Small Business Phone System – is it worth the investment?

For some SMEs as they grow it can become apparent they need a specialized small business phone system. Why?

In Australia, technologies like modern phone systems are leveling the playing field for SMEs, ensuring that they can compete with larger organisations in the modern business environment. Small business phone systems can lower bills and boost workplace efficiency and productivity while ensuring that your clients feel more connected to your business. 

The increasing demand for small office phone systems has led many companies to spend significant resources on building sound communication systems, training their live agents, and further developing their telephone systems for small business to match the dynamic industry trends.

With numerous brands and options available, selecting the right VoIP phone system for small businesses can be quite confusing, particularly when you receive conflicting information from multiple salespeople as such information isn’t regulated! Are you shopping for telephone systems for your business? Or perhaps you’re thinking about how to set up a small business phone system in Australia. We’ve put together some relevant information on everything you need to know.

Why and When You Need a Business Phone Service?

Business communication has advanced significantly in recent years. According to a recent survey, the estimated amount of global VOIP users could hit approximately 3 billion users by 2021.

Using a business phone service offers many cloud communication benefits to small and large businesses. For starters, a modern business phone system can mobilise your teams and improve your response time. 

When you add an appropriate business phone service, you can do the following:

• Call duration, hold times, wait times, and overall usage will be easier to track and monitor.
• Many modern business phone services come with the following; call forwarding, inbound call routing, call waiting, call recording, and much more.
• You get a multi-user business phone number (this is an auto-attendant feature that enables call routing to any representative on-seat).
• You can use a desk phone system, cordless phones, computers, or mobile cell phones to receive calls.
• Without the help and assistance of an IT expert, you can easily add new employees.

Choosing the Best Small Business Phone System

A small office phone system is a crucial tool for small business owners to fast-track their business growth. There are several options to choose from, including analogue landlines, cloud-hosted VoIP service, and VoIP phone systems. More on this later in terms of specific product reviews from the Australian marketplace.

So the big question remains, how do you find the right small business phone system for your business? Also, what’s the best medium to deploy it?

Understand the requirements of your business

With the ideal small business phone system, your employees can make the most out of their work every day. You should ask this; do they (your employees) require easy access to mobile communications or video? Are they going to need a single phone number that will be used on different devices?

These queries offer an insight to your specific business needs, hence will guide you towards making informed decisions on the type of mobile phone systems to use for your small business.

IT cost reduction

Today’s small business’s IP (internet protocol) phone systems can consolidate critical communications and collaboration capabilities into one serving server solution. This, in turn, dramatically reduces associated IT costs and complexities.

Be Prepared for Change

A new small business phone system can completely alter your business operations and how you conduct day-to-day business transactions. For instance, to improve strategic relationships, you could schedule meetings with remote staff, customers, suppliers, and partners using video.

Furthermore, to ensure that your small business phone system’s features and capabilities meet your business’s short and long term objectives, you should consult with your local service provider or re-seller.

Benefits of an ideal communication system for small businesses

Once you have a small growing business (which is a sign that you’re doing something right), you are going to get to the point where personal phone lines won’t suffice anymore. Hence upgrading to a small office phone system will make your work more comfortable and enhance overall business productivity. 

According to VoIP statistics, small businesses can reduce local calls cost up to 40% and up to 90% for international call costs. Furthermore the act of setting up a unified communication or VoIP system for small businesses helps employees save an average of 32 minutes per day on call times.

Below are the benefits of setting up a sound communication system.

1. You can stay connected anytime and anywhere.
   
2. It gives your business a professional image.
   
3. By not using personal lines, you keep your private information safe from public interference.
   
4. You have an auto attendant that receives your client’s call whenever you’re unavailable. 
   
5. The option to transfer calls between employees
   
6. Eliminate reoccurring fees from phone companies

What are some of the best small business phone systems to consider? Here are Our Reviews

Now that you have understood the benefits of an excellent small office phone system, it’s time to determine the market’s top brands. Adopting a modern business phone system can reduce business expenses and boost productivity.

