Business Phone Systems: Pros and Cons of Using a Managed System

For many companies and organizations, implementing business phone systems is one of the largest IT expenditures. Consequently, short-term and long-term cost factors tend to be two major influences that determine the model of implementation on which business phone systems are deployed. In this article, we look at some of the financial pros and cons of implementing telephone systems on a managed model, as opposed to an on site model or a hosted model.

 

Pro: Reduced Need for In House Technicians 

Because you pay the service provider to maintain the system, paying in house technicians to provide the same service would be redundant. Using the managed model may not allow you to reduce your staff, but it can help you avoid hiring new staff to perform scheduled maintenance. 

 

Con: Could Wait Hours for On Site Response

If your system experiences a problem that must be addressed on site, in house technicians can respond immediately. On the flip side, receiving an on site response through a managed maintenance program may require you to wait a couple of hours before technicians arrive, which could result in dips in productivity as you wait for technicians to resolve the problem.

 

Pro: Most System Issues Resolved Remotely

Managed service providers for business phone systems use web-based diagnostic tools to resolve the majority of phone system alarms remotely. Ultimately, this translates into on site response being needed less often and ensures that problems are detected a soon as they arise.

 

Con: Dependent on Your Internet Connection

If your company or organization has an unreliable internet connection, it could cause the maintenance function to be unreliable, as well. If your internet access often experiences periods of downtime, fixing the problem before implementing managed maintenance is the best option.   

 

Pro: Access to Latest Maintenance Technology

One of the greatest benefits of receiving managed maintenance is that you needn't worry about the software and hardware that support the maintenance function becoming obsolete. Because the provider is motivated to retain you as a customer, it uses the latest, greatest maintenance resources to achieve a competitive edge over other providers, at no additional cost to you. 

 

Summary

Like other models of business phone systems, managed systems have benefits and drawbacks that define their cost effectiveness for companies and organizations. Reduced need for in house technicians, remote resolution of system issues, and access to new maintenance technology are obvious benefits of a managed system, while waiting hours for on site response and the dependency of remote diagnostics on your internet connection are potential drawbacks. To learn more about managed phone systems, contact a provider of business phone systems today.

Source : articlesbase.com