Choosing A Phone System

Phone systems introduction

The telephone system is one of the most important purchases your business can make. The telephone is often the easiest way to reach your customers and suppliers. It should also be the easiest way for them to reach you. Important business callers must never be routed incorrectly, disconnected, or faced with a bewildering array of automated options.

There are many factors to consider when buying a telephone system. For example, is IP, hybrid or traditional technology is the best fit for the company? What is the capacity for your current needs while planning for growth? You may need to ensure interoperability with existing equipment and systems such as voicemail, email, headsets, or conferencing equipment. And you will need to choose a phone system that supports all the features your business requires.

1. VoIP - what is it, how does it work and is it right for our business?

Voice over Internet Protocol is a technology that enables voice communications across IP networks like the internet and your own local data network. Developers have created an industry around VoIP technology in its many forms: desktop applications, telephone services, and corporate phone systems.

VoIP technology drives everything from voice-chat software loaded on a desktop PC to full-blown IP-based telecommunications networks in large corporations. To a company, VoIP can be a single technology investment with many benefits. To a network engineer, it's a way to simplify the corporate network and thereby better manage resources. To the home user, it's a way to save money on phone bills.

The concept of VoIP has been around since the late 1990s when it was hailed as the end of expensive long distance phone calls. But due to the initial slow take up of broadband and poor quality applications, many of the early VoIP products fell flat in the marketplace. Home broadband users now can take advantage of products like "Skype" providing cheap calls, but must expect occasional hiccups to the service - as the internet can not currently guarantee the same quality as that of the traditional telephone circuit. (This being the main advantage of PSTN over VoIP).

Today, many international telephone system manufacturers promote what is called "IP telephony", which means creating corporate phone systems using ethernet devices and servers instead of the established PBX chassis and associated technology.

And support of IP-based voice technology is now paying off for these manufacturers as more and more corporate customers are integrating IP phones and servers, and upgrading their IP networks to support voice applications. Companies look to find an increase in productivity and the long-term cost savings of running a single converged network, instead of maintaining legacy voice equipment.

Both for the corporate phone system and the home user, VoIP is transforming global communications. Instead of two distinct designs for a global network (one for voice calling and one for data, or Internet Protocol), a single converged network is beginning to emerge, carrying both voice and data with the same networking protocol, IP.

Tips for choosing an IP-PBX

What should you consider before moving to an IP-PBX and how do you choose the solution that's right for your business?

An IP-PBX can bring a host of benefits, including reductions in capital and operational expenditure, collaborative enhancements and the support of new working practices, such as virtual teams or remote working. For all the benefits however, every major technical upgrade brings challenges, and clearly defined project plans are required to ensure a good implementation, good staff buy-in and integration and so achieve your business goals.

Before you buy your IP-PBX

1) Conduct a business benefit and total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis in order to define the desired business objectives you want the new infrastructure to achieve.

2) Conduct a "VoIP Integrity" audit across the organisation to identify if your current IT infrastructure is ready for IP. This means to check if your infrastructure has sufficient bandwidth and supports requirements such as quality of service (QoS), power over Ethernet (PoE), wireless, voice and video. You will also need to conduct a skills audit, in order to identify whether you have the right expertise to conduct the deployment in-house or whether you need to hire a partner.

3) Establish how much preparation and education is required to get your staff ready for the new technology. This may include a plan to educate staff on how to use the new products and services.

4) Make sure your new converged network is future proof. By mapping the capabilities of Unified Communications, (e.g., video and "presence" based services) at an early stage, you can ensure your investments deliver value over the long term.

Choose carefully

1) Which applications you would like to integrate into your infrastructure and onto your network? Decide if it will be simply for voice communications, or whether you would like to extend the functionality by implementing video, Unified Communications, call centre applications or your CRM database for example.

2) Check that your IP PBX supplier and service provider can support all the applications you require. It will be costly to switch supplier later and building a long-term relationship often brings benefits to the business.

3) Check that your chosen platform supports open standards, such as Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), which enables appliances from different manufacturers to work together. This is important if you want to keep your technology options open.

4) Security considerations are a vitally important part of an IP-PBX implementation. Ensure that security is an integrated element that is incorporated into the infrastructure design and implementation, so security features are embedded in the network, rather than bolted on at the edges. Discuss any issues with your IT and voice providers.

5) Within your organisation, staff with different roles will require different functionality and features from their phones. Certain users may require multi-featured handsets, such as people who don't have access to a desktop, whereas others may only require standard features. In other words, ensure you buy the right handset for the each user.

Moving from a traditional PBX system to an IP-PBX is a big step for any organisation and making sure everyone gets the best of the new system requires careful planning.

Evaluate all eventualities in advance and how the people involved in the project work together, so the implementation can take place successfully. Your organisation can then begin to realise the benefits a unified communications infrastructure delivered via an IP-PBX.

2. About You:

When looking to buy a telephone system it is really important that the organisation takes a good long look at itself. Ask yourself, why do we need the new telephone system?

It makes sense to evaluate how your company philosophy relates to handling calls from customers and suppliers. To know where your opportunities come from - via the telephone, from the website, referrals, etc. To understand the business processes of the organisation and so investigate how the latest voice technology could maximise productivity and cost savings across all levels.

