Residential vs business phone systems

Today, over a million Australians are working from home, building their own businesses. Over the last few decades, technology has evened out the playing field, making room for the small players to establish their foot in industries that are dominated by big names. One of the things that make this possible is the popular use of business phone systems among startups.

For home based businesses, most people would assume that using the existing residential phone system would be enough. However, this is a big misconception that can get in the way of your success. To get you on the right track, here are some of the reasons why you shouldn’t fall for this rookie mistake and invest in a hosted PBX system instead.

Hardware

When we think of voice services, the first thing that comes into mind are plain old phones linked by copper lines. Your number is tied to your location, and so are your phones. You may have a few features, but nothing too complicated. This is simply not enough for a business’ changing and growing needs. With the rise of hosted services, IP phones are the way to go. These are plug and play—giving you the flexibility to use them wherever you have an internet connection, it even works overseas. The best part? These phones are NBN ready so there wouldn’t be any need for a system upgrade once NBN rolls out in your area.

Features

Large companies aren’t just the only ones who can enjoy big business phone features. You can project a bigger image with features that large scale call centres have. Greet your callers using professional recordings, divide calls between your team using call splaying. Learn more about your calls through call recording, and statistics provided in your self-managed web portal.

Portability & Scalability

With a residential phone, adding a new line involves inconvenient and costly installation. Taking your business numbers with you when you move is also not an option, since landline numbers are tied to a specific local exchange. A hosted business phone system allows you to add or remove lines as you wish without having to install physical lines. Better yet, since these numbers aren’t tied to a local exchange, you can take them with you whenever you move.

Integration is also another advantage of business phone systems over residential lines. Your mobile devices can be linked to your system, allowing you uninterrupted access and the capability to call out using a company number.

Customer Service

After sale support for residential services are a pain to get through to, particularly when you need something fixed. Thankfully, telcos that solely focus on businesses understand that any problem with your phone system means lost money. With a hosted PBX system, upgrades and maintenance are also taken care of your telco. That’s more time and money you can direct to revenue generating tasks instead.

Homes and businesses have entirely different needs. You need a business phone systems provider that understands what yours are. Let us at Alltel help you get the best, effective, and cost effective options in the market. Call us at 1300 ALLTEL or visit us at ALLTEL.