In a market booming with so many competitive business phone options, how do you zero in on the perfect platform for your business? It’s not always easy to know where to begin. But one of the best starting points is assessing business phone features and what they can bring to your business.

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Article Roadmap

• What Is a Business Phone System?
• Primary Benefits
• Steps To Take When Considering a Business Phone
• Key Features
  • Call Coverage
  • Calling Features
  • Collaboration
  • Mobile Features
  • Phone Numbers
  • Phone System
  • Voice Intelligence & Analytics
  • Voicemail & Messaging
• Final Thoughts

What Is a Business Phone System?

A business phone system is a multi-line telephone system designed for use in business environments to field inbound, outbound and internal calls.

Gone are the days when employees were restricted to desk phones or landlines. Mobile phones and the internet have given rise to different types of business phone systems. In addition to the traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN) and more modern private branch exchange (PBX) systems, common modern systems include VoIP, cloud-based phones and self-hosted phones.

While a business phone system may seem like a given, or even an unremarkable aspect of your business, updating your system can come with many advantages.

Primary Benefits

1. Improves Remote Work

61% of respondents to a survey by Buffer chose not to work in-office, opting to work from home. With an increasing number of employees working remotely some or all of the time, it’s essential to keep your staff connected no matter where they are.

Modern business phone systems, especially ones that work over the internet, offer adaptable, flexible communication. All employees need to stay in touch are a stable internet connection and a network-connected device, like a desktop, laptop or mobile phone, ensuring they’re never out of reach.

2. Boosts Professionalism

Maintaining a professional image is paramount for any business, especially ones that are smaller or just getting started. Many business phone systems come with features that give a positive, professional impression to callers, like auto attendant, intelligent call routing, hold music and voicemail.

3. Enables Unified Communication

Instead of multiple programs for collaboration and calling, a business phone system can consolidate all of your internal and external communications into one unified platform. You can also integrate the software with your existing programs and applications like CRM, facilitating teamwork and streamlining your daily operations.

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Steps To Take When Considering a Business Phone

Now that you have a sense of how the right business phone system could help your business, it’s important to think about how that would look for you. Going into your software search with a plan helps protect you from getting overwhelmed by all the possible options.

Here are some steps to take when preparing for your software search:

• Get a sense of what your company needs
• Make a list of the top features required
• Analyze the market
• Prepare your budget
• Compare top solutions
• Get detailed vendor information
• Consult experts if needed

Key Features

Though every business is different — and you know the needs of your business best — most can benefit from these key business phone features.

1. Call Coverage

Whether they’re busy on another line, away from their desk or off the clock, employees aren’t always available to pick up calls. Missed calls lead to losing out on potential business and customer dissatisfaction.

Call coverage acts as a security blanket, filling in the gaps so that no call goes unanswered. Some of the most common functionalities include automatic call distribution (ACD), auto attendant, call forwarding and call queueing.

An automatic call distribution system answers calls and routes them to the best available agents or departments within a call center. It cuts down on call waiting time as well as unnecessary transfers, helping customers get the answers they need from the best people to help them.

Another tool that works in tandem with an ACD is an auto attendant, an automated answering system. It greets your customers and allows them to choose from a pre-recorded menu, which can answer simple questions without the need for a human agent or transfer the customer to the appropriate department. It can also direct your customers to leave a voicemail or call back if they’re calling after business hours.

Call forwarding is another helpful tool for reducing the possibility of missed calls. It allows calls placed to a given number to be forwarded on to another number, device or voicemail message. It’s especially useful if you have remote teams answering calls — if an agent leaves their desk, they can set calls to be forwarded to their mobile device.

Finally, call queueing is especially helpful for companies dealing with high call volumes. When callers are placed in a queue, an automated message lets them know the estimated wait time and gives them the option to ask for a callback. Knowing how long they’ll have to hold means customers are more likely to wait. And having the callback option gives them the flexibility to continue with their day if they aren’t able to hold.

• ACD-based Routing System
• Automated Attendant System
• Call Forwarding System
• Call Park
• Call Queuing System
• Directed Call Pickup
• Direct Inward Dialing (DID)
• Do Not Disturb Mode
• Find Me/Follow Me
• Priority-based Routing System
• Ring Groups
• Shared Line Appearance
• Skills-based Routing System

2. Calling Features

A phone call is one of the most convenient and straightforward ways to interact with your customers. Calling features allow you to customize your telephone service to enhance the experience for your clientele and adapt to your company’s unique needs.

While basic calling features may be enough for the daily operations of small businesses, as your business grows, you might benefit from adding some advanced features into the mix. Some calling features to consider include caller ID, call recording, call masking, auto dialers and call barging.

Auto Dialers

An auto dialer is an electronic device that places many calls consecutively, using a preprogrammed list. It makes it easier for your agents to move on to the next call once they’ve finished with a client, helping reach more leads in less time.

Call Barging

Call barging allows a third party, like a supervisor, to enter a live call. If things aren’t going well between an agent and a customer, another employee can easily enter the call to either help or completely take over.

Caller ID

With caller ID, you can see who’s calling, eliminating time wasted dealing with spam or other calls you don’t want.

Call Masking

Call masking is great if you want callers to only see the phone number you set up, not your actual phone number. This is an excellent way of maintaining privacy.

Call Recording

Record your calls as they happen and store recordings automatically for future reference. You can use them to train new employees, maintain accurate records, and monitor employee performance and compliance with company procedures.

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3. Collaboration

In addition to providing a way for employees to connect from anywhere, business phone systems have other tools to improve collaboration. Features like audio and video conferencing, chat, file sharing and screen sharing help your employees work together effectively.

