What should a business phone package look like?

With the right business phone, you can improve both your internal and external communication. Your employees will be able to communicate with each other and share documents while customers will be able to easily reach you. For that to happen seamlessly, it’s important that you choose a business phone package that suits your needs.

With smartphones becoming the primary platform of business communication, it’s important to know what to look for in a business phone package. This is especially true if you have remote or hybrid employees. If you’re a business owner or manager researching business phones and their packages, this article will explain the key factors to look for.

Things to consider when looking for a business phone package

A dropped call, a missed text or the inability to send an email or access a website can cost your business money. To avoid that, pay attention to these things while comparing mobile phone deals.

Phone usage

To get the right business phone package, you need to know your usage pattern. The easiest way to do it is by going through phone bills for the past few months. This will show you how many calls you make, whether these are local or long-distance calls and how much data and the number of texts your business uses in a month.

Instead of being swayed by a mobile carrier’s latest plans or discounted offers, now you have a realistic idea of your expected usage. You can finalise business phone packages that are in sync with your communication needs.

Business plans

Business phone systems shouldn’t just suit your current requirements. They should aid and facilitate your business plans.

• Are you looking to expand your business by adding another location?

• Do you have plans to hire more people?

• Do you currently have or plan to have remote and hybrid employees?

• Is there a marketing campaign - even a hoarding - that you plan to roll out?

• Are you updating your website and including phone number?

• Are you looking at national or international markets?

• Do you plan to add suppliers from abroad?

Now you have a clearer idea about whether there will be more incoming calls (even at odd hours) and whether you would need to travel or make international calls. This makes it easy to further narrow down business phone packages.

Flexibility

While the first two are internal factors, the others are about the business phone package and its provider. Among these, flexibility should be a key concern. When buying a new business phone, you should have the flexibility to choose the finest option for your team.

If the package limits you to dated handsets, even if they’re discounted, think twice before opting for it. Your phone needn’t be a high-end model but it should have the latest software and applications.

Cost management

When comparing mobile contracts, we know that the most important factor will be cost, especially for small businesses. There are two components to costs in a business phone package and you should pay attention to both.

The first relates to calling and texting charges and data allowance. If you’re buying for your whole team, even minor differences in cost will add up. Secondly, you should be aware of the general costs including those for maintenance and updates, for example. Also, see if your business phone package has a centralised interface for you to track and manage your expenses.

Customer support

If it’s for individual use, you may not mind waiting half an hour or so to get an issue resolved. But if your business phone is down and if your customers can’t reach you, there could be bad online reviews about your business.

Ensure that you can easily reach customer support when you have a problem. It shouldn’t be a layered process and any of your team members should be able to contact customer support even when they’re travelling.

International call costs

If your business takes you abroad, you need a business phone package with friendly international call rates. Look for tariffs for those regions that you frequently visit. Also, see if there is any limit on data usage when travelling abroad.

Chalkboard: A better alternative to a business phone package

Why take out an expensive business phone package when you can use Chalkboard? This virtual number is flexible, dynamic, remote-friendly, feature-rich and exceptionally affordable for small businesses.

You can download the app and start using this second line for work without worrying about buying new devices for your team. Your employees can share their numbers, which will make sure that there’s always someone to answer customers’ calls.

A good business phone should help you amplify your communication and that’s precisely what Chalkboard does through group broadcast SMS and advanced chat. If you can’t answer your customers’ calls, you can set an auto-reply to send pre-written messages.

So, here’s a phone that doesn’t require a device and has extremely affordable plans. Download Chalkboard and try it now. You’ll soon realise that it’s a business phone made for you