Is it time to replace your phone system?
If your phone system is older than 10-years-old, there’s a good chance you’re using outdated technology.
Remember the first generation of BlackBerrys? That generation’s features pale in comparison to what’s available on the market today.
The same is true about business phone systems.
Using an outdated system, like PBX, could be costing your organization. PBX systems have limited line availability. If you’re on line one with a call holding on line two, a third caller will not get through.
Busy signals and bad connections send customers away before they even hear from you.
And who can blame them? Customers get frustrated trying to reach the right people, and before you know it – you’ve got a bigger problem than just a few missed calls.
Luckily, there is better technology out there. It’s called VoIP, and we’ll cover that later.
But first, let’s go over the 5 signs that tell you it’s time to replace your business phone system.
1. Your hardware needs to be replaced
All hardware eventually depreciates in quality and needs to be replaced. This is unavoidable.
The problem is that the older your phone system, the harder it will be to find replacement parts. And it’s as equally hard to find service technicians with the knowledge necessary to repair it.
In most cases, it’s often best to replace the system with a completely new one.
Whatever you do, don’t wait. If you need to update or replace your hardware, do it now before it becomes a bigger problem.
2. Your business has grown
Chances are that your business isn’t the same company it was 10 years ago. On top of that, if you’ve survived 10 years, it’s likely your company has grown along the way. Now, you most likely have a higher inbound call volume.
Like I said in the introduction, PBX systems have limited line availability. If you’re on line one with a call holding on line two, a third caller will not get through.
A slow or inefficient system could lead to call abandonment, or worse, a bad customer experience. If this is the case, it’s time to invest in VoIP system (there’s that word again!) that will make it easy to manage calls.
3. Your business is moving locations
If your business is getting the opportunity to expand, great! This move may be one of the best times to switch out and upgrade your phone system.
How will you provide the new location with high-quality communications? Do you want to install new physical lines into your facilities?
4. You’re experiencing downtime
Now, what would happen if an unexpected storm were to roll into your area? I bet the storm will impact your connection to the publicly switched telephone network (PSTN). If you run your business off PSTN, your company would instantly lose access to its core phone system.
Your customers couldn’t call in to place an order. And your end-users couldn’t perform certain job tasks. An unexpected storm turned into an unproductive workday.
Luckily, there’s technology out there that doesn’t rely on PSTN.
5. You don’t have a universal message system
Even if your phone has been working properly, you could be getting more out of your communications system.
One feature you may be missing out on is a unified communications system. SMBs leveraging unified communications can centralize all their disparate communications. That means features like voice, video, fax, and messaging are on one user-friendly platform.
Is it time to upgrade to VoIP?
Does one of these warning signs hold true to you? A VoIP solution might be the right solution for your business.
So, what’s VoIP? It’s the gold standard of business communications.
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, and it means just that. VoIP systems connect and deliver voice telephone calls over the Internet.
So, what does that entail?
Bottom line, it means that your life as a small business owner is about to get easier. VoIP solution combines purpose-built hardware with an easy to use interface. The results are superior call quality and unmatched reliability.
And that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
You have given enough money to outdated landline providers. It’s time to switch to a VoIP solution.
Want to learn more about our VoIP small business solution? Click here.