Many small businesses see phone systems as unnecessary until they reach a specific size with multiple staff members answering phones or calling customers. However, business phone systems can help even the smallest businesses improve their professional look and avoid missing out on calls from customers or potential customers. In this article, we take a look at how business phone systems can benefit small businesses and the cost and set-up requirements.
Professional appearance
A business phone system allows a business to create a professional sounding voicemail, hold music, on-hold marketing messages, and the ability to transfer calls. These elements portray a professional look and feel to the customer or potential customer. Some customers could be wary about doing business with a small business; a professional appearance will help put their minds at ease. On hold marketing messages can also provide a unique opportunity for companies to cross-sell their other products and services, growing the business further. Professional voicemail encourages customers to leave a message for the company, this can speed up the process of returning the call and improve efficiency.
Prevent missed calls
A missed call is a missed opportunity to help a current customer or get new business. A business phone system can transfer calls to a mobile or laptop, so employees can answer every call that comes through to the business number. In addition, business phone systems can provide reporting on calls received out of hours. After analysing call data, a business may find that they need to adjust the phone line hours to avoid missing customer calls. This valuable information can help small businesses grow as potential customers could go elsewhere if they can’t contact the company.
Phone system cost
Many small business owners believe office phone systems cost a significant amount of money to install and maintain. This isn’t always the case, cloud phone systems can be very reasonable with low ongoing monthly costs. Business phone systems can be uniquely tailored to suit the needs and size of any business. They can also adapt and grow as a business's needs and objectives change. Quickly adding more users or adding additional functionalities such as video conferencing or chat facilities is easy. Many small businesses may be surprised that they could save money by removing old phone contracts and instead implementing a cloud-based phone system.
Quick and easy to set-up
Business phone systems are quick and easy to set up, especially if the business doesn't need hardware and is opting for a cloud-based solution. Small businesses can keep their existing phone number to avoid losing out on customers calling up their old phone numbers. It only takes a few minutes for a small business to have a phone system installed after speaking to and signing up with a provider. The only requirement for a cloud phone system is a good internet connection, and most businesses will already have this in place. If the company does not have a good internet connection, then the calls will be patchy and frustrating for the customers. Cloud phone systems use the internet to make and connect phone calls. This provides employees and business managers with access to the business phone system in multiple locations and on the go with a mobile phone.
Cloud phone systems
Most small businesses are best suited to cloud phone systems. The business phone functionality is held in the cloud and can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. Cloud phone providers securely hold cloud phone systems so that businesses do not need to have their own servers or in-house expertise. Businesses don’t need to worry about security issues as the provider secures all data in dedicated servers as part of the monthly management cost.
To conclude, many small businesses can benefit from implementing a business phone system. It provides a simple and easy way to manage business calls and presents a professional image to current and potential customers. Business phone systems are also quick and do not cost a huge amount of money. Most business phone systems can be specifically tailored to a company's needs so businesses can avoid paying for functions that they don't need or won't use at this current time.
Resources:
Telephone Systems - Buy Me a Coffee
Office Phone Systems for Small Business - Hashnode
Business Phone System Prices - Journo Portfolio
Cloud Based Telephone Service - TechPlanet
Cloud Business Phone System Reviews - Zoho Writer