Manic Phones

There are three major options available when choosing a business phone line for your business calls. Here we explore the options for you, as we try and simplify your search for office telecommunications.

1) KSU- less Systems are generally for smaller businesses that employ less than ten people. These systems can be implemented relatively cheaply and they are specifically designed with many of the features that were previously available only through a full-scale small business phone system. Also they can be plugged in and moved anywhere, so if mobility is an issue in your workplace they can be very handy.

However, you may need more functions than this kind of system can give, depending on what your business is. You may need a PBX or Key phone system, which will be explained below.

Also, you have to check that any KSU-less system you buy is compatible with your office wiring and any other devices like answering machinesor faxes. You will have to buy (and install) this kind of system yourself too, because these kind of low-cost system does not come with a support package from the seller. This can leave such systems prone to faults (such as 'crosstalk' when conversations break into each other) so it is worth at least considering the fuller packages listed below to help you deal with your business calls.

2) Private Branch Exchange (PBX) Systems are for businesses needing more than 40 extensions, or a lot of advanced functionality. While these systems used to be costly and only in the reach of the big companies, now a small business can both afford them and fit them on a single desk top.

Most of these compact PBX Systems come with features like call forwarding, call waiting or conference call, which come at a premium rate. However PBXs provide a flexible system, which is what you are paying for.

3) Key Systems are generally found in companies that need between five and forty extensions. They use a central control unit called a Key System Unit (KSU), which provides useful business functions like calling between extensions in the same network. These kind of business functions generally come as standard, but these systems can be less flexible than a PBX system.

Hybrid Systems (i.e. PBX & Key Systems) now exist, thanks to the recent leaps made in telecoms technology. For instance, many Key systems now offer features that were only available to those willing to install (and able to afford) a full PBX system. Some systems even operate internally as either a PBX or Key system, depending on which software you install them with - that's why they are called 'hybrids'.