Things to Consider When Choosing a Multi-Line Business Phone System
Installing a reliable multi-line business phone system means customers can reach your company directly, which is key to establishing a good relationship with them. These phones make office communication easier and lead to an increase in productivity.
In fact, a recent survey revealed that 95% of respondents believe customer service is essential to their choice of brand and their ongoing loyalty. Being able to respond quickly to incoming calls is an essential part of customer service.
Curious if a multi-line business phone could help you do just that? As a small-business owner, you may need to ask providers the following questions first to see which one can meet your specific needs:
- How many lines do I need?
- Will my staff need to be trained to use the system?
- Which features are included in the package?
- Can the system scale with my business?
An ordinary telephone system may have been helpful to you so far. It simply transfers audio information from and to users on opposite ends of the line. But, as your business grows, multi-line phone systems may adapt more to what you need to communicate efficiently. It allows multiple people to have phone calls at the same time, including two, four, or more phone line system setups, whether the lines are internal or external.
Once you have a best multi-line business phone system, you will easily receive and transfer calls within and outside your organization. With a leading provider, you will also have access to advanced features such as automatic attendants and “do not disturb,” which will also boost your professionalism.
Related: Why Should I Use an IP Phone for Business?
Basic Features to Look for in a Multi-Line Business Phone System
You can set up a multi-line business phone system in minutes with a reputable communications company, regardless of your hardware. With your contract, your business will also receive a variety of useful features, including the following:
Caller ID
Caller ID lets you see who is calling. You can either see just the number or the name and number. This feature helps you identify important calls.
Message Waiting Indicator
A flashing red LED light means you’ve got a new voicemail.
Hold Functionality
You can put employees or customers on hold if you’re busy. If it’s an external call, the caller listens to hold music you can customize.
Advanced Features
Advanced features give your business a polished, professional appearance. Examples include the following:
Auto Attendant
The auto attendant greets callers and gives them a directory of extensions.
Do Not Disturb
This feature sends all incoming calls to voicemail without the phone ringing, which is helpful if you’re in a meeting or you can’t answer the phone.
Speed Dial Directory
Speed dial makes it easier to call important numbers with a single press of a button.
Call Waiting
You’ll get notified if there’s an incoming call when you’re already on the line. This feature also lets you use your handset to put one call on hold to answer the second one, so your company doesn’t miss any calls.
Related: 4 Reasons to Switch to a Business Mobile Phone
Top 6 Benefits of a Multi-Line Business Phone System
It may seem stressful to make the switch to a multi-line phone system for your business, but you’ll have fewer matters to worry about overall when you make the change. You will be making a good decision on many fronts, including reducing financial burdens and easing communications.
As briefly implied above, there are many advantages to using a multi-line business phone. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
1. Cost-Effectiveness
Traditional phone lines allow two callers maximum. And because you can only install a certain amount of lines, long-distance calls can be expensive. But when you switch to multiple phone lines, it’s cheaper, especially with internet-based models.
2. Variety of Solutions
A significant advantage of multiple phone lines is how they adapt to businesses of all shapes and sizes. You may simply want a second line, so you don’t have to take personal calls on your personal phone number, or you may need ten extensions shared between in-office and remote employees. Modern business phone systems can conform to whatever you need.
3. Flexibility and Easy Scalability
Multi-line business phone systems grow alongside your business, so you can keep adding lines as your team expands. You’ll either need to add extra handsets using cables or install an expansion kit.
4. Internal and External Call Management
Multi-line business phone systems let businesses receive and transfer calls within and externally hassle-free. They’re also helpful for conducting conference calls. When employees attend virtual meetings, you save on travel and accommodation expenses while boosting employee productivity.
As reviewed in the previous section, multi-line phone systems also offer a wide range of features to streamline your business. Briefly summarized, you can access caller ID, voice mail, call forwarding, and automatic redial. Another helpful feature is the ability to see who’s making outbound calls and track the performance of your employees.
Multi-line business phone systems let you monitor call times, lengths, recipients, and callers. You can then figure out specific calling patterns in a particular department.
5. Professionalism
A robust multi-line business phone system can give your company a professional appearance. If you choose the best platform, you will be able to customize your branding and let callers know that they can reach you anywhere and anytime. Instead of an employee’s unknown personal number, they will see your business phone number on their caller ID.
Also, you can review your phone information and activity to get a better understanding of what people need and how they reach out to you. This will give you richer and more detailed information about your business phone behavior than you would get from the legacy system.
6. Privacy and Security
Businesses with fully-featured business telephone systems can add an additional layer of security and privacy to their operations. Cloud-based operations have the advantage of automatically securing everything for you.
The tool will also protect your business from being bombarded with offers and spam. This gatekeeping feature provides privacy assurance for you, your customers, and your employees.
The Bottom Line
Multi-line business phone systems come with an array of advantages by establishing yourself as a professional firm and making it easier for employees to stay connected with customers and one another. It’s also far more cost-effective than a traditional phone system and has the flexibility to grow with your business.
You’re now ready to overhaul your company’s phone system. In order to pick the best phone solution for your business, you must look for flexibility, a variety of advanced features to choose from, and cost-effectiveness.
If you still aren’t sure whether multi-line is the right choice for you, Phone.com is here to help. Our flexible, feature-rich platform is designed specifically for small businesses like yours. Learn more about us or sign up now!