While advances in communication technology tend to spotlight digital communication a bit more, the advances happening in traditional technologies like the telephone are actually not far behind. Indeed, telephone technology has made advances as well in recent years, making it capable of meeting the evolving communication demands of the business.
But at the same time, the telephone infrastructure of a business can be very complex compared to digital communication so any changes that are to be made in the system requires a lot of work, hence needing a great deal of decision-making and planning, if such changes are needed to be made in the first place.
Thus, the decision-makers in the business tend to struggle in finding the right opportunity to upgrade their phone system in the office. While each business has its own communication needs and existing systems in place, we have prepared a guide that will hopefully help in reaching a decision that will benefit the business in having an improved telephony experience:
1. The technology of your phone system is no longer up to today’s standards
This may seem to be a no-brainer, but given that telephone system developments are not being highlighted as much as digital technology developments have been, many businesses are unaware of how advanced or far behind their telephone systems are. However, one way to determine is by taking note of the expenses to repair the phone systems. If the repairs are becoming more expensive, especially if technicians would cite parts that are not as prevalent as they were before, chances are the phone system in the office direly needs an upgrade.
2. The business has outgrown the current phone system
A business can outgrow its current phone system in different ways. An outgrowth can be experienced by an increase in the number of employees in the office needing their own extensions. This can also be experienced by the need for changes to the system infrastructure as determined by the changes within the business or the workplace environment.
3. Constant call quality issues are being experienced
Call quality is the most important aspect of any phone system. So it is important to keep track of the frequency of the issues such as poor reception, too frequent dropped calls or delays after dialling. In some cases, the issues are not apparent such as the call quality issues being experienced more on the recipient’s side rather than on the caller, so it’s important to note those issues as well.
4. Support by the current phone system provider has been less than satisfactory
The provider of the phone system should provide, at the minimum, satisfactory service from the time an issue is reported to the repairs up to maintenance. There are also other factors to consider as well, such as whether the cost of maintenance is still within the business’ budget and that the price to service ratio is still on satisfactory levels.
5. Missing out on certain key features
Some businesses may need certain features for their phone system depending on the specific needs and preferences of their business. If the current provider in incapable of providing such features, this is an incentive to change. It is important to balance the need for such features with the cost that these may entail.
Things to remember when upgrading
If this guide has helped you determine that you need to upgrade your phone system, then it is important to plan and implement the upgrade accordingly without disrupting the telephony operations of the business throughout the upgrade process.
It is also important to identify the budget you are willing to spend for the upgrade and that features or services being added are ones that are essential to the business that will provide value for your money and a much better experience overall for everyone.
It helps a reliable partner who will work with you in ensuring a seamless transition, providing an improved phone communication system with little to no loss of service throughout the process.