How Do You Know That You Have the Right Small Business Phone Service?

If you are looking for the right small business phone service for your business, it is wise to do a little research before you make a final decision. There are quite a few phone service providers but all of them might not offer the services or features of your need.  You need a phone service that perfectly complements your business needs making your business communication more effective and powerful. Following are a few recommendations that will help you find the right small business phone for your business:

Analyze Your Needs

Even before you head to look for a small business phone service for your business, you must first determine a few things. Does every employee need a separate extension? Do they need a voice mail box and online fax? Does your business need an auto attendant? Do you think your employees will benefit if they can read their voice-mails in emails? Before you decide on using a small business phone it is important to know the answer to all these questions. You should know how many extensions your business needs before you start looking for a virtual telephone .

Check for the Important Features

Auto attendant

The next important thing is to check for the features that you and your employees need.  Check if your phone system has an auto attendant or not. An auto attendant is perhaps one of the most important features of a small business phone service. An auto attendant greets and routes your callers. You can record all your information on the auto attendant greeting and your customers can choose according to their need. You also have the flexibility to customize your information. An auto attendant works like an automated receptionist round the clock.

Call forwarding

Call forwarding is another important feature of a small business phone service that can have immense influence on your business. An auto attendant receives any call and forwards it to the right person or department. But in case the right person is not available to answer the call, the automated attendant then forwards the call to the voice-mail box. You can also set your system to forward calls to more than one phone number of your choice. You provide the phone numbers to the system and also specify the time and the day when you are available on each number to receive calls.

Voicemail box

If you are not able to answer your customer’s call, the auto attendant forwards the call to your voice mail box.  Your small business phone service can send you an alert as soon as there’s a new message in your voice-mail box. It also allows you to read your voice mails in emails so that you can manage all your communications from one place.

Online fax

Online fax helps you to send and receive fax from anywhere and at anytime. You do not need a fax machine or paper for sending fax. It is faster, convenient and more effective than the traditional facsimile.

The Capacity of the Service

The last but not the least important thing is to check the capacity of the small business phone service that you are opting for. You obviously want your business to grow. In fact that is one of the reasons for buying a small business phone. So you should also check the capability to upgrade your service in the future. Your phone service should be able to grow as your business grows.

Why You Need a Small Business Phone Service for Your Business?

A business phone system is a must have for businesses of all sizes. In today’s age where the success of a business is heavily dependent on the efficiency of its communication system, it is wise for all businesses to make their communication system as strong and sound as possible. A small business phone service can make the communication system of any organization strong and effective. It is in fact perfect for businesses of all sizes. Following are a few features of a small business phone service that is ideal for all businesses:

Inexpensive

A virtual small business phone service does not need to be installed with any particular telephone connection. It can, in fact, work with any telephone connection. It also does not need any hardware or software. So it is can save considerable amount of dollars for any business. But this is especially important for a small business, start-up or home based business that works in limited financial boundaries. Nevertheless, it saves money for big firms as well and is equally pertinent for all businesses during turbulent economic times.  Moreover, most of the virtual small business phone service providers offer flexible service levels. There’s no contract to be signed and most of the plans include considerable number of free minutes.

Automated Receptionist

When a customer calls on your small business phone an auto attendant receives the call. An auto attendant greets and routes your callers. You can pre-record all your information on the auto attendant and your customers can choose according to their need. You also have the flexibility to customize and change information according to your need. An auto attendant completely eliminates the need of a receptionist. It in fact works like an automated receptionist 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Special Features

A virtual small business phone service has all the features that makes you business look bigger than it actually is. You can transfer calls to your employees and colleagues located in the same office or maybe across the country. You can also forward calls to your personal cell phone, residential phone or office phone.  If you are unable to answer your customer’s call he/she can leave a message in your voicemail box and you can reply back to them at your convenience. Moreover, it allows these voice messages to be read in emails. So you do not lose out any time checking your voicemail box and your email separately.

A virtual small business phone system also offers certain extra features over a traditional phone system. For example, you can send and receive fax online using your small business phone. This is the most modern way of sending and receiving fax without a fax machine and paper. You can also program your phone system in a way that you set days of the week and even hours when you are available on each number and the auto attendant will forward calls accordingly. You can also use a toll free number with this virtual telephone system. Toll free numbers are especially known for its success in attracting customers and influencing the sales of a business.

A virtual small business phone system shows your professionalism and credibility. It makes you look bigger and can create your presence anywhere – virtually.

