Is it time to replace your office phone system?

Signs it is time

1. No one supports it anymore. The maker has stopped producing parts or updates, and repairs depend on finding used equipment.
2. Only one person knows how it works. Changing a greeting or adding an extension means waiting for them.
3. Calls stay at the office. Staff working from home or on the road cannot answer the business line.
4. You are moving or opening a location. New wiring for an old system is often the moment to switch.
5. Missed calls go unnoticed. There is no easy way to see who called, when, and whether anyone called back.
6. You pay for lines nobody uses. Old phone lines often stay on the bill long after the people using them have gone.
7. Your phones and your other tools do not talk. Messaging, video and calls live in separate places.

Before you switch

• List what the phones must do: main number, extensions, call groups, a greeting for when you are closed, voicemail to email.
• Check your network. Internet calling needs a reliable connection and an office network set up for voice.
• Plan the cutover. Pick a quiet day, test before the old system is turned off, and make sure everyone knows how to answer on the new one.
• Update 911 locations for every phone and every site.