COMMUNICATIONS FREEDOM

In a world where change is most definitely here to stay, we need our communications to maintain freedom to handle it, not tie us down. With the minefield that is the current telecommunications market, a complex variety of solutions are available, and the most obvious is not necessarily the best for your start-up business. So it is worth giving it a little thought before you launch straight into things…

Questions to consider

How do you want to communicate with your customers?
You will need at least one phone connection of some sort either mobile or fixed. But if your business is based on the Internet, do you need to phone your customers? Or is email more appropriate? Or on line chat? Are you fixed in one location, or moving around? Can you handle the calls or do you need a team of people to call on your behalf?

How do you want your customers to communicate with you?
Phone calls in, traditionally. If you are expecting lots of calls, do you need a team of people to answer calls on your behalf? What about out of hours calls? A web site and email are essential for every business these days, so you need to get these in place. Do you need a physical Fax machine with paper, or would a Fax-to-Email service be more suitable as well as being a lot cheaper? Do you want to be able to answer calls in one place, or potentially many? Do you need to transfer incoming calls from one phone to another?

Would it help to have phone numbers in different cities with different exchange codes?
You can have perhaps a local Canterbury 01227, plus a Medway 01634 and Ashford 01233 number all appearing on one phone using an IP Phone line at just a few pounds per month. This means you could manage staff local to an area from one central office, or it could mean you just encourage business in particular target local areas. You could have pretty much any exchange code in fact - even have a London, Manchester or Edinburgh numbers if you wanted!

What inter-office communication do you need to handle? Is this communication from one mobile person to another mobile person, or Office to Mobile, or Office to Office?

How soon do you need to be up and running?
For example a standard BT Exchange line takes around 10 working days for installation, but you can have a IP phone line up and running within hours, delivered over an ADSL Broadband link.

If you are operating the business from home or a shared office, do you need to keep your phone calls separate for charging and tax purposes?
A separate Exchange line can do this, but it is possible to use an IP Phone line, and at much lower costs.

What growth are you looking to cater for when you first arrange the Telecoms solution for your new business?
Getting phone lines and a telephone system installed as a start up, is often forgotten as a cost item in the business set up calculations. Most ideal may be a small solution which can grow, and can be taken with you when you move. Have you considered a centrex solution? All the features of a phone system but the intelligence is held away from your premises. You just get delivered phone extensions which could appear in different buildings and different towns even.

Would your business operate more successfully from a short term serviced office?
This may prove more flexible and supply your telecoms needs in the early stages rather than needing to consider a long term arrangement. However if this route is for you, you need to consider the numbers which customers call in on, so they don’t restrict the business later.

When you move office to a different unit, or a larger premise perhaps, what consistency can you achieve with your business phone numbers?
Physical BT line numbers can rarely be moved far, but IP Phone lines can appear anywhere on the internet over a Broadband line. So you could have the same IP Phone line number up and running in seconds somewhere else if you need to.

How could staff working from home benefit your business rather than needing to be in the office?
It may save on actually having an office, or perhaps using a smaller one, if most of your workforce are home-based. With Broadband and IP Phone lines, they can easily be reached as part of a virtual phone system.

How suitable is your home or office broadband for delivering reliable service with a suitable speed and throughput?
Many home based broadband internet connections are shared to a high degree, and do not deliver a consistent throughput of data, appearing to be slow. And some also charge for additional traffic past a given threshold. It is important to avoid these issues if Broadband is critical to the communication of the business.

Fortunately for you as you start up in your new business, there are people on hand to help with answering these and many more such questions, to help your business succeed better, and at lower cost than it otherwise would. 4 SQR Ltd is a Herne Bay based Internet and Telecoms services and consulting firm who will guide you through the minefield and can even supply the solution your business needs.

Call Nigel on 01227 808587 to learn how you can communicate better for less with 4 SQR:
Traditional or IP Phone lines and systems from 4 SQR Ltd
www.4SQR.co.uk
Web sites and Unlimited Broadband from 4 SQR Ltd
www.4SQRBroadband.co.uk
email info@4sqr.co.uk

Select one of the following business start up solutions, or contact 4 SQR to go through your specific requirements:
Home Freedom #1
(Uses existing Broadband)
1 x IP Phone Line
1 x Fax to Email (with chosen exchange code number)

Home Freedom #2
(Uses existing Broadband)
2 x IP Phone Lines (with chosen exchange code number)
1 x Fax to Email (with chosen exchange code number)
1 x 2 line IP Phone System

Business Freedom #1
1 x 4 SQR IP Phone Line (with chosen exchange code number)
1 x 4 SQR Fax to Email (with chosen exchange code number)
1 x IP Phone
1 x Wireless Router
1 x Unlimited 4SQRBroadband

Business Freedom #2
2 x 4 SQR IP Phone Lines (with chosen exchange code number)s
1 x 4 SQR Fax to Email (with chosen exchange code number)
2 x Phones on IP Phone System
1 x Wireless Router
1 x Unlimited 4SQRBroadband

Business Freedom #3
4 x 4 SQR IP Phone Lines (with chosen exchange code number)s
1 x 4 SQR Fax to Email (with chosen exchange code number)
4 x Phones on IP Phone System
1 x Wireless Router
1 x Unlimited 4SQRBroadband