Business Phone System Pitfalls You Can Avoid

Wherever you are based, getting a phone system up and operational is often an integral aspect for the majority of new businesses. As with any new business ventures there can be a few challenges to watch out for. As a trusted hosted telephony provider we often find customers seeking us out after falling foul of some of these hurdles. We have tried to list just a few of the avoidable, but common, mistakes customers have mentioned experiencing before coming to us.

1 Using telecoms designed for home use

For your business, whether home or office based, we would always recommend choosing to plump for a business solution rather than one intended solely for home use. Business level VoIP phone systems will usually offer a far greater number of professional features than you would receive with those intended for home use. For example, business level features like call histories, call recording and conference calling may not be available with a service like Vonage for home, or indeed via your regular landline phone. Likewise, if you're working from a home office, it's best to have a separate phone number to avoid a potentially confusing mix of business and personal calls on the same line. Again, a hosted VoIP service can provide you with a business virtual landline via your Internet connection, all without having to wait for a second line to be installed.

2 Limiting yourself to serviced office telecoms

You might have decided to set up your business to work from a serviced building or co-working space. This can mean that you are at the mercy of whatever phone services they are already configured with and these are often not the most efficient or the least expensive. With a hosted VoIP service, you can take your own dedicated phone number and phone system with you wherever you go. This can often offer huge savings both in time and call costs. To ensure your hosted VoIP service works in a serviced office, you may have to complete a short online form, but once this is done, you should be flying!

3 Not allowing for growth

Make sure you choose a telecoms provider that allows for ease of growth. Hopefully as your business becomes more successful, you will employ more staff and possibly increase office locations. What you will want to avoid is a business phone system that limits your growth or ends up being prohibitively expensive if you do expand. If choosing a hosted VoIP service, be sure to enquire with the VoIP provider about ease of expansion, not just regarding members of staff, but also phone numbers and locations.

4 Using mobile phone numbers for your business

In the same way you would avoid using a free email service provider such as Hotmail or Yahoo! Mail for your business email address, we would recommend against using your personal mobile phone number as your business phone number. Using a dedicated business phone number, that is either local or non-geographic, can help your company appear more professional and encourage more customers to trust calling you. Securing your own business number is so economical these days too, so there's no excuse not to do it. You can get a local phone number using our search today.

5 Getting stuck in a lengthy contract with exit fees

In the rush to get your office phone system set-up, you should be careful not to end up trapped in a lengthy contract that you have to pay to leave. Often VoIP providers ensure you can get your business phone systems set up as quickly as possible, but our hosted VoIP service offers both annual and monthly solutions. This means that you can commit to the service for as long or as short a time as you want. Flexibility is the key with us. Make sure the phone service you choose accommodates the needs of your business.

If you're looking for a scalable, business phone system and virtual landline, try out our hosted VoIP service today. There's no installation so your company can get set up in a matter of minutes.