Planning Telecom and IT for a New Office. It s not just about finding a system; it s about finding the right telephony platform for your business

Transcription

1 Planning Telecom and IT for a New Office It s not just about finding a system; it s about finding the right telephony platform for your business

2 Moving into a new office is an exciting time for a small business, but there are a huge number of details to handle to ensure your operations run smoothly from day one. The last thing you want is for your customers to have trouble reaching you or to encounter issues in conducting business. This guide will help you select a telephony system that suits your new office environment and ensure that the move is done as quickly and efficiently as possible. 2

3 01 Selecting Your Equipment With ongoing advances in communications technology, affordable business phone systems provide a wide range of capabilities for restaurants, retail stores, recreation warehouses, distribution centers, home offices, and every other type of small businesses. The strategic value of a good business phone system can be enormous to a small business, says Graham Williams, vice president of Advanced American Telephones, AT&T SMB Telephony Group. Step one is to discern which features and functions will provide a business benefit and which will simply add needless complexity to your operation. The first factor in selecting a phone system is the size of your business. Business phone systems typically offer a certain number of phone lines, extensions, and cordless headsets, with expansion capabilities up to a set level. You shouldn t just focus on your current needs. Since a phone system is a long-term investment, you need to project how your needs might grow over the next three to four years. Beyond that, there are numerous features available, depending on the system you choose. For example, you can have multiple auto attendants, which allow you to address the different operating hours of several businesses or departments. You shouldn t just focus on your current needs. Since a phone system is a long-term investment, you need to project how your needs might grow over the next three to four years. - Graham Williams, vice president of Advanced American Telephones, AT&T SMB Telephony Group Selecting Your Equipment 3

4 Mapping out the basics Some of the criteria for evaluating phone systems for small businesses include: Does it provide support for at least three phone lines? Can you play messages or music when callers are on hold? Can you add wired or wireless headsets for the receptionist? Can you transfer calls to other phones and voic ? Can you integrate the systems with cordless phones? Voic -to- forwarding capability can let employees receive voic s on-the-go via their laptops and smartphones, allowing your company to make better use of mobile communications. The feature set you need is a function of the type of business you have, says Jon Simms, president of TeamLogicIT, a technology consulting firm in Mountain View, CA. If you run a restaurant, you want the hostess to pick the phone up when it rings rather than having the caller go to a phone tree. However, if you run a consulting business, you might have salespeople, a help desk, and other departments, so it makes more sense to use an automated system to direct the caller to the right place. If you are moving to a new office, think through whether you want to transfer your existing system to the new location. Phone systems are pretty indestructible, so you might be considering taking your old system with you when you move, Simms says. While that might make sense, technology is becoming faster, smarter, and cheaper all the time, so a move to a new location is a good time to evaluate whether a new system makes sense. It s also possible that the cost of pulling the old system down and putting it back together in a new location makes it more sensible to upgrade to the latest technology that may better suit your business as it grows. Selecting Your Equipment 4

5 02 Reducing Complexity Sorting through the many different telecommunications options can seem daunting. One starting point is to categorize business phone systems by whether or not they require a cabinet with a controller box for connecting all the phones together. Such systems are called key systems or private branch exchange (PBX) phone systems. They switch calls between employees on local lines while allowing all employees to share a certain number of external phone lines. Traditionally, these systems have been favored by large enterprises, and bring higher installation and ongoing maintenance costs. Systems without key service units have all the routing software contained within the phone itself, eliminating the need for a controller box in the back room. Consequently, these phones are less expensive because the only costs are setup, installation, and the telephones themselves. You want to make sure that you don t get a PBX with more features complexity than you need. - Graham Williams Most SMBs have basic requirements for their telephone, such as voic and conference call, and they don t need all the bells and whistles and cost of an enterprise class system, Williams says. You want to make sure that you don t get a PBX with more features complexity than you need. These systems offer do-it-yourself installation and setup, the ability to integrate into an existing network, and convenient management through a Web-based user interface, Williams says. The systems are easy to set up and therefore eliminate the need for extra cabling. They also require no additional hardware or add-on components in order to expand the system or configure features. Reducing Complexity 5

