..But you don’t know where to begin! Luckily, we made it super easy for you to come to a decision. First off, you made the right choice in even considering to get a phone system. It will make operating your business exponentially more efficient, and make communicating that much more effective. Now, the next question that most likely has you stumped is, “what kind of phone system do I need for my particular business?”

There are a few ways to tackle this conundrum:

1) Figure out what size your business is. This is crucial because you will be expecting out of your phone system will heavily depend on the size of your business. For instance, if you have a –

a) Small-sized business – You wouldn’t really need a super intricate phone system that would take more time and effort to learn how to operate than to actually execute into your business. For a small business, we would recommend something such as an Avaya or ESI. These systems can handle the workload, make operations run much smoother at work, and be an overall exceptional aspect to the running of your business, while also not being an overly technical piece of machine. They provide a small-sized business with digital and IP communications. ESI is incredibly easy to use, while also densely packed with highly advanced capabilities and features, but none of the enterprise features that a small business would never be interested in. So, with ESI or even Avaya, you are getting exactly what your small business needs to give your business a competitive edge. Also, the overall happiness of your employees at your small-sized business is a very important factor in the success of your business, so incorporating a phone system that will make things simpler will leave your employees happy 🙂

b) Medium-sized business – Running a medium-sized business without a phone system would be an absolute pain. Why? Because the benefits heavily outweigh the costs when dealing with a phone system in a medium-sized business. By incorporating something like ShoreTel, something that has more features than an ESI, can allow you to do numerous tasks without having to spend much time or effort. Medium-sized businesses using ShoreTel can easily get rid of complex communication for simple yet intelligent unified communication – integrated voice, video, data, and mobile communication all at the click of a mouse.

c) Large-sized business – Have a large enterprise? Then you definitely need enterprise features in a phone system. And for that, ShoreTel has you covered. The beautifully intricate ShoreTel architecture offers corporate-level features and collaboration tools that improve productivity and innovation. Additionally, ShoreTel is uniquely scalable: meaning the architecture doesn’t change whether you have 5 users or 20,000. Simply add another appliance. Another option you should consider is if you would want an on-premise solution (in which the hardware appliance is kept on-site in your server closet), or a cloud phone system called ShoreTel Sky (where your phones connect through your Internet connection to a provider that maintains the equipment at an off-site cloud data center). Both options are leaders in the industry, so it’s just a matter of what you need, so it’s important to compare the pros and cons, as well as the benefits of on-prem vs. cloud.

2) Once you have figured out what size your  company is, next you would look into how the manufacturer of the phone systems grade their customer satisfaction. This is highly important because if you don’t bother looking into how other phone system customers felt about the product, then how will you know if the product and manufacturer providing the product are sincere and genuine in what they do/what they are providing? After all, you can’t manage what you can’t measure.

3) Always look into market analyst research. Research companies like Gartner, Nemertes, and Tolly Group are all good places to start because they all provide thorough, unbiased, and well educated research and actively compare the big players in the industry.

4) Finally, you’ve decided the size of your business. You looked into customer reviews, you even looked into highly thorough market research. Now, you’re ready to take the last step. You will want to get around 2 credible bids per manufacturer on the phone system you believe would be right for your business, and then compare the bids to get the best price. In this step, it’s important to look into the reputation of the manufacturer/reseller,because at the end of it all, I still believe that customers buy from people they trust. So as much as it matters what you are purchasing, it’s just as important to consider who you’re purchasing from.

Luckily for you, Genesis BCS is 30+ year, successfully operating business that continues to grow and develop into the one of the best telecom companies in Houston. So if you’re interested in a phone system, or already have one and want to upgrade, let us know because we’re ready to do business with your business!