Most people are familiar with fixed line telephones and mobile phones – but as soon as it gets more complicated, the eyes glaze over and, unless you’re an avid techie, the brain tunes out!

However, with today’s business environment a flexible telephone system may be more of a necessity than a ‘new gadget’ for keeping-up-with-the-corporate-Jones’.

What are the options?

There are almost as many options as there are types of organisation.  The secret of choosing a phone system is not to look at what’s available and then try to pick something that looks nearest to delivering what you want.

The first step is to list the challenges you face when it comes to getting your phone system to do what you want – then talk to someone who can find a solution that FITS YOUR NEEDS – not someone who will try to give you a ‘near-enough’ match.

For instance, if your team offer an out-of-office hours service, do you want

• Your main line forwarding to a mobile?
• Calls forwarded to a dedicated mobile for out-of-hours responses that is held by whoever is on duty?
• A specific out-of-hours number that can be diverted automatically to whoever is on duty?
• Diverted calls announcing letting the recipient choose whether or not to answer the call – with automatic relay to another number if the call is not picked up.

There are plenty of options, this is just one example!  Work out what you’d like your telecommunications to do and then ask for what you want!