What are the some advantages and disadvantages of the various Business Phone Systems?

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• VoIP: The fact that VoIP systems use the internet rather than traditional lines means that your long distance costs should drop significantly. Especially if you operate multiple offices in remote locations, VoIP’s ability to create one network among those offices should save you money. However, VoIP systems require an internet connection and involve heavy bandwith usage, and the costs of maintenance and upgrades are often high.


• Key system unit: KSU systems are highly functional for mid-sized businesses. Most KSU systems offer extension dialing, advanced voice mail and many other options. As with VoIP and PBX systems, however, KSU systems require professional installation and often cost tens of thousands of dollars. Moreover, KSU systems vary more than their PBX counterparts in terms of standard features and programmability – some systems may lack options you’d like within your phone system.


• Key system unit-less: KSU-less systems don’t require professional installation, since the phones themselves possess the ability to grant your business professional phone system options, and the phones themselves usually cost $200.00 or less per phone. However, those installation savings mean that you’ll need in-house expertise to install and maintain the phones, and KSU-less systems usually don’t offer some of the more advanced phone features, such as automatic call forwarding.


• Phone branch exchange: PBX systems offer a staggering array of services and are usually highly programmable, so you should be able to adapt your PBX system to the personal preferences of your employees. Not only do most PBX systems offer automatic call forwarding and other advanced options, but many of the newer PBX systems are also IP compatible, which means it’s not difficult to convert your PBX system to a VoIP system if you so choose. PBX systems require professional installation and aren’t mobile afterwards, however. Additionally, the advanced features come at a cost, since PBX systems often cost $50,000.00 or more.



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