SMALL BUSINESS TELEPHONE

Very frequently when researching small business telephone systems, potential clients are curious as to exactly how much bandwidth they will need to utilize a hosted virtual PBX solution. While many on-site small business telephone systems can operate without any problems within the company’s existing network architecture, bandwidth and connection speeds become a factor when choosing a hosted solution.

To begin with, we should point out that bandwidth refers to the ability to transfer packets of data from one location to another in a specified time frame. In the case of hosted small business telephone services, the “data” refers to voice packets transferred over the VoIP system from one caller’s location to another. Obviously, the higher the speed of your bandwidth, the faster your transfer rate will be and subsequently call quality is affected in a positive manner.

When we discuss bandwidth, we actually refer to two separate processes of transfer: upload and download bandwidths. Obviously, upload speeds denote the amount of transfer you send into the internet (or in this case VoIP system) and download speeds refer to the speed of transfer pulled from the internet. When it comes to speed for a hosted virtual PBX system, generally the higher the bandwidth speeds, the better.

In the case of VoIP technology, generally calls will utilize around 90 kilobits per second of data transfer. In the case of today’s high speeds offered by most internet service providers, it’s rarely an issue to reach the capacity to handle calls. However, if you’re planning on having multiple users on your system simultaneously or are not able to get adequate bandwidth speeds due to location (such as remote locations that require wireless or microwave ISP connections), you do have an option. With most VoIP systems, you are able to reduce the bandwidth required for calls by lowering the sound quality settings within the system. This can often reduce the transfer rate required to run the hosted small business telephone system to 60 kilobits per second, or even 30 if necessary. In general, system users won’t notice a drastic decrease in call quality by modifying these settings. When possible, it is best, however, to leave your system at the default setting on 90 Kbps if you’re able to receive high bandwidth speeds form your ISP.

So what are the minimum ISP connection speeds to run a VoIP system as your small business telephone technology? In general, you’ll need to at least seek out a cable or DSL connection to effectively run your system. In some areas, you can employ a T1 connection, however, for the average small business this is not cost effective when a simple cable internet plan will suffice at a much cheaper monthly rate (around $100 as compared to $300 and up for a T1 connection). Lower end DSL plans begin at around 128k of bandwidth while cable connections generally offer a minimum speed of 600k. Obviously, the cable plans are a little more expensive, but offer a faster connection to enhance call quality and volume capacity.

If you’re concerned about what options are available in your area, begin by researching ISPs in your town. This is important prior to seeking out a virtual PBX provider. Once you find an ISP with adequate speeds, you’ll be able to seek out a small business telephone provider that will meet the unique demands of your small business.

Even if you do have a company web site, more often than not the first impression you make on your prospective clients or customers will be through your small business telephone system. In this day and age, we’re all very familiar with calling a company and being walked through a host of options included in their small business telephone system’s “tree”, or menu of options.

In just about every competitive landscape, it is critical that the customer’s first impression of your company is positive and complementary of your brand image. For this reason it is very important to take some time periodically to review the ways your small business telephone system manages and handles telephone contacts and target any potential opportunity to enhance the accuracy and quality of your communication strategy. As you have likely observed, many organizations both large and small employ “auto attendants” to screen and direct incoming phone calls to the appropriate department or staff members. While this is certainly an efficient way of handling incoming calls, it can often be detrimental to your firm’s image. Let’s take a look at why.

If your organization is currently employing auto attendant technology, you may want to periodically take some time to evaluate the following questions. When doing this, however, try to take an objective stance and evaluate your small business telephone from your customer’s point of view.

1. Who are your company’s clients? What demographics do you serve?

2. What trends are happening in your firm’s industry?

3. How many calls is your company receiving per day?

4. Are you handling any volume of unproductive calls that could be handled by your web site?

5. Are you speaking with prospective clients from the general public or specialized industry customers?

6. Are you serving a niche market?

7. What is your company’s brand identity? Does your small business telephone system deliver that impression?

8. Are there any financial implications to restructuring your phone system, prompts, and greetings?

By taking the time to carefully craft answers to these questions, you’ll be able to get a better look at whether or not your phone structure is serving your market and clients efficiently. More importantly, you’ll be able to evaluate the impression your company is portraying to prospects and customers through your auto attendant structure and greetings. Understand that implementing and configuring your small business telephone system is not a one-time event, but a dynamic process which can be adapted to the needs of your market, your customers, and your changing brand image.

