WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE BUYING A NEW TELEPHONE SYSTEM:

Buying or upgrading a telephone system is no simple task and it could be a major expense for your business. Unless you know the questions to ask and exactly what you need, you could end up with a system that doesn't meet your needs or one that will be obsolete in a year or two. Buying or upgrading a phone system takes careful thought and research. One should thoroughly research the needs of the company both now and in the future. A phone system that meets your needs now and in the future is the best choice. There are many factors to consider in your choice of a phone system. These will be listed here along with some features that you might not think about considering.

Requirements of your office or business

• How many incoming lines do you have/need?
• How many incoming and outgoing calls per day do you average?
• Do you need direct inward dialing (DID)?
• If you need DID, for how many employees?
• How many modem and FAX lines do you need?
• Do you want/need an automated attendant?
• Will you have a receptionist who will answer and route calls?
• Do you need voice mail?
• What features do you want in voice mail if it is needed?
• Do you need to be able to turn phones on and off (hotel, hospital, and so on)?
• Do you need power fail back up?
• What is the expected growth over the next 5 years?

Requirements of your staff

• How many people will need a telephone?
• How many people will need voice mail?
• How many people will need caller ID?
• How many people will need speaker phone capabilities?
• Do you need phones in public areas

Logistics

• Do you have room for a phone switch and the associated cable plant?
• If you have room, is it climate controlled?
• Do you have wiring in place?
• If there is existing wiring, is it adequate?
• Do you have wire and phone jacks in the desired locations?
• If you need to wire for the phone system, will this be done in-house or contracted?
• How difficult will it be to pull cables in your facility?
• Do you know the local and state codes for wiring in your facility?

Miscellaneous questions

• Will you be utilizing VoIP?
• Will you be interfacing voice and data?
• Will you have a need for T1 lines?
• Do you have several buildings that will be served by this phone system?
• Do you need dial-in capabilites for mobile users?
• Do you need an overhead paging system?
• Do you have an on-site programmer?

Once you answer these questions, you will be ready to contact telephone system vendors, your local phone company, and/or contractors for quotes on your new or upgraded telephone system.

For a discussion on buying a telephone system, please post your questions on our website at www.totalsolutionsgroup.org