Deciding on which phone system to use can be a bit challenging; that’s why we did our research to bring you some the top-rated business phone system in Australia – here are our brief reviews.

1 – NexGen – Review

NexGen is an Australian owned phone system company that understands the needs of several small businesses in Australia.

NexGen, having partnered with NEC and Panasonic to produce some of the most advanced software in the marketplace, the company has managed to build a solid reputation in the small business phone sector.

2 – RingCentral – Review

RingCentral provides small businesses with an all in one communication solution along with a range of helpful features. They also recognise that phone systems are at the core of most companies’ daily operations.

With RingCentral’s small business phone system, you get features that include; call forwarding, cell phone number extension, caller identity, and the ability to integrate your system with G Suite, Microsoft, and Dropbox.

3 – Grasshopper – Review

Taking business calls on the go has been more comfortable. Grasshopper turns your desktop or smartphone into a business phone. You gain access to a free mobile app that helps you hop between calls from any of your registered devices. Grasshopper also offers 24/7 customer support to fix any issues quickly.

4 – Ooma – Review

The Ooma phone service is simple to use and can be set up by anyone within 15 minutes. This makes it perfect for small businesses that do not have dedicated IT departments.

Ooma phone system comes with over 30 features that support your small business in meaningful ways, and these are; a virtual receptionist to receive calls if you get caught up in the thick of thin things, a remote extension dialling that enables your clients to reach your employees’ mobile devices, even if they are working remotely.

5 – ComSource – Review

This company is a one-stop-shop because they offer cordless, corded, and conference phones. They also have a mobile app and state of the art VoIP technology. Get access to flexible pricing plans to fit any budget and an excellent support system that ensures you, your employees and customers have a seamless experience.

6 – 8×8 – Review

8×8 offers a broad range of plans to its clients. This gives you the advantage of a flexible network that allows you to scale up as your business grows gradually. You also get access to fantastic customer care services, including a brilliant training and setup advice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Question 1 – What businesses benefit the most from a good phone system?

Every business can benefit from a good phone system; however, that doesn’t mean that all companies will use the same phone system. Every business must perform their research to find out the type of phone system best suited for them.

Nevertheless, businesses need to recognise that professional customer communication is vital for businesses today.

Question 2 – Which is the ideal small business phone system?

It is difficult to conclude that a particular phone system is the best since every business differs. Furthermore in trying to determine which phone system is ideal for small businesses, several factors have to be considered. And these factors are based on individual business requirements, such as the size of the business, employee operation model, and call centres.

Question 3 – When is the ideal time to invest in a small business phone system?

There is never a perfect time to adopt a business phone system, and this is because we live in a highly competitive business environment. If you seek to maintain adequate visibility and relevance while staying ahead of the competition, this would be the ideal time to adopt a small office phone system.

Question 4 – What is a Virtual phone system?

Like your standard phone system, a virtual phone system links all your employees to a single telephone network. In turn, this allows for ease of call transfers to available employees. It’s also important to note that a virtual phone system requires no hardware installation.

Question 5- How much does a new phone system cost?

This is determined by the number of features you select, including the number of add-on services. A low-end service may cost your growing business $200 per handset. A branded system will cost anywhere from $400 – $600, while a top-rated brand will cost $1000 per handset.

Question 6 – How do I set up a small business phone system?

One advantage of modern small business phone systems is their relatively simple set up procedures. For instance, VoIP systems are managed from an online portal.

Summing It Up

Remote working has become a mainstay in many small businesses. Fortunately, your employees can now answer the phone while away from their work station via mobile number extensions. Recent upgrades in tech of business phone systems allow them to be integrated with CRM, which can help enhance customer experience ensuring effective management and follow-up of sales leads and helping to create harmony on both ends of the phone.