5 Ways Your Current Phone System Can Limit Your Success

Has your phone system kept pace with the times? More importantly, is it capable of helping you meet tomorrow’s challenges? Here, we outline five attributes you’ll want to consider when you’re thinking about improving your technology.

1. Ability to Add Features and Functionality

Make sure your phone system can keep pace with technological change and has the ability to embrace cloud-based applications and customized solutions as required. Look for these features and attributes:

• Third-party integrations allow you to take advantage of cloud-based business process applications.
• Easy & intuitive communications tools that are as simple as consumer apps will speed adoption.
• Admin portal enables users to make real-time changes to preferences, permissions and groups.
• Flexible service plans enable users to change service plans in real time as their needs change.

2. Productivity

Is your phone system boosting worker productivity or draining it? Reduce employee frustration and increase productive work time with these features:

• Find me – Follows employees so they can get the call the first time around, regardless of the device they are using.
• Presence – Enables employees to see when other co-workers are available, in a meeting, on a call or out of the office.
• Collaboration tools – Makes it easier to exchange ideas and get work done with video, instant messaging and file and desktop sharing.
• Application integration – Boosts the power of your CRM by seamlessly integrating calling features, call histories and customer data.

3. Scalability

Nearly every organization can benefit from the agility that comes from aligning its phone system with business needs. Look for these attributes:

• Plug-and-play – Provides phones that are easy to install without costly upgrades.
• Flexibility – Easily scales to support both the office and your mobile workforce.
• Reduced complexity – Avoids complications that add costs and hinder your ability to scale.
• Intuitive – Supports easy deployment by administrators and enables users to quickly be productive.
• Simple licensing – Delivers flexible licensing so businesses can scale up or down as their needs change.

4. Mobility

Does your current phone system provide the same easy features and functionality to all staff members, no matter their location or device? If not, consider these capabilities:

• Mobile applications – Allows personal devices to be integrated with your phone network.
• Connectivity – Wi-Fi/cellular call handover to stay connected everywhere.
• Collaboration tools – Provides team and video collaboration, instant messaging, and conferencing to facilitate greater collaboration from anywhere.
• Security – Delivers features that keep voice and signaling safe, even in public hot spots.

5. Your Budget

Consider whether a CapEx or OpEx budgeting approach makes more sense:

• Purchasing a standalone system can add complexity and require additional staff and time-consuming administration, resulting in greater costs over time.
• Consider productivity-boosting options to upgrade your system in an easy-to-manage way that frees up IT resources and saves money.
• Add new capabilities that seamlessly work with your existing system as your business needs change – without having to pay for features you don’t need.
• If your system needs a complete overhaul, it may be cheaper to move to the cloud.

Communications are vital to your organization’s success. If your current phone system is holding you back, it’s time to discuss an upgrade. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.