Every business, no matter how small it is right now, needs to have access to affordable and reliable voice communication services if its owner wants it to succeed. Some small business owners assume that they can just continue to use their personal phones to conduct business until their offices become large enough to require many phone lines, but this is a mistake. Read on to find out why every small business needs a dedicated phone service.
Look Professional
Startup entrepreneurs who work out of home offices might assume they can save money by relying on their personal cell phones, but in reality, they stand to lose money. First impressions count for everything, and a dedicated phone line will show customers that the business is serious even if it isn’t very large yet. Entrepreneurs can check out gabbit.net to learn about one business phone service that’s tailored to the needs of startups and small businesses.
Make it Easier to Scale Up
Don’t assume that it’s best to wait until the business needs more than one phone line to make the switch. Instead, find a provider that specializes in providing voice communication services to small businesses and will charge the same amount of money for one phone line as they will for dozens. This makes it affordable to maintain a dedicated business line when the business is just getting off the ground but also offers the possibility of easy scalability when it begins to expand.
VoIP, short for Voice over Internet Protocol, providers are the best bet. VoIP systems are cheaper than traditional landline office phones since they use the company’s existing Internet connection to facilitate calls more efficiently. Plus, there’s no need to worry about missing calls if the company’s Internet goes out when business owners work with a VoIP provider that offers continuity of service and automatically transfers calls to employees’ cell phones until the Internet goes back up.
Advanced Features
VoIP service providers offer all kinds of advanced features, which can really come in handy for business owners, managers, and employees. Not only will a good provider offer automatic call forwarding, but business owners can also expect to get access to voicemail, caller ID, and other features that might cost extra if they went through another provider.
Business owners can also use dedicated VoIP services for things such as teleconferencing, videoconferencing, and instant messaging. This gives them more options when it comes to communicating with both customers or clients and business associates. Plus, it makes it easier for small businesses to expand since they can hire employees from just about anywhere without requiring them to work in the company office.
Shared Resources
The ability to share communication resources makes it easier for employees to work together. As small business owners add more phone lines to their systems, employees can transfer calls between them and ensure that customers receive the best level of service. Plus, it won’t cost a fortune to install new phone lines.
Instead of using a personal phone provider then switching to a business network once the company is already established and they already have a lot of extra work on their hands, business owners can continue to work with the same company as their organizations expand. It will make things easier for customers and employees. Employees will be able to work together more effectively both in the office and from outside of it, and customers only need to keep track of one phone number and any relevant extensions instead of calling different numbers to contact different company representatives.
Lower Cost
Most small business owners find that communication costs form a large part of the startup budgets in their earliest years. Moving toward an integrated voice communication system can mitigate some of those costs while simultaneously simplifying monthly invoicing. Plus, it makes it easier to review monthly charges and keep track of employee behaviors, such as making personal calls on company time.
Not all business phone and VoIP providers offer the same value to small business owners. The ones that cater primarily to huge corporations rarely offer discounts until businesses need a dozen or more phone lines. That’s why it’s important for business owners to do some research and find a company that offers affordable options for all businesses, even if they’re just getting started.
Increased Employee Productivity
No matter what kind of company business owners are running, they can expect increased employee productivity when they switch to a dedicated business communications system. Doing so will eliminate the phone tag and prevent the need for wasting time walking around looking for other employees. Business owners can program VoIP phone systems for small businesses to forward calls to multiple devices, which allows any employee who has the free time to take the call to step up.
Decreasing the time that employees must spend playing phone tag with customers and business associates won’t just increase their productivity. It will also increase employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction by eliminating the frustration associated with common communication difficulties.
The Bottom Line
Starting and growing a small business can be tough, but the right resources will make it easier. Having at least one dedicated business phone line with its own number is a great way to show existing and future customers or clients that the business is serious and committed to providing high-quality, convenient service. Plus, prospective employees will take a growing business more seriously if it has all the infrastructure in place to support a full team of employees either in an office or dispersed as remote workers, and a dedicated phone line is an absolute must when it comes to infrastructure.
Those who are anxious about signing a contract before even getting their businesses off the ground can look for a provider that offers monthly, no-contract service. That way, they can start off their business operations on the right foot with professionalism and convenience but won’t have to worry about spending a small fortune if they wind up having to terminate their services.