When you own a business, it can just seem like cost after cost after cost, so when you’re looking to buy new equipment (like a phone system), it’s important that you find a cost-effective solution, but also one that will help to increase the success of your business. The cost of buying a new phone system for your business is something that will depend on a variety of factors. So, in this article, we will look at the 6 main factors that will influence your decision and how they will affect the cost of a new phone system.
6 Factors That Influence The Cost Of A New Phone System
1. Type of System
The first thing that will influence the cost of your new business phone system, will be the type of system you chose. There are three main types of phone system available on the market and each will vary in cost. Let’s look at these three systems:
- Digital Phone Systems
A digital phone system is a physical phone system, meaning the system itself will be based in your building and it will route calls in and out through fixed lines. This is a relatively easy system to set up and operate, but they can have a few associated costs – such as installation costs, line costs, equipment costs and maintenance costs. Due to this, digital phone systems tend to be on the pricier end of the spectrum. As they run calls through fixed lines, this can limit the number of calls you can take at any given time which means they aren’t that future proof.
- VoIP Phone Systems
VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol, which means your phone system will route your calls via the internet – rather than through fixed, physical, lines. Having an internet-based phone system can be a great way to save money on call charges – as well as saving money on installation and maintenance charges. They also offer you more flexibility of where you can make and take calls from. However, with an internet (or cloud-based) phone system, reliability can be compromised. You will need to make sure you have a strong internet connection if you want excellent call quality.
- Hybrid Phone Systems
The hybrid phone system is the best of both worlds. It has all the benefits of a VOIP phone system – such as flexibility and innovation – but with the added bonus of a digital line. This helps to make the hybrid phone system the most reliable type of phone system you can get. If your internet is slow or cuts out completely, your phone system will automatically route your calls through a backup line. Meaning your clients can always get through to you and you can always get through to them.
2. Size Of Business
The size of your business will have a big influence on your requirements and, therefore, the overall price of your new system. Small businesses may not require that much equipment. For example, you may need a few phones for your staff, one for a receptionist plus one for a manager. Due to higher staff demands, medium-sized businesses are likely to need more handsets and some additional features to meet their requirements.
Unsurprisingly, the costs for a larger business will be a lot more than smaller and medium-sized businesses. Due to having more employees and more departments, more handsets and equipment will be needed – as well as taking internal communications into consideration. You’ll need features like call transfer for this.
3. Number Of Users
You will really need to think about your needs when making this decision. It may be that you need every employee to have a handset of their own, or maybe just one or two. The number of handsets that you choose will have a big impact on the cost of your equipment – so you need to know exactly how many you are going to need as you don’t want equipment (and money) going to waste.
4. Number Of Sites
If you have a business that is based at multiple sites in different locations, it may be that you pay for a separate phone system for each site – which can cost you lots of money. When looking to update your phone system, you can choose to connect your sites via a centralised phone system. This can actually help to lower your costs as you are only paying for one system – all of your sites are covered under one bill.
5. Features
The features of your phone system are another important thing to consider. While you could pay less for a system with just your standard voicemail feature, this won’t help your business in the long run. With a Yo Telecom system, we’ll help you pick the features you need to help your business increase its success. You can find a few of these features listed below:
- Call Recording
This feature will record every call that is made or received at your business, so you can listen back to them whenever you need to. This is great for staff training. By listening to a few calls a week you can see what your staff are doing well on the phone and areas they can improve on. This feature also comes in handy if you ever need to re-listen to any information that is given to you over the phone.
- Call Logging
Call Logging works exactly like the call log on your mobile phone. Allowing you to see your missed calls as soon as they happen, meaning you can call back straight away! Not only does this help you get more bookings and appointments, but shows your clients an excellent level of customer service.
- Call Transfer
Help your callers speak to the right person, fast! With call transfer, it’s one simple press of a button to transfer a call to any other handset (fixed or cordless) in your business! You can even transfer to a handset in a different building if you have sites in multiple locations.
- Professional Voicemail
If you can’t take a call because you are busy on the phone, or you are closed, it’s important your voicemail message is informative and useful. If your clients can’t get through to you, they will want to know why they can’t speak to you at this time, your opening hours and how else they can contact you. If they don’t know this information, it’s likely they will call your competition instead.
- On-Hold Marketing/Music
Fill those awkward silences on hold by playing marketing messages to your callers. You can use this time to give your callers a better understanding of the products and services you provide, as well as letting them know important details such as opening times and seasonal information. You can also use this time to advertise any special deals or offers you have on!
- Auto Attendant
An auto attendant will automatically greet your callers and give them a range of options and instantly connect the caller to the person or department they want to speak to! This helps to make communication between you and your clients easier and saves your staff time.
6. Provider
Business Phone System prices will vary between providers. Shopping around is always a good idea so you can be sure that you’re getting a system that really meets your needs.
Why Yo Telecom?
Here at Yo Telecom, we tailor our business phone system packages to meet your needs! Without knowing your full requirements, it’s hard to say how much your new phone system will cost. That’s why we’ll come to your business to discuss your needs. We’ll take these factors into consideration and build you a package specifically for your business. Just drop your details in the form below to get started!
