How to choose the right business phone system

Business phone systems

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.

What is a business phone system?

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.

Types of business phone systems

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.

1. Basic fixed phone services or landlines

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:

• a fixed number you can call from and that customers can use to call you
• the option to forward calls to another number.

Is a basic fixed phone right for your business?

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. 

2. PABX office phone systems

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. 

Is a PABX solution right for your business?

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. 

3. Cloud calling systems and Cloud PABX

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.

What is Cloud PABX?

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.

Benefits of cloud calling

Some of the benefits of cloud calling are:

• lower setup costs and predictable monthly fees
• easy to scale as your business grows
• remote access for hybrid teams
• security with automatic updates.

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 and unified communications

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.

Is cloud calling right for your business?

Cloud calling is just one way cloud solutions can help boost efficiency. These solutions can work for businesses of any size.

Cloud-calling for small businesses

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.

Cloud-calling for medium-sized business

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.

4. Mobile phones for business

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:

• convenience and flexibility
• no need for extra devices or services.

But there are also potential downsides to relying only on your mobile phone for business calls.

This can include:

• needing to use personal mobile phone numbers for business
• blurring of boundaries between work and personal lives.

Explore the pros and cons of using personal phones for work.

Cloud-calling on mobile

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.

What to consider when choosing your business phone system

The best business phone system depends on what matters most for your business.

Questions to ask yourself include:

• How many people need access to the business phone system?
• Do we need a calling solution that can manage high call volumes?
• Will we need the solution to be able to scale easily to support business growth?
• What advanced features would be useful, like call routing, voicemail-to-email and video calling?
• Do we want our business phone solution to integrate with our collaboration solution?

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.

Set your business up for seamless communication

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.

• If you have simple needs, explore business nbn® plans with a fixed phone line bundled in.
• If you’re looking for a more flexible calling option, explore Adaptive Collaboration solutions which can be tailored to your business needs.

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.