Is it Time to Upgrade Your Existing Phone System?

A successful business is one that is constantly evolving and growing. When you’ve planned so much strategy and put in so much effort to make your company a success, the last thing you want is to be hamstrung by an outdated phone system. Your system should be able to add additional lines for little or no extra expense, be compatible with upgraded networking equipment, and be easily accessible remotely. If it’s not, your business is susceptible to unnecessary costs and it may be time for upgrading a business phone system.

Staying at the forefront of technology is not always necessary — not if it comes with a steep price tag and few actual benefits for your company — but there are times when every business must consider upgrading to stay ahead of the competition. Here are the signs:

Managing calls effectively is a “must-have” service at your company. Does your business regularly have multiple incoming calls that need to be managed closely?

Your current phone system doesn’t support voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony. Voice telephony is a system that lets you text, fax, or voice message over the Internet. An upgraded business phone system allows you to transfer voice calls through an internal IP network, which saves your company money by reducing internal telephone costs.

You experience frequent network congestion. If you have a high volume of incoming and outgoing calls and your current phone system can’t handle it, the network gets congested — and that can make phone lines unusable. Unified communications (or the integration of real-time communication services), such as using computers to place and take calls, receive phone calls via email, and similar integrated features, are ideal. This saves employees’ time and encourages greater productivity.

You have multiple business offices and mobile users. A business phone system should be able to remotely manage extensions on- or off-site without complications.

You constantly experience technical difficulties. Is your phone system becoming inconvenient? If your system is incompatible with most up-to-date networking and IT equipment, it’s time for a new system.

Deciding whether it’s time for upgrading a business phone system is based on the future of your business and how it will change over the next few years. If you know you will have more staff working from home, then an upgraded phone system should be taken into consideration to keep meeting their ever-changing needs. As a business owner, it your job to stay at the forefront of technology, and make investments that will continuously make your organization’s operations flow smoothly.