Determining Which Phone System Is Right for Your Business

When you're trying to figure out which phone system is best for your business, it's wise to first know the buzzword acronyms. Do you know a KSU from a cloud-based VoIP?

The alphabet soup of the acronyms

KSU stands for Key Services Unit. It's a little old-school and generally used for companies with 5 to 40 employees. This phone system is relatively inexpensive and enables phones to make calls to in-office extensions and handle multiple lines.

VoIP is the acronym for Voice over Internet Protocol. It uses a computer network that routes calls. This system has improved over the years and gives companies a lot of control. The cloud-based VoIP is a good investment — just note that you'll need well-trained IT personnel for a cloud-based setup.

PBX stands for Private Branch Exchange. It's a good fit for companies with more than 40 employees. The system sits on-site but requires professional installation and maintenance. These systems may include features such as video chat, instant messaging, and fax services.

Features of business phone systems

The features of business phone systems are designed to help employees work faster and smarter. It's all about streamlining work tasks. Want to respond to messages with text or email? There's a feature for that. Want to never miss a call during the business day? There's a feature for that too.

Voicemail is an important feature to consider. There's voicemail transcription, voicemail-to-email, and voicemail-to-text.

Call forwarding should be a top priority if never having a call go unanswered is important to your business. Call forwarding sends an inbound call to a cell phone or designated phone — so if an employee is on vacation, the call goes to whoever is covering for them.

Interoffice instant messaging can be added to your phone system. It's ideal for when you don't need a phone call or face-to-face chat to answer simple questions.

Video conferencing connects people in separate locations for a live meeting. Your VoIP provider can provide high-quality streaming in real time, lessening the need for people to be in the same place at the same time.

Still not sure what phone system is best for your business? Contact us — we'd be more than happy to give you more information and set you up with the best system for your needs.