by Joe Taylor Jr., Vendor Guru Columnist
Implementing advanced telecommunications services at your business has become more affordable than ever before. However, choosing the wrong phone equipment or an inadequate calling plan can still slow down your team while costing your company money. Follow these five steps to choosing and implementing the right communications tools for your enterprise.
Set Your Telecommunications Budget
Although setting a budget for your telecommunications services can seem about as effective as gazing into a crystal ball, new technologies make communications pricing much easier to predict. For example, voice over IP service allows many businesses to pay a flat rate for all domestic calling. If your business makes many calls to a single country overseas, finding a provider with flat rate or discounted rate calling plans can also put the brakes on communications spending.
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Find a Home for VOIP in Your Business
Many larger companies traditionally house complex PBX systems and other telecommunications gear on-site. Today, hosted VOIP services allow for expandability as needed without extraordinary upfront expense. Small companies and home-based businesses can tap the power of Internet phone service by installing small VOIP routers on their broadband networks. Best of all, new VOIP services allow companies of all sizes to route calls anywhere in the world, making it easy to add remote call centers or accommodate traveling sales professionals with your unified phone system.
Select Your Company's Phone Equipment
Since VOIP services can route calls just about anywhere, phone equipment plays a bigger role in your company's telecommunications strategy than ever. Smart handsets can control advanced phone service features, such as call forwarding, conferencing, and transfers. Mobile sales professionals may prefer new hybrid phones that seamlessly roam from 3G cellular services onto less expensive voice over IP networks in the presence of a wireless hot spot.
Train Your Team for New Communications Tools
Despite the powerful features of many new business phone services, many businesses fail to leverage all the efficiencies of their new equipment. For instance, most new phone equipment can handle conference calls on the fly, eliminating the need for expensive bridge line services. Most voice over IP phone systems offer digital voicemail messages that can be sent to a staff member's unified inbox. Budgeting the time and resources to offer training on your company's phone service can pay significant dividends over the long term.
Review Your Telecommunications Spending
Because the telecommunications industry is changing so rapidly, plan on reviewing your company's phone service every few years. As new technologies increase efficiency and reduce the cost of calling, your phone service provider may be able to offer you enhanced services or reduced rates. As your business grows, look for opportunities to save more money by qualifying for discount packages.
Inexpensive new phone services help level the playing field for companies of all sizes. Large enterprises can now be more nimble by empowering new hires and leveraging remote call centers quickly. Small businesses can sound more professional by adding tiered menus and sophisticated call routing. Developing a clear telecommunications strategy not only saves money, it helps teams provide the kind of service that helps companies make more money.
Sources
Baseline Magazine
New York Times
O'Reilly OnLamp
Wall Street Journal
ZDNet
Joe Taylor Jr. is an internal business consultant for a Fortune 500 company, who writes about finance, culture, and design. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Ithaca College.
