Looking for Telephone systems providers in Ireland? Here are 10 Points to consider when switching phone systems.
Telephone Systems for Small & Medium Sized Business
One of the most important things you’ll need to look to when you’re switching phone systems is what your own requirements are. Knowing what you need should be the first thing you should be clear on, so you can rule out providers who don’t meet your requirements early on in the consideration stage. Evaluating what system is the right one for your business can be difficult, so we’ve compiled a list of 10 things to consider when switching, to make it easy.
1. Your Current Phone System
Taking a look at your current system and evaluating why you’ve decided to look is an important thing to consider - why are you looking into switching systems? Is your current system lacking in certain areas? Using your current system as a starting point of what you have and what you need should be the first thing you consider when you’re looking at phone systems.
2. Installation
Different companies provide different levels of integration services. Some phone system providers will do what’s known as a drop-box installation, meaning pre-configured hardware will be delivered to your business and where you install everything yourself. Here at IP Telecom, we manage installation for you - from building your PBX to on-site installation and training, we cover everything you need to make your installation day go as easy as possible.
3. Support
Switching your phone system isn’t a one-day thing, if you’ve decided on a move you need to know that you’ll have continued support on the system as well as the hardware. When shopping around for a phone system, ask what support is given and if this comes at an extra cost to you. IP Telecom gives all of our hosted customers continued support as well as training so you can support the system yourself.
4. Disaster Recovery
As a lot of business is conducted over the telephone, you should consider what you’d need in the case of a disaster, such as broadband dropping, electricity going etc. Are you currently covered in this instance? And if not, what options do you need to ensure your business runs as smooth as possible.You’ll also need to know how soon a problem can be fixed if something goes wrong.
5. Hardware
Is your current hardware compatible with the newer systems out there? If not, you will need to replace the handsets you currently have. If they are, great! They can be re-configured. If this is the case, there are two things you will have to consider. 1) Your phone system may be locked to your current provider, meaning you will need to pay an unlocking fee to have the freedom of using them with another provider. 2) Who will manage the maintenance of the hardware.
6. Contract
You will need to consider the contract you are entering in to and what obligations you will have. Is there a cancellation fee involved? Will you need to pay if you need to move premises?
7. Scalability
Your business may be growing, so with that you’ll need the option to add and remove users as needed. With this in mind you’ll need to consider the ease of this with the system you choose. Will you be charged high costs to do this, and will you be depending on your provider to send an engineer out to do this?
8. Ease of use
A successful phone system is one that works, and one that you will be able to modify to your needs. With IP Telecom, if you are looking to change or edit a user, you can access our Web Portal so you can do this all yourself - free of charge! You will also be trained on the Web Portal by one of our team so you’ll be able to do this quickly and easily!
9. Ease of transition
You’ll have your own phone numbers and extensions already set up, so you’ll need to know if these numbers can be ported over and if there’s any cost involved in this. This is hugely important, as if you have a large client base already, you don’t want to make it difficult for them to contact you if your contact information changes.
10. On Premise vs Hosted PBX
The most important thing to consider! If you’re leaning towards an on-premise solution, you’ll need to know who’ll be looking after your system, will they be readily available when needed, and if you have the physical room for servers in your business. If you’re looking into a fully hosted PBX, you’ll need to consider your current broadband speeds and if they’re enough to support voice traffic. You’ll also need to know if your firewall is up to date so you can insure your system is secure.
For any assistance on any of these topics, feel free to email sales@iptelecom.ie or call us on 01 687 7777. Written by Emer Farrell, Sales and Marketing Specialist for IP Telecom.