Here are a few things to consider when planning a phone system

How many phone lines do you need initially?

Most businesses use several (or many) phone lines tied together as a "hunt group" by the phone company. Fax lines and modem lines are not a part of the phone system and should not be considered here. This way you publish one company telephone number and incoming callers are automatically routed in on any available line in the "hunt group." Generally, you will use the lines in this group for your outbound calls as well. This gives you the most available use for your lines. So how many lines do you need? This is determined by estimating the maximum number of simultaneous calls you think your business will have going at one time. For example, you may have 8 desks with telephones in the office, but maybe only a few people are ever on a call at the same time. In this case, a "hunt group" of 4 or 5 lines is probably adequate to begin with.

How many phone lines do you want room to grow to?

Do you anticipate your call volume to increase over time by enough that adding more phone lines to the "hunt group" may be warranted? If so, you will want to make sure that you begin with a business phone system that can accommodate that growth. Be aware that systems come in different sizes and that cost rises with a system's maximum growth size. For example, a dental office may need 4 lines to start with and might anticipate the need to add a couple of lines in the future maybe. A system with a maximum growth size of 8 (or maybe even 12) lines would be appropriate. Anything larger would probably cause the system to be more expensive than was necessary.

How many telephones do you need to start with?

You will want to consider every place in the business that needs to have a phone available for answering and making calls. Each office or desk area, reception area, sales counter, work room, file area, warehouse, shipping desk, and even break room should be considered. At this point, just consider the minimum number of phones you will need for now. If you will want wireless handsets, we will include those in a later question.

What is Auto Attendant?

When you call a company and the first thing you hear is a recorded message giving you choices and asking you to make a selection on your dial pad, you have reached an Auto Attendant. You listen to the message, make your choice and then get transferred to the correct person to assist you. That's the plan, anyway. Each company must decide if Auto Attendant is right for them. It can save time and get calls handled more efficiently, but it can also detract from a personal touch. Many companies use an Auto Attendant to serve as a backup to answer calls that a receptionist or other staff don't have an opportunity to answer after the first few rings. Auto Attendants can be configured to allow callers to hear information such as directions or business hours and other time consuming repetitive tasks while always giving them the option to reach an "operator." Voice Mail is almost always used in conjunction with an Auto Attendant to make sure that all calls get answered and dealt with.

What is Voice Mail?

Voice Mail is simply a means to allow callers to leave someone a recorded message that can be retrieved and responded to at a convenient time. Some companies use a standard answering machine or phone company voice mailbox for very basic message use. These options work for catching unanswered calls and putting all messages into a single mailbox. A more flexible alternative is to include a business Voice Mail system as part of your phone system hardware. This will provide individual mailboxes for everyone who needs one. It can be set up to catch unanswered calls and direct callers to their desired party's extension or mailbox. Furthermore, it allows callers to be transferred to an individual mailbox by whoever answers a call. You will be notified of a message by a message light on your phone. You can also set your mailbox to call your pager or cell phone to notify you of new messages. Messages in your mailbox can be transferred to other mailboxes and you can also set up group mailboxes.

What is Caller ID?

Caller ID is an optional fee based service that you can order with your phone line service from the local telephone company. When your telephone system is properly equipped, this allows the incoming caller's name and phone number to be displayed on your phone as the call rings. It will also capture the phone number as part of a voice mail message. This feature is completely dependant upon the information being sent by the phone company. Often, callers have blocked their information or the information will display "out of area."

What is a wireless handset?

A wireless handset is essentially a nearly full featured cordless phone that allows you to make calls, take calls, hold calls, transfer calls, intercom, page, transfer to voice mail, and almost everything you can do at your desk phone. The wireless handset can be configured to work as its own extension or to be in parallel to your desk phone. They can use an optional standard cellular phone type headset for hands free operation. This is not the same as a wireless headset. A wireless headset is an industry standard device that connects to your desk phone and allows you to take a call and walk a short distance from your desk. You must return to your desk phone to hold or transfer the call. The wireless handset gives you complete control whether you are near your desk phone or not.

What is ACD and UCD?

This is Automatic Call Distribution or Uniform Call Distribution. Often referred to as a Call Center, it is primarily used in applications where you would have incoming calls distributed among "agents" in an even manner. If no agents are available, callers can be stacked in a holding queue where they hear a recorded message informing them that their calls will be answered in the order received. The agents can log in and out to adjust the number of staff available to take calls. A supervisor can monitor how many calls are in queue, how many agents are logged in, average wait time, and other functions to improve productivity.

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Buying an Office Phone System

It's a good idea to find a vendor who can help you, but be careful. Many vendors can't translate phone speak into English; they will overload you with jargon until you just surrender and let them make the decisions. Making it even more difficult, phone systems evolve at an incredible pace. Many vendors don't keep up and are still recommending phone systems that are now archaic and overpriced. Or, they just recommend the one phone system that they represent. The advice you get on choosing a phone system for your office won't be very objective.

