Your business is not a closed ecosystem. As much as you may want to believe that your success lies primarily on superior management and hard workers, you still rely on outside help. That help may take the form of manufacturers, suppliers, or other service providers.
The primary way you stay in contact with those other businesses and organizations is through a telephony system. In addition, that same system allows your employees to keep in touch inside your building and with additional facilities in your network.
Here’s what you need to know about telephony systems and how they can help your business.
What Is a Telephony System?
Telephony is the term for any technology that allows long-range communications. It commonly refers to voice communication rather than e-mail or text messaging.
When the term first came into use, it referred to telephone systems. Now, it can refer to anything from voice messaging to video calls. Many of these systems for businesses offer a combination of features that empower their communications.
For example, call center telephony systems may have international numbers, real-time transcription, or virtual agents.
There is debate over whether certain internet-based services count as a telephony system. Newer VoIP systems allow companies to collaborate more efficiently and send text messages. Virtual phone systems are much more limited in their capacity.
How They Work
How your telephony system works will depend on the type you purchase.
Traditional telephones, or landlines, use wires and cables. Although they were once developed with copper lines, newer options use fiber-optic cabling.
An IP telephony system also uses a physical connection to send signals through the internet. Mobile telephone systems like smartphones use the cellular network to send signals back and forth.
When comparing an analog to a VoIP telephone system, both have their advantages and disadvantages.
A traditional landline has a better-established reach and works even when the internet goes down. They also work with older equipment that your company may already have.
Assuming you have reliable internet and newer technologies, VoIP is superior in nearly every other way. You get redirected calls to your mobile phone in the case of an outage and can take calls from any location. Many also have advanced features like text messaging, video calls, and consistent call quality.
Benefits of Telephony Systems
As with most technologies, you get out of your telephony systems what you put into them.
At the most basic level, you gain access to long-range communications via landlines. When you invest in more advanced systems, you get entire communications suites that allow for special features and benefits.
Share and Forward Phone Lines
With more basic phone systems, it’s not uncommon for each employee to have a separate phone number. You’ll quickly find that option to prove more expensive than you’d like.
More modern corporate phone systems allow employees to share phone lines. An excellent example is when a business uses extension numbers to forward calls to a specific person’s desk. A smaller office location will find that a 23-channel PRI system is more than enough for its employees.
Simplified Dialing
Another benefit of extensions is that employees can use them to contact their coworkers quickly. All they need to do is pick up the phone and dial three to four digits. This also works for calls out of state.
Saves Time and Money
Individual telephone numbers for employees are expensive. Both cloud computing and 5G cellular technology are popular trends that have helped businesses gain functionality while reducing costs.
VoIP phone systems work as long as you have access to the internet. They require no on-premises installation or complicated wiring jobs. The service provider will usually hook you up with low-voltage cabling, which functions efficiently and consistently.
All your work is hosted on the vendors’ business servers, although you may be able to use your own.
All-In-One Communications
Cloud systems do so much more than just allow phone calls using the internet. They often include a hub page or program that enables you to manage your entire communications network.
Set up phone call queues or forward callers to the appropriate department. They also usually offer some tools for video conferencing, collaboration, and e-mailing.
Scaled Solutions
Most phone system providers have different tiers or packages for their clients based on budget and the number of your employees. If you have other offices or want to handle more simultaneous calls, you may require more phone numbers.
However, it’s still possible that you’ll end up paying for something you never use. For example, what happens when your business grows, but your phone system isn’t made to handle it?
A phone system designed for smaller businesses is personalized to your needs. Unified communication options offer some of the most flexibility and detailed reporting.
CRM Integration
One of the problems with analog phone systems is that anything important you wanted to remember would have to get written down. Newer corporate phone systems allow you to integrate them with your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems.
This means that Caller ID technology will connect a call with their customer account information. You can log these calls, record them, convert audio to text, and more.
Auto Attendant
An auto attendant is the pre-recorded voice you hear when you reach a business’s phone system. They route incoming calls and help to limit the dependency on a live operator.
What this means for your business is that you won’t have to hire someone strictly to answer phone calls. You can have a secretary or front-desk worker perform other, more critical duties. And if that caller needs assistance, they can still reach a real person for help.
Improve Your Communications Today
When was the last time you upgraded your telephony system in Florida?
Newer telephony systems allow so many features and functions that your entire business will improve overnight. You’ll also be investing in something that will allow better technology integration.
Communications Solutions, Inc., or CSI, can hook you up with the next best thing in the telecommunications industry. Our services include structured cabling, unified communications, and more.
Reach out to tell us about your business needs and learn how we can help.