Telephone systems have certainly evolved and matured over the years. Gone are the days when a multi-party line was the next best thing to a conference call. Now, there is a vast array of telephone system features available on the market to meet your every need and more.
Listed below are some of the phone system features available on the market. Be careful, though, when writing up your wish list. Remember, while many basic telephone system features are part of the base price for some phone systems, adding extra features will certainly increase your bottom line cost.
Auto-Attendant: This phone system feature is a recorded message that answers the phone and instructs callers how to reach a specific department or person. A caller is then able to find the person they need by name (though voice or dial), extension, or from a directory service. The auto-attendant can also be programmed to track employee incoming or outgoing phone call statistics or department trends.
Automatic Call Forwarding: This telephone feature allows incoming calls to be routed to employees, even if they are on the road, at home, or at a remote location.
Computer Telephony Integration (CTI): There are a vast array of CTI features that connect your computer to the phone system. For example, the one-click dialing feature allows callers to place a call automatically without dialing any numbers. Also, the account information for a caller can be displayed automatically when an employee picks up the phone call.
Conference Calls: Most are familar with the conference feature which allows telephone users to establish conference calls without operator assistance. Specific conferencing features vary widely and a dealer can help determine the level of conference call capability based on the needs of your business.
Calls On-Hold: The hold feature allows telephone users to disconnect from a call temporarily, use the telephone for other call purposes, and then return to the original call. Music that is tapped into a holding call is a specific feature that speaks (sings) for itself.
Call Coverage: This feature is the automatic redirection of your calls to voice mail or to another telephone when your phone is not answered within a predetermined number of rings.
Voicemail: This feature is often times included as part of the base phone system and serves as an answering service when you aren’t able to take a call. If you do have an existing voice mail service, be sure to check its compatiblity with your new phone system purchase.
Hardware Enhancements: Features found on the phone sets themselves may include a “display phone” system that provides caller information such as name/extension of internal call, duration of call, or caller ID. Phone systems with “speaker phones” are obviously equipped for conferencing situations. They can be half-duplexed which means that only one person on the call can be heard at a time or full-duplexed which lets both parties talk simultaneously. Some phones also have a “listen only” feature.
Other: Several other features, many of them part of the base phone system package, may include transfer capabilities, automatic callback, call forward, speed dial, and call waiting. Check with a phone system dealer to learn what is available with each system. Not only will you want to be sure that the features you choose for your office phone system are user-friendly, but that they are necessary and essential to successfully carry out your business activities.