Is a new system expensive?

NO. Since you last looked, system costs have most likely fallen considerably, and return on investment times have shortened.

Can I use my existing wiring?

YES. Most modern systems work very well over traditional wiring schemes. Obviously we will survey to ensure suitability.

Do we need to talk to BT?

NO. We prefer to conduct all project management on your behalf. This way we have full control and responsibility for all aspects of the installation.

Do you offer maintenance?

YES. We have a range of options to suit your requirements.

Can you supply the lines and competitively priced call tariffs?

YES. We offer a complete package and can act as a single point of contact for all telecom related issues.

Are you manufacturer approved?

YES. All sales consultants are manufacturer trained and engineers are product certified by the manufacturer of your chosen product.

What are the main considerations when buying a new telephone system?

How many telephone users are there currently in your business?

This will determine the number of extensions and the number of lines.

Is this number likely to increase?

On average, businesses change their phone system every 5-7 years. Buy a system that you will not outgrow too quickly.

What is your budget?

Prices of telephone systems vary considerably, dependent on the number of users and the applications needed.

Purchase, or hire?

Hire offers tax benefits and allows the cost to be spread over a number of years. Ask us about the various hire agreements we offer.

What applications do you need?

Features like group hunting (incoming calls can try several extensions if the main number is busy), pick-up, transfer and speed dial are standard on most systems. Applications such as voicemail, computer telephony integration (CTI) and call recording are usually additional, but can greatly improve efficiency and customer service.

Do certain staff need to be contacted at anytime from anywhere in the building?

Many companies are now investing in DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telephony) systems that provide cordless coverage in an office or industrial site via a series of strategically placed wireless base stations.

How do you choose your supplier?

Choose a supplier who is fully trained and accredited by the manufacturers that they represent. Make sure that they can offer a comprehensive service including consultancy, project management, installation, service and support. Do not be afraid to ask for customer testimonials.

Do you want to reduce the cost of calls?

Carrier Pre Select (CPS) and Least Cost Routing (LCR) give significantly lower costs for all outbound calls without the need to change your existing BT numbers or install additional hardware.

What level of technical support do you need?

Whilst telecoms technicians may still have to visit in the event of a system failure, many suppliers now offer remote support, allowing them to dial-in and fix minor faults. It is vital that you choose the right level of support and are aware of what is, and is not, included.

What is DID - Direct Inward Dialing?

DID - Direct Inward Dialing (also called DDI in Europe) is a feature offered by telephone companies for use with their customers' PABX system, whereby the telephone company allocates a range of numbers associated with one or more phone lines.

Its purpose is to allow a company to assign a personal number to each employee, without requiring a separate phone line for each. That way, telephony traffic can be split up and managed more easily.

DID requires that you purchase an ISDN or Digital line and ask the telephone company to assign a range of numbers.

What is CTI?

Computer telephony integration (CTI) covers a wide range of applications that connect your computers to your corporate phone system. One example is one-click dialling for an outbound call centre. Employees can use their contact management applications to place calls without dialling the number manually, reducing errors and time per call.

Will a VOIP system cost less than a normal digital system?

VOIP is certainly a hot technology, but it is rarely less expensive on the front end than the more traditional digital systems. However, VOIP systems can save customers money in the longer term in several ways:

• Reduction in cabling cost. With a VOIP system the telephone and computer share a common network connection.
• Reduction or elimination of costs to move phones. With VOIP, phones retain all of their programming when moved.
• Reduction in toll and connectivity cost between multiple sites. Since voice and data can share a common connection pipe with VOIP, this is much less expensive then maintaining one pipe for voice and one for data. There are also many soft savings with VOIP that relate to the additional functionality and features that come with the technology.

What is VoIP?

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) allows users to make telephone calls over the Internet. If you have a LAN (Local Area Network) or WAN (Wide Area Network) linking your computers, you can also use that network for your telephone calls. This allows staff to communicate with the office wherever they have Internet access. Potentially, once Quality of Services has been achieved, calls can be made to anyone with an Internet connection. This topic needs careful consideration and we suggest that you discuss it with us for an explanation of the considerations.

What is SIP?

SIP is the internet standard for real time voice and video communication. SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) was developed by the IETF and published as RFC 3261.

SIP is an internet protocol for live communications used in setting up and tearing down voice or video calls. It is a signaling protocol used to create, modify, and terminate sessions with one or more participants in an IP network. A session can be a straightforward two-way phone call or it can be a multi-media conference session with many persons participating. SIP has made possible an array of services that seemed unthinkable just a few years ago: internet conferencing, IP telephony, instant messaging, presence, voice and video communication, data collaboration, online gaming, application sharing, and much more.

SIP is doing for real-time communications what HTTP did for the web and SMTP for email. It is the main driver in the acceleration of the IP Telephony revolution. With SIP Telephony, a viable alternative to traditional PBX has emerged. SIP telephone systems deliver features that enhance users’ mobility and productivity, while securing substantial cost-saving advantages. This is making proprietary hardware based PBXs obsolete.

Can VoIP provide cost savings?

Yes, potentially, but each scenario is different and requires careful consideration. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. There are generally five areas of VoIP to understand which are as follows:

• IP trunking – linking of sites so that they are acting 'as one'.
• IP extensions – the use of one data outlet per desk (your telephone connects to your data cabling and your PC connects to the back of your telephone). This potentially reduces costs for businesses faced with re-cabling or new cabling.
• Home or remote working – broadband users can log on to the company telephone system via the Internet. In some instances functionality is identical, as if the user is actually in the office.
• Accessing carrier VoIP networks for routing calls to all destinations – there are a number of companies (e.g. Skype) offering such services. Whilst these are ideal for constant one-to-one conversations between registered users, the practicalities are currently a little cumbersome, although this is likely to change with time.
• Hosted services – basically you don’t have a telephone system as your system will be hosted via a broadband connection – whilst suppliers will make this look attractively priced, it requires careful consideration and we suggest you discuss it with us.