Picking a phone system for your business is an important decision, and not something any business owner should walk into blindly. Smaller businesses in particular do not have access to a CTO (Chief Technology Officer) who would make these decisions for a larger company based on knowledge of the technology and which providers would best suit the needs of the company and budget. This article will not magically make you into a CTO, but it will tell you about the three basic types of telephone systems available and give you a direction to investigate when it comes to choosing the right one for your company.
- VoIP: These systems use an in-place internet connection that allows a business to place calls as they would over a copper-wire landline. These systems can be hosted, cloud based, or on-premises and give smaller businesses PBX features like auto-attendant and computer integration.
- PBX: Private Branch Exchange systems have been around forever, and have modernized from they switchboard lady to a server on or off the premises, hosted on IP, or hosted in the cloud. The PBX routes the call to the appropriate extension and come with a host of enterprise level features.
- KSU: Key System Unit is a system by which someone must manually direct incoming calls, and users direct their outgoing calls by opening a line manually and then dialing out. Comparable to a home phone system with two lines.
Local and Reliable Service
Choosing a provider means you have to be able to trust that they will be there when you need them. Picking a telephone systems provider in Jackson MS should focus on the availability of customer service and technical support when you need them, not when they’re open. Big or small, you provider should be able to do it all – otherwise what’s the point?