Many business phone systems software options also contain user-friendly dashboards that consolidate call-related data, like customer profiles and call histories, so employees can easily access, share and update useful information.

• Audio Conferencing
• Chat
• Conference Bridge
• File Sharing
• HD Video
• Meeting Reminders
• Multiple Options for Joining a Meeting
• Mute Participants
• Recording Meeting
• Rooms
• Schedule and Produce Live Events
• Schedule a Meeting
• Screen Sharing
• Availability Status
• Tags or @ Mentions

4. Mobile Features

Though many companies still use classic landlines and desk phones, remote work has caused a rise in the use of mobile devices in the workplace. What better devices to work from than the ones your employees use the most? A business phone system with mobile capabilities prevents gaps in your communication, no matter where everyone works.

Web-based business phones like VoIP systems are especially easy to adapt for mobile devices — all they need to work is a stable internet connection. You can make and receive internal and external calls, field calls from international numbers and join conferences from your network-connected mobile device.

Viewing the overall working VoIP software.

Video conferencing and SMS chat also enhance the convenience of mobile access, providing your employees with a suite of diverse communication tools they can use from anywhere.

• Make and Receive VoIP Calls
• Mobile Chat
• Mobile Video Call
• Native Mobile Application
• Send Text Messages

5. Phone Numbers

Business phone numbers do much more than give customers a way to contact your business — they help establish your company’s presence and credibility. There are many types of business phone numbers to consider for your business. Here are some of the most common options.

Local Numbers

Local numbers help businesses connect with customers in specific cities or states. These numbers begin with the local area code, making it easier for customers to identify and place trust in the business, and more likely to pick up a call.

Toll-free Numbers

Toll-free numbers allow customers to call at no cost to them. This encourages your customers to reach out and can also enhance your brand image, as many people associate these numbers with more established companies.

Vanity Numbers

A vanity number can be a toll-free or local number, but it has a unique, recognizable pattern of letters or digits that customers can easily remember. Some examples are 1-800-FLOWERS or 1-800-FOOD.

Virtual Numbers

Since virtual numbers work over the internet and aren’t tied to any physical location, they allow customers to contact you from anywhere in the world. If you have or are trying to reach a global customer base, using a virtual number as one of your phone lines makes it possible for you to provide customer support to all callers without the hefty fees of traditional international phone service.

• Local Numbers
• Toll-free Number
• Vanity Number
• Virtual Number

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6. Phone System

The phone system is the actual network of interconnected telephones. There are three basic types of networks:

• KSU (Key Service Unit)
• VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
• PBX (Private Branch Exchange)

Each of these networks has hosted, cloud and on-premise versions. Depending on your company’s specific needs, you might find one deployment option more effective than another.

Some specific features of phone systems include call handling, conferencing calling, call metering and call transferring. You can also set your business hours, store contacts and extensions in a directory, and manage multiple phone lines.

• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
• Busy Lamp Field (BLF)
• Configurable Business Hour Rules
• Dial-by-Name Directory
• Dial Pad
• Electronic Fax System
• Extensions
• In-built Screen Pop
• Multiple-line Phone System
• Music On Hold
• Number Porting
• Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Calling
• Soft Phones

7. Voice Intelligence & Analytics

Voice intelligence helps users learn from calls. Using call recordings, voice intelligence tools can transcribe dialogue, noting important details as well as analyzing the sentiments of the participants in the call.

Having a written transcript of calls ensures that nothing is missed and helps protect you in the event of future inconsistencies. These features can also highlight the parts of a conversation that may be most important to you, based on pre-set criteria. This is especially helpful for companies that field high call volumes.

Example of decoding conversations as part of call analytics.

Analytics tools can also provide greater insight into the level of customer satisfaction, quality of service provided and trends in customer needs. These insights make it easier to identify areas of weakness, evaluate how your employees perform and strategize better for the future.

• Voice Notes To Highlight Important Points
• Call Sentiment Analysis
• Call Summary
• Call Transcription
• Custom Reports
• Pre-built Reports
• Wallboard

8. Voicemail & Messaging

Voicemail allows your callers to leave messages for employees even when they aren’t available. The voicemail inbox can be accessed from any connected device, including mobile phones, computers and laptops, making it easier for your employees to follow up once they’ve received the message.

Many business phone systems also have a voicemail-to-email feature that records voice messages, transcribes them to text and sends both the audio file and transcription to your email. This way, agents can quickly catch up on messages even if they aren’t able to immediately listen to or return a call.

Voicemail systems can also offer customizable greetings for your customers, and distribution lists that automatically categorize and sort their calls by priority.

Listening to a message in the voicemail.

Messaging is another communication channel supported by business phone systems. It’s an easy, quick and cost-effective way for businesses to connect with customers and other contacts.

SMS and text messaging in particular are useful for effective, low-cost marketing campaigns with a broad reach. A recent report by eMarketer found that 70% of consumers agree that SMS texting is a great way for businesses to get their attention. Send automated messages about new offers, sales and other promotions right to your customers’ phones.

• Business SMS And MMS
• Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System
• Message Waiting Indicator (MWI)
• Voicemail System
• Voicemail to Email Notification
• Voicemail to SMS Notification
• Voicemail Transcription

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Final Thoughts

In a market full of competitive options, finding the right business phone system for your company is no easy task. We hope this list of key business phone system features helps set you on the right path in your software search.

Ready to take the next step? Check out our comparison report to easily compare top software leaders, or, if you still don’t feel like you know what you’re looking for, fill out our requirements template to get a better idea of what your business needs.

Which business phone features are the most important for your company? Are there any we didn’t cover? Let us know in the comments below!