Tips for Choosing the Best Virtual Phone System

When it comes to communications, businesses of any size should never compromise. Fortunately, a virtual phone system is a great way to manage all of a business’s communication needs in one easy-to-use interface. Here are some tips for choosing the best system from the many on the market today.

Consider the Features
A virtual phone system is capable of providing all of the same features as a typical landline service, but the way these features are presented and billed can have a huge impact on a company’s communications. For instance, while one virtual system may include things like call forwarding, call screening and even perhaps an auto attendant at no additional charge, another may have separate fees for each feature that is important to a business. As a result, business owners should be sure to review all of the features that are included with a package before making a final decision.

Maintenance
Maintaining a communications system can certainly be hard work, so it is important for business owners to select a company that will maintain the systems on the back-end. This includes performing software upgrades during off-peak hours; many virtual phone system companies will require an update to be pushed through as soon as it becomes available, and this can offset communications. Also, business owners should be sure that their role in the maintenance of the virtual system is as small as possible since almost everything can be handled remotely by the telephone service provider.

Reliability
Like landline telephone companies and internet service providers, not all virtual phone systems are created equally. Business owners need communications solutions that are dependable and will not fail them in the midst of the business day. For the best results, it is important to read plenty of reviews from third parties as they pertain to the service providers and ensure that the selected company is reputable. Numerous user reports of downtime and outages may suggest that the company is not as reliable as it should be.

Privacy Concerns
Business owners have hectic schedules that often do not permit telephone calls from customers to their personal home or mobile numbers. As such, it is important to consider the level of privacy that a service provider can afford the business owner and the employees of the company. It is necessary to ensure that each pertinent department or employee has his or her own extension and that the possibility to forward these extensions to personal numbers is available and secure.

Number and Minute Bundling
Depending upon the scope of the business, the owner may choose to procure several local, vanity numbers or toll-free numbers to use in different situations. To get the best value, it is important to ensure that the virtual phone service provider can bundle these numbers appropriately and make them easy for the employees to manage. Also, it is generally more favorable when the business owner can choose a minute package that is shared with the entire business; this is known as ‘pooling’, and it is a very economical solution to the typical rates associated with toll-free numbers.

There are many different factors to consider when it comes to choosing a virtual phone system to fit the needs of a business. While cost and reliability are important, business owners should not forget to consider their privacy and ease of use.