Are you in the market for a new phone system for your business? Maybe you want to streamline communications in your small business structure. Perhaps you’re looking for phones to use for your startup.
Whatever the case might be, choosing the right phone system is a bigger decision that many business owners are lead to believe. The system you choose will improve customer communication and hopefully help your business grow.
For that reason, there are several mistakes that you should avoid when you shop around. See below for the mistakes you need to dodge while choosing a phone system for your business.
1. Not Thinking Through Your Needs
While you might not think it, choosing a business phone system for your company isn’t just about choosing the provider. Business phones have several capabilities that can help your company streamline its communication both internally and with clientele.
However, you need to address the needs of your company first to find the best phone system that fits those needs.
What’s the use in paying for a phone system with all the bells and whistles if your small business doesn’t need all of it? If they don’t need the features, then you’re spending extra money for no reason.
On the flip side of that, if your company has a specific need in their phone system, then you’ll want to be sure to address it.
For example, if your small business has a few people that work remotely, then you’ll want to find phone system features such as conferencing and mic muting.
2. Settling for the Cheapest Service
Understandably, you wouldn’t want to spend an immense amount of time searching for the phone system your company will use. After all, you have many other tasks that need to be completed as a business owner as is.
Many company owners make the mistake of settling for the cheapest phone service to a) not spend too much time thinking through it and b) keep the costs at a minimum.
However, if you pay for a phone system without the features that you need, it will do more harm than good. For example, choosing a phone system without an automated attendant will lead to frustration with your clients that call your company directly.
Your workers will spend precious amounts of time redirecting clients to the proper person, rather than an auto-attendant doing that within mere seconds. This repetitive task will keep them from more important aspects of their job and end up costing you money.
3. Choosing Your Domestic Provider
Every real estate agent knows there’s a difference between selling commercial and residential properties. Every cleaning company has different services for their commercial and domestic clients. Your phone system is no different.
People often make the mistake of choosing a domestic phone system provider for their startup simply because they’ve used the system in their home before. While you might be familiar with the system, it might lack the features that your company needs.
Choosing a business phone system will give you a way to streamline communication, complete your mobile office, set up a cloud-based system, etc.
If you choose to go with a home phone provider instead, it will make your company seem unprofessional and illegitimate. Give your prospects and clients a great first impression by purchasing a business phone system instead.
4. Not Considering Your Growth
Simply put: your company won’t look the same 5 years down the line. Hopefully, you will experience tremendous growth, which means more employees, a need for more storage space, more clients to manage, and so much more.
For that reason, you must consider your company’s inevitable growth as you choose your business phone system. How can you do that? By finding a scalable phone system.
With the proper phone system in place, it will be easy to add a new employee to your system. You’ll also need to consider other aspects that come with growing your business.
For example, while you might not currently have remote workers, you might decide to add them down the line. That’s why it’s important to have a phone system that your workers can use from wherever they might be.
5. Not Thinking of Your Customer’s Experience
With so many different phone system options out there, how can you legitimately comb through all the options at your disposal? How will you actually be able to find a system that’s a perfect match for your company’s business model?
There’s only one person that can answer that question for you: your client. While you want your business phone system to offer features that make your employee’s lives easier, it’s the client you should be prioritizing.
Think through the entire customer experience as you purchase and set up your new business phone system. What features will customers find helpful if they’re calling your company for the first time?
If they have questions, will your phone system be able to send them to the proper member of your staff? Are there certain questions that your automated attendant can answer for your clients upfront? Be sure to think from the customer’s point of view.
Avoid These Mistakes When Choosing a Phone System
Now that you’ve seen the several costly mistakes to avoid when choosing a phone system, it’s time to find the right fit for your needs.
Be sure to read this article to find out whether your company type typically uses live reception services.
For more inquiries, please feel free to reach out via our contact us page and we’ll be happy to assist you further.
