Communication, whether it be between coworkers or with customers and vendors, is essential to the operational success of any business. In addition to connecting a caller to the correct recipient, the most productivity-enhancing office phone systems offer a variety of additional features designed to make employee communications more efficient. Some of these features are little known but incredibly helpful, and can be important to look for when comparing telephones systems based on a business' unique needs.
For example, some business phone systems offer a conference bridging feature that enables multiple extensions from the office and/or external callers to be linked together into a conference call. Additionally, a feature known as "background announce" or "whisper announce" allows an office phone system operator or another user on the business phone system to dial someone's extension while they are on a call and deliver a message that is heard only in the earpiece of that person's handset
Some communication equipment manufacturers offer multi-purpose programmable keys, an office phone system capability that enables many soft feature keys to be easily programmed by each user to be a customizable station-monitoring, intercom or speed-dial key for one-touch connection to frequently used features and commonly dialed extensions. Some business phone equipment vendors consider programmable keys to be a premium phone extension function and require small businesses to upgrade to a more expensive service model. Other business phone providers will equip every telephone system with premium features, including programmable keys, display, Caller ID, speed-dial and more. Digital business phone systems that enable virtual answer keys also allow a user to program and play a special, previously recorded message for specifically identified callers.
Office phone systems also offer features for employees who are out of the office or tied-up on other calls. Automated paging, for example, allows a caller to automatically page the person they are trying to reach when they hear are sent to the person's voicemail mailbox . Another feature, known as "follow me" call forwarding, pushes a caller to an external number like a user's home phone or cell phone instead of sending them to voicemail when the user can't be reached on his/her office extension. While call forwarding is a useful feature, some telephone systems cannot transfer an incoming call to an alternate outside line without requiring Centrex service from a local provider. Businesses with employees who travel or work remotely frequently should look for office phone systems that also support trunk-to-trunk transfer to avoid additional service fees associated with automatic call forwarding to outside lines.
Other important features to look for in office phone systems include the phone equipment's capability to support future technologies and routine business upgrades. In the same way as the microprocessor chip revolutionized personal computer technology, the digital signal processor (DSP) has radically improved call processing efficiency. In fact, DSP-driven telephone systems are recognized as the most reliable and flexible business telephone systems on the market. With a DSP system design, telephone systems manufacturers can replace many common telephone hardware components with software. This enables business phone providers to include more advanced functions and improve existing features of digital telephone systems without requiring expensive hardware upgrades.
The ability to upgrade service from a telecommunications provider is also driven by the capabilities of an office phone system. Depending on local availability, it's important for business telephone systems to have the ability to connect either T-Carrier (T1) or Primary Rate Interface (PRI) data lines as each form of digital line service provides unique benefits. Some small business phone systems have a limited ability to add lines and extensions and must be replaced when need exceeds capacity. For companies who expect growth and expansion, business phone solutions that can be upgraded without having to replace extensions or the base system offer the most cost-effective solution and return-on-investment (ROI) for office communications. Another upgradable option to look for in office phone systems is the ability to add IP capability to provide remote extension functionality and link multiple locations together using broadband connections. Since most conversations will soon take place over data lines with VoIP phone systems, digital business phone systems that lack this dual-mode capability will quickly become outdated as businesses increasingly rely on IP connectivity.
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ESI is leader in office phone systems and other innovative networking products. Check out their website for more details.
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