Finding a PBX System for Your Small Business

When you’re starting a business, you spend almost every minute of the day crossing your t’s and dotting your i’s (let’s assume your racing thoughts allow you to sleep). One of the most important decisions you can make is how your customers and colleagues will be able to reach you. If you’ve started your search for business phones you may have stumbled upon similar options, one of them being a PBX system. Unlike traditional PBX systems that required operating a switchboard and expensive equipment taking up precious office space, a hosted PBX system can really bring about the best characteristics of modern business communication right to your desk.

So, where should you start when you’re finding the right PBX system for your business? The one thing you need to ask yourself is whether or not a PBX system can meet your communication needs. This is a crucial first step because it forces you to consider your day-to-day operations and the type of services you’ll need, giving you the opportunity to build the ideal PBX system for your future communications strategy. To help you develop this ideal PBX system, there a few things to consider.

What to Expect from your PBX System

Some businesses, like a call center or travel agency, benefit from enterprise features such as call recording and analytics. These are businesses that rely on a standard of customer service to ensure customer retention, and having access to genuine interactions between callers and employees can give business owners accurate projections of their satisfaction rates. You may not be as big as a call center or a business related to travel, but these features are perfect for someone wanting to ensure quality of service and maintain a desired reputation.

You will also want to consider securing your communications. With the right PBX system, you should be able to rely on features that make it easy to stay connected with others regardless of external issues. This can happen in multiple ways. Call continuity is a much sought after feature which comes in handy when there is an unexpected outage or there is a data center malfunction; you can see why it’s a popular feature. Make sure the PBX system you choose has call continuity or something similar. In the event that the provider you choose does not offer call continuity, you should still be able to use call forwarding to have calls directed to a desired alternative destination in case your office phones go down.

Employees are an integral part of your company’s success. The right PBX system will increase internal efficiency with call management features like ring groups, simultaneous ringing, and Do Not Disturb. With these in place, employees are engaged only when they’re needed to keep them on task. Speaking of employees, let’s talk about remote workers. They are becoming increasingly popular, with 43% of U.S. employees working remotely. If you’re planning on going with remote workers, your PBX system should be able to ensure optimal communication between your employees, customers, and management team.

There are several PBX system providers to choose from, like FastPBX, RingCentral, and Avaya. To help you better understand which one is right for you, it helps to understand your specific needs and start qualifying the best fit for you based on those needs. If you’re looking for a business phone system, FastPBX can help take your small business communications to the next level with tailored solutions at competitive prices. Call us at 888-988-5355 or visit us here to learn more.