Choosing a business phone line requires careful consideration, as you need to be sure that you choose the most suitable type of connection for your business' communication needs, as well as selecting which features to include in your package.

The first step in choosing a business phone system is to evaluate your needs - how many employees require access to the system, are you more likely to send or receive calls, and are you likely to make frequent calls overseas? Business phone lines can be customised to suit any size of company, and you should check that the type of phone system you choose will be scalable to match the growth your company predicted for the future - as adding extra lines and extensions in the long term may not be as cost-effective as establishing a flexible phone system from the onset.

Business phone systems serve a number of common functions, not all of which may be relevant to your own company. These include the ability to make conference calls, which can reduce the need for costly business travel, but also requires a high quality phone line that will not disconnect during important calls. If these calls will be made over long distances, such as calling offices in different countries, this could also result in expensive phone bills unless you choose a package that offers low cost international calls as a selling point.

Phone lines can also be instrumental for driving sales to your web site, something that can be boosted by choosing features such as freephone 0800 numbers in your phone package. These numbers have been demonstrated to greatly increase the number of enquiries to businesses, as well as improving customer satisfaction. If you are likely to receive a high frequency of calls, you should also put systems in place to make sure callers will be looked after in queues, making use of features such as auto attendants and hold music, to decrease the likelihood of them hanging up.

Other features that are common to many types of business phone line include voicemail boxes, call logging, call barring and caller identification, which are often included as standard - though this may not be the case for all phone services, and will need to be checked. You should also consider the length of contract you desire for your office phone system, as longer term contracts may work out cheaper.

Sean Burke writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.