A phone system provider should not be contacted until you have outlined your business needs and goals. Sit down and think about them, take notes and then make the call. Vendors are trained to help answer questions but nobody knows your business like you. It is up to the vendor to expand on what you have to say and address concerns as needed.

Helpful Resources:

• Business Phone System Introduction
• Business Phone System Costs
• Business Phone System Needs

Among the top questions to ask yourself:

How many lines and extensions are needed?

How many employees do you anticipate to have in the near future? The lines and extensions should also include room for fax machines, modems and credit card terminals if necessary.

Growth and Expansion?

If you plan on growing be sure to factor this in. Planning your needs two to three years in advance is a great way to ensure you are a one-time shopper. It is a hassle to go over the process time and again, continually upgrading services. Make sure you get what you need the first time around.

Accessorize you life

Like many business owners in the retail market will tell you, accessories are a big part of continued business. This is no different with business phone accessories. Some popular features include call forwarding, caller-id, one-touch dialing, on-hold music, conferencing and speaker phone options are some of the more popular ones business owners like to add on.

Some phone systems cater to different accessories and this is something you want to speak with a vendor about. Don’t get a system that in a couple of years won’t be able to handle a feature you want to add.