Selecting VoIP Business Phone Systems in Duluth, Hibbing and Virginia
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone systems that transmit, forward and route phone calls over the Internet have changed telephony forever. Aptera partners walk you through every step setting up your VoIp phone system in Duluth, Hibbing, Virginia and Chisholm from choosing features, installation and training. These cloud bases virtual PBX systems in St. Louis County are often the first choice for new and small businesses because of flexibility in features, increased reliability, and lower setup costs.
Cloud Based VoIP/Virtual PBX Systems
Cloud based VoIP or virtual PBX (private branch exchange) business phone systems are hosted on a secure, shared, off-site data center. This allows non-tech employees to set up and use the virtual software platform to make or receive phone calls in the office, at remote locations, and even at home. Virtual PBX technology means less IT troubleshooting on the user side, a multitude of available features, and no requirements to spend money on hardware installations or upgrades. You buy the business phones, pay for monthly service, add SIP Trunks as necessary, that's it. The knock against full VoIP systems in Duluth, Hibbing and Virginia has been reliability because if there is a localized Internet outage you temporarily lose all service.
Locally Hosted PBX
Locally hosted, or premise based traditional PBX is installed, managed, and maintained at the business site—usually in a server closet with other hardware. While the functions are very similar to cloud based systems, it should be noted that all features are provided by the installed equipment at your location. You get more control with a PBX system installation in Duluth, Hibbing, Virginia and Chisholm but upgrades can be costly as new equipment must be purchased, installed, and configured by someone on your staff. Run through traditional copper wiring and switches to handle transfers, extensions, and directories, they offer maximum reliability. VoIP systems are gaining in dependability as technology continues to advance. The tide is turning against traditional PBX networked office phone systems in St. Louis County as the expense to set up and maintain the infrastructure is too great and cloud based options for SIP trunking with a web interface are increasingly reliable.
The Big Picture
It can be easy to lose sight of the ultimate goal when reviewing features, weighing the requests of internal departments, and looking at up-time charts. Your head may start to spin as you evaluate business phones from Panasonic, Nortel, NEC and dozens of other brands. Just keep in mind that reliable service, valuable features, and an affordable plan are important and one size does not fit all:
Small Business Phone Systems in St. Louis County (5 to 100 Users)
Medium and small businesses are best using either land line phone systems or cloud based VoIP services. Landlines offer the basic features such as voicemail, caller ID, and even call transfer without adding hardware to older systems. As you grow and need advanced features such as an auto-attendant you may want to make the jump to cloud based VoIP services.
Large Corporate Systems (Over 100 Users)
Larger businesses with an on-staff IT department can consider a locally hosted PBX system, as they already have the personnel in place to set up and maintain the system. Only with this economy of scale can businesses justify the investment in both equipment and manpower.
High Volume Call Center Telephone Systems
A VoIP system with virtual PBX is typically the best option for call centers fielding over 500 calls per day. Features available with a virtual PBX system such as call distribution, hierarchy routing, overflow queues, and real-time monitoring allow the call center to run smoothly.
Multi-Location Phone Systems in St. Louis County, MN
Cloud based VoIP can handle your multi-location business with ease and allows you to use one interface to manage and control your call details. If you have locations 5 locations across Duluth, Hibbing, Virginia, Chisholm and Saginaw, a business phone system that isn't reliant on IT staff in Duluth makes the most sense. No centralized IT department needed and your security department can still monitor all data remotely.
Phone Systems For Remote & Mobile Workforce
Utilize a VoIP system for remote workers with complete virtual office functionality. Employees can integrate existing mobile phones to take or transfer calls in a remote location and change routing on the fly.
Overwhelming Feature Options
When IT managers are trying to upgrade their office phone system in Duluth, Hibbing and Virginia it is easy for 'feature bloat' to grind the process to a halt. There are an immense number of valuable features to choose from but your primary decision maker for telephone systems must be able to decide which feature are necessary, which add some value, and which are just useless bells and whistles.
