What Is The Best Phone System For Small Businesses In 2020?

So, it’s 2020 and you’re looking for a new phone system for your business. With many options and features available from a variety of providers, deciding what’s best for your business can be a bit of a minefield. With this in mind, we are going to make this a really accessible guide to allow you to explore your options without all of the technical jargon. 

That being said, we do have a Telecoms Glossary here on our website, if you’d like to brush up on the difference between your ISDN’s and your ADSL’s. 

What are the different types of Phone Systems?

– Digital 

Digital phone systems are physically located on your premises. They’re the small boxes that are found mounted on the wall or in a cabinet. They connect to your phone line(s) and all of the handsets you have in your building. They rely on digital or analogue phone lines which means they are not future-proof.

– Internet (VoIP)

VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. A VoIP system converts your voice into a digital signal and transmits it over the internet. It is hosted in the cloud rather than physically on your premises, which is why these systems are often referred to as Hosted Systems.

– Hybrid 

As the name suggests, a hybrid system combines a digital and an internet phone system, and is located on your premises. Having both types of line allows you much greater reliability than just a digital or a VoIP system. This is because if one of your lines fails, the system seamlessly switches to the other, meaning you can still make and receive calls as normal. 

What Is The Best Phone System For Small Businesses In 2020?

A hybrid system is by far the best phone system for small businesses in 2020. It combines the benefits of a Digital and VoIP system, and allows you to utilise a range of additional impressive features. VoIP systems require a solid internet connection to ensure calls don’t drop out. This means, depending on your connection, there may be no remaining bandwidth whilst on a call. Not only this, if your internet fails for any reason, your business phone is rendered useless. 

 

Features of a Hybrid Phone System: 

With a hybrid phone system there are a whole host of additional features that you can utilise. Here are just a small selection of these:

– Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)

CTI allows you to link your phone system with your CRM. This means that when a customer calls your business, if they already have a file, it will open automatically. This means you no longer have to spend 20-30 seconds identifying a caller. Rather, you can greet them professionally and friendly, and get straight to answering their queries.  

– Call Logging

This feature enables you to see all missed calls and get back to callers at the touch of a button. Without call logging, these potential customers can slip through the net and lead to missed opportunities.

– Call Reporting 

As the name suggests, this tool creates reports with statistics on call duration, agent behaviour, wait times and busy times. Not only is this information just interesting to know, it can lead to a change in business hours, staffing arrangements or training programmes. Acting on these will ultimately improve your level of service and customer experience. 

– Call Recording 

Call Recording allows you to listen back to calls and retrieve information you missed. You can do this without bothering your customers meaning you don’t risk appearing unorganised or unprofessional. This feature is also invaluable when it comes to dealing with customer disputes. If there has been any sort of mix-up, you can listen back to the call and check what was offered, promised or discussed. 

– On-Hold Marketing 

Putting your callers on hold is often unavoidable. Providing music or specially recorded messages is a great way to pass their time, rather than leaving them sitting in silence or listening to beeps. At Yo Telecom, we have these messages professionally recorded with whatever you’d like them to say. This is a great opportunity to advertise your latest product or service, opening hours or any company news. 

– Auto-Attendant 

Auto-Attendant is like having a digital receptionist. Callers are greeted with an opening message and as a result are directed to the correct extension without any input at your end. This saves time filtering calls for specific departments or queries meaning you can get to helping your customers much sooner! 

So there we have it, a round-up of the different types of business phone systems available on the market. The hybrid phone system is by far the best choice for small businesses in 2020 due to its reliability and the number of additional features available on the system. 

Our hybrid phone systems offer a whole host of other features that we’re confident would be highly beneficial to your business. If you’re interested in anything we’ve mentioned above or would like to know how you can personally get the most out of a new hybrid phone system, fill in the form below and we’ll be in touch!