6 03 Laying Out a Plan Reducing complexity is a good theme for your overall move. Whether you are installing a new system from scratch, or moving equipment from your previous location, you should have a step-by-step plan, and designate a point person to be in charge of the move. The plan doesn t have to be perfect, but you need to have a spreadsheet or document that lists each step and the person who is responsible for each step, Matt J. Rygelski, president of Phonewire Inc., a consulting firm in St. Louis. I know one company that only had a rough idea of the steps they needed, because they were a small business and didn t think the move would be complicated. They didn t realize that anytime you move into a new space you are dealing with a lot of people, and there can be chaotic moments. The planning should begin at least six months in advance. Six months might seem like a long time, but moving your phone and computer service can be a long process, says Mark A. Gilmore, president of Wired Integration, a consulting firm in San Jose, California. You should give yourself a huge amount of lead time. Even if you are moving from one floor of a building to another floor, a number of unexpected issues might come up. By doing your due diligence up front, you can save yourself a lot of headaches. The planning should begin at least six months in advance. Six months might seem like a long time, but moving your phone and computer service can be a long process. Laying Out a Plan 6

7 Take it in increments As the move day approaches, Simms suggests a 90-day countdown: days before the move date review all your orders for phone lines, systems, and Internet connectivity to ensure they will be in place at the expected date and time. 60 days before the move date prepare a preliminary inventory of the equipment to be moved, such as phones and workstations. Be sure the proper boxes and packing materials are available. 30 days before the move date make sure the cabling for the building is completed days before the move date finish up all the other necessary details. A high level of coordination should be part of the entire move. Often, you ll work with many different vendors, and their activities need to be coordinated. Ideally, this shouldn t all occur on the same day. That can lead to IT consultants having to wait for the consultants to finish their work before they can proceed with their own or vice versa, which is costly. A phased approach allows the project to stay on time and reduces the potential of phone calls and s going unanswered. You might also consider taking a phased approach with the phone system don t activate all the phone system features at once, especially if there are many new features that employees must get used to. It s often exciting when people get new technology, Rygelski says. You can minimize that chaotic moment by making the features and functionality as simple and consistent as possible from phone-to-phone on the move-in day. Once the newness has worn off, you can start introducing some of the new features. Laying Out a Plan 7

8 04 Get the Cabling Right Wiring costs can be your second-greatest expense after equipment. This is where careful planning is critical. With a new construction project, putting in wiring before the framed walls are enclosed is always less costly than trying to add wiring later. You can incur additional charges if your new wiring is not compatible with your new phone system. If you are constructing a new building, the cabling and wiring should be included in the architectural plans, just like the plumbing and electric systems. While wireless and mobile phones are becoming an increasingly important part of the workplace, experts say one mistake to avoid is thinking that a wireless system can accommodate all your needs. We are living in a wireless world, but you always want to make sure the office is wired, Simms says. When you are trying to get real work done, it is much more reliable. Get the Cabling Right 8

9 05 Putting the Putting Word Out the Word Out Companies sometimes forget to alert customers they will be moving, especially if they are not a retailer or operation that has customers coming to their site. Announcing the move on social media platforms will spur people to get important matters done in advance. You can announce the move on Facebook SM, Twitter SM, or other social media platforms, which alerts customers that things might be hectic on the first few days or week after the relocation. This will spur people to get important matters done in advance. At the same time, you can leverage this as a marketing opportunity by encouraging customers to follow your social media platforms for updates on the move and therefore increase your overall number of followers. Also let customers know that you will have backup ways to reach you; give top clients your cell phone number to use on the moving day, just in case unexpected issues arise. Another strategy is to have all calls to your current business phone line forwarded to your cell phone on move day, and then don t switch back until you know that the new phone system is fully operational. This should be arranged in advance. Putting the Word Out 9

10 To learn more about finding the right small business system for your needs, visit smbtelephones.att.com for more information, or call Make the Right Call Phones are not just another tool or piece of equipment that needs to be installed to serve a function; your phone system is a reflection of who you are, as well as your brand identity. A new phone system can provide a competitive advantage, enabling features and functionality that will benefit workers in all areas of your business. By taking a thoughtful, phased approach, you can implement a new phone system smoothly, and take advantage of that functionality more quickly. The Facebook service mark is owned by Facebook, Inc. The Twitter service mark is owned by Twitter, Inc. SMB_Inc_Planning_Whitepaper_Iss1.3_ pdf 10