When we discuss small business telephone technology on this site, we often get deep into the details of system architecture, packet transfer technology, and some of the finer points that may be a bit beyond the grasp of the average small business owner looking for a telecommunications solution. In this article, we’re going to take a small step back and look at four very essential and basic features which you will need to consider when choosing a small business telephone system for your business. These should be considered the bare minimum requirements which you’ll need met by any provider or vendor you choose.

Custom messaging

You will want to have the ability to record custom on-hold messages within your small business telephone system. This is a critical contact point with your customers. While callers are waiting in a queue or on hold, you want the ability to utilize this messaging as a marketing tool for your business. You’ll have the opportunity to inform your customers of a few facts about your business or perhaps any current promotions you may be offering. Additionally, you can utilize this time to inform your customers of your website address and functionality so that they can choose to contact you through your website at their convenience in the future.

Automated after-hours messaging

The ability to customize after hours or “night” greetings as they’re sometimes called, is critical as well. This will allow you to set up a series of after hours mailboxes which you can prioritize at the beginning of the next business day. If for instance, you’re a residential electrical contractor, you may want to offer a separate after hours voicemail box for any emergency situations, such as loss of power, so that you can address these issues as your first priority to provide better customer service.

Customized voice mailbox prompting

The ability to leave a voicemail for the appropriate contact is a key feature of any small business telephone system. Make certain that the small business telephone solution you choose offers the ability to set up and maintain a number of voice mail deposits so that each of your employs and departments can manage their own customer contacts individually.

VoIP compatibility

A key feature when selecting a small business telephone system is VoIP compatibility. By selecting a small business telephone system that will function with a VoIP service, you have the ability to essentially create a virtual office. These phone systems will link to your existing system anywhere that a high-speed internet connection is available. This frees you from having to host a physical PBX exchange within your office.

Taking the time to conduct thorough research when evaluating a telecommunications solution for your business is critical. With proper planning, you will undoubtedly find a small business telephone system that will help you achieve superior customer service and run your business smoothly.

Small business telephone systems can often incorporate many conferencing features which can be utilized for remote conferencing, allowing business to save on travel costs and time. With many companies running operations across multiple states, countries, and continents, the advantages of a small business telephone solution with conferencing abilities can provide a great virtual environment for discussions and trainings.

These additions to your existing small business telephone solution will permit your end users to often transfer a visual signal along with the voice packet transfer incorporated into your system. Both cordless conferencing systems and corded systems are available, depending on the budget of your project and your physical office layout.

Current corded conferencing units are expandable and offer full duplex audio in typical small conference environments, and can be expanded with multiple units for larger rooms. Typically, expandable conferencing small business telephone systems feature noise cancellation technology, multiple microphones, automatic level controls, and speed dialing all of which are built into a table top base unit.

Cordless systems often can offer high performance wireless conferencing for your small business telephone solution. They offer very clear audio and are typically configured for up to eight simultaneous participants. These systems allow participants to move freely about the conference room without being hindered by hard wires. These systems employ 2.4GHz technology, which offers participants a long distance range of movement within the office environment. Many of the modern wireless conferencing systems will offer 360 degree coverage, 150 to 200 ft wireless signal, up to 8 hours of talk time without recharging, dual power supplies, and digital spread spectrum technology.

Many IP phones also offer business conferencing. These features can often integrate conferencing along with additional functions such as voice messaging and file transfer abilities.

The minimal technological requirements for each end of a conference are the system base, which includes the microphone and speakers, a high-speed sound card, and obviously a high-speed data connection, such as a T1.

Utilizing conferencing within your business may allow you to drastically reduce travel costs and the time associated with being on the road. Consider integrating one of these systems within your existing small business telephone solution to increase your productivity and profits.

