Business phone lines can be used for much more than just making and receiving calls - that's why it's so important to ensure your business phone service is up to all the tasks involved in the day-to-day running of your organisation.

Even with more communication taking place on the internet, the telephone is still an indispensible asset for many companies in a variety of sectors, and without a strong and reliable business phone network in place you could find yourself missing important calls and losing customers.

If you already have a phone line installed, you may not have to pay any extra charges when switching to a different provider, meaning it's always worth investigating your options - especially if your current contract for phone services is due to expire. However, if you do not currently have a phone system installed, and do not wish to pay for the installation of cables, there can still be appealing alternatives - such as making calls online using VoIP technology.

Whichever type of business phone line you sign up for, your first step should be to evaluate your specific needs. If you operate a large company with many employees, you will need a business phone network capable of connecting many different lines together. By contrast, smaller companies may be able to save money when signing up with providers that only offer a finite amount of connections.

In many cases, your business phone line will be the 'face' of your business, if customers or clients are contacting you for the first time. You therefore need to make sure that the service gives the best impression, rather than deterring callers from having further contact with your company. Simple touches such as playing music while callers are on hold can be greatly preferable to a droning dial tone, and you may also wish to record unique messages to be played to callers in different situations - especially if your employees are likely to be out of the office.

Voicemail is a standard requirement of business phone packages, but that doesn't make it a 'one-size-fits-all' feature. In actuality, there are many types of voicemail available, and if you operate a larger company, you should ensure that callers are diverted to the most appropriate voicemail box for their query, if no one is present to take their calls. This can give a better impression of caring for your customers, and encouraging them to stay in touch.

Clint Starr 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.