Monday 12 December 2016

Maintaining Business Phone Systems Austin

By Donna Burns


A business phone system not only improves the customer experience, but also provides the business with a cost-effective and efficient way to route calls. However, this is only true if the system is running properly and is maintained by knowledgeable personnel. As with any type of technology, over time, parts and components can stop functioning and will need replacement. Depending on the kind of unit purchased, these replacement parts can either be nonexistent or very expensive to procure. Below are the essentials of maintenance in business phone systems Austin.

To begin with, they create and sustain the reputation of the organization. Customer confidence can be very fragile and once established is very easy to lose. When a customer interacts with the organisation, if the call is not handled appropriately they begin to question the ability of the organisation to handle other issues and concerns. A business communication unit should not only be reliable, but should be versatile enough to allow the business owner to change recordings when needed. For this reason, ease-of-use is essential when choosing a communication system.

As technology advances, the operating system and firmware versions need to be consistently updated to keep pace with new technology. Many performance issues can appear when additional features are added without upgrading the core components of the system. In many cases, advancements in network technology can have a direct effect on the performance of a voice over IP enabled phone system. In most cases, the system vendor will have recommendations to upgrade firmware on key hardware components or they might even suggest that you upgrade to the latest version of software available.

Regular back-ups of the system should be undertaken. As with any computerized technology, should the system have a major failure you'll need a backup to restore service as soon as possible. Without a backup of all extensions, call routing, and announcements, the phone system information would have to be re-entered manually. This essentially causes the system to have to be set up all over again which would cost the business valuable time and money.

Define your distinct feature requirements. By defining your requirements ahead of the purchase, you are able to leverage your bargaining power. This entails understanding how your organization operates and customizing the installation towards enhancing efficiency and integration of functions. Discussing with other staff what features they use and like can be a great way to start formulating a list. Remember, there is no sense in paying for features that you don't use. Eliminating unnecessary additions (without cutting yourself short) is another way down the cost of a phone system. Try choosing features which bring value to your company by saving time and increasing productivity.

In a more sophisticated phone system, customers can be given the option to check on the status of an order, the status of a trouble ticket, or balances on their account. This usually requires the addition of a voice recognition unit that interfaces with an external database. This can cost up front, however it can save a large expense in the long run through minimizing the need for staff to look up and answer these questions for the customer. Many customers prefer to get the information without having to wait for a customer service representative or other business associate to provide them with the information.

In case of voice over IP solutions, network performance becomes a key element in how well the phone makes receiving calls. Monitoring on the network side should also be completed with VoIP technology in mind. The business phone system also has tools that will help the system administrator pinpoint causes of poor audio quality that are related to network performance issues. These tools are dependent on the model of phone system purchased however; most manufacturers recognize the need to have a way to monitor VoIP traffic on a converged network.

For smaller businesses, a business phone system takes communication to the next level. To compete with larger corporations, the small business owner must take advantage of the technology that many bigger companies are currently using. With this sophisticated phone system, customers will feel confident in return time and time again.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment