Enhancing Business Phone Systems Austin

By Donna Burns


A business phone system not only improves the customer experience, but also provides the business with a cost-effective and efficient way to route calls. However, this is only true if the system is running properly and is maintained by knowledgeable personnel. As with any type of technology, over time, parts and components can stop functioning and will need replacement. Depending on the kind of unit purchased, these replacement parts can either be nonexistent or very expensive to procure. Below are the essentials of maintenance in business phone systems Austin.

To begin with, it is important to set a budget for your installation. Money is usually one of the deciding factors for many when deciding on a system, especially for small businesses. It is important that you set a budget and stick to it. A few things you might want to highlight in your budget include; cabling and installation costs, wired or wireless headsets, handset upgrades for employees engaged in large volumes of calls (receptionist) and wireless handsets moving staff in such locations as mine farms and warehouses.

In case you are constrained by finance, used systems will come in handy. A used system can be half the cost of a new one. Usually these phones have been cleaned, tested and refurbished and look and feel like new. You may also want to consider selling your old system instead of throwing it away. Even if some parts are worn or broken, many of the components can be reused or properly recycled.

Regular back-ups of the system should be undertaken. As with any computerized technology, should the system have a major failure you'll need a backup to restore service as soon as possible. Without a backup of all extensions, call routing, and announcements, the phone system information would have to be re-entered manually. This essentially causes the system to have to be set up all over again which would cost the business valuable time and money.

The preferable way to maintain backups would be to create a directory on a server where backups could be written to on a nightly basis. The backups for the network would then be backed up as part of the backup for the file server. Having these backups guarantees readily access and restoration of data in case of loss occasioned by catastrophe.

Some of the basic feature to look at include the following; Voicemail and individual voicemail inboxes, day and night auto-attendant, call recording, VoIP capabilities, wireless headsets and handsets, music on hold, conference calling, speed dialing and post-installation customer support service. You may also want to evaluate the extra features of the installation. However, consider these features align them with your operation capability and their integration with the existing components.

In case of voice over IP solutions, network performance becomes a key element in how well the phone makes receiving calls. Monitoring on the network side should also be completed with VoIP technology in mind. The business phone system also has tools that will help the system administrator pinpoint causes of poor audio quality that are related to network performance issues. These tools are dependent on the model of phone system purchased however; most manufacturers recognize the need to have a way to monitor VoIP traffic on a converged network.

In conclusion, installing a communication solution on itself does not guarantee security and efficiency in the dissemination of information. In addition, an organization should invest in regular repairs and maintenance. This reduces down-times in the unit and ensures reliability and durability. Check out on the above insights when making this investment.




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