Dispelling the myth of the premature death of the business phone system

With some businesses moving to a mobiles-only communications model, I wanted to wave the flag for the business phone system! In my mind, you should not be retiring any up-to-date phone system just yet as there are many benefits over using just mobiles. In fact, the perfect solution is to blend the two communications models together to enjoy true flexibility. Believe me, there is life in the modern business PBX system yet.

Table of contents:

• Why some businesses are switching to mobiles-only
• Why switching to mobiles-only may not be good for your business
• Benefits of a phone system instead of mobiles-only
• Get the most of both worlds – use your phone system on your business mobiles
• What to do if your phone system is end of life

Why some businesses are switching to mobiles-only
 

1. Convenience: We use mobiles in our personal lives, so it is easy to continue using mobiles at work, especially with people adopting a hybrid remote working model.
    
2. Cost: We already pay for our mobiles, so why invest in a phone system? With inclusive mobile tariffs giving us cheaper calls, these costs are dropping all the time too.
    
3. Mobility: Many of us work from home or on the road, so the desk phone seems a pointless piece of hardware when our mobiles are already close at hand.
    
4. Image: Phone systems and landline numbers are seen as old-fashioned.

Why switching to mobiles-only may not be good for your business
 

1. No separation between your work and home life: What’s convenient about a customer having your mobile number? Everyone needs downtime from work, so either you use separate home and business phones or switch your device off in the evenings and at the weekends. Sure, you can ignore calls, but what if you customers SMS or WhatsApp you? These messages will still disturb your downtime and may mean you miss personal messages you do want to receive!
    
2. Cost: Assuming you are not getting your staff to pay for their own mobiles, a corporate fleet of mobile business solutions still incurs a cost with handsets needing an upgrade every two years and any calls and messages made outside your tariff resulting in expensive charges.
    
3. Lack of a phone number: If you have not purchased a geographic or even a non-geographic number for your mobile, such as a 0300 number, customers and prospects alike may not be keen to call you. Maybe this is old-fashioned, but it’s true. There is something more trustworthy about a landline number as it suggests commercial longevity and a business premises. Calls to your mobile may also cost your customers more if they are using a landline.
    
4. Poor signal: Mobiles are affected by poor signal and network outages. A phone system does not need to be taken to the top of a hill and waved in the air to get a connection!
    
5. Unable to transfer calls to colleagues: Reception staff, especially, need the ability to transfer incoming calls to their colleagues. They cannot view their colleagues’ availability before transferring the call if they are using a mobile. A busy lamp field takes care of this on a business PBX system or a presence indicator does the same job on a desktop or mobile phone system app. Without easy transfers, communication becomes disjointed between staff members and disappointing for customers.

Benefits of a business phone system instead of mobiles-only

Inclusive calls for phone systems

Call bundles are not the sole domain of mobiles! Calls to landlines and mobiles are usually free and line rental is often cheaper too as modern phone systems use existing internet connections rather than dated PSTN and ISDN phone lines.

Feature-rich handsets

Some of us still like that plastic on the desk with all the features and functions available to us, such as dial-by-name, busy lamp field, call forwarding, voicemail, etc.

Central phone system management

You can manage your corporate directory, voicemail messages, automated attendant, new users, etc. from one platform. You can also collate useful statistics on your calls, such as time to answer, dropped calls, length of calls and more to manage your staffing levels.

Integration with business systems

Phone systems can be integrated with a range of CRMs and industry-specific business systems to make your calls more efficient and satisfying for customers and staff alike. Customer records can screen-pop as their calls come in so you can answer them appropriately.

Get the most of both worlds – use your phone system on your business mobile

The adoption of hybrid work, plus people who roam their workplace or are on the road, mean most businesses need a more flexible solution. This is why the phone systems we sell comes with apps that integrate with mobiles or PCs and laptops. These devices become an extension of the office phone system but share the attributes of a desk handset.

Calls are easily transferred, and you have easy access to the corporate directory and your voicemail. Calls between colleagues do not incur a cost and you display the main office number when you make an outgoing call.

It really is the best of both worlds!

What to do if your phone system is end of life

The benefits listed above may not apply if you are using an older phone system. Technology has moved on. When a phone system is declared end of life, which means they will no longer benefit from manufacturer support, this is when some businesses may consider going mobiles-only. Please think again. Technology has evolved and you can get the flexibility, improved functionality and professional image your business needs from next-generation telephony solutions.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can give you any further advice on this matter.

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