 |
Corded
Telephones |
Information on selecting the right
telephone for the
job!
Okay, so you need a telephone or
multiple telephones, or you wouldn’t be reading this, so lets give you a
step-by-step to help you determine which telephone you need. The point of this
guide is to simplify this process, so here we go.
NOTE: This guide is not for businesses that have more than 4 people that
require telephone usage or that have call volume which requires more than 4
Lines. If this applies to your business, please Contact
Us.
1- Take an honest look at the features you need
You need to take an honest look at the features you need out of your
telephone. Choose features based on the needs of your home, office, or Home
Office; don’t demand features you don’t need or exclude ones you will need,
like ones that make your office more efficient. Choose from features below...
and write them down.
For Home users, you might need:
- Flash (to readily answer call waiting)
- Amplification for Hearing Impaired
- Text Phones for the Deaf
- Speaker
- Volume control
- Data port for a extra jack for additional device to work simultaneously
- Speed dial
- Hold
- Mute
- Headset jack (2.5mm or RJ11)
- Wall mountable
For office users, you might need:
- Speakerphone
- Intercom
- Expandable Phones
- Caller ID
- Phone directory
- Data port
- Voicemail message waiting indication
- Memory loss protection
- 3 Party conferencing
- Call transfer
- One-touch memory buttons
- Paging between phones
- Headset jack
- Wall mountable
- LCD display
- Redial/hold/mute/flash
- Volume control
- Do not disturb
- Display dial
- Line privacy
- Centex compatible
- Remote access
- Auto attendant (Incoming callers can be routed to a specific extension)
2- Determine how many lines you need
Write this down too! Home users will rarely need more than one line, but small
offices need anywhere from 1 to 4 lines, depending on the volume of calls
coming in and being made, and how many people will be using phones in the
office.
If it is a small business with about 3 people, four lines and 3 phones might
be optimal, so there is at least one line available for incoming calls if all
three people are on the phone.
3- Determine HOW you would like to fulfill your message storage needs
You will either use business or residential voicemail through your phone
company or buy the hardware (answering machine built in to the phone(s) or an
attachment) to do this.
The phone company charges a monthly fee, and businesses pay a bit more for the
service than residences.
The great thing about voicemail from the phone company is that if all the
lines are busy (all four lines, pulling from the example above), the phone
company routes the caller into the voicemail, rather than giving them a busy
signal and you losing a client; or making one angry and frustrated wondering
why on earth a business is allowing a busy signal, especially in this day and
age? (Still writing?)
Home users should be able to decide by this point! See applicable Links
below.
4- Do you need Centrex Service?
For business users only, you must determine whether you will need Centrex
service from the phone company.
This service allows your Four-Line Telephones to have more advanced
functionality, such as lines in rotary, which is a service that accesses the
next available line for voice communications. So, for instance, if you’re on
Line 1 and your two other employees are on Line 2 and Line 3, then the next
call will come in on Line 4, even though the caller dialed the main line
(usually Line 1).
So with this service, you need only give out the number of your main line (you
can even attach an 800 number to this line and give that out).
Centrex also gives you the ability to transfer calls to other lines/phones
(land or cellular). Some features exist with the Phone Company, with hardware
or with both. Other than these features just mentioned, usually a 4 Line phone
has most of the features needed (please make sure).
5- Do you need an 800 number?
Determine whether you need or want and can or can’t afford an 800 number.
Some companies absolutely need this; although it would be customer service
friendly for every business, usually it is only mandatory for retailers or
companies taking orders over the phone or trying to give incentive for
customers to call in.
A dentist, for example, might not find this to be a great investment. For
companies who absolutely need it, an 800 number is most likely a variable
expense based on sales, so it might not be a bad investment. It is fairly
cheap these days — under ten cents a minute nationwide with the right plan,
and initial setup fees are usually a few dollars (please call your phone
company for more info)
6- Some phones have an auto attendant built in!
Some phones like the ATT 984 4 Line Phone have an auto attendant, which can be
programmed to route calls based on the option chosen by the caller after a
list of routing options are given (all other telephones in the office must be
ATT 984 telephones).
This hardware feature would preclude the voicemail from the phone company
because every telephone will have its own answering machine. This will give
the office more flexibility and efficiency since everyone can check their own
answering machine.
For current pricing and to buy now
click here.
