Changes in Business Phone Systems over the last few years have saturated the market with many options. Business owners put a lot of planning and money into their business when it comes to the office space, furniture, copiers, and computer equipment but how many of them put the same amount of time and energy into deciding what type of phone system they need? All too often business owners place that element of their business as one of the last things they think of. So what criteria should they be looking at when deciding on a PBX (phone system)? Glad you asked….
When business owners create their business plan they project where they will be in 1 , 5 or even 10 years down the line but many of them don’t fashion their telecommunications strategy to fit that goal. Many of them purchase refurbished systems that are already outdated and expensive to maintain if they break or what’s worse is that they become more expensive to keep alive. Or they want to purchase expensive brands like CISCO that ultimately become the system they are stuck with because of the huge capital outlay and the need to repurchase those phones when they become “end of life”.
I believe a PBX purchase should be viewed and treated much like a purchase of a car. When you purchase a car, don’t you analyze the features it provides? Or the quality of the car ride? Or the gas mileage it will yield for you over the course of the ownership of the vehicle. If those in the market for a PBX would look at the purchase in a similar fashion then perhaps more businesses would be far happier with their telecommunications experience.
Look at the phone service like your gasoline you put in a car. You can get gas from anyone practically anywhere right? Now look at the PBX as the car. The whole experience can come down to the quality and feature set that the phone system brings your business. Does it provide for the needs of your business today and well into the future? What will the cost be for future enhancements or feature upgrades? Just because the initial cost may be low to get into the system you also need to consider that going too cheap may cost you more in the long run… Just a few things to consider.