Whether you’re a start-up setting up your business telecoms for the first time or an established small business looking to modernise your communications, the sheer amount of choice and variety of packages and plans can be bewildering.
This week we’re looking at the different options available and will hopefully help you make the decision about which phone system suits your organisation best.
The Two Main Types of Phone System
There are a huge range of telecoms systems available but almost all of them can be grouped into two categories. On-Premises Telephone Systems and Hosted VoIP Systems. Each of these has its advantages, read more to find out which one is best for you.
On-Premises Telephone Systems
If you decide to invest in an on-premises telephone system, such as one from Mitel, you’ll need to install a physical phone system at your business premises.
On-premises phone systems sometimes use analogue or digital lines but these are currently in the process of being upgraded to SIP lines as BT beings phasing out its ISDN lines.
All of these on-premises telecoms systems (also known as PBXs – Public Branch Exchanges) are a more expensive one-off investment due to the cost of the hardware required, but in the long-run are much cheaper than hosted VoIP systems as you will only be paying for the line and call on an ongoing basis.
This option requires your business having both the physical space for the hardware and having the capital on hand to make the initial investment.
Hosted VoIP Systems
A hosted VoIP telephone system is any telecommunications service delivered over the internet (short for ‘Voice over Internet Protocol’). Rather than hosting the server on-premises, it is hosted off-site by the VoIP service provider.
This reduces both the physical space needed and reduces the maintenance and repair costs as these are the responsibility of the service provider.
If you wish you can buy VoIP compatible handsets, but many moderns businesses will simply use headsets attached directly to their PC.
An advantage of VoIP systems for small businesses is that the initial expenditure is significantly less than with an on-premises system. However, the ongoing costs will be greater, and although VoIP systems can easily scale to any size of business the costs become less prudent the larger your business gets.
Which Telecom Solution is Best for My Business?
Before you make your decision, consider these three key points:
1. How many employees do you have?
Cost-effectiveness in the long-term will depend on the number of users you have and how many calls they are making. If you have more than 25 staff members, you might want to consider an on-site system but it is always worth talking to a telecoms expert who can help choose the best system based on your needs.
2. Do any of your staff regularly work remotely?
Even if you have a relatively large number of staff, a VoIP system may be preferable if many of them work remotely or from multiple locations. As VoIP systems are hosted on the cloud, they can be accessed from almost any internet-connected device.
3. How much flexibility and room for growth do you need?
On-site phone systems can develop faults over time and need regular maintenance to operate functionally and can be difficult and costly to make changes to if you suddenly expand and need to add more users.
Unfortunately, there’s no definite answer to which system is the best as every business is different, but If you would like more information, speak to one of our team who will assess the needs and goals of your business and help you choose the right system to meet them.
For more information about VoIP, On-Premises Telephony or other enterprise-grade telecoms solutions, speak to a member of Carden Telecoms’ team today.