Characteristics of a Small Business Phone Service That Need to be Contemplated

A small business phone service allows organizations to grow and achieve success. It just isn’t a dust collector around the business table but an important tool in the day-to-day operation of your business. Your business receives many types of calls throughout the day. Every call is not equally important. In fact there are a few calls that you can directly route to your voicemail box without answering it ever. A small business phone service has certain features that helps you decide if you want to answer a call immediately or want it to be routed to your voicemail box. Below are some of the characteristics of a good phone system that you can refer to while deciding on your small service phone:

Measurable

A small business does not remain small forever. In fact, there are many large firms that started its operation as a small business but gradually they have expanded their business. With the growth of your business you will find that you need more telephone connections and also a few advanced features of a phone system that will allow you to work remotely. Using a small business phone service can prove to be helpful particularly in the long-term. It is scalable and you do not need to invest again for a phone system even when you are planning to expand your phone system because of the expansion of your business.

Cost Efficient

A small business phone service provides all the features of an enterprise phone system but without the hefty price tag. It does not need any hardware, software or any expensive installation. Moreover, the service providers of a small business phone also offer simple and flexible plans that are especially designed to cater the requirement of different sizes of businesses. Most of the plans that they offer include a considerable number of free minutes and you have to pay only for the overage minutes.  So you can start with a plan that is perfect for your current needs and can change to other plans as and when required.

A Few Advanced Features

1.  Auto Attendant:    A small business phone service usually provides all the advanced features of a traditional phone system.  But at the same time they also offer some advanced features as well. For example, an auto attendant is an incredible feature of a virtual telephone that eliminates the need to hire a receptionist. It is not only a huge cost savings for a small business but also a great advantage for any big business. An auto attendant works 24×7 answering and routing your customers. Your customers can now reach their desired person or department without wasting much time. This is very important to influence your customers and showcase your professionalism.

2.  Call Forwarding:     In case you are not available to answer a call, the phone system can forward it to your voicemail box. You can also program your phone system in such a way that if you are not available at one of your numbers the system will forward the call to one of the three other telephone numbers of your choice. This drastically reduces your chance of missing any call.

3.  Online Fax

Online fax is another unique offering of a small business phone service. It allows you to send and receive fax without a fax machine and paper.

Small Business Phone Service – Pertinent for All Business Types

A small business phone service has been neglected for many years. Telecommunication service providers typically cater to large businesses that have over hundreds or perhaps thousands of employees.  The phone system of these service providers deliver many helpful functionality to  business organizations like call forwarding, call transfer, call routing but their systems are expensive and need quite a good number of human resources for its maintenance.  Small business phone service was first successful among home based businesses, start-ups and small businesses. Yet large organizations were initially hesitant to use this phone system.

For Any Business

Gradually they realized the benefits of using a small business phone service. The benefits of a small business phone need not be limited to a small business only but can have larger implications. Though a big business does not have strict financial commitments, cost cutting is definitely a plus for business of any size and more so during turbulent economic times. A small business phone service gradually gained popularity among both large and small firms.

Cost Saving for All Businesses

A small business phone service does not need to be installed on any particular telephone connection. It can in fact, work on any telephone connection. It also does not need any hardware or software. So it can save a considerable amount of dollars for any business. But this is especially important for small businesses, start-ups or home based business that works in limited financial boundaries. Nevertheless, it saves money for big firms as well and is equally pertinent for all businesses during turbulent economic conditions.

Answer Your Customer’s Call All the Time

The auto attendant of a small business phone service completely eliminates the need of an office receptionist. This is an automated receptionist that is capable to receive and greet any number of calls. You can record the message that your auto attendant will play as soon as a customer calls your office. Hiring a professional for recording your auto attendant is not a bad idea. The auto attendant greets your customers and routes him to the right person or department. It works day and night and so you are sure to answer all your customers all the time.

Expect the Benefits of a Traditional Phone System and More

You can expect all the features and benefits of a traditional phone system in a small business phone service.  You can transfer calls to your employees and colleagues located in the same office or may be across the country. It can also forward your call to your personal cell phone, residential phone or office phone.  If you are unable to answer your customer’s call for any reason your customers can leave a message in your voice mail box and you can reply back at your convenience. Moreover, it allows these voice messages to be read in emails. So you do not lose time checking your voicemail box and your email to answer your customer’s queries. Rather you manage all your communications from one place.

Few Extra Benefits

You can use a toll free number with your small business phone service.  Both large and small organizations can benefit from a toll free number.  A toll-free number boosts the image of any organization and makes you more accessible to your customers.

