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