Small Business Phone Systems
A Buyer’s Guide
A Purchase Manager’s role in any industry is never a simple task. If you fail to arm yourself with the right information you could end up engineering a costly disaster. On the other hand, get it right and you can see a positive impact to your bottom line – not to mention harmony amongst staff.
A good telecoms system will aid overall business performance and should be relatively simplistic to maintain.
The following buyer’s guide will give you a good insight into what you should be asking when making purchasing decisions for telecoms and small business phone systems.
What questions should I be asking myself?
- How many staff require a telephone or internet connection at their desk?
- How many external lines do I need for phones?*
- How many lines do I need for internet and external email usage?
- Do all incoming calls come in via my receptionist, or do we need to consider alternatives?
- Do I need VoIP (direct dial in) or ISDN lines?
- My company is sure to grow over the next three years; how can I cater for future additional needs?
- Who will take charge of staff training in order to equip them for changes to our telecoms technology?
- If we choose to use an outsourced maintenance contractor, how quickly will they be able to respond?
- I’m not a telecoms expert; I need a supplier that will not lose me by using unnecessary jargon.
*Typically: one external line to three internal ones.
What questions should I be asking potential suppliers?
Make your potential suppliers aware that you are in talks with other telecoms companies. This should inspire them to make sure they are addressing your needs thoroughly whilst making sure prices are competitive.
- How long have you been supplying/maintaining telecoms equipment?
- What training/accreditations do your engineers have?
- Can you supply three case studies of businesses similar to us?
- What systems do you have in-place when dealing with post-sales?
- What training do you provide to our staff – post installation?
- Do you have any quality standards in place?
- How long is the equipment warranty?
- What additional guarantees do you offer?
- How do we log a problem with you in the event something goes wrong?
- How quickly do you respond to problems raised?
- Is it possible for us to maintain our system in-house?
- What other services to you offer?
- Do you tie companies down to long-term contracts?
The first and foremost remit of any telecoms company is to provide the highest level of customer service and provide the best solution for your business.
TelecomHelp is equipped to provide the whole solution from end-to-end, or act as Project Manager and liaise with your chosen suppliers.
Give us a call today; we’ll happily assist you in forming your requirements brief.
Call 020 33270073 or us the contact form.