Managing the complexity of communications in an organization is critical to business success. You may have multiple locations, mobile and distributed workforces, and employee groups with unique communications requirements, which you need to manage efficiently and cost effectively.

When buying a telephone system, you should chose a consultant - or telecoms company with a consultative approach - who can really understand the nature of your business, your plans and goals, successes, failures, and thereby pitch your investment against expectations. Once selected, your consultant will likely discuss the following items:

• Budget
• Return on Investment
• Timescale, or compelling events for the replacement of the telephone system
• Number of staff
• Home workers and number of field-based staff
• Number of branches or remote sites
• Special environments such as production and off-site areas
• Future plans - expansion, down-sizing, relocation?
• IT-centric - do you manage your own IT environment or outsource?
• Call distribution and operator functions
• Type of handset requirements - basic, display, PC-based, analogue, digital or IP
• Special Requirements - Contact Centre, Messaging, Call recording, Computer Integration, etc

3. Return on Investment - the Business Benefits you need

ROI - it is the question that ICT professionals and business analysts are asked today more than ever before. It is also one of the most difficult to answer. But when someone asks about ROI, what they are really asking is:

What do I get back for the money? What is it really worth?

Traditionally, when ICT professionals and top-management discuss the ROI of an ICT investment, they were mostly thinking of the financial benefits. Today, business leaders and technologists must also consider the non financial benefits of ICT investments.

Financial Benefits would include the impact on the company's budget and finances, cost reductions and any increases in revenue.

Non Financial Benefits point towards improved operations, performance and results, increased customer satisfaction, better information, shorter cycle-times, etc.

One of the biggest challenges when performing ICT ROI analyses is finding and quantifying business benefits. Benefits such as improved morale and enhanced customer satisfaction sound great, but are in most cases impossible to quantify in financial terms.

Since cost savings are the simplest benefit to quantify, too many ROI analyses fall into the trap of relying entirely on costs to justify investments.

All financial benefits come from either lowering costs or increasing revenue, but six broad categories to consider for finding quantifiable benefits are:

• Increasing sales revenue
• Increasing productivity (revenue, cost savings)
• Reducing operational costs (cost savings)
• Improving customer satisfaction (revenue, possible cost savings)
• Improving safety (cost savings)
• Improving competitiveness (revenue).

In other words, financial value isn't the only factor when quantifying benefits.

A selection of specific ROI considerations for Telephone Systems

• Will our calls be cheaper?
• Can we reduce our network line rental costs?
• Can we dial free between our own sites?
• Can we reduce staff numbers, say with centralised operator for example?
• Will it be quicker and easier for our customers to contact us?
• Can we process calls quicker and more efficiently?
• Can we guarantee our customers will get through to the correct department first time?
• Can we tell if we ever miss a call?
• Can we reduce our admin time with consolidated billing?
• Can we administer the new system ourselves?
• Can we use historic reporting to monitor our productivity?
• Can we integrate our phones with our computers?

4. Where to Buy?

What to look for in your telecoms supplier

The type of telecoms supplier you choose will depend on a range of factors, including how complicated your business needs are and how confident you are in knowing what equipment you require.

The main suppliers of telephone systems and services are:

• manufacturers
• retailers
• telecoms service providers
• consultants

Recommendations are a good place to start when looking for a supplier. Talk to business acquaintances with telephone systems similar in size to yours and ask them about their experiences.

It's a good idea to talk to a number of suppliers. Retailers and service providers often recommend a single manufacturer but there may be a range of systems on the market you could use.

It's important to be clear about what you want your supplier to provide and to make sure from the outset they'll be able to deliver it. Things to consider include:

• Initial advice - do you need help identifying appropriate systems and functions?
• Installation - will the supplier install your system?
• Maintenance - what happens if there's a problem? Will there be a charge for maintenance?
• Training - is training needed to use the new system and conduct day-to-day maintenance?
• Scalability - can the system accommodate extra users or enhanced functions if your business grows or its needs become more complicated?
• After-sales service - will there be ongoing telephone or online support? Using a local dealer can give you easier after-sales access to your supplier.

5. Professional Services

Your telecoms supplier should offer a comprehensive range of professional services that covers your initial inquiry meeting right through to supply, installation and support.

Many of the elements to providing a telephone system can be quite complicated, such as accurately requesting your network needs with BT or the project management for your move to new premises. Be sure to check references for similar projects and take the time to call the companies to ask about their experiences.

Even the largest telecoms supply companies these days use partners for at least some aspect of their service provision. In such cases you should ensure that the performance of any partners are covered by one single contract, and that you only have one number and central contact who will resolve issues.

Supplier Services check list:

Supply -amp- Installation

• Evaluation of Customer Needs
• Application Discovery
• Demonstrations and Proposals
• Manufacturer Support
• Reference Site Visits
• Quotation and Agreement
• Financing
• Project Management
• British Telecom Liaison
• Installation and Commissioning
• User Training
• System Administration Training

Continuing Support

• System Maintenance
• Help Desk Support
• Remote Diagnostic Support
• Field Engineering
• "Moves, Adds & Changes"
• Manufacturer Support

Account Management

Hardware and Software Upgrade Programmes

Service Review Meetings - Periodic

Call Spend Review - Low Cost Routing and Mobile Spend Evaluation

Training Evaluation

_{* Compiled by Trident Voice & Data}