Take Your Phone System Digital

With all the advances in technology, you’d think you could toss your business phone system by now.  That would be a very bad idea, since we still need all the functionality it offers.

Since we can’t get rid of our business phone, we can implement a system that is more efficient and productive than ever before.  It can also be very cost effective, if done properly.  VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) has finally come of age.

Traditionally, small businesses couldn’t afford to have all the bells and whistles on their phone systems that big companies could.  All that changes when you go digital.  Instead of purchasing behemoth systems with a separate card for every feature, today’s VoIP systems have everything at hand.  You decide what you features you need and you simply switch them on. 

Making the decision to use a VoIP system is just the beginning.  As with all things tech, there are a multitude of choices when it comes to providers.  Some very familiar names in the industry include Vonage, Comcast Digital Voice and Skype.  Asterisk is the world’s leading open source PBX and we strongly recommend it.

Zap Telemarketers

One of the largest sources of lost productivity in telecommunication today is the dreaded telemarketer.  Although the government offers the Do-Not-Call List, it’s only available to residences.  Businesses are harassed daily with recorded messages and telemarketers.  A VoIP system, such as Asterisk, can save you money and frustration by stopping these calls before they even ring your phones.  The Asterisk system offers an application called Zapateller that plays a special information tone at the beginning of a call, which causes auto-dialers (usually used by telemarketers) to think that the line has been disconnected. Not only will they hang up, but their systems will flag your number as out of service, which could help you avoid all kinds of telemarketing calls.

This is just a simple example of the types of things you can do when programming a VoIP system.  The options are extensive and with a little time and effort, you can customize a system to do exactly what you want to guarantee the best service to your customers, vendors and employees.

An advanced phone system sets a better image for small companies to potential and existing customers.  When customers encounter a well designed interface, it not only saves their time, it saves yours as well.  You can program your system to make initial transfers and screening to reduce or eliminate your need for a dedicated phone receptionist.

As with all systems, there are some caveats.  Important considerations include the following:

• Check on number portability.  This is a big deal if you need to keep your existing phone number.
• Make sure you register your location with your VoIP provider for 911 service.  Emergency services won’t be able to locate you otherwise. 
• Most VoIP systems do not support faxing, but there are other digital options.  Check with your provider.
• You need a strong provider with adequate redundancy of power and transmission.  It’s not a good idea to base your corporate phone system out of your friend’s garage (although technically it could be done).

Business phone systems have always been a necessary evil.  Luckily, you have some new digital options that can actually help your company grow and present a more professional image to callers.  Do some research and find out what VoIP can do for you.