As a business grows and the number of employees, clients, vendors, and partners increase, managing communications can become quite a task. Though professional small business IP-PBX phone systems come with a slight up-front investment, the cost savings tends to heavily outweigh the up-front cost as businesses grow beyond around 5 employees.

Juggling communication via a standard phone system can not only become confusing, but also comes with high opportunity costs from business lost due mis-managed calls and unprofessional phone call processes. Small business PBX systems also eliminate the need for the expense of a receptionist since the system sorts and routes calls to the appropriate party or information automatically. The auto attendant feature allows companies to provide incoming callers with vital information, such as hours of operations, directions to the business and a short description of the company’s products and services.

Throughout this article, we’ll explore some additional ways that small business IP-PBX systems may save your company money and reduce opportunity costs:

Reducing or Eliminating Long Distance Charges with VOIP

A VOIP Hybrid PBX system means that companies can place their long distance calls over the internet and avoid the pricey fees that come with long distance calls placed all over the world. Employees who work remotely are able to dial directly into the company’s telephone system and can use softphones to check their voicemail.The advantage of a VOIP hybrid system over a pure VOIP is because the hybrid uses standard copper wire telephone lines as well as a high speed internet for making and receiving calls. The pure VOIP system only used the internet, meaning if your online access goes down, the company may miss important calls. With the VOIP hybrid, companies avoid the prospect of the phones going out and becoming inaccessible to clients and prospective customers.

Reducing Opportunity Costs Through Enhanced Organization and Professionalism

A PBX phone system means that employees share a certain number of phone lines so that there is no need for pricey external lines that connect to each office’s telephone. Here we’ll take a look at other important PBX system features that will increase productivity and greatly improve your small businesses professional image.

Standard Features Of Small Business PBX Systems

Auto fax detection in small business PBX eliminates the need for a separate fax line and saves money by automatically redirecting faxes. Specific types of phone calls, such as long distance calls, are automatically routed to the line best suited to the particular calls using automatic route selection. Clients and prospective customers can reach a live company representative instead of a voice mail box using a call cascade in small business PBX systems. Call cascade can be set up to redirect phone calls when an employee isn’t available Call forwarding With a call queue, customers can leave a message, remain on hold or return to the auto attendant. With small business PBX systems, employees are alerted if there is a call in the queue waiting for them Conference call abilities that save money by eliminating the need to outsource those calls Dial-by-name directory Interactive voice response The included voicemail system in small business PBX systems reduces the monthly fee associated with traditional phone companies Voice paging system Costly, long distance telephone calls by employees are eliminated with toll restriction Transferring calls

Not every business may be ready for the advanced features of a small business IP PBX phone system, but businesses owners that are experiencing the growing pains of an expanding business, a professional small business phone system can streamline processes in several different facets of the company. For companies of 5 or more, an IP-PBX phone system can increase employee productivity, reduce time spent on office operations, save money, and present a more professional image to clients.