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Nowadays, it's rare to find a feature that is not common amongst all manufacturers; technology as it stands now is comparable across the board, so how do you choose the right system and supplier and more importantly do you need to change your system or can it be upgraded?

The telephone system, or PBX as it is often called, is a company's main link with the outside world and it can have a major impact on potential customers. It often creates the first impression of the business. If callers are met with an engaged signal; if they are put on hold and then forgotten; if they are passed from department to department; if they are given a dozen options before they are able to speak to a real person; if they are sent to voicemail without warning, all of these may contribute to your customers taking their business elsewhere.

The best way for managers to get a true picture of how their company or department responds to a call is to telephone their own switchboard a number of times and ask to be transferred to key departments and personnel. How a call is handled will reveal more about an organisation than any number of consultants’ reports.

The choice of phone system is one of the most important decisions a company can make. Get it right and your customers can look forward to improved levels of service. Get it wrong and you run the risk of alienating potential and current customers and your staff.

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A phone system's average working life is seven years or more, so it is crucial to assess medium and long-term needs. If you answer “No” to any of these three questions, then you might want to think about purchasing a new system or upgrading your current equipment as these elements are necessary to connect and integrate with most of the peripheral products within this site:

• Is your system ISDN compatible (Only very old systems are not)


• Is your system VoIP compatible (VoIP lines can be added to any system at very little cost)


• Is your system CTI enabled (i.e. can it connect to a PC?)

If you're unsure, telephone your current supplier or call us on 0800 970 9751 and we will tell you.

Depending on the age of your telephone system, you may want to change to a new model, however, the purpose here is to illustrate that you may not need an upgrade unless there is a genuine reason to do so.

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Some salient points

There are many questions that can be asked about selecting and purchasing a new telephone system but some common factors remain.

• Similarly specified telephone systems cost a similar amount of money.


• In most cases, it’s the functionality of the handset that matters and if the PC is being used to handle calls the handset become superfluous.


• If you have any branch or regional offices which you communicate with regularly, then consider VoIP, but only after a cost analysis.


• If you have a centralised customer Contact Centre such as a service desk or an order processing department dealing with sales, then consider Call Centre software solutions as they will make more money than they cost.


• If certain staff would benefit from cordless handsets, consider Wi-Fi enabled solutions that can be integrated over your entire network.

Make sure that you involve all company departments in this analysis and should you choose to upgrade your system ensure each department is involved in the selection process as each department will have their own particular requirements (see the section on Technology Teams for more information). For example a department heavily involved in telephone use, such as telesales, will have different needs to your accounts department.

Action

If you are considering reviewing your telephone system and want to discuss it further please contact us on 0800 970 9751 or email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Making the Right Choice Now

It is becoming more apparent that consideration must be given to both stand-alone systems (i.e. the type that you house in your office) and IP Centrex solutions (see Hosted IP Solutions below). Irrespective of the hardware, you need to ensure that the technical capabilities to integrate with other products are present in order to derive profit from this technology.

PBX

100% of new telephone systems are now fully digital and are able to support both analogue and digital ISDN lines. As ISDN is the enabling technology for many of the functions described on this website, such as CTI ( Computer Telephony Integration), digital systems are much more flexible and functional than analogue PBXs.

Even businesses with very basic telephony requirements should buy a digital rather than analogue phone system, as it gives the flexibility to upgrade to ISDN should their requirements change. Digital telephone systems are now priced extremely competitively.

When choosing a digital system look for one that has a clear migration path to the technology as covered later in the website, such as CTI, digital networking, data, Voice over IP, Unified Messaging, and so on.

It is also important to look for a telephone system that offers flexibility, growth potential and security of investment so that it can be upgraded to meet changing business needs and accommodate new technologies. It should support open standards and have common components and handsets that can be upgraded on an ad hoc basis as new features and system enhancements become available.

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The size of phone system is given in the number of ports that can be supported: buyers can specify a combination of external lines and internal extensions to the maximum port sizes. In most commercial organisations, it is best to work on a ratio of one exchange line for every three extensions required.