All You Need to Know About Small Business Phone Service

Despite the size of the company, all businesses need a phone system. Actually it’s the same idea that applies for either a traditional phone system or for a small business phone service. A usual phone system can serve any kind of business – big or small. But it becomes quite difficult for a small business to pay for a traditional phone system. A small business phone service becomes quite relevant in such cases because it is especially designed for a small business and it is affordable for all kinds of business. A small business phone service is in fact, the most suitable alternative to a traditional phone system.

Know Your Business Needs
But before you register your need for a small business phone service there are a couple of things that you need to know.  Firstly you need to be confident about the needs and preferences of your company.  Do your employees need an individual telephone number? Do your employees need a voicemail box and call forwarding? Do they need an auto attendant? Do you think your employees will benefit if their voicemails can read in emails? Before you decide on using a small business phone service it is pertinent to know the answer of all these questions.

Decide On the Right Kind of Phone System
After you have decided to use a small business phone service you need to keep a check on few other things. Like you should not decide on a phone system that needs complex installation or expensive hardware or software. Rather it is better to opt for a virtual phone system that needs no installation, hardware and software and yet it is ready to use just on the go. You should also check with the service provider if your phone system works with all kinds of telephone connections – cell phone, your residential phone and also your office telephone connection.

Check for the Features of Your Need – Auto Attendant
The next important thing is to check for the features that you and your employees need.  Check if your phone system has auto attendant or not. An auto attendant is perhaps the most important feature of a small business phone service. An auto attendant greets and routes your callers. You can pre-record all your information on the auto attendant and your customers can choose according to their need. You also have the flexibility to customize and change information according to your need. An auto attendant completely eliminates the need of a receptionist. It in fact, works like an automated receptionist around the clock.

Call Forwarding and Voicemail Box
Your employees also need other features like call forwarding and voicemail box. Check with the service provider of your small business phone service whether their phone system has these features or not. Using the call transfer feature you or your employees can forward calls to fellow employees stationed in the same office location or across the country.  You can also forward calls to your personal phone or to your residential phone.  A voicemail box on the other hand, helps your customers to record their messages when you are unable to answer their call. If your phone system sends you an alert as soon as you receive a new voicemail that will definitely be an advantage. You also should be able to read your voicemails in email.

The Best Small Business Phone Service may be a Virtual One

There are multiple options for small business phone service these days, including landline telephone companies, VoIP providers and even virtual phone service providers. The best option is without a doubt a virtual system, and there are multiple reasons for this.

Designed with Business in Mind

Landline and VoIP service may be able to provide plenty of features and crystal clear call quality, but there are certain things that they cannot do. First of all, they cannot match the superior business service that a virtual phone system can provide. Thanks to the innovative back office web interface, managing an entire business communications system is quick and easy. Each employee will have limited access to his or her own extension, as well. Support teams are always standing by for business owners or employees who have questions about their service, and a virtual system can be scaled with ease that is simply unprecedented by any other option.

Cost-Effective

Business owners—especially those who have only just opened their doors, virtual or otherwise—know that saving money is the first step in enjoying true success. Saving money on small business phone service is a great way to reduce overhead costs without cutting corners where it really matters. Instead of paying a landline company to install jacks and splitters, then purchasing loads of complicated equipment and the supplies that are necessary to keep them in action, a virtual phone system can be ready to use in just a few hours with no installation and no equipment to buy. For as low as $25 to $30 per month, business owners can enjoy all of the features they need to provide a productive work environment.

Business-Related Features

Landline and VoIP providers can offer features such as call forwarding, call waiting and even caller ID, but nothing can compare to these features when they are being provided by a virtual small business phone service provider. Auto attendants are one of the best features for business owners as they ensure that each call coming in is answered courteously and professionally. Once the caller has been greeted, he or she will be provided with options and the ability to select the best employee or department to handle his or her request. This takes the strain off of employees, saves time, and ensures that all calls are properly routed without the margin for human error.

Toll-Free Service and Optional Features

Incorporating a toll-free number into the cost of a small business phone service can be expensive when dealing with many service types, but this is not the case with a virtual system. Many plans include access to toll-free numbers, and the number of minutes that are available can be tiered to suit the needs of the business. Optional features such as information hotlines can also make things easier for a company; these are designed to play pre-recorded general information to callers who simply want to know more about the products and services on offer.

Business owners who truly want to get the most from their small business phone service without spending a small fortune should look into the many options provided by a virtual phone system. With a low monthly cost, plenty of business-related features and options to add more, these systems can mean the difference between true success and simply getting by.

Do You Need Small Business Phone Service for your Home Business?

Have you recently started a home-based business and are curious about the different options available to you? Perhaps you have been running a small home-based business and your current communications solution is seriously lacking. In either case, a virtual small business phone service may be just the solution you are looking for.

