Signs You Need A New Phone System
With the technology and business environments
changing faster every year, it’s hard to keep up with what
the newest systems are and what features are available. It
is essential that a business owner or executive stay up to
date on the technology to know when they need to upgrade in
order to stay competitive and take advantage of opportunities
for cost saving. A phone system is an especially important
part of the business and is often the system that should be
upgraded first.
With newer systems there are incredible cost savings available
by reducing monthly bills and having an easy system to maintain
plus new features that can vastly improve efficiency in communication
leading to more employee productivity and increased customer
satisfaction and experience.
How do you know when to replace your phone system? Is the
timing right for your business to make the switch to get more
features and reliability? How do you know what solution makes
the most sense for your business needs. Continue reading to
see what situations most require a new system. Some might
sound familiar.
Your Phone System Is Becoming Totally Obsolete
The most common situation where a company
should get a new phone system is when the existing system
is just too old. Repairs become expensive. The system is no
longer supported by the manufacture. Parts are harder to find.
Many businesses can share stories about the 20+ year old phone
system, but the fact of the matter is, these old systems cost
more and more to repair and service with every year that goes
by. The manufacturer might not make the system any more, making
parts harder to find, often forcing a business to buy used
replacement parts when something breaks. Additionally, these
systems are harder to manage requiring more expertise by the
service professional and with less and less service available,
finding a technician can be very expensive.
As the system gets older, it is best to be proactive and do
the research for new phone systems before a dinosaur system
from 20 years ago breaks with no options for repair. In most
cases, the system has already ‘paid’ for itself and it’s best
to invest money when you have time to research than be caught
without phones for days if the old system fails and has to
be replaced.
With the ease of management, fewer repairs needed, lower cost
of phone calls with VoIP, and improved efficiency of employees
using the system; it is not uncommon for a new phone system
to pay for itself within 12-18 months.
Office is moving
Moving an Old System
One of the best times to get a new phone system is when an
office or company is moving locations. Anytime there is a
move, one of the frequently asked questions is what do we
do with our current networking and phone equipment. First
and foremost, there is a substantial cost to have a phone
technician/vendor:
- Evaluate the current office’s layout and needs
- Uninstall the old system
- Transport the system to the new offices
- Reinstall the system to the previous office’s setup and
needs
- And finally, test the system thoroughly to ensure nothing
broke and all extensions, voicemail boxes, and other components
of the system are working as they were.
Not to mention, if you want to move your old phone system,
you can’t use the system while it’s being serviced which means
you often have to move the system over a weekend or holiday
which adds an often detrimental factor into the equation: limited
time. Moving systems of any kind, not just phone systems, take
significant planning to execute and the less time available
(a weekend only has 2 days) the more susceptible you are to
taking short cuts and having errors.
New System
If you were to get a new system for the new office it is a
big cost saver and by eliminating the move can ease many of
the pressures and problems with moving the business. By deciding
to get a new system, you have:
- Fewer expenses involved with the move by not having to uninstall
and transport equipment
- Time to evaluate current setup and needs
- Time to install the new system properly and without errors
caused by rushing installation
- Cost savings by not having to add extra cabling just for
phones (if using VoIP)
- Ability to test thoroughly prior to employees arriving
- No downtime where customers can’t reach the business while
the phone system is being uninstalled
Moving offices is the perfect time to consider a new system
because a business has more time, and more time often results
in fewer errors. Not to mention the costs of uninstalling, transporting
and reinstalling an old system could be 20%-50% of the cost
for a brand new system.
No More Capacity
No more capacity
Your company is growing. Great! How many ports does your old
phone system have left? You probably do not have as many as
you thought. One of the biggest ‘growing pains’ a company
experiences is out growing its infrastructure – phone systems
included.
When a company purchases a big ticket item like a phone system,
the question of ‘how much growth should we account for?’ always
comes up. Even if the system has 2x capacity of the older
system, a growing business is bound to max out the system.
The problem is most systems have an absolute max number of
phones or devices (fax machines, etc.) the system is capable
of supporting and there is nothing that can be done to increase
it. The only course of action is a new phone system.
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