Deciding How Many Phone Lines Your Business Requires Not an Exact Science

You can’t run a business, big or small, without two things. Computers and business phones. While the issue of computers can be solved with providing each employee with their own laptop that’s integrated with your business server, the issue of phones can be a bit more complicated. As your business expands, and more employees added, your need to update your business phones along with the phone lines.

In fact, phone lines, or the lack of them, might seem like a constant, irritating problem. For certain you know it’s a problem when you find your employees reaching out to customers or potential customers via their cell phones, not because they’re lazy, but because they can’t get access to a free line!

Says a recent report on the subject of phone lines, if you’ve been lucky enough to run a successful business in these trying COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 economic times, there will most definitely come a time when you will have to consider upgrading and/or selecting a brand new phone system altogether. During this selection process, you will be constantly asking yourself and your most trusted employees, the obvious question. “How many phone lines do you think we need?”

While the question needs to be answered sooner than later, it turns out, deciding precisely how many phone lines you need is not an exact science. But, first of all, what is a business phone line exactly? According to Nextiva.com, the old turn of phrase, “phone line” is a relic from the old days when analog phone systems were considered cutting edge tech. It was used to describe a copper wire that would carry a phone signal. Back then, a business might require dozens if not hundreds of individual lines run into the business to accommodate each employee.

But today with Voiceover Internet Protocol (VoIP) which requires no physical lines whatsoever, “phone line” is a term that’s used loosely to describe several business phone related items.

Your Business Needs

When attempting to answer the question of how many phone lines your business requires, you need to consider your business needs. It’s also important to take into account that as a business owner, might think of a phone line in different terms than an IT professional or a front-end user.

In order to avoid confusion you need to ask yourself does each and every one of your employees require their own phone? Or will one phone be enough for a specific team and/or group of employees?

You can base the number of lines you need on the total number of employee/users who require constant access to a phone.

The Number of Phones You Will Require

The amount of physical phones you require will be used inevitably to designate the number of lines you need. If you have ten offices that require a phone, then you need ten lines. It’s a case of simple math.

How Many Lines Do You Need?

Now that you’ve made a decision on the amount of physical phones you’ll need, more crucial questions must be answered regarding VoIP phone lines: What do I consider a true “business line” and will my definition change over time? Will I require more or less lines inside a six month period? What about a year? What about five years? How often can I realistically expect to update my phone system as my business grows?

What is my present and future business model? Do I need a big system that can handle a call center? Or do I only need a small phone system for a small business office? And what’s my budget? How much can I afford to spend? Should I take into account the customer experience first when it comes to my phone system? Or should I consider ease of employee use?

The telecommunications experts will tell you that if you can come close to answering these questions, and others like them, you’ll more than likely be on the right track. That is, you’ll be ready to make an educated decision on how many business phone lines you require for providing a productive employee experience, and a pleasant purchasing experience for both existing and potential customers.

In the end, it’s recommended that you hire a certified VoIP business phone system provider whom you can trust. They will not only help you determine how many phones and phones lines you presently require, they will work with your budget and your needs to determine what kinds of upgrades you will need in the future.