The right telephone system is important for any business. It’s a crucial business communication tool and it can differentiate success and failure when growing your company.

For example, if you’re a new brand with a goal to make positive first impressions with your customers, your customer service hotline must be backed by a reliable telephone system that’s always available 24/7. Nothing’s worst than a disgruntled customer who leaves negative feedback because of a dropped call due to poor telephone connectivity. That negative review can be a bad PR for your new business, don’t you agree?

Even though video communications has become the most valuable communications tool, the phone is still used to make important income-related activities like making appointments, presenting and negotiating offers, closing deals, and receiving calls from clients for general inquiries. In other words, the telephone is important at every stage of your sales funnel.

However, the abundance of small business phone systems can be confusing. There are a lot of options out there and if you have a vague description of what your ideal telephone system is, the hunt can be time-consuming. This is why it’s important to know the functionalities you need before you begin calling telephone companies.

So, let’s discuss the important features to consider when replacing your handset with a small business phone system.

1. Cloud capable

Especially for small business owners, having the convenience of the cloud means you don’t need to invest in costly infrastructure to host your telephone solution. You also no longer need IT folks to make sure it works 24/7/365. You don’t even have to worry about technical setup, maintenance or upgrades, because they are managed by the tool provider.

  1. Efficient call transferring

Your small business phone system should let you manage incoming call traffic effectively and quickly. The ability to transfer calls to the latest available agent at just a touch is a standard if you want to create seamless customer service. This is a key feature for your team’s effectiveness.

  1. Hold feature

The ‘hold’ button is probably the most commonly used button on your new handset. It’s essential for professionally handling of calls. Instead of covering the mouthpiece, your staff can place a customer on hold at the touch of a button, with music playing in the background, and they won’t be able to hear what’s going on in the other end of the line.

  1. Cordless phone compatibility

A lot of home offices start off with a cordless phone or two and when they transfer to a bigger office that requires a corporate phone system, it usually requires telephone wires. Don’t worry, most small business phone systems are cordless phone compatible. However, your cordless handsets might not have the usual business features such as one-touch transfers or call conferencing.

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  1. Day and night greetings

For a polished, professional, and personalized impression of our company, day and night greetings is an added feature you should look for. Especially in a small office, often there are times when you’re on a call and no one else is there.

The phone system should have the ability to pick up a call when no one’s around, answer the call, and keep them on hold until someone becomes available. You can also customize a voice message for the night feature that says “Welcome to ABC, our office is currently unattended. However, if you would like to leave a message our staff will return your call the following business day.”

  1. Affordable VoIP Calls

There are phone systems for small businesses that allow you to connect to a number of VoIP services, from VoIP to SIP trunking. This can get huge savings on line rental and external call costs. Sometimes the savings is huge it can pay for the entire system.

  1. Remote staff-friendly

Telecommuting and remote work is getting bigger. Tech startups pioneered the change but bigger brands are embracing it as a new way to work. With the flexibility of VoIP technology, your team can now work from anywhere and stay connected to your office. Using VoIP, remote team members can connect to your phone system anywhere, as long as they’re connected to the internet. If you have this feature, it’s now easier to employ and communicate to your staff remotely.

  1. Personal voicemail feature

Unlike your home phone where you may need to pay to be able to retrieve a voice message, with a small business phone system, your team should be able to play voice messages absolutely free of charge. Voicemail capability is essential so you don’t miss any important message, whether it’s from a prospective client, a supplier, or a disgruntled customer.

Do you need a phone system for your small business? Click below to get your quotes.

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