The One Thing Holding Your Business Back That Can Cost You Thousands of Dollars

Almost every business has it, so why is it still hanging around the office? There are several costs, opportunity and financial, associated with an outdated phone system. Don’t fall victim when there are solutions for every business. Yes, that legacy phone system could cost thousands of dollars and here’s why.

These systems are a security risk.

The computers in the office aren’t the only technology to worry about when it comes to hackers – there’s a costly hack that criminals can use to steal hundreds of thousands without anyone even knowing. According to The New York Times article Phone Hackers Dial and Redial to Steal Billions, one architecture firm ran up a $166,000 phone bill in just one weekend, but no one was even in the office during that time. It wasn’t a billing error, hackers had broken into the phone network and routed calls from the firm to premium-rate telephone numbers in several different countries.

Would you allow your computer network to run without updates? Unlikely. Your phone system should follow the same guidelines.

Outdated phone systems become less reliable over time, lacking updates and bug fixes.

Outages leave businesses without a way to contact clients and prospects. This leads to internal frustration and loss of productivity and customers. Other hidden costs include expenses for IT and phone vendors who will need to come out and sort through the mess to get the phones back up and running again during an outage. They may also need to repair important lines such as fax, elevator, and alarm lines to keep up with compliance and needs. In our time working to remedy telecom and wireless issues, we’ve seen hacking and we’ve seen important legacy phone system lines cut and the astronomical fees associated with remedying the situation.

There are several different options for a new phone system.

The right solution may be traditional PBX, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), or hosted PBX depending on each unique need of a business. A traditional PBX uses analog or digital lines and has a high initial cost and maintenance, though the monthly cost for use can remain low. VoIP uses the internet connection already established and because of this, doesn’t have a high monthly cost. Hosted PBX uses the internet and a cloud platform to make and receive calls, meaning costs are associated with the number of users and features accessed. Cost is of course an important factor in the choice of a phone system, but even more important are the features needed and possible risks associated with each type of phone system.

In an ever-changing technological world, it’s important to stay on top of risks that could impact your business. Although updating the phone system will come at a cost, the costs of maintaining a legacy system outweigh the initial cost of the update.

Not sure where to even start? You’re not alone! Give us a call today to speak with our experts who will find the best solution at the right price.