In recent years, the advancement of technology has seen business phone systems evolve into much more than just a communication device. Due to the speed of these advancements, businesses are often behind the curve when it comes to ensuring their phone systems are fit for the job and most importantly their business. At Phones 4 Business we see five key signs that indicate a business is in need of a phone system upgrade.
1. Your system is more than five years old
Everyday your business uses a phone system that is older than five years, you’re running the risk of a system failing without access to the best support. As technology advances at a rate of knots, the older your system gets the less likely it is you will have access to the right people and parts to get your phone system back up and running as quickly as possible. This could lead you to a loss of revenue while you try to find the right support, parts or, indeed, a new phone system.
2. You’re forking out huge operational costs
The older the phone system, the higher the operational cost, especially if you’re maintaining separate systems that could be easily merged if you upgraded to a newer system. The time spent maintaining an old phone system can be extremely time consuming for IT departments, time that could be better spent on more strategic projects. Add together the lost IT time maintaining your separate systems with the opportunity cost of not having newer and more advanced applications and you’ll end up with a cost that is too high for most businesses to ignore.
3. Your current system is not enabling you to grow
Growing your business is a natural objective for most, and so your business phone system shouldn’t hold you back as you expand. If your system is unable to accommodate more users or extensions, or if it is becoming very costly to expand, it may be time to upgrade to a system that can handle the growth you need.
4. Your current system can’t handle call volume
A successful business will expect its number of calls, both incoming and outgoing, to increase in volume as the business grows over time. You may also have peak seasons which attract a higher call volume, but need to scale down during slower months. If your phone system is struggling with the volume of calls or is not flexible enough to be able to accommodate more callers during busy times, it may be time to upgrade to a system that can.
5. You can’t branch out
Whether you already have other offices, or you are planning to open in other locations, it’s important that your phone system is supportive of multiple offices. Adding and managing phone line extensions to other locations should not be an overwhelming or costly task for you. If your current phone system is not able to manage these remote extensions as easily as if they were on site, you should definitely consider upgrading.
In our experience we see a lot of businesses held back by old phone systems but we know first hand how much of a difference can be made by upgrading. We have some testimonials from other businesses here. If you would like our advice and guidance on the best options for your business, please fill in our short phone system assessment or give us a call on 01202 705030.