With the recent advent of VoIP technology evolution, the telecommunications market is saturated with cost-effective small business telephone system choices. There are new vendors coming into the market each and every day and deciding on your small business telephone provider can be a trying task. Rather than just shooting from the hip, it is best to lay out your criteria ahead of your search to ensure that the vendor you ultimately select will meet your needs over the long-term. Far too many small businesses select a provider that offers scaled back features that don’t meet the needs of an operation and oftentimes, unfortunately, companies are here today and gone tomorrow. By evaluating each of the criteria listed below, you’ll be much more likely to find a small business telephone system provider that will meet your current needs while additionally growing with your business.

Reliability

How reliable is the service that you’re looking into? Ask for specific details about any down time they have experienced over the last three years. There’s nothing more frustrating (or costly) than having your system go down for several hours at a time, especially during peak business hours.

Features and usability

Nearly all small business telephone system vendors offer fully-functioning demonstration modules which you’re able to log in to as a guest user. This will allow you to evaluate all of the features of the system in real time as if you were actually employing the system in your business.

Local availability

Be sure to ask specifically whether or not the vendor provides access in your area. Additionally, you might want to inquire as to where their nearest hardware is located. If your business is in Denver, but the vendor’s nearest servers are in Atlanta, you may experience longer packet transfer times which can lead to latency and frustrating pauses during live calls.

Cost structure

This is a critical point to consider prior to implementing any small business telephone system. Be sure to understand all costs associated with the system: monthly charges, any incremental per minute fees, long-distance charges, and also any termination fees associated with the contract. You’ll often see hosted PBX services advertised as “as little as $9.99 per month”, however, that is rarely the total cost of system usage.

Scalability

If your business is growing, you’ll want to know how the system can be scaled up to meet your demands as your business grows. Ask the vendor about the specific procedures and costs associated with adding lines, users, prompts, menus, and voice mail depositories.

System architecture

How is the system designed? You will want to select a vendor who has built a system on solid technology with current, state of the art hardware. Many up and coming providers piggyback off  a patchwork network of conflicting hardware and services. Make sure that your vendor of choice utilizes a clean, well-planned system architecture.

Check references

The final step once you’ve narrowed down your choices is to directly ask the vendor for references. Speak with these references to determine how other business owners utilize the system and the quality of service, both call quality and technical support. I have found one of the best ways of beginning the search for a provider is to simply ask other business owners in your community what they’re using. This will point you toward vendors with local availability while at the same time letting you know of any exceptional services around or those to stay away from.

Selecting a small business telephone system provider can seem like a daunting task, however, if you use these seven evaluation points during your search, you’ll be much more likely to find a reliable vendor that will be a great partner in the growth of your business.

A soft phone is an application on your computer desktop or laptop which enables users to place calls through their small business telephone system right from their desktop computer. Soft phones are employed with VoIP systems which utilize IP telephony for their primary call technology. Using soft phones, calls from the user’s small business telephone system may be placed from the computer to a ground-based telephone line, from a ground-based phone line or cell phone to the computer, or between the soft phones themselves.

Applications for soft phones generally replicate the look of an actual telephone handset.  Functions and commands are entered either by employing the computer keyboard or with the graphical user interface on the screen. Calls are placed using a head set which has a built in microphone or by utilizing a USB-enabled handset which integrates directly into the computer’s USB ports.  Both generally work very well and provide great sound quality, however, the head set and microphone unit is more portable.

Most soft phones provide the same features and functionality of conventional small business telephone handsets, including call waiting, call forwarding, teleconferencing, speed dialing, and access to voice mail. Many providers offer soft phone applications which you can download, however the software application by itself won’t permit small business telephone system users to place phone calls. Soft phones need to be utilized with a VoIP service or your existing Local Area Network. As we have discussed in past articles, there are many IP telephony service providers to select from for your telecommunications needs (see our past provider reviews for more information).

Soft phones are very often employed with success in business environments. They are incredibly handy and versatile for employees or entrepreneurs who are often on the road, but need to receive and place calls directly through the company’s small business telephone system and extensions as opposed to a cell phone line. Many companies also employ soft phones for call center and customer service staff members who work from remote locations, allowing the companies to save on physical office related costs.

