Medical offices such as the dentist’s clinic, doctor’s clinic and laboratories need to have an effective communication system to be able to tender quality health care to their patients in or out of their facilities. It is then a must for these health care professionals to secure a reliable office telephone system to do the job for them. Below is a quick checklist on what an ideal phone system should be for these offices.

Adequate capacity – One of the most important aspects that medical practitioners need to look for in an office telephone system is the capacity. It should have enough phone channels to accommodate all incoming phone calls. Just imagine if someone tries to call you because of an emergency and your phones are busy then what a catastrophe it could be. It also important that incoming phone channels are separated from outgoing phone channels, this will ensure that the incoming capacity will remain intact regardless if you are making tons of outgoing calls.

Professional greeting message – A medical practitioner should have a well designed greeting message that will capture that trust of their callers whilst not being too fancy at the same time. Patients do not want to stay long hearing a recorded messages but a brief one that welcomes them to your office is also a must.

Reception phone – A reception style handset is also a must to assist the receptionist to her or her job more efficiently. These handsets usually have dedicated buttons to easily navigate to the features of the phone system. This will reduce waiting time and improve call handling capabilities of your office.

Secured lines – Any information that involves the health of a person should be kept private. So leaking information is a big NO for medical practitioners. It is then a must to secure an office telephone system that will ensure the privacy of all the conversation between the doctor and the patient.

Dedicated extensions – every doctor should have a dedicated extension in their operation area or desk this will ensure that they can get a important phone calls without having run up and down the clinic to get to the reception.

Call forwarding options – Last but not the least is the ability to forward calls to a mobile, other landlines or to any number. This will ensure that all calls are addressed immediately regardless whether the clinic or not.

After spending countless of hours and resources in choosing the best office telephone system for your business you now have to spend the same effort in finding the best business phone plan to marry to it. Whether you decide to go VoIP or stick with a traditional line the following criteria will still apply and you can weigh all possible option with it.

Dial rates – Obviously the dial rate of a business phone plan will be the number one factor, the cheaper the dial rates the better, make sure that you tabulated local, national, international and mobile call rates in a spreadsheet across all the plans and or providers you are looking at and see where you can save.

You can also prioritize the dial rates where you are most likely to call at. For example plan A has cheaper landline and international calling charges but has slightly higher charges on mobiles whist plan is the exact opposite then choose the plan based on your calling patterns. If you call landlines more often then go for option A, if you are always calling a mobile phone then go for option B.

Number of lines and its cost – Another important aspect that you need to look into is the number of lines a business phone plan has because this will directly dictate the number phone calls you can make and receive simultaneously. Come to think of it this way, even if you have 10 extensions connected to your office telephone system you won’t be able to maximize it if you do not have enough lines. Remember it is important that callers do not get the engaged tone if they call you so take a little to estimate how many calls you make and receive. You can also use your old call accounting report to aid you with this matter.

Additionally line rental cost is also important so make sure that you do a comparison check of it across plans and providers.

Free internal calls – Another aspect that you need to look into is internal calls. Are you able to make as many internal calls as you wish without being charged? You should, because these calls are only using end to end connection between your office telephone system and charges should not apply to it.

Quality and uptime – last but not the least is the quality and uptime, you are running a business and it is a must that you have a business grade line. This will ensure that calls are transmitted in crystal voice without interference or jitter. A good up time on the other hand ensures that your phone lines are working 24/7 and if issues persist the duration it last before a fix is applied.

Virtual offices or remote working set up is fast becoming a trend in the business sector. Many professionals are looking to work off site or at the comfort of their home, business owners also favor such set up to save on rental cost and other associated cost in renting an office like electric bill, Internet and maintenance. The benefits of virtual offices go in mutual ways thus home based jobs are becoming a common sight these days.

Connecting your virtual offices is a must to be able to simulate a physical office set up and your VoIP office telephone system will play a pivotal role in doing so. How? Here are the features that will make it all possible.

Multiple locations – This feature will enable you to situate any extension in practically any parts of the world as long as you are able to connect to the internet. This means that you can give an extension to your sales staff in Sydney, another for your technical support staff in Melbourne and so on. Regardless of whether the extensions are scattered interstate or across globe it will still work as if you are in the office.

