Business Telephone Systems Buyer Guide

Compare Top 10 Brands like 3COM, Shoretel & Samsung

By Neil Zawacki
Updated: May 16, 2011

One of the first steps of starting a small business is to purchase a telephone system for the office. This buyer's guide will provide readers with a series of tips that should assist with the process.

Features

You should start by determining what features you want with the business telephone system. Some important ones:

• Auto-Attendant – This will automatically answer the phone and show callers how to connect to the person or department they are looking for.
• Conference Calls – If you’ve got employees in different offices, this will allow you to still have meetings and discuss business strategies.
• Voice Mail – You can receive messages from customers after hours, or when no one is available to talk on the phone.

Cost

There are also several cost considerations that you should take into account before purchasing a business phone system.

• How much is the central base system?
• How much are the physical phones?
• Do you have to rewire the office building?
• How much will maintenance of the phone system cost?
• Do you have to pay for the training?

These factors will determine the total cost of ownership (TCO). It tends to be much more than the main phone system, and it’s easy to go over budget if you don’t remember the additional issues.

Negotiation

Negotiating with a vendor might seem a little tricky, but there are a few steps you can take to improve your position. If you know the number of phone lines and extensions that you need, it can prevent them from overselling you. It can also help to mention the competition and how much their phone systems are going for. They might counter that their system is better, but you still may be able to get extra perks thrown in.

You can learn more tips about purchasing a new business telephone system by filling out the form below. It takes less than a minute, and you’ll gain access to the numerous free guides on our website.