Business Phone System Purchasing Guide

When it comes to your business phone system, before you purchase, research. At a glance, purchasing a phone system may seem like an easy task, but it's more complicated and technical than you think. Before you talk with dealers to get price quotes, have the following information written down:

How many lines do you need now and how many lines will you need?
What type of features do you want for your phone? Call transfer, conference calls, online access to voicemails, cheap long distance calls, etc.
Will you want the system housed at your office or remote?
What are you willing to pay for your system? Include customer service calls, set up charges and equipment

These are just a few of many aspects you will need to decide on before talking with a vendor.

Phone System Types

Depending on your size, start your search by learning about the different types of phone systems. The four main types of phone systems are as follows:

Phone System Type	Description
KSU-less telephone systems	Better for the smaller sized business (10 or less employees) who plan to grow slowly. No extra devices are needed such as a cabinet or software.
Key systems	Great for companies that have 10-40 employees. There is little room for growth potential, so you should take that into consideration.
PBX Phone Systems	Best suited for businesses with 40+ employees, and projecting growth. The price tag for these systems can seem steep, but in the long run your ROI may be worth it.
VOIP	Voice over Internet Protocol, which means the telephone transmits calls via the Internet. This type of phone only needs a broadband connection and a telephone. Great for companies that make a lot of long distance calls, because VoIP is much cheaper in that arena.

Negotiating with vendors

When speaking with vendors, have questions in mind so you don't get stuck with a phone system that isn’t right for your company. Some questions youmight ask are:

Will they provide education for their phone system set up? If you happen to purchase a phone system that is a little more complicated to run than simply picking up the phone, you will need to have some training for you and your staff. Some vendors will be more than happy to help you out with this.
Will you have to setup the system? Some companies will set up the phone system for you while others won’t. It is wise to figure out what your part will be in the set up process—especially if you don’t know how to set the system up.
Can you get a list of references? Just like you would ask someone you are going to potentially hire, you should ask any potential vendors for references. Doing so can give you a firsthand guide to how the process was. Ask the references if the vendor handled all questions in a timely manner, and if they were easy to work with.

Once you have decided on your needs for a phone systems, ask around for different prices. Negotiate - you may not be able to get the cost lower, but you should be able to get a waived set up fee, additional features, used equipment for cheaper and other. Make sure you don't sign a contract that locks you in to service charges for a long period of time. Phones and technology change quickly...same with prices.

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