| Chris Brennan | | | | phones. |
| Start-ups, small growing firms and even home-based | | | | Limited Small Business Solutions |
| businesses are underserved by the | | | | So where are small companies without phone |
| telecommunications industry. But there are telephone | | | | systems getting their voicemail? How are they |
| systems that fit if you know where to look. | | | | handling incoming calls? How do they integrate |
| | | | teleworkers and mobile workers? They may use |
| While galloping technological advancements have | | | | Centrex services; telephone company voicemail and |
| ushered in amazing new features and inversely lower | | | | separate lines for each phone user, which add a big |
| prices for most office equipment, full-featured phone | | | | boost to the monthly phone bills. While telephone |
| systems have remained largely out of reach for small | | | | companies all over the country are all too happy to |
| companies. You can afford a photo-realistic slimline | | | | offer increasingly complex business services, the |
| desktop color printer now for a fraction of what it | | | | additional billing can add up over time to prohibitive |
| cost just a few years ago, and you can beam your | | | | levels. |
| appointment book back and forth from your | | | | And there's no real integration with offsite workers |
| wristwatch to your laptop for under a hundred | | | | other than simple call forwarding. The proliferation of |
| bucks, but the prices of telephone systems have not | | | | cell phones in the majority of small businesses has, |
| decreased at the same rate. Most small companies | | | | paradoxically, made staying in touch with customers |
| are forced to cobble together telephone solutions | | | | and collaborators even more difficult. Businesses have |
| with a combination of multi-line telephones, answering | | | | to give customers and co-workers different phone |
| machines and costly monthly telephone company | | | | numbers for the office and mobile phones, each with |
| services. | | | | separate voicemail systems, both of which are |
| True phone systems are far more powerful, offering | | | | costing the company extra money every month. |
| flexible automated call answering features, call | | | | Finding Phone Systems that Fit Small Business |
| messaging and call routing that can improve a | | | | Not all of the news is bad, though. A select few |
| company's professional image, control communication | | | | companies have realized that the very small business |
| costs and increase connectivity and responsiveness. | | | | is underserved, and they've been producing small |
| It is widely acknowledged that small business is the | | | | business systems that make sense. There are |
| engine of job creation and economic health today. | | | | excellent systems to be had in the market, if you |
| With a sophisticated, mobile workforce and limited | | | | know what to look for. The smart new generation |
| resources for dedicated phone answering staff, small | | | | of small business phone systems have all of the |
| business needs advanced phone systems as much as | | | | features of their larger counterparts without the big |
| its larger counterparts do. Yet according to a recent | | | | business prices. |
| Yankee Group study, 58 per cent of small firms in | | | | When shopping for a system, look for the ability to |
| the United States don't have a phone system at all. | | | | easily install and configure it on your own. Installation |
| More than 5 million businesses have fewer than 20 | | | | can cost a significant percentage of the total cost of |
| employees, so there's a big market for phone | | | | traditional phone systems. User-configurable systems |
| systems, but the leaders in the phone industry have | | | | allow you to control the way your phone system |
| never been able to produce products to fit the bill. | | | | works without having to pay the manufacturer or a |
| Why? The answer lies in the size; small business is | | | | third-party technician to do it for you. The best of |
| too small for the big traditional telephone systems, | | | | the new small business phone systems enable you to |
| and the scaled-down solutions that the industry has | | | | do it yourself and save. |
| produced so far still have price tags that are too big | | | | Another important feature to look for is cell phone |
| for small business budgets. Big phone systems just | | | | and remote phone integration. If you have |
| don't work for very small companies, and the fewer | | | | teleworkers and mobile workers, you need to be |
| the phone users, the more difficult the fit. | | | | able to collaborate smoothly without giving out |
| Private Branch Exchanges | | | | dozens of different numbers to your clients. There |
| Large corporations use Private Branch Exchanges, or | | | | are small business systems on the market that can |
| PBXs, which allow many phone users to share a | | | | connect all of your phones through one central |
| system with fewer telephone company lines, based | | | | system with one number. |
| on the idea that not everybody uses their local | | | | Expandability is crucial too. Make sure that the |
| phone extension at the same time. | | | | system you buy today can grow to accommodate |
| PBXs inherently offer the best telephone system | | | | the changes in your company tomorrow. And the |
| functionality available. As anyone who has ever | | | | changes in the industry - with the emergence of |
| worked in a corporation knows, PBXs handle calls | | | | Voice over IP technology and new advanced |
| impressively with features such as ring groups, call | | | | Internet telephony services, your phone system |
| cascades, auto attendants, voicemail and more. But | | | | needs to be ready to connect to the IP network |
| PBXs have traditionally been massive systems for | | | | while maintaining your connections to the traditional |
| thousands of users. When PBX manufacturers | | | | telephone network. Look for hybrid systems that are |
| started to turn their attention to small companies, | | | | built with SIP standards to ensure compatibility and |
| they found it difficult to scale the concept down. The | | | | avoid obsolescence. |
| big companies that make PBXs are not focused on | | | | One promising entry in the field is the TalkSwitch |
| very small business, so they don't fully understand | | | | system by Centrepoint Technologies. TalkSwitch is a |
| the space. | | | | hybrid phone system that offers IP and traditional |
| The result has been a little like a major auto | | | | telephony, and it's designed specifically for businesses |
| manufacturer stripping a car of two of its wheels and | | | | with as few as one and as many as 32 phone users |
| most of its body and then trying to enter the bicycle | | | | per location. Available online and through resellers, |
| market; the results are ungainly and overly expensive. | | | | system integrators and interconnects, the compact, |
| Small business phone systems from the major PBX | | | | user-friendly TalkSwitch is a prime example of the |
| manufacturers tend to be intimidating and difficult to | | | | next wave of systems that provide the power of |
| use, difficult to install and usually require technical | | | | PBX at prices that small business can afford. |
| staff or consultants and expensive, proprietary | | | | |