How do I set up a multi phone system in my office?
I work in a small office that’s growing. Right now, it’s just me and my boss and someone new that will be joining us soon. How do I set up call transfers/multi line phone systems for our office instead of hollering for my boss each time someone calls? We have 2 land line, one that is used primarily for fax machine and internet, and the other is the main line.
I’ve tried calling AT&T, our provider, to ask for help/instructions but had ended up banging my head against the wall many many times out of sheer frustration.
So my main questions are:
1) Do I need to get new phones for the entire office of the same brand? Or can we use our existing collection of phones which are of different brands?
2) The call transfer feature: do we have to call AT&T to get that started or is it something i need to set up with the phone on my end?
Best of all, I will really appreciate it if someone can write a dummy proof step by step instruction list. I’ve been wrestling with this problem for over a week and am near tears.
Filed under: Business Phone Systems
What about something cordless, so you don’t have to run wires all over the place?
Like the Panasonic DECT 6.0 2-Line expandable corded/cordless combo with digital answering system- Expands up to 6 handsets total.
Or for more advanced features, like Voice Mail and auto-attendant, try the Panasonic KX-TG4500B 4-Line Expandable 5.8 GHz Cordless Phone system.
You should be thinking about purchasing a phone switch with the basic features you want. It means a lot of money but in the long run will better serve you. There is far too much to go into here but the basics are pretty straight forward. The first thing to do is find a phone system vendor that you can trust or a consultant with the right contacts.
Take a look at Axon, it is a virtual PBX. a PBX is what allows you to have some of the transferring capabilities that you are looking for, and the software is less expensive and easier to scale with a growing business. Axon can be used with VoIP or analog landlines but you will need a telephony board or equivalent hardware to connect the landlines to your computer if you don’t go to voip. But I think at the very least this is a solution you should look into further, and it will work with other applications if you want to add more features to your phone system.
http://www.nch.com.au/pbx/index.html