The Cost Of Phone Systems For Small Business

If you’re planning to bring in a new phone system, perhaps as a way of improving efficiency in your business, it’s likely that you’re wondering how much the new system would cost you. Unfortunately, there is no single answer to this question. The price of phone systems for small business depends on a myriad of factors. The only way out is to use those elements to estimate the eventual cost.

The following is a list of the top five factors to focus on;

1. Number of users

How many people will need a phone line within the company? Once you have this number, it becomes easier to determine the total number of lines you’ll need within the organization. Certain departments such as accounting, for instance, may only need one line. But others such as marketing usually require many lines to help them stay on top of leads.

2. Number of sites/locations

Is your company concentrated on a single site or do you have branches in other areas? If so, then you’ll need the phone system to interconnect all the locations, leading to much higher costs. A phone system for a single site with 200 users, for instance, would cost a lot less than several sites with a total of 200 users.

3. Model of the phone

It might come as a surprise to small businesses, but the model is another factor that can affect the price of a phone system. This is because not all phone models are the same. There are 3-way calling phones, automatic callback phones, call forwarding phones, intercom phones, and speed dial phones among others, and that’s before you mention the brands.

4. Add-on phone services

A basic phone only allows users to make and receive calls. However, there are plenty of add-ons that you can choose to purchase in a bid to improve collaboration and productivity at your company. These usually include; conferencing, mobility, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), and integration with business solutions such as CRM and ERP systems.  These add-ons usually come at an additional cost.

5. Maintenance

You then need to budget for maintenance costs, including the cost of training. Or, if you outsource IT, you need to factor in the outsourcing costs.

Once you take into account all of these factors, the eventual cost of your new business phone system should be easier to calculate.