Are Business Phone Systems Worth the Cost?
For many businesses, the phone remains the most direct and most common way for customers to get in touch. Unfortunately, traditional business phone systems have long been saddled with a reputation for being hard to use, bulky and, most of all, expensive.
These complaints have been justified — old-style, landline-based business systems take up space in your office, take a long time to set up, and are frequently unreliable. Is it any wonder many businesses have chosen to suffer with insufficient communications infrastructure rather than go to the expense and hassle of setting up a dedicated phone system?
Today’s Business Phone Systems
With the advent of virtual, cloud-based PBX technology, business phone systems have finally come into the 21st century. Today’s cloud-based systems are:
- More versatile: With a cloud-based virtual PBX, it’s easy to add on features that help you provide your customers with better service, streamline your workflow, and improve productivity. The best business phone systems offer expanded functionality through voicemail-to-text, voicemail-to-email, auto attendant and professional greetings, and more. Best of all, with a virtual system, adding new features and extensions can be done from a web-based portal. There’s no need to invest in additional equipment or wait for a technician to show up.
- More portable: One of the best features about a virtual PBX-based business phone system is incoming calls can be automatically forwarded to a cell phone when team members are out of the office. Your customers get the convenience of one-number service, and you never have to worry about being accessible while on the road. Mobile number portability is just one of the many great ways a business phone system helps organizations with remote workers or multiple locations.
- Easier to use: One of the biggest drawbacks to conventional business phone systems is the difficulty involved in training new staff. Having to remember access codes, special functions and more can make something as simple as transferring a call a challenge. Aside from being frustrating and alienating customers, this often leads to significant lost productivity. Fortunately, progress has been made. Today’s virtual business phone systems are easy to use and easy to train new hires on.
- More economical: Best of all, a virtual phone system is extremely economical. Today’s business phone systems are significantly cheaper than both conventional landline-based products and earlier VoIP systems that required purchasing a dedicated server for your office. Virtual business phone system providers such as AccessDirect offer per-user pricing and no-contract, no-commitment service — give us a call today to learn more about your options.
Benefits of a Business Phone System
While it’s clear business phone systems have improved in recent years, that doesn’t automatically mean they are worth the investment. So why should you set up a business phone system? Consider the following:
- Are your customers unable to reach you when they need to? Does getting in contact with key team members require remembering additional numbers or long bouts of “telephone tag?” If so, a business phone system can help.
- Is your reception staff frequently overworked? Do customers complain of poor service, unanswered calls or long waits on hold? A high volume of incoming calls is easier to manage with a business phone system that includes auto attendant or virtual receptionist features.
- Are failing to put your best face forward when customers call in? Business phone systems can be configured with customized messages that give even the smallest operation a more professional appearance.
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, upgrading your communications infrastructure can greatly improve your productivity and the quality of service you offer your clients. To learn more about the cost and benefits of installing a virtual phone system for your business, give AccessDirect a call today.