A telephone number is a must-have for businesses. It is a need that has withstood time and is one that we don’t anticipate going away any time soon.

The business requirement for a telephone number is directly attached to a private branch exchange (PBX) phone system, which allows companies to manage incoming and outgoing calls and to communicate internally via extensions. Such a phone system has both hardware and software components and connects to communication devices like switches, routers, telephone adapters, and of course, telephones.

PBX phone systems have evolved from a traditional analog phone system to a more modern phone system. A traditional analog system is a basic phone system that has the disadvantage of not being scalable as the business grows. Companies that have expansion plans will find analog systems impractical as it relates need for new lines and opening new offices.

On the other hand, a modern PBX phone system has the capability of scaling while your organisation grows, and has many functionalities that are critical to businesses.

Some of the functionalities of a modern phone system includes video calls, call encryption, whisper to agent and voicemail to email. Your existing PBX system may not have the functionalities that are most utilised in your business this an evaluation must be done on what your existing phone system can do.

Can your phone system do these five things?

1. Automated Failover

Have you ever been unable to communicate with employees and/or partners when there is an outage or a disaster?

Through an automatic failover system, you can communicate with stakeholders in the event of a disaster or outage. An automatic failover system is a remote backup telephone system that provides instant failover in the event of an outage. A failover is when the primary phone system goes down then the secondary takes over immediately with minor disruptions. There are no hardware requirements and it basically waits in the background until it is needed. This is a disaster recovery and emergency system which enables businesses to keep in touch with customers, partners and employees in the event of a disaster or outage.

If a disaster does occur incoming calls can be automatically directed to the failover system and then be sent to alternate locations.

The benefit of this is that your customers, partners and employees will always be able to communicate with you and will not be affected by the outage.

2. Transfer seamlessly between your office phone and mobile!

Tired of missing important calls because you are on the go all the time? Frustrated clients trying to reach you and unable to?

With a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone system that utilises internet connectivity, you can balance time in office and outside of the office. You can continue a call at your desk with a call on your mobile and vice versa. This flexibility and availability will ensure that your clients and employees are satisfied.

3. Hot desking

Hot desking is a process by which you can function virtually anywhere once you plug a VoIP phone into a broadband connection that is connected to your phone system. You can easily work from any desk at your office and have your user profile and settings on that device once you plug in. It is a simple move to a new desk and no patching is required.

4. Unlimited extensions

If your business is at the enterprise level with many specialised divisions, it is recommended to use extensions. By adding a standard 3 to 4-digit numeric code after your main phone number, you can route calls to specific departments or employees.

It alleviates the complexity of trying to have distinct phone lines for departments and provides the convenience to your customers of reaching the right people.

5. Integrate with smartphones

This is the integration of smartphones with office systems, which minimises the confusion of which number to call.

A reliable phone system with redundancy reduces the overall expense of a company by reducing downtime. A modern PBX system works with a growing business; it is easily scalable and eliminates the need for additional phones and telephone lines.

Additionally, great customer experience and employee satisfaction are critical success factors for businesses, and the ability to have real time, seamless communication by investing in a modern PBX system can only enhance the ROI.

Gillian Murray is the marketing & HR manager at tTech Limited. She can be contacted at 656-8467/656-8448 or by email at gillian.murray@ttech.com.jm