A lot of businesses nowadays have their offices spread out in different sites across multiple locations. It can be hard enough trying to communicate with staff members who work in the same building as you, so how on earth do you communicate with those who are based elsewhere?! If you are a business that has offices spread between multiple locations, you may be experiencing the following problems:
- Staff are having difficulty communicating with each other between sites.
- You find yourself having to pay large sums of money on multiple phone bills each month.
Don’t worry, there is a solution. It’s called the Yo Telecom Phone System. Let’s find out more!
Phone Systems – The Basics
There are three main types of phone systems available:
- Digital phone systems
- internet (VOIP – Voice Over Internet Protocol) or cloud-based phone systemsÂ
- Hybrid phone systems (the best of both worlds)
I’ll briefly go through each of these and let know you know the pros and cons.
Digital Phone Systems
This is a premise-based system that will be located in your building. It is a small box, usually mounted on a wall or placed in a cabinet. They connect to the phone lines and handsets you have in your building. A benefit of digital phone systems is that they are very reliable. However, as they are restricted to physical lines, they aren’t that future proof.
Internet (VoIP) Phone Systems
An internet phone system, also known as a VoIP or cloud based phone system, is a virtual phone system, so it will not be based in your building. Instead it will be based in a data centre somewhere in the world. VoIP phone systems are seen as an easy way to connect your sites together as it is done through the internet rather than physical lines. This can help to reduce the cost of your calls. However if your internet connection goes down, you will not be able to make any calls at all!
Hybrid Phone System
The hybrid phone system is a mixture of the digital phone system and the VoIP phone system. It will be located in your building and offers flexibility with a choice of cordless or fixed headsets. Hybrid phone systems don’t really have any disadvantages but they do have loads of benefits! Their main advantage is that they are the most reliable type of phone system. If one line fails, it can automatically route calls in and out from a backup line. So you can stay connected to your different locations no matter what! They really are the best of both worlds and it’s what we recommend you use to connect your sites in multiple locations.
How do You use Phone Systems to Connect Your Sites in Multiple Locations?
So now you know about the different types of phone systems, how do you use them to connect your sites? There are two main ways your sites can be connected:
Centralised System
This is where there is a phone system located in the main office of your business. Your other sites will have handsets that are connected to the main phone system. This can cause some technical problems. If there are any issues with the main phone system, the headsets that are connected won’t be able to receive or make calls.
System to System
System to system is where each site has its own phone system that is linked together by a VPN (Virtual Private Network). This is a more foolproof way to connect your offices. If one phone system is having problems, you can still take calls through the other phone systems at your other sites.
What are the Benefits of Using Phone Systems for Multiple Locations?
There are many ways having your multiple sites connected through phone systems can help increase the success of your business. Let’s discuss a few of them:
+ Improve and Streamline Communication With Call Transfer
Call transfer will help to improve communication in two ways:
- Internally for your business between sites:
Communicating between the different departments or sites of your business can be tricky at the best of times. But when you’ve got sites that are all based in different locations, potentially hours away from each other – how do you get through to them? With the Yo Telecom phone system, it’s one easy touch of a button to transfer a call to any other handset – even those based in another building. If it is not always easy to go between sites for meetings, the Yo Telecom phone system makes conference calls simple (and without cutouts or crackling). By adding an extension number or numbers to your call you can quickly add the relevant members of staff to your call.
- Externally for your clients:
Let’s say a client phones into your customer service department with a range of questions about the product/service you provide. After a few questions, the staff member realises this call would be better dealt with by a member of the sales team, as they have expert knowledge, but they’re based in a different location. So you have to take a contact number/email address, to pass on to the sales team, and tell the caller someone will be in touch. In this time, it’s highly likely that the caller will head to Google and contact one of your competitors in search of an instant answer. If only you had a Yo Telecom phone system that would allow you to transfer the call directly to the sales department to deal with your enquiries quickly and efficiently.
+ Increase Productivity of Your Staff
This will go hand in hand with the previous point. If it is easier for your staff to communicate with each other, it will be easier to get work done. If one of your staff members is working on a project and needs input from another site, it can waste time trying to faff around calling different numbers or emailing. Getting work done will become so much easier with everyone connected in the same company directory, with extensions that can be transferred to each other – no matter where you are located.
+ Lower Costs with one Simple Bill
If your business is spread out in multiple locations it’s likely that you’re spending extortionate amounts on phone bills every month, for each of your sites. The cost of all the calls each site will make each day is bad enough, but then factor in all the extra calls each site will make to each other using landlines and this will make your costs sky high at the end of the year. With Yo Telecom, you receive one monthly bill. So there’s no unexpected charges or eye-watering prices.
3 Step Plan to Increase the Success of Your Business
1. Book a Demo
To book a free demonstration of our innovative phone systems, please give us a call on 02382 146115.
2. Sign up for the Option that Suits the Needs of Your Business
One of our specialist consultants will come to your office and discuss all of your options until we have found the perfect solution!
3. Let us Take Control of a Hassle Free Installation & Training
Your delivery and installation date will be booked on a day that suits you. We’ll take care of the whole switch over and will train you to make the most of your new phone system!
