Telecommunication Equipment

TELECOMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT

Choosing the best phone service for you business
Choosing the Best Phone Service for your Business

You may have the smartest gadgets and the coolest software money can buy - but if your business telecoms service isn't up to scratch;, you could find yourself struggling to keep pace with your competitors. In this guide we'll be looking at some of the criteria your should consider when choosing a telephone service to enhance your business.

We'll begin by looking at the main categories of phone service available for business users.

Landline Systems

Tried and, tested, and with years of backing from service providers and equipment manufacturers, a landline system may be an option! Iif you are're in the early stages of enterprise development, own or currently rent your on-site hardware, and are hesitant about new technologies and their possible complications this is for you.

However, But while landline systems do traditionally offer consistently high voice quality and reliability of service, they may prove problematic if you or your employees spend a lot of time away from the office. And with the increasing need for modern business
communications to incorporate aspects of other elements such as the sharing of documents, images, or large data files, the limitations of this technology may soon become
apparent.

Mobile Networks

As you step away from traditional cable-based phone systems, smartphones and other mobile devices will figure largely in any option that you consider. At the scale of the smallest enterprises (where the number of people making up an organization may be very few), it's possible to get by with a telecoms system based entirely on individually owned mobile phones.

Typically, this will involve paying for a subscription to a cellular service provider - with its
attendant charges for international and long-distance calling, data plans, international
roaming, and so forth. Tariffs and service levels are only as good as the network provider
you choose - but for startup enterprises and small organizations on a budget, a mobile
phone subscription can be a workable alternative to a traditional office phone line.

Cloud-based VoIP (Hosted VoIP or IP-PBX)

For those wishing to enjoy the cost and operational benefits of VoIP but lacking the staff or technical expertise to manage an on-premises solution, a VoIP system hosted and managed by a service provider in the cloud is the next best bet.

Besides the reduction in hardware, installation and maintenance requirements with your infrastructure resident in the cloud, there's a corresponding relief from the burden of housing equipment on your premises - ideal in these times of escalating office rents. And if
your organization exists across several branch sites or remote offices, the system can be configured to assign phone numbers based on any location that you designate. This coverage extends to mobile devices, so remote and mobile workers can be connected to your business phone system regardless of their location. Systems can be scaled up or down easily, with a subscription payment model typically based on monthly charges.

Some Points to Consider

In making your choice, here are some considerations to bear in mind:
  • Is your network bandwidth (internet connection speed) fast and reliable enough to assure smooth data transmission and voice quality for VoIP?
  • What kinds of features and telecommunications network access will you and your remote or mobile workers require?
  • What volume of calls do you anticipate - and will this change over time?
  • How many lines do you expect that you'll need?
  • What kind of hardware do you already possess?
  • What equipment and software will you need to put a new system in place?

Why Now is the Time to Move to a Cloud Based Phone System

It may be that the current contract for your premises-based phone system is up for renewal soon - or that you've simply been hearing great things about VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), hosted telephony, and SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) trunking. Whatever the
case, now more than ever, it's worth giving serious consideration to moving your business telecoms system into the future on a platform that's based in the cloud. Here are some reasons why.

Your Traditional Technology is Out of Date

Even if that on-site PBX (Private Branch Exchange), cabling, and switches of yours haven't fallen victim to corrosion, wear and tear, or performance-related issues, the simple fact of business today is that traditional telephone technology simply can't keep pace with what's
demanded of the modern enterprise. The needs of your company and your consumers dictate an efficiency and productivity level that's likely beyond what legacy hardware and
systems can provide.

Patchwork Doesn't Fit

Buying in ad hoc pieces of hardware and software to supplement your existing installations is one approach. But this results in a continuous and haphazard investment in a patchwork of different technologies that may be difficult to monitor and maintain - and may not even deliver the performance you require, when taken together as a whole.

ISDN is Toast (Nearly)

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) technology has been a standard for businesses for some time, now,. yYet despite its ability to combine traditional analog and end-to-end digital data on the same network, ISDN is fast giving way to SIP-based telecoms systems. So
much so that government in the UK has decided to phase-out ISDN out completely by 2025. This wind-down is likely to have an effect on the wider telecoms market - and it's in your best interests to be prepared for this fact.

Your Working Practices are Changing

Life isn't static, and your business is doubtless having to make changes to keep pace with new conditions. The size of your organization may be changing (upwards, ideally), and you may have taken on more remote or mobile workers and, opened new branch offices, etc.

The cloud offers a common platform for all your operations, wherever they may be. And its ability to mix voice communications with document and data-handling, multimedia and collaboration tools is fast becoming an essential part of how the new breed of expanding
businesses have to operate.

Everyone's Going Mobile

From Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies to the rise of the home-based, remote, or traveling employee, smartphones, tablets, and mobile computing devices are becoming the preferred option for business users. It's been estimated that three-quarters of the US
workforce will consist of mobile staff by 2020 - and cloud-based phone systems will be the glue binding them together.

Business Is 24/7 And Global

Our consumer-led business culture demands support, service, and communications round the clock - and with a global market of internet-enabled users and customers, businesses are under pressure to ensure that their own workers are always available to meet these demands. Which This means, always-available telecoms tools and contacts management systems that cater to workers at any location - just what cloud-based phone systems are designed to do.

Voice Alone Isn't Enough

Though a simple phone call is often enough to initiate contacts and maintain some links with customers, staff, and partners, the data-driven business environment demands a blend of tools incorporating multimedia, video, conferencing, collaboration platforms, and
productivity applications - the kind of mix that Cloud Telephony and Unified Communications (UC) can offer.
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