of the older PBX systems cannot compete with the new features of VoIP, more and more businesses are choosing to make the move away from on-premise Phone Systems.
A Hosted Phone System is suitable for almost any size of business. It gives you a comprehensive and fully functional communications solution with the flexibility of VoIP devices. Meaning that you can do away with the capital expense of hardware stored in your office and benefit from a resilient and scalable cloud-based voice.
Finding a Telecoms Solutions Provider
It is undeniable that a phone system is the lifeline of almost any UK business. A reliable and good-quality comms solution should include features such as unlimited calling, automated menus, ring groups to call multiple employees simultaneously and call recording. But if you are flooded with choices or feel that your current solution does not fit your budget, then an experience telecoms provider can be a great way to navigate you through.
Not only can our team of experts assist you with your phone system search, but we can also provide a variety of telecoms and IT hardware.
To find out more, contact our team today. Or browse our catalogue of new and remanufactured telecoms equipment.
Buying refurbished phones and phone system hardware helps to reduce your impact on the environment, using less resources and reducing landfill. We can also recycle your old desk phones, back into the supply chain. Contact our team today and find out what help we can provide with your office telephones.