This means that your support staff can answer support calls coming from your main business number and your sales staff can answer inbound queries from your main the number. The same way if any staff calls out your main number will be displayed as the caller ID and not a local number in their area.

Menu system – To further enhance your callers experience, you can integrate a well structured menu system so calls can be screened by department and be transferred to the concerned staff directly. A menu system will also help in making your business seem bigger and not giving a clue to your callers that you are running a virtual office.

Call monitoring – Since you will be working away from each other it is then important for the business owner to monitor who’s on the phone and who’s not either from a webpage or from the handset itself.

To better understand how it works here’s a quick example how VoIP office telephone systems can help you effectively deploy a remote working set up.

Before purchasing a phone system for your business it is best that you focus your time first in identifying what you really need. Various phone systems in the market today are designed to cater different needs and different businesses. Although there are fully customized systems it is still centered towards your requirements thus it is important that you get it right to avoid costly mistakes and to acquire the best possible communication system.

To help you identify your needs below is a simple list of phone system guide broken down into the different aspects telephony solutions:

 Number of extensions – probably the first thing you need to consider in a phone system is how many people with dedicated extensions are there in your office. Count it accurately and consider all possible additions within a month’s time frame so you can set it up as soon as possible. However, if you are looking to expand or add more extensions within 3 months or more then it is not advisable to purchase the phones just yet.

Number of concurrent calls – The next thing you need to put in mind is the number of concurrent phone calls you expect to make and receive. This is dictated by the number of channels tied up to a number. Let’s say you have 3 incoming lines on 1 number then this means that your number can receive 3 simultaneous calls at any given time. Be sure to get this figure right, too much channels will force you to pay excessive line rental charges whilst not enough lines can cost you a sale if customers kept getting the busy tone.

 Telephone numbers – You should also decide at the earliest stage whether you will need a new number, move an existing number from your former provider to the new or perhaps acquire a toll free number.

Features set – The next thing you need to determine is the set of features that you will need, do you need an automatic greeting message, a menu system or perhaps an out of hour’s mode? Jot down all the features that you need in a piece of paper but segregate the features that are nice to have but not necessary.

Target call rates – Obviously the cheaper the call rates the better, however, it is still advisable that you set a realistic target range across local, national, mobile and international calls so you won’t go overboard your budget.

Hearing the word VoIP always denote savings, well true enough, VoIP office telephone systems can potentially save any business by as much as 70% on their phone bills because of cheaper calling charges and lower line rental fees.  But apart from the savings VoIP phones are also rigged with tons of features that can conveniently improve your communication system with your customers.

Without further ado here the 7 compelling VoIP office telephone features that will not fail to catch your eyes and make your life easier.

Multiple location – VoIP office telephone systems uses the Internet to call out or receive a call, this means that it is not bounded in any premise and can be used practically anywhere around the world. You can take your phones wherever you are, plug it in an Internet connection and it will always work like you never move location.

Cloud integration – have you always wanted a central communication system in place? With a VoIP office telephone system you can literally integrate all cloud based system with your phones and work as if they are one. Integrate a CRM, an SMS service and even a website. All this is doable with just a few simple programming.

Multiple Businesses – Today most entrepreneurs are running multiple small businesses at once, having a phone system for each business is just isn’t viable because of the cost nor having to do it all on one traditional phone because it is just unprofessional to ask the caller what business they are calling. With a VoIP office telephone system you can run multiple businesses under one phone system and have a dedicated greeting message for each business and a dedicated number. The system can be programmed to notify you what number the caller is coming so you can answer accordingly and sound BIG despite doing it all on one phone system.

Custom IVR – Do you need a menu system, a professional greeting message or a customized on hold message perhaps? All this is doable, record your own messages or have a voice actor do it for you. Either way you will surely get a personalize touch to it and make your business seem bigger.

Cloud call recording – Record your calls and retrieve it from any computer or smart phones to verify orders or double check if your customer service representative is doing his absolute best to help your customers.

Automatic out of hour’s mode – Set your phones to automatically play your out of hours message when the clock hits 5 pm. Send calls directly to your message bank to tomorrow’s follow up or divert them to your mobile. Either way, this feature will ensure that you still get the sales lead whilst away from the office.

