02 May 5 Ways Your Current Phone System Can Limit Your Success
If your business is like many others, the only time you think about your phone system is when it’s not working. But the “set it and forget it” mindset can cost you in more ways than one. The way modern business work and interacts with its customers have changed.
Has your business phone system kept pace with the times? More importantly, is it capable of helping you meet future challenges?
This guide outlines five components to consider when evaluating your current phone system or a new communications solution. Reduce costs, improve the user experience, and set your business up to grow with an updated phone system.
1) YOUR BUDGET
It’s important to find a model that fits how your business runs, by being flexible enough to adapt, if your business needs a change in the future.
Total Cost of Operations Matters
Some phone systems are overly complex and require lots of staff and time-consuming administration, resulting in greater costs over time. Find value with a business phone provider that offers robust, productivity-boosting services delivered in a streamlined, easy-to-manage way that frees up IT resources, and saves money. Look for a vendor with flexible service plans that offers a wide variety of features. Allowing you to evolve as your business needs change and avoid paying for features you don’t use. You should consider moving to the cloud. It’s cheaper to add new lines and there’s no need for costly PRIs.
2) MOBILITY
Can your current phone system support today’s “anywhere, anytime, from any device” mode of doing business?
Today’s workforce is more mobile than ever. Employees are expected to work on the go, wherever they may be. Workers expect their business communications to be just as sophisticated and easy to use as their personal apps. Does your current phone system provide the same easy features and functionality to all staff members, no matter their location or device?
Although many people use their own device on the job, they may be hesitant to share their number in a professional setting. Also, the use of personal devices further complicates tracking and reimbursement of all costs. Most importantly, those using a personal device should have the same features and functionality provided by the office system.
Can your current phone system transform a mobile device into a mobile network?
If not, look for a provider that offers these features:
- BYOD- Allows employee devices to be integrated with your phone network
- Connectivity- Delivers Wi-Fi/cellular call handover to stay connected everywhere
- Collaboration –Provides team collaboration, instant messaging, and conferencing to facilitate greater collaboration from anywhere
- Security –Delivers features that keep voice and signaling safe, even in public hot spots
3) PRODUCTIVITY
Does your phone system help or hinder employee productivity?
A connected workforce is a productive workforce. Does your phone system make it easy for employees to connect and collaborate, no matter if they’re in the office, at a remote location, or on the go?
Is your current phone system boosting worker productivity or draining it?
Reduce employee frustration and increase productive work time with these features:
- Find Me- Follows employees so they can get the call the first time around, regardless of the device they are using
- Presence- Enables employees to see when other co-workers are available, in a meeting, on a call, or out of the office
- Collaboration Tools- Makes it easier to exchange ideas and get work done with the video, instant messaging, and desktop sharing
- Application Integration- Boosts the power of your CRM by seamlessly integrating calling features, call histories, and customer data
4) SCALABILITY
Can your phone system scale to support changing business dynamics?
To stay competitive in today’s fast-moving business environment, companies must be agile. An outdated phone system will slow you down if your communications technology cannot keep up with business demands, like the opening of new office locations and changing global customer expectations.
Scale to maximize business growth.
Nearly every organization can benefit from the agility that comes from aligning its phone system with its business needs. Look for these attributes:
- Plug-and-Play- Provides phones that are easy to install without costly upgrades
- Flexibility-Easily scales to support both the office and your mobile workforce
- Reduced Complexity-Avoids complications that add costs and hinder your ability to scale
- Intuitive- Supports easy deployment by administrators and enables users to be productive quickly
- Flexible Licensing- Delivers simple, flexible licensing so businesses can scale up or down as their needs change
5) ABILITY TO ADD FEATURES AND FUNCTIONALITY
Does your phone system support future and emerging technologies?
Modern times call for modern solutions. Make sure your phone system can keep up with technological change and can embrace cloud-based and customized solutions as required.
Plan for the future.
A phone system needs to have the flexibility to accommodate changes to your business over time. Look for these features and attributes:
- Third-Party Integrations –Integrations with third-party software allow you to take advantage of cloud-based business process applications
- Easy & Intuitive –Users can quickly adopt communications tools that are simple to use and look and work as easily as the consumer apps they’ve come to love
- Admin Portal- Make real-time changes to your users, preferences, permissions, and groups
- Flexible Service Plans –Change users’ service plans and permissions in real time as business needs change
WHY WAIT?
Communication is vital to business success. If your current phone system is holding you back, it’s time to explore new options. Abacus Technologies delivers support every day and offers solutions that will secure your business now and in the future.