While almost half a million new businesses are created annually as reported by Startup Britain, a lot of them unfortunately fall apart due to errors made by business owners with regards to their telecommunications, which can lead to financial losses and even the destruction of the business itself.
In a recent article on Bdaily's website, Dave Millett of independent telecoms consultancy Equinox, shared some common mistakes that business owners make when setting up virtual communications and offered tips on how to avoid them.
Two mistakes Millett discusses that tie in with one another are if a business only has a mobile number or if it is a home number. Both present the problem of separating personal and professional aspects of one's life.
Having just one voicemail for personal and business calls in the case of using a cell phone can give the wrong impression to potential clients, and it can also be hard to personalize voicemails on a home phone. Using a home number makes it difficult to close business during evening hours and weekends, there is limited ability to handle a second call, and if the business owner moves to another location the number may not be able to move with them.
When determining what number to use, business owners are encouraged to avoid using inbound ones such as 0800, 0844 or 0845. Not only will 0844 and 0845 become illegal for a post sales customer line in mid June, but if a businesses' customers call from a mobile number they will receive a warning telling them the call will cost a lot of money. This would probably cause numerous customers to hang up the phone. Callers will be hearing this warning until next year, at which point the calls will be free for the caller but more expensive for the person who owns the number.
Another mistake is the signing of long-term contracts. Millett points out that while it may be tempting to accept the offers of free installation, signing contracts such as three and five year long ones can be costly if one doesn't read the small print in terms of cancellation penalties. Moreover, these contracts may hinder your plans to expand or relocate, which leads to another mistake--not planning for the future.
Business owners must always be sure that the telecoms they implement on day one are flexible and scalable in the event the business evolves overtime.
To avoid these kinds of mistakes, Millett suggests that small businesses should set up a simple inbound geographic number that includes a voicemail and whisper option to notify them that it is a business call, which will allow business owners to use one device for business and leisure purposes. A landline can also be added on their mobile phone as an app if they are concerned about offering a mobile number to customers. For larger start-ups or businesses that want to be more sophisticated, Millett said they have a choice of using either a VOIP or traditional telecoms solutions.
Edited by Maurice Nagle