Enhanced follow me – Got multiple numbers or always on the go? Now, you don’t have to worry of missing a call ever again. With VoIP you can integrate all your numbers in queue system so it will automatically ring all your known numbers consecutively so you can pick up wherever you are.

VoIP is becoming one of the fastest growing communication solutions in the market today because of the many benefits that it brings to its users. Savings, better capacity, innovative features and customization options being on top of the list. However, did you know that you can even push these benefits by simply opting for a pre paid business phone plan as oppose to settling for a post paid plan?

Pre paid business phone plans are not a common sight in business communication but with VoIP it is becoming fairly popular because of its benefits.

Security – Although VoIP is generally secured through a process called encryption, it is best if you will still have a second line of defense in place. Many security experts would agree that mitigating the risk is as important as the primary defense. Y acquiring a pre paid VoIP business phone plan you are mitigating any risk that you may be exposed to in the event that your VoIP line has been hacked.

How? Take this example for an instance. If your phones have been hacked and you are connected to a post paid plan then no one knows how much your bill will be at the end of the month. With a pre paid business phone plan only the current credits on your account will be at risk. If you have $10 then only the $10 can be used up.

Low balance alarm notification – Further to mitigating the risk the low balance alarm notification will let you know your current credits and will let you determine whether your credits are running low faster than usual so you can inform your service provider to address the issue immediately.

Better call accounting – Unlike post paid plans that you will only know your bill and call usage at the end of the month a pre paid plan will allow you to check your usage and cost on a regular basis, usually several times a month or depending how much you are putting in your account. This will let you manage you cost more efficiently.

Increment payment – Some businesses just don’t have the upfront funds at the end of the month to settle bills forcing them to make partial payments and incur interest over time. With a pre paid plan the payment option can be in increments because you only need to reload whatever amount you can comfortably afford. This will prevent you from spending business money that is not intended for bills but probably for payroll or development.

Office telephone systems are an integral part of a business because it serves as the primary medium of communication between the customer and the business. That is why it is important you acquire an office telephone system that will do everything that you need in terms of voice communication. However, some business owners think that their current communication does the entire job for them; well it may or may not.

To help you determine if it time to replace your office telephone system, here are some general guidelines you can gauge your existing system on and see what you could be missing out.

Adequate capacity – Are your customers always complaining to get the engage tone when they call you? Or do you always have to wait for a free line to make a phone call? If yes, then it is time to replace your office telephone system because the insufficient capacity of your current is holding business back.

Cost ineffective – Do you think you’re paying too much on local, national, mobile and international calls? On top of the mind boggling line rentals? Then now is the time to replace your office telephone system.

Lack features – Is your current system doing all the things you need it to do? Or do you have to adjust your business process because your phones cannot cope with it. Are you able to work in flexible conditions without having to worry about missing a call? If not, the now is the perfect time to replace your office telephone with a more flexible system that will let do all the things you need it to do without costing a fortune.

Lock in contract – are you fed up of a lock in contract that prevents you from getting out a provider despite their inefficiency? Then it is time to get out before signing a new contract and look for a provider that will not lock you into one.

CRM integration – Have you always wanted to integrate a CRM with your phones? But your traditional system just couldn’t do it? Then you might want to look into replacing it now.

Remember communication is not enough in a business, it should be an effective communication stream otherwise the whole idea of it will be futile.

Without a doubt everyone will agree that communication is important for a business to succeed. Whether it is internal or external communication both are equally important to effectively offer good services and sell products with ease. However, it there is probably one market that needs a step beyond an effective communication system then it would have to the B2B market.

B2B or business to business is defined as the trade of commerce between an enterprise and another enterprise. Communication should be taken into better consideration because you will be likely dealing with business owners or someone of high value in the buying company. As such here are some of the must have office telephone features for B2B enterprises.

Professional greeting message – Impress your callers and give your business a high value during the initial contact with a professional greeting message. First impressions do last especially if you are dealing with business owners or managers.

Menu system – Make your customer smile and be BIG in front of them with a sophisticatedly designed menu system.  Don’t transfer calls from the receptionist to the concerned department, get the caller connected to the concerned department straight away with your very own office telephone menu system.

Dial by extension and or by name directory – Already done with the initial contact? Let your callers contact you directly to your own extension or name just by directly dialing your extension number or your name at the beginning of menu option.

