Which Phone System Is the Best Business Phone System?

In most cases, a cloud-based VoIP system is the best business phone system. Cloud-based telephone systems are inexpensive and extremely flexible. They come jam-packed with call management features that other phone systems don’t. A cloud-based system will also scale with your business, so you only pay for the amount of licences that you need.

The best phone system for you will differ from the best phone system for another business. If you want to find out which phone system is the best for your business specifically, we can help. You can book your free, no-obligation consultation today by filling in the form below.

We can come and meet you in person and find out a bit more about your business. We’ll find out how many people will be using your system and what you need your system to do. If you want a demo of the phone systems we offer, we can offer a free, no-obligation demo so you can see how you could use different types of phone system for your business. All of this is free of charge, and there’s no obligation to take up any of our services after you’ve had your consultation.

Want to find out which system will suit your business best? Please fill in the form below and we’ll be in touch to arrange a convenient time for your consultation.

Cloud-Based VoIP Systems

A hosted telephone system utilises the internet to connect the extensions in your business and the public phone network. To establish a cloud-based phone system, no hardware is required onsite other than VoIP handsets that you use to make and receive calls.

You pay on a monthly basis for your VoIP licences. It’s easy to add new users to your VoIP system, so this type of system will easily scale up as your business grows.

On-Premises Phone System

Before cloud-based telephone systems, the only option was an on-premises system. Despite VoIP’s surging popularity, some businesses still have on-premises systems and some businesses even now would prefer to invest in a traditional system over a cloud-based one.

An on-premises telephone system requires you to have hardware onsite. An onsite telephone system is connected to the phone network using either PSTN or ISDN telephone lines. Now that the ISDN and PSTN infrastructure will soon be extinct, businesses wanting an onsite telephone system are looking at hybrid options combining VoIP and on-premises infrastructure.

To establish an on-premises telephone system, you usually pay a one-off cost upfront. Now, you may be able to spread out the cost of setting up your telephone system by setting up a leasing agreement. If you aren’t ready for the cloud, an on-premises telephone system may be the best solution for your business.

Comparing VoIP and On-Premises Systems

On-premises and VoIP telephone systems have their advantages and drawbacks. Here’s how they compare.

Features

Both types of telephone system have a great deal of functionality other than the ability to make and answer calls. Both have features such as voicemail, hunt groups, and call transfer that allow you to manage calls successfully.

VoIP has always offered these features, whereas on-premises telephone systems have been upgraded over time to offer extra functionality.

Upgrading

Upgrading a cloud-based phone system requires no on-site visit from an engineer. All upgrades are completed in the cloud, so you’ll get all the upgrades without having an engineer visit your site. Maintenance and new features are all handled as part of the service.

With an on-premises phone system, you will have to pay for upgrades, and they will often require a visit to your offices. You will have to pay for these upgrades, unlike with a cloud-based system.

Quality

Businesses often have concerns that VoIP phone calls are poor quality. However, calls will be the same quality as a traditional landline after improvements over the last 10 years. In fact, your VoIP calls could be a higher quality than a traditional landline call depending on how your cloud system was set up.

Cost

A cloud-based telephone system is undoubtedly cheaper to set up than an on-premises telephone system. To set up a cloud-based telephone system, you will have to pay for licences and handsets if you require them. For licences and handsets, you will usually pay for them monthly rather than upfront.

Usually you will have to pay for an on-premises telephone system upfront. Purchasing the equipment upfront can be extremely costly, making it an unviable option for most SMEs.

Which Is Best?

For SMEs, a cloud-based telephone system is available for a manageable monthly fee and comes with a range of features. A cloud-based solution will provide you with everything that you need, providing you have a good internet connection.

If you’d like us to assess whether a VoIP system will meet your requirements or not, please contact us by filling in the form below. We will advise you on whether a VoIP or on-premises telephone would suit you best, completely free of charge.