Here are some quick tips that may be helpful:

Ask other businesses how they did it. If you like the way a phone system works at another business, seek out the owner and ask them what they use and how much it cost. Talk to at least ten other business owners to get a feel for pricing, vendors, and options.

Don't underinvest in your phone system. Although the Internet now plays a huge role in connecting businesses to customers, clients, and partners, telephones remain key to business success. Simply put, some things require a phone call. If people call your business and feel your phone system is amateurish, they may opt not to do business with you or choose to pay you less for your goods and services. If calls are routed incorrectly, if callers get disconnected, or if they are faced with a bewildering array of automated options, their business may be lost forever - and you'll never even know about the lost opportunity. The bottomline? Invest the time and resources to get it right.

Take advantage of your existing phone assets. When buying a new phone system, consider what existing assets you might have. Take telephones for example. They can be very expensive if you have to buy proprietary phones. So, if you've already got them, you may want to buy a new phone system that uses the phones you already have.

Buy used, not new. Buying used or refurbished phone systems is a brilliant move if you want to save money. In some cases, you can buy phone equipment for ten cents on the dollar relative to what you'd pay if you bought new. Most of the equipment is well engineered and lasts for years, so you are safe to buy used phones and used phone systems. Ebay is a great place to buy a phone system or to get phone system components you might need.

Prioritize your features. Do you need an auto-attendant feature? Will you need to handle conference calls? Do you want music-on-hold? Do you need to monitor phone usage by employee? What are your voice mail needs? By listing out what you want, you can create a checklist that will allow you to rank the varying phone systems and find the best phone system for you.

Find a good phone system dealer. You will need outside assistance for installing and programming most phone systems. Once you've determined the type of system you want, finding a good phone dealer is the key to success. Ask the dealer how many installations they have done. Were the companies similar to yours? What options or features were added? Call dealer references and ask about your dealer's customer service record.

Consider VoIP phone systems. The latest in computer telephony - Voice over IP (VoIP) technology - allows businesses to place and receive calls using the Internet. VoIP is perfect if your business is distributed (e.g. you have telecommuters working out of their home offices). This is the future of phone systems, and you'd do well to get started with it now. It can really help to keep you connected and keep your overall costs down.

Consider voice mail compatibility. Make sure your phone system can work with a wide range of third-party voice mail systems. This keeps your voice mail options open and minimize the chance of your getting stuck with an inferior or overpriced voice mail system.

Overwire. If you need to wire up your office for the phone system, install more wiring than you need to handle your current needs. Phone system experts suggest that you double the wiring you currently need. Although it adds to the cost of installation, it's a huge savings if you might need to add wires later.

Time your purchase to get the best deal. Make your purchase at the end of the quarter when sales reps are trying to hit their quotas and you can get a much lower price.

Consider leasing and financing options. Ask your vendor whether you can pay for your system over time. This can be a big benefit if current cash in the bank is limited. But, watch out. Leasing costs can drastically increase the price of your phone system.

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10 Tips for Successful Business Networking

Effective business networking is the linking together of individuals who, through trust and relationship building, become walking, talking advertisements for one another.

1. Keep in mind that networking is about being genuine and authentic, building trust and relationships, and seeing how you can help others.

2. Ask yourself what your goals are in participating in networking meetings so that you will pick groups that will help you get what you are looking for. Some meetings are based more on learning, making contacts, and/or volunteering rather than on strictly making business connections.

3. Visit as many groups as possible that spark your interest. Notice the tone and attitude of the group. Do the people sound supportive of one another? Does the leadership appear competent? Many groups will allow you to visit two times before joining.

4. Hold volunteer positions in organizations. This is a great way to stay visible and give back to groups that have helped you.

5. Ask open-ended questions in networking conversations. This means questions that ask who, what, where, when, and how as opposed to those that can be answered with a simple yes or no. This form of questioning opens up the discussion and shows listeners that you are interested in them.

6. Become known as a powerful resource for others. When you are known as a strong resource, people remember to turn to you for suggestions, ideas, names of other people, etc. This keeps you visible to them.

7. Have a clear understanding of what you do and why, for whom, and what makes your doing it special or different from others doing the same thing. In order to get referrals, you must first have a clear understanding of what you do that you can easily articulate to others.

8. Be able to articulate what you are looking for and how others may help you. Too often people in conversations ask, "How may I help you?" and no immediate answer comes to mind.

9. Follow through quickly and efficiently on referrals you are given. When people give you referrals, your actions are a reflection on them. Respect and honor that and your referrals will grow.

10. Call those you meet who may benefit from what you do and vice versa. Express that you enjoyed meeting them, and ask if you could get together and share ideas.

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