Clearvoice Consulting

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Nowadays, it's rare to find a feature that is not common amongst all manufacturers; technology as it stands now is comparable across the board, so how do you choose the right system and supplier and more importantly do you need to change your system or can it be upgraded?

The telephone system, or PBX as it is often called, is a company's main link with the outside world and it can have a major impact on potential customers. It often creates the first impression of the business.If callers are met with an engaged signal; if they are put on hold and then forgotten; if they are passed from department to department; if they are given a dozen options before they are able to speak to a real person; if they are sent to voicemail without warning, all of these may contribute to your customers taking their business elsewhere.

The best way for managers to get a true picture of how their company or department responds to a call is to telephone their own switchboard a number of times and ask to be transferred to key departments and personnel. How a call is handled will reveal more about an organisation than any number of consultants’ reports.

The choice of phone system is one of the most important decisions a company can make. Get it right and your customers can look forward to improved levels of service. Get it wrong and you run the risk of alienating potential and current customers and your staff.

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A phone system's average working life is seven years or more, so it is crucial to assess medium and long-term needs. If you answer “No” to any of these three questions, then you might want to think about purchasing a new system or upgrading your current equipment as these elements are necessary to connect and integrate with most of the peripheral products within this site:

• Is your system ISDN compatible (Only very old systems are not)


• Is your system VoIP compatible (VoIP lines can be added to any system at very little cost)


• Is your system CTI enabled (i.e. can it connect to a PC?)

If you're unsure, telephone your current supplier or call us on 0800 970 9751 and we will tell you.

Depending on the age of your telephone system, you may want to change to a new model, however, the purpose here is to illustrate that you may not need an upgrade unless there is a genuine reason to do so.

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Some salient points
There are many questions that can be asked about selecting and purchasing a new telephone system but some common factors remain.

• Similarly specified telephone systems cost a similar amount of money.


• In most cases, it’s the functionality of the handset that matters and if the PC is being used to handle calls the handset become superfluous.


• If you have any branch or regional offices which you communicate with regularly, then consider VoIP, but only after a cost analysis.


• If you have a centralised customer Contact Centre such as a service desk or an order processing department dealing with sales, then consider Call Centre software solutions as they will make more money than they cost.


• If certain staff would benefit from cordless handsets, consider Wi-Fi enabled solutions that can be integrated over your entire network.

Make sure that you involve all company departments in this analysis and should you choose to upgrade your system ensure each department is involved in the selection process as each department will have their own particular requirements (see the section on Technology Teams for more information). For example a department heavily involved in telephone use, such as telesales, will have different needs to your accounts department.

Action

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