- Auto-Attendant - Greets callers, manages call-routing, and can even inform callers of important information (such as hours, closings, special announcements) via various prompts.
- Call Queue - Gives the caller the ability to choose to be routed to voicemail, hold for the desired employee to answer, or return to the main menu.
- Conference - Phone conferencing options benefit the business and the client when all parties are unable to be in one place for an important meeting.
- Dial by Name/Extension
- Music on Hold - Integrate your company slogan or relay information about company operations while a caller waits for the party they are trying to reach.
- Mode Scheduling - Route phone calls based on the season, month, day of week, or even the hour of the day. Mode scheduling directs callers to indicated prompts based on the pre-set availability of employees.
- Voicemail - Fully customizable, combine office and cell messages, give email alerts, transfer voice to text, and forward messages to other lines when needed.
- Call Reporting - This feature lets administrators view the time, duration, and other specific details of any call made or received.
- Call Forwarding
- Find Me - Like call forwarding, transfers calls to another line when the first line does not answer—but can also be optimized to ring additional lines until the call is picked up.
- Call Parking - Lets you place a call on hold and pick it up from a different phone at your location.
- Remote Managing - Allows you to manage your business phone system from a laptop, desktop, or mobile device while you are off-site.
- Anywhere Connectivity - This feature lets you add any land line, VoIP, or mobile phone—no matter the location.
- Caller ID
- Advanced Routing via Caller ID
- Designated Privileges - Ability to authorize specific lines for long-distance calling. Also allows you to block certain types of outgoing calls.
- Do Not Disturb - Set the line to automatically route calls to voicemail while you are in an important meeting.
- Call Monitoring - Listen in on your company calls for maximum quality assurance.
- Video Conferencing - Chat with coworkers or clients face-to-face for a more personalized level of service.
- Nationwide Phone Numbers - Choose phone numbers for St. Louis County extensions based on where where your customers are.
Meeting Minimum Requirements For Connectivity
Modern high tech office communications systems that combine faxes, video conferencing, data flow management, landlines and cell phones are data intensive . If your building is still wired with old copper wire you will need to upgrade to a fiber optic line to meet these demands. Corporate sized telecommunication systems need WAN (wide area network) for higher speed connectivity between multiple office over large distances. Requirements include at least a T1 line at each location and CAT 5 (category 5 twisted pair) connections for up to 1000 MHz. Fiber optic networks can connect directly into your business phone system in St. Louis County circumventing the need for traditional landlines in new buildings. For very large offices with high data demands where a T1 might not cut it you may need a stronger connection to the internet backbone with OC48 (Optical Carrier Level) up to 2.5 Gigabits/second or OC192 up to 10 Gigabits/second.
Beyond the Features
System Training
Find out how much training is offered by the St. Louis County telecommunications contractor? Also find the average time it takes to set each employee up.
Tech Support
If your phones ever go down you need a tech support team with a quick response time. Ask how technical issues are handled and prioritized and what average response times for problems such as noise on the line or non-working extensions.
Reliability
For most companies, when their telephone system crashes they start losing money immediately. Ask for documented up-time averages for other business similar in size to your own prior to deciding. If they cannot guarantee near 100% up-time then find another system.
Keep Costs in Check
What will a phone system cost in St. Louis County for my sized business? This is a major factor when ultimately selecting a system but quick, cookie cutter pricing rarely reflects the final price you pay. Considering upfront installation and equipment costs versus lifetime costs when comparing bids is critical but not always easy. Does money need to be spent on wiring and infrastructure? Are there software setup fees? Who owns the phones? Most St. Louis County telephone system prices are highly custom and contractors swap similar telecom jargon so make sure everything is clear and itemized on every bid.
Scalability
To make sure you can handle future growth - both employee count and data flow - keep platform scalability in mind during the discovery phase. Your telephone system must accommodate new technology such as video conferencing, live chat customer service functions and anything else your operations department throws at you. Also what happens if you need to downsize, are you contractually obligated to keep paying for a certain number of lines? In general, VoIP systems in St. Louis County are the most flexible and you can typically add or remove users in seconds on your web interface.
