Discover how to choose a phone system that fits your business needs. Our guide explores how to create a communications experience to scale with your growth.
Clear and reliable communication is essential for every business. You may be just starting a business, looking for a new office phone system, or wondering how to ensure seamless communication as you grow.
From voice calls to video, email, social media and instant messaging, businesses have more choice of communications tools than ever. In this guide we explore the features of business phone systems to help you boost productivity, improve customer experience and keep your business running smoothly.
A business phone system supports professional voice calls. There are a range of different options available. From a simple landline, to services that offer voice calls as part of a complete unified communications solution that can adapt to your business needs as it grows.
A simple landline can be enough for some businesses, but if you have more complex needs, you’ll need to consider a range of factors to help you choose the best business phone system.
Below we explore different types of phone systems and what to consider when choosing your business phone system.
The best system depends on how your team works and the type of calls you handle. Here are the most common types of business phone systems.
Traditional landlines use a physical connection to a fixed location, like your office or home, to support calls.
Modern phone systems in Australia typically transmit voice calls using voice over IP (VoIP) technology. Some internet plans come with a fixed phone service automatically included.
The benefits of a fixed phone line include:
This setup can work well if your business has simple needs and you don’t expect to have multiple people on calls at the same time. For example, you might be a local retail shop and would like your customers to be able to call your premises directly.
Even if you also rely on your mobile phone as a business phone, a fixed phone service may still be beneficial for you.
Private Automatic Branch Exchange (PABX) systems are business phone solutions that enable you to manage multiple incoming and outgoing calls effectively. They let you set up a communications system where more than one person can receive calls from a single incoming number or a limited group of numbers.
By routing calls to the right person at the right time, they enable your team to handle a large volume of calls more efficiently. This can help you respond to customer expectations and deliver a positive customer experience.
PABX systems are suited to businesses that need multiple people to be receiving or making calls at the same time. Traditional PABX phone systems that require on-premises equipment have been superseded by new cloud-based options which can offer greater flexibility and support.
Many businesses have moved to cloud-based PABX and cloud calling solutions. We explore these below.
With fast reliable business internet solutions widely available across Australia, many businesses now rely on cloud-based business communications solutions.
Cloud calling or cloud telephony, uses VoIP technology to transmit phone calls. When integrated with cloud-PABX, or unified communications solution, you can access greater flexibility and more features to help boost business productivity.
Cloud PABX combines the features of traditional PABX with the flexibility of the cloud, so a business with several locations can manage calls across all sites without on-site hardware.
Some of the benefits of cloud calling are:
Cloud-based phone systems are hosted in the cloud and not on-premises. This means you don’t need to manage any hardware beyond the devices you use to access the services.
They offer features to help you manage large volumes of calls well, such as hunt group features which automatically distribute incoming calls from a single main number to a group of individual users or phone lines.
Cloud calling is often a feature of unified communications solutions which offer multiple benefits for business and can be accessed from laptops or mobile phones. Learn more about how unified communications can help your business and explore Adaptive Collaboration.
Cloud calling is just one way cloud solutions can help boost efficiency. These solutions can work for businesses of any size.
Even the smallest business can benefit from cloud calling. For example, a boutique design studio with four staff could use cloud calling to answer client calls on mobiles, laptops, or desk phones.
Medium-sized businesses can benefit from the scalability of cloud systems. For example, a professional services business with over 50 staff could use cloud calling to manage client calls, log notes, and support hybrid work across their team.
Some businesses rely on mobile phones for all their calls. This can make sense for businesses such as trades or where teams are always on the move.
Benefits can include:
But there are also potential downsides to relying only on your mobile phone for business calls.
This can include:
Explore the pros and cons of using personal phones for work.
Unified communications solutions let you use mobile phones to access your integrated business communications system. This can help you maintain a professional profile when communicating for business and avoid blurred lines between personal and business lives.
The best business phone system depends on what matters most for your business.
Questions to ask yourself include:
Other factors to consider include up front versus ongoing costs, flexibility of plans (e.g. no lock in contracts) and support available from local business experts. You should also think about if your business could benefit from additional numbers such as a 1300 number.
Your business phone system should fit the way you already work, with room to easily evolve as your business needs change. The right option should make communication easier, support flexibility, and grow with your business.
Choosing the right business phone system is at the heart of enabling strong business communication. If you’re unsure where to begin, request a call back or visit your local Telstra Business Technology Centre. Our local business experts can help you choose the right solution and help ensure it’s set up to support productivity and collaboration in your business.
Help boost your productivity with software that connects you with the solutions you need to stay competitive in the ever-changing world of business.
Request a callback from a Technology Centre and we’ll be in touch to discuss your needs.