Hopefully, this background article regarding soft phones will assist you in finding a virtual handset that meets your needs.  By employing soft phone technology with you hosted, IP-based small business telephone technology, you and your employees will be more productive no matter whether you’re in the office or on the road.

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With so many business cell phones available in the marketplace to meet your small business telephone needs, where do you begin? Business cell phones are now packed with so many features that you may want to completely replace your small business telephone system with mobile handsets so that you and your employees can stay productive no matter if you’re in the office or on the road.

Additionally, as we wrote about in our review of the RingCentral Mobile platform, some hosted small business telephone solutions now integrate with mobile devices so that you can monitor your company’s system directly from a smartphone. In the case of RingCentral, we evaluated the system’s integration with the incredibly popular Apple iPhone. That particular combination seems to work beautifully for many small business owners who do not have the need for ip telephony handsets in the workplace, but would rather access the system remotely.

Obviously, there are a few considerations when choosing business cell phones for your company. First and foremost, you should always start out by determining which wireless provider you plan to work with. As we all know, coverage with the various carriers can be hit or miss in your area, so you’ll want to be sure that the wireless provider you choose has acceptable coverage in the places in which you and your employees will be working.

Secondly, plan costs are a determining factor for selection of business cell phones. You’ll want to sit down with a representative from your chosen wireless provider to discuss plan pricing and features. Most small business telephone plans offer bulk pricing discounts and can be configured to accommodate features that you’ll need such as data, minute usage, texting, etc. Additionally, you can often choose for your business cell phones to draw from a “pool” of voice minutes that are supplied to the company as a whole.

Finally, the hardware you choose for your mobile small business telephone solution is a major decision. As we’re all aware, smartphones have plummeted in price as the market has become immensely competitive. It’s not unheard of for a wireless provider to give away particular smartphone models such as a BlackBerry when you sign a service contract with them. With so many options available for little or no cost, there’s no reason not to provide your employees with a smartphone so that they can have access to critical data or email while on the road or in the field.

When evaluating business cell phones to incorporate into your small business telephone strategy, be sure to take time to sit down with your wireless account representative to find an optimal solution to meet your needs.

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If you’re investigating or planning to purchase a new small business telephone system, you may or may not already have a business telephone number associated with your company. When choosing a business telephone number, you’ll want to put some thought into how the number you select for your small business telephone system fits into your overall company branding strategy or community image.

The first consideration that I always recommend putting some though into is whether or not you plan to utilize a toll free business telephone number or a local number. Obviously, if you have clients spread all throughout the county, the toll free number is the better choice. However, companies with a local or regional presence can benefit from a toll free number also. Many business owners choose to employ them to represent a sense of professionalism or scale to their customers. The toll free business telephone number has long exuded a large scale aura. On the flip side, this can be a turn off to potential clients seeking a local company for goods or services.

Additionally, when choosing your small business telephone number you may want to consider recall. Is your number easy to remember? While more and more companies are moving strictly to advertising with their website address for this reason, it’s still possible for you to select a small business telephone number that can be memorable enough for prospects and clients to recall it at any time. Think along the lines of the name of your company or the product or service you offer and then ask your small business telephone service provider if that “vanity” number is available. While they’re becoming more and more difficult to find and you’ll likely pay an annual premium for your vanity number, it can pay dividends in the long run.

Just as we ask what’s in a name, we should also keep in mind that your number can say a great deal about your company. Some companies have gone so far as to even brand themselves completely around an easily recallable number (think 1-800-GOT-JUNK). Choose your small business telephone number carefully and you’ll have a long-lasting asset to include in your overall brand strategy.

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Whether or not you have an existing small business telephone system based on IP telephony or are searching for a provider, you are likely going to be faced with some choices when selecting your IP-enabled handsets. IP telephony has drastically altered small business telephone systems, and one of the most convenient aspects of the migration to these systems has been the ability to choose from a variety of handsets that not only meet your firm’s needs, but can be transported and utilized in any location where an internet connections is available. Listed below are some considerations to evaluate when choosing an IP telephony handset for your small business telephone system.

