Well, you could use your mobile phone, but then, you are at the mercy of poor signal strength and short-lived battery life.

You could use your home phone, but then, be ready to receive calls all throughout the night.

While both seems cost effective and a lucrative solution to minimize your overhead costs, neither of them even come closer to the professionalism and functionality of office phone systems being used by some large organizations.

And here lies the biggest problem. Your phone is the gateway to your business, and choosing the right one that fits your need and company size is most important.

However, before you make the big leap towards making a hefty investment as that in a Panasonic phone, there are certain things you need to figure out first:

1. Do you need a comprehensive business phone system that includes physical office phones, or you could do with modern virtual phone services that are completely cloud-based systems unlike traditional phones?

Here it is vital to consider the pros and cons of both physical phones and cloud-based systems. Cutting-edge office phone systems like Panasonic have powerful features like VoIP, SIP ergonomic design, wireless operation, high definition audio, LCD display, multiple function keys, business applications, and conferencing that aid in effective business communication. Considering these smart features and the size of your business, buying Panasonic phones may be the best bet for you.

On the other hand, virtual office phone systems are one that are completely internet-based, and allows building communication with your staff, customers and clients using just one number. The biggest advantage of virtual phones is that you can access and manage the phone system via the Internet, anywhere and anytime. Moreover, you can have just one number for all your business needs, and pay one flat rate per month for the service.

So, what’s your pick?

2. Next, determine what kind of service you want? You can choose between traditional landline telephone system provided by your local or regional carrier, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system, which runs completely over the Internet. There are certain models of Panasonic phone that offer the best of both worlds – traditional business phone system complemented with VoIP service.

3. If you prefer VoIP, it is important to decide whether you want to host the VoIP system at your business location, i.e. premises based, or want to be hosted by your service provider, i.e. cloud based.

Buying a VoIP office phone system can be challenging. And one the biggest dilemma is to choose a premises-based system or a cloud-based solution. Here, it is important to consider certain factors like critical business communication features, your existing infrastructure, upfront cost, Total Cost of Ownership, and scalability.

Considering these important factors will help you choose the right office phone for your business.

Ansatel Communications Inc. is a leading provider of telecommunication solutions and services in Canada. The company offers a wide range of customized solutions that include Panasonic Phone, Nortel Business Communication Managers, Unified Communications, Voicemail Systems, Networking, Business Phone Systems, Conference Telephone, and Headsets.