Norstar? Avaya? How do I buy a business phone system?

3 Simple Parts – Lines, Stations, and Voice mail

Let’s say it again, “Lines, stations, and voicemail.”  This is the basis for all business phone system purchases.  If your salesperson is thorough, he will discuss each of these elements with you.

1. How many incoming telephone lines will your business need?
2. How many telephone stations will there be at the business?
3. Do you need voice mail?

How many telephone lines do I need?

Let’s take one step back before we answer this question.  First of all what is a telephone line?  A telephone line allows your business to make and receive telephone calls.  Each telephone line has an assigned phone number(s) (e.g. 555-555-5555) that allows other people to call your business.  Telephone lines are provided by your service provider and are connected directly to a telephone or business telephone system at your place of business.  Types of telephone lines that you will encounter include analog, digital, and VoIP (see blog post “What kinds of lines can I add to a phone system?).

The number of lines you need at your business is based on call volume.  Most small business start at 2 or 3 lines.  If customers start complaining that your lines are always busy, then it might be time to add another.  Since most business phone systems start with configurations of 3 or 4 phone lines for every 8 phone stations, you can also make your decision based on this ratio.  Regardless of the decision, rest assured that you can add or subtract lines easily.

How many telephone stations do I need?

A telephone station is a physical telephone that is connected to a business phone system.  Telephone stations typically have assigned extension numbers.  This allows you to call other people in the office by dialing their extension number.  This is called in ‘intercom’ call.  For instance if Bob’s telephone station had an extension number of 10, then I could dial 10 on my telephone station and Bob’s phone would ring.

Determining how many telephone stations you will need at your business is easy.  All you need to know is how many people in the office will need consistent access to a physical telephone.  Office or cubicle workers usually need a phone right on their desk, but common areas like break rooms or lobbies may only need one phone for common use.  Other types of phone stations can include a conference speakerphone in a conference room, a credit card machine that has a modem, or a fax machine.

Do I need voice mail integrated with my business phone system?

Your telephone line service provider may offer voice mail service on each telephone line, but this means that everyone has to share a mailbox.  For instance, if you have 3 telephone lines, then you only receive 3 voice mailboxes, one for each line.  This isn’t the best scenario if you have 8 people in the office each with their own messages.  Each person would have to listen to all of the messages to figure out which one is his.  Not only would this be time consuming, but it’s also not very private.  If you integrate a voice mail system with your phone system, then each person can have a mailbox assigned to their extension.  They can record personal greetings and receive individualized messages.

Now, let’s get back to the original question.  Do I need voice mail integrated with my business phone system.  The answer to question is ‘Yes’ if everyone needs their own mailbox, and the answer is ‘No’ if the entire business can share a mailbox.  The ‘No’ situation would be similar to using an answering machine.

Which business phone system should I choose?

1. Then again, if you don’t trust your salesperson, it might be time for a new salesperson.

Here are some of the small business systems out there right now:

The 2 major players in the U.S.

• Avaya – Partner ACS, IP Office
• Nortel – Norstar Integrated Communication System (Norstar CICS and MICS), Nortel Business Communication Manager (BCM 50 and BCM450)

Other manufacturers include Toshiba, Panasonic, NEC, Mitel, and Samsung.

Metroline Direct is an independent distributor of technology and telecommunications equipment.  Metroline Direct does not represent  Avaya Communication,  Lucent Technologies,  Nortel Networks,  Cisco,  Toshiba, Mitel, NEC, Dell or their affiliates in any way.  Merlin, Merlin Legend, Merlin Magix, Partner, Partner Plus, Partner II, Partner ACS, Spirit, Definity, IP Office, and Avaya Communication Manager are registered trademarks of Avaya Communication.  Norstar, Meridian, and Business Communication Manager are registered trademarks of Nortel Networks.  For more information, please visit: http://www.metrolinedirect.com