When you’re a small business, the cost of telecommunications can add up quickly. That’s why it (literally) pays to have a full-on business plan for your phone service that will continue to grow right along with you. Consider the following tips when choosing or upgrading your small business phone system.
Phone Tips for Small Business
Tip #1: Expand into your needs. Sometimes, businesses expand too fast – causing problems when their bloated infrastructure is overwhelmed by poor sales or overall performance. The same is true with phone systems. When a business gets up and rolling, there is a temptation to spend a lot of money on phones and phone services. But it is better to scrap a little from the get go than get saddled with costs that nobody can afford. Remember, it is easy to grow INTO a plan than it is to grow OUT of one.
Tip #2: Consider going mobile. The cost of a landline phone and appropriate calling package is still one of the greatest expenses a business will encounter during the course of the year. Many small to medium sized businesses have opted instead for an all-cellular set up that gives them the power to be in constant communication while still avoiding the fees associated with the traditional “powers” of business communication.
Tip #3: Monitor your call volume. The best way to make cost-effective decisions regarding your business phone calling package is to monitor the number of calls you make each month. Build a strong reporting system that helps you estimate your call volume. When you have a clear picture of how many minutes you use, you will be less likely to overspend on your package plans.
Tip #4: Consider outsourcing your reception work. It can be a real hassle to maintain a switchboard or operator system, especially if you are a company of one. One low-cost option is to hire a “virtual office” to perform the duties of a receptionist. These companies usually operate off site and require only a monthly fee to keep them going. The individuals who answer your phone can be trained to point people in the correct direction, take messages and hold calls.
Tip #5: Consider making the move to VOIP. Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) service is one of the fastest growing telecommunications models with consumers, but as more and more people are discovering, it makes good sense for business too. There are fewer concerns about long term contracts and there are pricing packages to meet almost every budget. The cost per call with a VOIP service is consistently lower thanks to the availability of free calls to other people who use the same provider.
Businesses with a high-speed internet connection can get up and running with minimal hardware, and thanks to the advent of Wi-Fi, anyone who owns the latest cell phones can use them to access a signal and take advantage of their VOIP service that way.
