subject: How To Choose The Best Telecom System For Your Small Business [print this page] Small businesses need to keep a very close eye on the overheads. Telecoms can be one of the most costly annual bills for any business, but there many ways you can access affordable and effective technology. It is important you do your research before you sign up to any supplier for your telephone, Internet and general communication needs as prices and services vary dramatically. It could seem like a good idea to go with special offers from different suppliers, only to find out later on it would have been cheaper to get a bundled telecoms package from one provider.
To help you choose the best business telecoms services for your company here are some practical tips on what to look for and how to make the technology available work for you.
Service Quality
You will need to be able to provide an easy way for customers to get into contact with you, so it is important to choose a provider than can offer you a reliable service. If there is a fault with your phone line or broadband access you could lose potential sales and cause unnecessary service problems for your own customers. This is why it is important to choose a provider that has a good reputation and offers a 24/7 customer services hotline so that you can report faults and get them rectified quickly. Check that the customer services centre from your provider is in-house and not outsourced to another company (or even out of the country). Market research shows that outsourcing customer and technical services invariably leads to a poorer service quality, which could make it difficult for you to get answers to your questions. Also ensure that the customer services helpline is free or at least charged at a low rate. Some providers only offer expensive, premium rate numbers and this can send costs spiralling if you have a problem you need sorting out.
Cheap Broadband
Broadband is widely available these days and can open up a whole new world of communication for you. Online telephone services can make calling your colleagues and customers much cheaper. You can also take advantage of advances in business technology such as online video conferencing. Broadband can save you money but the cheaper packages may not be able to provide you with the features or service quality you need. Make sure you shop around and compare packages carefully. Look out for providers that can offer a low contention rate (the amount of users on the same connection), fast upload/download speeds (essential for online video conferencing) and also a first class technical support team.
Mobile Broadband
If you or any members of your team need to travel outside of the office then you could think about setting up a mobile broadband account. This will allow you to log onto the Internet on your laptop whilst you are out and about. This can help you to make your time on the train, at airports or waiting for meetings more productive.
Billing
You can save money by picking a telephone provider that bills you by the second rather than the minute. If you make a substantial number of calls you could be paying a lot more money than you need to by using a provider that rounds your call up to the nearest minute.
by: Gareth Hoyle
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