Distinguish Between Call Types

Many home-based business owners make the mistake of assuming that they can cut costs by making use of their current landline telephone for business calls. Although this may seem like a fantastic option at first, it will inevitably cause some serious problems. First of all, even with caller ID, it is difficult for family members to distinguish a business call from a personal call; it is important for each business call to be answered with a uniform greeting in order to promote professionalism and credibility. Instead of opting for a distinguished ring for a second number on the landline, it is cheaper to use a virtual small business phone service—and it comes with more business features, as well.

Better Features

Most home-based businesses only have one employee—the homeowner. This makes it difficult to be available for every single business call around-the-clock. Thankfully, a small business phone service makes it easy to ensure that every call is answered promptly and that callers get the information they need. By combining the auto attendant feature with an information hotline and perhaps even virtual voice mail, callers will be able to get the information they need 24 hours a day, whether or not the business owner is available to take the call. Should the caller decide to place an order or make an appointment for services, they can choose to ring through to the business owner or the voice mail service.

Affordability

Since cost is often one of the primary concerns when business owners consider small business phone service for their home phones, it is important to note that a virtual phone system is surprisingly affordable—often even more affordable than adding a business feature package to an existing landline. If an entirely new second line is desired, this can become expensive with landline service. Jacks or splitters must be installed and the monthly cost may be exorbitant. Basic virtual system packages, which are often all that is needed for home based businesses, can cost as little as $10 per month. Even feature-packed systems are as little as $30 per month, which is much less than the cost of a second line.

Better Customer Service

All of the features that are found with a virtual telephone system make it easier for home based business owners to provide the best customer service possible. Professional greetings, better organization and the ability to forward calls to mobile phones when away from home are all imperative for the overall success of a business. As call volume increases and additional employees are hired, more extensions can be added to the same account for use in other homes or offices.

Running a home-based business can be a successful endeavor provided that the business owner is able to give their customers the best experience possible. With the help of a small business phone service—particularly of the virtual nature—this can be painless and inexpensive.

Consider a Hosted Small Business Phone Service when Upgrading Your System

So, you’ve decided it’s time for an upgrade of your old business phone service. Perhaps the machines are dated and worn, or your company has outgrown your current system. Whatever the reason, you may want to consider a hosted small business phone service to meet your company’s growing needs.

Solutions for Common Small Business Hurdles

It can be difficult for people who work from home to set up a simple and professional system to keep in touch with clients. With multiple phones and different plans for each, keeping them all straight can be a nightmare. Similarly, office based businesses who have employees working in the field have to deal with the muddle of office systems and mobile systems. With a hosted phone service, land and mobile phones can become a part of your communications system with the click of a mouse, making it easier to reach anyone anywhere without a bunch of extra devices.

Increased Professionalism with Hosted Phone Tools

Small businesses need to work harder to appear professional, since they don’t always have the resources of a larger company. Hiring a secretary to direct calls and recording quality, sophisticated messages for after hour’s inquiries can do a lot to boost the positive impressions of prospective customers, but such frills are usually too expensive for a small business to handle. Many hosted small business phone service providers have these things covered, and include these tools along with many more in their basic packages.

Plans to Accommodate Growing Businesses

As a business grows, it cannot afford to be locked into long term contracts that provide less service than they need, nor can they afford to pay for services they do not use. With traditional phone companies, the matter of upgrading can be arduous, involving fees and new equipment. With a hosted small business phone service, upgrading is usually as simple as a phone call to your provider, or a visit to their website. In general, hosted phone service is less restrictive and more adaptable to small business needs than old style phone companies.

Hosting Means No Tech Background Needed

It may seem attractive to have an on-site telephone or PBX at first, but there are many hidden problems to consider. Most people do not have the abilities or learning necessary to keep communications equipment maintained, and wouldn’t know how to fix it if it broke. Creating space to store the equipment and keeping trained professionals on call is a logistics nightmare. There is no equipment associated with a hosted service – you simply receive and make calls via your existing landline or mobile phone. Managing your service is the only business virtual phone providers are involved in which makes a huge difference in the quality of service you get.

Easily Train New Employees

Most new employees today have grown up around computers, and an old style PBX system can seem labyrinthine and confusing. Hosted services have user interfaces specifically designed for increased user friendliness, and the comfortable setting of configuring its call forwarding settings from a computer screen can be a huge comfort to a new employee. Especially since the old style phones tend to have confusing command keys that younger employees can find baffling. For both of these reasons, virtual small business phone services are easier to learn and easier to teach.

You want this upgrade to go as smoothly as possible. Signing up for hosted phone service is quick and easy, and because of the flexible plans available, it’s certain your next upgrade will be just as easy as this one.

Is a Hosted Small Business Phone Service Right for You?

Perhaps you’ve been hearing the entire clamor about hosted phone services that operate over the internet. Many small business owners have turned to virtual phones to manage their communications needs. If you aren’t sure if a hosted small business phone service is right for your business, here are some questions to help you consider.

Are You Outgrowing Your Phone system?
Customers who can’t get in touch with a company when they need to are very likely to take their business elsewhere. If your phone service is overrun by too many calls, you may be hearing about it from some of your customers, but there are probably more of them who simply gave up and didn’t look back if they couldn’t get a hold of you. Additionally, as a business grows, sometimes it resorts to patchwork style fixes to keep an outmoded system running, which results in an unwieldy mess that is difficult to run, and nearly impossible to explain to new employees.

Do You Need Something User-Friendly?
Implementing a new phone system can be difficult. If you have the training and the patience, it can be very cheap to create a system tailor made for your company. However, not everyone has the time or abilities that are required. If you have a hard time understanding the technical stuff, a hosted small business phone service takes the responsibility for maintenance and programming and gives it to a dedicated team of professionals. It’s the host’s job to make sure the system is easy for everyone to use. There’s no need to pay for a separate IT expert because there is nothing technical for you to handle on your end.

Do You Work Outside the Office?
Virtual phones are especially useful to anyone who works outside of the office, as most providers allow you to connect any number of different phones to the service. They do not constrain you to phones physically located in the office space, but can be adapted for use with cellular phones, or the home land line, or anywhere else clients or employees need to reach you. This allows customers to only need one number to call whoever they need, rather than making a series of calls to different numbers, or dealing with being forwarded through a series of extensions.

Is Your Business Growing?
Traditional phone company contracts can be very restrictive, locking you in to service packages for months or years, and upgrading can be very difficult. Sometimes, even the hardware of the phones themselves need to be tinkered with or replaced. Hosted small business phone service is much more flexible and easier to upgrade than traditional phones. If it’s probable that a business is going to need different service in six months, this may be a good choice. Virtual services also tend to offer more “pick and choose” style options, tailoring service to the needs of the business.

In the end, only you can decide if you small business requires small business phone service, or if a hosted service is right for your needs. If you answered yes to even one of the above questions, a virtual telephone service may be right for you.

Small Business Phone Service with Virtual PBX

Communications are key for small businesses, but establishing a proper system to make communicating with employees hassle-free can be one of the largest expenditures new businesses have to face.  With so many options available, why choose a virtual small business phone service over its traditional counterpart?

Traditional PBX
The letters PBX are an abbreviation of the phrase “Private Branch Exchange”. A Private branch exchange is a kind of phone service that allows businesses to communicate more easily within their offices. When a company has many employees and different departments that need to be easily reached, a PBX system allows them to assign shorter numbers to certain phones, allowing for easier communication. A PBX acts as a smaller phone system that serves one building, so to reach a certain phone, you need only remember its extension, rather than an entire new number.

The Advantages of a Virtual System
Times have changed since the arrival of traditional PBX systems. For a small business phone service, the costs and responsibilities of a regular PBX can be prohibitive. They require special phones with different keys to perform all of the necessary functions of a PBX, whereas a virtual system is compatible with any phone. Sometimes, when changes to a traditional PBX system need to be made, it is necessary to call a technician to physically alter the phones or connections in a traditional system. This can result in a lot of cost and down time that a small business simply cannot afford.

Extra Features
While many PBX systems have plenty of nice features such as call waiting, call forwarding and hold music, virtual systems are capable of much more. Without the restraints of hardware to hold them back, virtual PBX systems are able to make more changes and keep up with a growing market simply by altering their software. Follow me features, inter-office faxes and user-friendly interfaces make virtual services superior in most respects to old fashioned phone systems. Virtual phone companies are faster to change, and are developing new features all the time.

Lower Cost
Traditional systems can cost as much as $100 a month, plus all the fees for new equipment and setup, which can run up to an astounding $5,000. With small business phone service through a virtual phone company, the upfront cost is very much reduced- usually in the area of $10 to $20 for set up fees- since any phone works with the system. Monthly fees can be much cheaper as well. With a virtual system, there are typically more options and various packages available. Many virtual providers allow a pick and choose approach to allow businesses to tailor the service to fit their needs.

For any business that simply cannot afford the cost associated with a large scale implementation of a PBX system but needs to be communicating more effectively right now, virtual phone systems can solve all of those problems. Virtual small business phone service is a growing market with more and more providers willing to cater to small business needs. A virtual PBX system may be a good solution to small business communication hurdles.