Choosing IP Phones for a Business Phone System

The decision to switch to VoIP for a business phone system in itself can be a cost saving strategy, but the selection of IP phone itself can also lead to better features and efficiency that serve the needs of your business. Here are a few considerations that you may want to make:

• Number of Simultaneous Lines
  How many employees will likely have to multitask? Will the phone be used for routine communication, or is it in itself part of the employee’s business function?

• Quality of Service
  This in itself is one of the major reasons why VoIP is relatively cheap and why it is so important. In the same way that MP3 encoding sacrifices quality but maintains enough audio information to go unnoticed by most listeners, business communications do not always need sharp audio clarity, and can usually deal with problems such as jitter without critical harm. You may have a reason to go with HD voice quality. Perhaps for communications between people with high status in the organization, or with contractors or people who represent an outside client, or in which many detailed strings of alphanumeric symbols must be shared, HD level voice quality would be ideal. The more high-profile the communications are the less tolerable packet loss and signal degradation can be. For more routine communications, a lower quality of service is usually acceptable.

• Headset Compatibility
  This is not only an issue of convenience but one of ergonomics. The traditional method of resting the phone against the shoulder has been shown to be pretty unnatural and can have some negative consequences for employees. Examine just how much time your employees will be spending on the phone and look into the cost and compatibility of headsets. In addition to the ergonomic issue, a headset makes it easier to work as the employee does not have to worry about cradling the phone.

Contact us and we can answer all your questions about VOIP for your business phone system.