ISDN enables callers to dial extensions directly using DDI without going through an operator.

You may also not necessarily need to separate lines for fax, data and Internet access, allowing you to optimise line usage and reduce overall line rentals. This offers the potential of significant cost savings. Do not plan just for current capacity. If you expect your business to double in size in the next two years consider what effect this will have on your phone system requirements. It is best to provide cabling for additional extensions at the installation stage even if the extra capacity is not needed for some time.

Of course, future needs are hard to determine and maximum flexibility is required, so digital cordless phones such as DECT (digitally enhanced cordless telephony) handsets should be considered for part or all of the system.

A telephone system alone will not provide you with all the functionality to create profit. The added benefits are found in the implementation of peripheral products that can be attached to your telephone system and computer network. The first question to ask, therefore, is whether or not your existing telephone system can support these peripheral products. If it can't, can it be upgraded? If not, will the return on investment analysis determine whether or not you should change your telephone system?

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If you are unsure about the technical ability of your telephone system, contact us and we will be able to help.

Hosted IP Telephony, unlike VoIP mentioned above, means that you no longer have to own a telephone system; an IP Telephony provider has already made that investment.

The main equipment, i.e. the telephone system and operating software is owned and located at the VoIP provider and is directly connected to the Internet. A broadband connection is required at the business premises, from 1Mb up to 8Mb depending on the number of concurrent voice connections required and the Quality of Service (QoS) demanded, i.e. allocated Bandwidth to speech, typically 64kbps.

A router is installed and connected to your internal IP network. The extensions – provided by SIP enabled telephones from Polycom, Cisco or Avaya - are then connected directly to your broadband/ ADSL via your network.

No additional wiring is required as the handset connects between your existing PC and the computer socket (i.e. structured cabling like Category 5) on the wall.

Similarly, a homeworker can be connected to your business phone network using home broadband, router and an IP handset. Being connected via IP means that workers can be located anywhere in the world.

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What does it mean for a business?

Free calls to all extensions connected to the service, locally, nationally or globally. Standard network charges apply to calls to any other type of telephone or device such as mobile or normally-connected landline. These are typically in the region of just over 01p per call, approximately 10p to mobiles and comparable non-BT rates to international destinations.

• Staff can be located anywhere in the world and still be part of your standard communications structure.
• Businesses can factor in home workers anywhere in the UK.
• Additional extensions can be added quickly and without the need for an engineer.
• Call routing to extensions is managed over the Internet 24/7 and diverts to mobiles or any other number can be set up instantly.
• Users manage their own extensions via a web browser, i.e. setting up diverts and DND; access to voicemail can be from any telephone.
• Integration with MS Outlook for screen dialling and popping for increased productivity and customer service. There is no need for system speed dials.
• Contact Centre working is available providing reports and statistics on a monthly basis.
• No ongoing maintenance charges or restriction on expansion.
• Retain all existing telephone numbers.
• Blend SIP with existing ISDN or analogue lines on telephone systems to achieve maximum efficiency.

Use WiFi enabled mobiles for greater flexibility, i.e. free connection to your office from WiFi ‘HotSpots’

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However there are some caveats; in order to connect an IP handset to your LAN, you must ensure that you have a VLAN Switch; old style network hubs will not work as they cannot prioritise voice over data. You must then decide whether or not the VLAN switch should also be equipped with Power over Ethernet (PoE). This provides the power for the handset.

With typical telephone systems the power supply within the telephone system main equipment provides a low voltage through the extension wiring to the handset. Your computer at the end of the computer cabling has its own power supply and you need to decide if Power over Ethernet is required or, if you will need to pay approximately £20 for a power supply for each IP handset.

How much does it cost?

Hosted IP Solutions = £10 - £20 per month*, per extension, depending on requirements, on a 1 – 5 Year Contract.

Further facilities such as dialling from MS Outlook are also available at an additional cost.

*Requires ADSL Max Broadband (£15-£50 per month) and a SIP Handset (from £85.00 to £200.00).

Action

If you are unclear about how hosted IP solutions could benefit your business please contact us on 0800 970 9751 or email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , we will be happy to help.