Buyer s Guide: Business Telephone Systems Five essential points to consider when investing in a business communications platform

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1 US AT CONTACT US FOR A FREE NO OBLIGATION QUOTE Buyer s Guide: Business Telephone Systems Five essential points to consider when investing in a business communications platform

2 An overview... Investing in a new telecommunications system for your office or offices is one of the most important infrastructural decisions you will be faced with as a business owner. Without telecoms, your business becomes restricted immediately as it puts a communications barrier between you and your customers, your suppliers and your partners. In short, telecommunications allow your company to breathe. So what should you be looking out for when the time to overhaul your existing set up arrives? We ve assembled five key points for you to consider that will help ensure you re getting great value for your investment.

3 Learn about your potential providers 1 Whether you re being visited by one or a number of telecommunications providers hoping to win your business, be sure to do some background research on them before they visit and get to know more about them are they a Unearthing all the fine details early can save you from potentially being stung later... trustworthy, well regarded name? Do they have a presence local to you so that they can carry out any maintenance or support work within a reasonable timescale? And who actually provides the services you receive? Unearthing all the fine details early can save you from potentially being stung later when you re wrapped up in a contract. As is the case with all industries, the world of telecommunications has its own Stetson-wielding cowboys.

4 How clear are the costs? Due to the complex 2 nature of choosing a new business telephone system there are a lot of separate costs to factor in, with some of them being continuous, long term expenses involved in supporting your system. Costs begin with the initial outlay of capital on the equipment required (such as handsets and the system itself), before factoring in configuration and installation costs. The continual costs then include commodities such as line rental, system maintenance and upgrades plus the actual call rates themselves. Obtaining a concise breakdown of each group of costs involved will bring added clarity to your decision making process and help you see the exact amounts spent in each of these key areas. Breakdown Of Telecoms Costs System, handsets and other hardware; Setup, configuration and installation costs; Line rental and call charges; Maintenance and support contracts.

5 Is there room for expansion? If they ve got their wits 3 about them, potential telecommunications suppliers will have as much ambition and optimism for growth within your business as you do after all, it s good for all involved parties but it s always essential to find out whether your gleaming new system caters for expansion in the size of your business, and if so, what is it s growth limit? Suppliers should be as ambitious about the future growth of your business as you Let s surmise that your business office currently has 20 telephone users but you are targeting a substantial amount of growth in the next year that could see this number significantly increase. It s crucial to make sure that the sales consultant you are faced with doesn t offer you a system that will make it awkward or expensive to expand in the event of business development. It s worth asking about pay-per-seat setups whereby you pay a fixed monthly amount per handset in your office, which means you only spend what you need to rather flitter away money on handsets that could remain dormant or unused during this time.

6 Are you buying more than you require? Telecommunication 4 systems provide a sometimesoverwhelming range of features, so be sure you re only paying for the ones that you actually need or have asked for! If you want a system that allows you to simply route calls appropriately around your business, ask for one that does just that. It s not just system features that can be oversold, however it has been known for businesses to be sold Comparing a few quotes helps to root out expensive and unnecessary costs more lines than they actually require as well, meaning that you re paying for lines you don t actually use that can sometimes sit dormant for years, undetected, yet scorch a hole in the pocket of your business.

7 Is ongoing support included? 5 nothing worse than stumbling over a technical issue after setup only to be told that maintenance services aren t included in the cost of the initial work. Business never stops, so make sure clear boundaries are defined with regards to how you ll be supported postinstallation there s There s nothing worse than stumbling over a technical issue only to be told that the signed agreement doesn t cover support... Many providers will have different levels of service agreements that run for varying lengths of time and suit different sizes and types of business, so if you require post-installation support make sure it s nailed down by the time you sign on the dotted line!

8 Thank you... We hope you ve found this Buyer s Guide useful and that it brings you success in choosing the correct business telephone system and supplier. If you d like to talk to Calibre Comms about your business telecommunication requirements, or have any further questions regarding this guide, give us a call today on or [email protected] where one of our experienced team will be happy to help you with your enquiry.