Portability

Many IP telephony handset manufacturers produce units that road warriors can take along with them. These phones allow the user to access their office line and voice mail from anywhere that a live internet connection is available. You’ll want to determine whether or not this is a requirement when selecting your small business telephone handsets and if you will need them to be portable, you’ll want to seek out handsets that are ideal for this function.

Additionally, some manufacturers (such as Texas Instruments) produce units that will function over a wireless network within the company itself. Think of these as “cordless” IP telephony handsets that allow the user to roam freely throughout the company’s location without missing calls to their direct line or extension.

Line capabilities

Most small business telephone handsets are configured to integrate a fixed number of lines. This is a major consideration when choosing your IP telephony handset. You’ll want to determine the number of lines that your users will require. This often varies by employee location or function so be sure to take a thorough survey of how each of your users will be utilizing the company phone system.

Price

As with any technological equipment, the variety of options available for a hosted small business telephone solution are almost limitless. The features available increase with the price of IP telephony handsets, so you’ll want to indentify your budget for the hardware. If you’re using a hosted IP telephony solution, this will likely be the only physical component (aside from desktops used for any soft phones) that will be required on-site. Carefully determining your staff’s needs will ensure that you purchase units that provide the functionality you need without too many bells and whistles.

By carefully outlining how your small business telephone system will be utilized on a daily basis, you’ll provide your handset vendor with helpful specifications to ensure that they meet your IP telephony needs without going over your budget.

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Staying in touch with the change in technological trends as it affects businesses is not an easy task, especially when it comes to small business telephone systems. With new technological solutions popping up every other day, it is difficult to choose the technologies most suitable for your business. When it comes to small business telephone systems, however, trends have shifted significantly over the past five years. The shift from PSTN, or legacy public switched telephone networks, to IP telephony has changed the way small businesses use telecommunications in their business dealings with customers and other businesses.

Before IP telephony, small businesses required onsite and expensive PBX systems installations to meet their telecommunication requirements. These systems cost a lot of money to install and leasing companies made a whole lot of money from the plans they offered. They not only charged small business owners for installations, they also charged them for their increased  bandwidth requirements. IP telephony, in contrast to PSTN, provides a very effective, cheap, and flexible alternative to meet your telecommunication needs as a small business.

IP telephony and its use of packet switched technologies ensures a low cost small business telephone system that could require as little as $20 a month to maintain. IP telephony requires little or no onsite hardware, as a simple IP-capable handset will suffice; and in most cases VOIP “soft phones” (Voice Over Internet Protocol) are installed on the client’s computer, or easily downloaded off the internet, to enable them to make and receive calls straight from their computers.

Changing customer service messages, voice prompts, menu settings, introducing new promotional messages, or even just relaying special announcements to customers while they are on hold or waiting on a queue was a hassle while using on-site PBX systems. As I can recount from personal experience, having used on-site PBX systems in my business for a long time, the ease and speed with which you can change some of these features with IP telephony’s virtual PBX systems is nothing short of phenomenal. For a better understanding on how these changes really work, I would recommend that you read our other articles on RingCentral Mobile and VirtualPBX.

One of the most important advantages of IP telephony to consider is that since it is mainly hosted on virtual PBX systems, it is not location dependent. It requires only an internet connection to work, which means employees can work while on the move, irrespective of their physical location. A typical example can be taken from JetBlue, a large company: they sometimes allow their customer service agents to work from home and, as recent studies have shown, have  increased the productivity of their agents.

Five years might not seem like a long time, but when it comes to technology, it can be a generation or two! And IP telephony is no exception. In just five years, IP telephony, with its numerous advantages and ground-breaking flexibilities, has drastically improved small business small business telephone systems in a revolutionary way.

Most successful businesses are constantly seeking ways to simplify every system and process within their business, in order to maximize efficiency and quality. As such, IP telephony will permanently alter the way you use telecommunications in your business. With the wide range of different IP telephony vendors and service providers, and the variety of choices they can provide to suit your business’ unique needs, you too will soon find that your days of using onsite small business telephone systems are a distant memory.

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