Dedicated message bank with customized busy message –Already engaged with another customer? You don’t want your second caller to hear just the engaged tone. Send them to your voice mail with a customized message to create a sense of courteousness whilst you are with somebody else.

 Automatic call forwarding options – Let you potential customer still contact you in your advertised number even if you are away. With a feature called automatic call forwarding you can direct calls from your main business number to your mobile or home number automatically with just a few press of the button so you’ll never miss a call ever again.

Queue system with customized messages – Can’t avoid putting callers on queue? Then you might want to at least improve their experience with your business with a queue system that will automatically transfer the call to the next available representative. Coupled a customized message that not will not only entertain the caller but can also serve as an up sell medium, you’ll surely hit two birds with one stone.

We all know that communication is important in any business and restaurants are no exemption to the rule. Apart from remarkable marketing strategy, good menu and courteous staff a good and reliable office telephone system is to conveniently take delivery orders, accept reservations and possibly book birthdays parties and other functions.

Ideally here’s how a Restaurant’s office telephone system should be set up:

Professional greeting message – greet your customer with a professionally designed greeting message, so even if your receptionist is busy assistant walk in customers, callers will still receive high quality service. Additionally, a greeting message can help improve customer impression. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes, where are you likely to order your dinner, a restaurant that greets you when you call them up or a restaurant that immediately tries to grab your order?

Menu system – connect your customers to right person instantly with a menu system. Ideally at least 3 or 4 options are enough to accommodate all the departments of a restaurant.  It is ideal that you allocate an option for, orders, information, corporate and at times the kitchen. This will ensure that all possible queries of a customer will be serviced by your departments accordingly without having to transfer the call.

On hold messages – as part of an up sell strategy it is important that you integrate your products and services with your on hold messages. A caller might be trying to book a dinner but is looking for a function for next week’s business conference may not realize you have one. With the help of on hold messages you can open the door for bigger sales opportunity without having to lift a finger.

Automated booking system – Well, this feature is optional but if you have always dreamt of having a sophisticated office telephone system that will do most of the work for you then this feature is what you have been waiting for.

Cloud recording capabilities – To ensure the quality of service your staff is providing it is also a must to record all phone call conversation and be able to retrieve anywhere you are. The Cloud call recording feature will let you download or listen to the recordings from any computer and at times even from your smart phones. On top of that, the recordings can also be used to verify orders, bookings and function details.

Before heading out and collecting quotes from different providers. It is best that you start with your needs. List down all your possible requirements in a clean sheet of paper and rethink all the items you have written down. It is also advisable that you categorize the items you have just listed down whether it is an urgent requirement or not, a luxury or a need and create another column that explains why.

After getting your requirements it is now time to seek multiple quotes from various and compare their business phone plans by using the following key points below:

Local calling charges – Compare the local calling charges whether it is a per minute basis or untimed. Blatantly it is better to pay for an untimed business phone plan rather than paying a per minute basis because local calls will be relatively used more and most of the time calls last more than 5 minutes.

National calling charges – A national call is defined as any call that is within the same country but is more than 25 KM of distance. Some providers offer a flat untimed rate for all landline calls regardless whether it is local or national whilst some charge more for national calls. It is best that you clarify the rates especially if you are operating in multiple areas to avoid paying ridiculously priced calls.

Mobile calling charges – There are quite a few considerations you need to bear in mind for mobile calls. Firstly is the actual per minute rate. Secondly is how it is being charge, whether it is billed in 60 second increments, 30 seconds or smaller. The smaller the increments the better, for an instance you are paying 20 cents per minute if the provider is billing it every 60 seconds then you are going to pay 40 cents for a 1.5 minute phone call when it should only be 30 cents if it is billed in 30 second increments. Thirdly, is the flag fall, which is a fixed start fee, some providers have flag falls on top on their dial rates whilst others don’t. So it is best that you put this on top of your list because it can save you tons of money.

International calling charges – Check the dial rates of the possible countries that you might be calling and keep a tabulated comparison handy. This will give you an idea how much you could be spending on your international calls and will also help you decide whether or not to call a number.

Line rentals – Last but not the least are line rentals. Typically this are charges you see in your bill tagged as service and equipment. Compare the cost how much does it cost to own a number across providers and how much is the cost to give the number the ability to receive and make calls which is called the channels or lines.