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With more firms working remotely, business owners are reviewing their phone systems. We talk you through some of the best ones around.
One way to support your remote workers is a company-wide phone system.
It makes sense for you as a business owner, too. As the UK’s traditional phone network is being retired, any business still using analogue PSTN or ISDN services must move to a digital alternative. The switch-off is scheduled for 31 January 2027.
Phone systems can either be in the form of a cloud based Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) or VoIP private branch exchange (PBX). The VoIP PBX is a more modern version of the traditional PBX, using your broadband or data connection to receive calls. As there’s no hardware to install, it’s cheaper than the traditional version. VoIP gives you a higher quality of phone call and is free across multiple sites.
Cloud based VoIPs are another consideration and tend to be more flexible than a PBX system, because they allow you to make and receive business calls through mobile and desktop apps.
VoIPs are at times more expensive. They’re often determined by the number of employees who use it, as you’ll see in a minute. That said, it will still be generally cheaper than landline and these systems have more features than your standard phone.
Why should I upgrade my phone system?
There are huge advantages in everyone having the same system, especially when they’re working remotely. It’s easy to forward calls – it can done by name rather than wracking your brain trying to remember someone’s extension number. It’s flexible too, allowing your employees to take their calls wherever they go.
Take a look at some of the features that you can expect to find on your phone system.
Auto attendant: A digital receptionist which lets callers connect with the right person or department. Some plans and providers allow you to set an after-hours message (outside business hours), set scripts and have your calls connect after a certain number of rings.
Business SMS: Some systems have business SMS. With this you can send texts to staff and marketing texts to customers, as well as follow-up SMS surveys. What’s more, you can send someone a text using email to SMS functionality, giving you the direct communication of SMS without all of the faff of typing on your phone.
>See also: Six tips to small business success in SMS marketing
Call queuing: Queue up callers rather than missing important conversations. You’ll recognise a call queue from ringing up other businesses and customer service lines. It’ll play ‘on hold’ music and/or a repeated message to let the caller know that they’re in a queue and in what position. Higher-tier plans can include the ability to automate how long a customer is on hold before being transferred to voicemail and to manage queues from multiple devices. Companies with several departments can define multiple destinations for callers.
Online faxing: Online faxing is sometimes cheaper than its traditional counterpart. Platforms allow you to send multiple faxes being sent at the same time and as documents go directly to the recipient, it’s a more private way to send than traditional faxes that can be seen by the whole office.
Video calls and conferencing: If you want to use slides or other images while you chat (or you’re just missing your colleagues), you can opt for video calls. If it’s a conference, you may be able to record it for future playback.
Voicemail to email: This sends a notification or audio recording to your email when somebody leaves a voicemail. Some systems can also transcribe the message, but transcription is not included with every provider or plan.
Which phone system should I use for my remote workers?
Below is a brief round-up of phone systems you could incorporate into your team’s day-to-day working.