Questions to Ask of Your Business Phone System Provider
Can I keep my current phone number?
Yes, number portability is recognized nationwide from all carriers.
My customers are out of state—can I use a different area code?
Yes, nearly all VOIP service providers in St. Louis County offer the ability to choose a number from any US area code.
How is the training conducted?
Most small business phone system companies in St. Louis County offer a combination of training over the phone, video tutorials or online training. Larger companies with more complex telephone systems with long lead times for installation usually include on site training for the in-house tech department (for integration into Salesforce or other external systems) and for regular employees just before launch.
Do you belong to any associations?
In general a phone system contractor who belongs to associations hold themselves to a higher standard and make their track record more public. If they belong to USTelecom for example that should be a step towards earning your trust.
Do I purchase or lease the phone equipment?
Whether you lease or buy business phones in St. Louis County will depend on the type of system and provider you choose. Most telecom companies lease the equipment to you and provide upgrades periodically to ensure you have the latest technology.
What if my system goes down?
Many providers have a back-up plan in place to allow calls to be re-routed until tech support can resolve the issue.
Is line maintenance included in my plan?
Some, but not all, providers include line maintenance.
Keeping Your Phone System Secure
Thousands of customer details, credit card numbers, and other secure data pass through phone systems in Duluth, Hibbing, Virginia and Chisholm every single day. Security always needs to be a top concern with hacking, toll fraud, and eavesdropping all commonplace and known weaknesses in IP phone system security. Secure phone systems employ firewall technology, signaling and device encryption, and password-coded user features.
Additionally, remember to always:
- Keep software up-to-date
- Remind employees to delete sensitive voicemail information
- Change passwords regularly
- Report suspected cases of fraud to your provider immediately
The NIST www.csrc.nist.gov and GSA www.gsa.gov also offer guidance for implementing corporate standards that protect your company and your clients.
St. Louis County Cities Served
Business Phone Systems Duluth, MN
Telephone Associates Inc
412 W Superior St
Duluth, MN 55802
Intrado
322 W 1st St
Duluth, MN 55802
Twin Ports Telephone
130 W Superior St, Ste 50
Duluth, MN 55802
Duluth Business Phone Systems Costs:
Duluth business phone systems costs $416, voip phone systems costs $188.
Business Phone Systems Hibbing, MN
Hibbing Business Phone Systems Costs:
Hibbing business phone systems costs $391, voip phone systems costs $177.
Business Phone Systems Virginia, MN
Virginia Business Phone Systems Costs:
Virginia business phone systems costs $339, voip phone systems costs $154.
Business Phone Systems Chisholm, MN
Chisholm Business Phone Systems Costs:
Chisholm business phone systems costs $398, voip phone systems costs $180.
Business Phone Systems Saginaw, MN
Saginaw Business Phone Systems Costs:
Saginaw business phone systems costs $388, voip phone systems costs $176.
Business Phone Systems Embarrass, MN
Embarrass Business Phone Systems Costs:
Embarrass business phone systems costs $346, voip phone systems costs $157.
Business Phone Systems Eveleth, MN
Eveleth Business Phone Systems Costs:
Eveleth business phone systems costs $359, voip phone systems costs $163.
Business Phone Systems Iron, MN
Iron Business Phone Systems Costs:
Iron business phone systems costs $414, voip phone systems costs $187.
Business Phone Systems Ely, MN
Ely Business Phone Systems Costs:
Ely business phone systems costs $370, voip phone systems costs $168.
Business Phone Systems Britt, MN
Britt Business Phone Systems Costs:
Britt business phone systems costs $428, voip phone systems costs $194.
Telephone Associates Inc
412 W Superior St
Duluth, MN 55802
Intrado
322 W 1st St
Duluth, MN 55802
Twin Ports Telephone
130 W Superior St, Ste 50
Duluth, MN 55802
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