Replacing aging phone equipment for a new system can not only save you money, but save you time.

Many businesses today run using phone systems that are getting up there in years.  While they still might work, are they really working for your business?

Traditional phone systems, sometimes called a Private Branch Exchange or PBX, handle standard analog lines and route them to digital handsets in the office.  Most of these systems in small businesses are designed to handle a certain number of lines.  If the line is free you can make a call, if it’s not, you have to wait.

When someone calls, phone lines will start blinking and ringing indicating a call, but who answers the phone?  If you have a receptionist, it’s usually them, but what if they step away from the desk. Who answers it then?  What if you don’t have a receptionist?  Do your employees scramble to answer the phone, or worse, do they all hope someone ELSE answers the phone?

While traditional phone systems may work at making and receiving calls, that’s about all they can do.  What if your phones could do more for you?

Newer Internet telephony based phone systems or Unified Communications Systems provide many more benefits to small and medium size businesses than simply allowing you to make phone calls.  Auto attendants built into the system can provide your business with a first point of contact for your callers and provide not only an introduction to your business, but a marketing opportunity.  Have you ever thought of an auto attendant message as being a branch of your marketing?  A recorded greeting stating your company name and a brief mission statement goes a long way to providing a level of credibility and branding that simply answering the phone can’t do.

Do your employees have their own voicemail accounts, or do they use their cell phone voicemail accounts instead?  What if each employee could have a single voice message inbox that would forward messages to your phone when out of the office?  Being able to call in and check your messages is one thing, but just think how much time you could save if your voicemail was automatically emailed to you when a message was left?  That is how a Unified Communications solution saves you time in your day and prevents you from missing that all important message.

What do your long distance bills look like?  Are you paying a lot for long distance charges, or are you paying long distance for phone calls that you think SHOULD be local calls?  Traditional phone systems only handle analog phone lines and you are stuck with the traditional billing packages that go along with them.  Internet based phone systems and Unified Communication systems provide you options on how you handle your calls.  While analog lines can still be incorporated into your phone system, Digital Voice over Internet technology helps bring your monthly costs down.  Voice over Internet calls are significantly cheaper than over traditional analog lines.  We can create systems that are entirely digital voice; we can make it solely analog lines, or a combination of the two, creating a hybrid telephony solution for your business.

If any of these scenarios look familiar to you, consider contacting us to discuss how a new Internet based or Unified Communications solution can benefit your business.  We will be happy to review your current system, discuss your current and future needs, and recommend a solution tailored to your business.

For more information and to set up a meeting contact us today.