When Is It Time to Get a Business Phone System?

Is it time for your company to get a business phone system? This question can be a surprisingly tricky one for small business owners. There is no hard and fast answer, but here are some common indicators that it’s time:

1. It is no longer worth your time to take every call.

When your small business was just getting started, it made sense to take every call. Every client could be a make it or break it scenario for your business. But as you grow, you reach a point where answering every call--including your personal cell--is no longer the most productive way to do business. And it is no longer worth your time to spend 15 minutes on the phone with every client that has some minor issue.

Let your employees handle those customer concerns, or send calls to voice mail so you can take care of them when you are not busy with something more important. You need to focus on running your business and finding new ways to push it to the next level.

With a business phone system, you can set up a variety of call rules. You can have general calls route to another employee number or voice mail. You can also still route a high-profile client’s calls directly to your cell. In other words, you can avoid unnecessary calls without having to worry that important calls will get screened out in the process.

2. You are receiving calls on your personal phone at all hours of the day and night.

Tired of getting business calls at 8 or 9 at night when you are relaxing with your family? Many studies indicate that a healthy work/life balance is key to your overall satisfaction and work productivity. It is hard to achieve that balance when your personal cell number is also your business number.

If business calls are stressing you out all times of the day and night, it's another reason to consider a business phone system. With a business phone system, you can have calls to your personal cell stop at a specific time every day. So, once it hits 5:00, your cell will no longer be business call central. That means less stress and more productivity.

3. You have 2 to 3 employees and are continuing to grow.

Once you get a couple employees, coordinating calls and communication can get pretty hectic. This is especially true if you are still using personal numbers for business purposes, and cannot transfer calls or automatically send callers to another voice mail.

With today’s new business phone technology, coordinating between employees on a business phone system is a breeze. You can get a separate phone number, greeting, and voice mail inbox for each employee or business area, such as sales or marketing. And all your devices (desk phone, cell, computer, tablet, etc.) will have a variety of interconnected features, such as in-call transfer to another number or voice mail.

4. You or your employees are always on the go.

If you are always on the go, you might have been putting off getting a business phone system. After all, what’s the point if you are rarely in your office? You might be able to get call forwarding, which is helpful, but you can set that up without the hassle of setting up a whole business phone system.

However, current VoIP technology will enable you to run your business phone system from your cell phone app. Depending on the app or provider, you can receive business calls, make calls with your business number, send and receive faxes, transfer calls, and get voice mail to text via your cell phone.

All of these reasons make modern phone systems a great way to run a business on the go. For more details on VoIP app features, check out this guide of the leading VoIP providers.

5. You are missing calls, and leads are falling through the cracks.

Have you ever walked into the office, checked your voice mail, and then had a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach as you listened to a frustrated call from a big client whose call had somehow been missed? If you have had some missed calls and leads, it's definitely time to get a business phone system.

Today’s business phone systems have some sophisticated call features to keep calls from falling through the cracks. "Find Me/Follow Me" features are a great example of this. With them you can set your business system to call your personal cell and home number until you are reached; or, if you are unable to pick up, you can set it to keep cycling through your employee numbers until someone is contacted, meaning you never have to miss a lead or important call again.

So, Is It Time?

If you cannot relate to any of the above points, then you are probably fine just using your cell or a single landline in your office. But if these issues sound familiar, it may be time for your business to find out how business phone systems can make your life a little easier.