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4 Questions to Ask when Upgrading your Business's Phone System

 

Taking on the task of updating your small business’s technology is no easy undertaking. There’s information readily available for the big businesses, but what about the little guy? Your technology decisions deserve just as much support in terms of available information and research on the best systems. Before you can even get to the point of finding the good, meaty research, you have to know what your needs are.

 

The question remains, how do you go about making an informed decision on what would work best for your company? There are numerous carriers and even more plans that could fit what your company is looking for, but how do you narrow down the options? One option is to ask for referrals from friends or colleagues at other companies, but how do they know what is right for your business needs?

 

Becoming the Informed Buyer

To help you get into the right mindset and jumpstart your online research, here are what the Powernet sales team agreed were the top questions that every small business decision maker should ask themselves when starting the process. 

 

1. What type of voice connection do we currently have?

 

Here is a good jumping-off-point for your search since the service and contract you currently have can influence what you will be able to get. From here, you can see if you are able to change the connection to a different, potentially more affordable option. If you are locked into a contract and all you can do is change the phones you are working with, there are options but it may be more limited. 

 

2. Are you looking to host and maintain your phone system or do you want to outsource those functions? 

 

Depending on how you answered the first question, you may have your answer, however, it’s important to evaluate all of your options. There are numerous factors that can help you make this decision including:

1. Whether you have your own IT Department to manage the system.

2. If you want your phone system to be service provider agnostic.

3. The importance of advanced features such as video conferencing, which may not be available for all systems. Understanding and thinking about accessories you may want or need beforehand is important to take into consideration as well. 

 

3. Do you need to use your phone system outside of the office?

 

The idea of a mobile workplace has become widely accepted for businesses in America. Employers and Employees alike don’t want to miss an important call when traveling or working from home. Implementing a system where you can forward your work calls to your cell phone will keep everyone connected.

 

4. Do you want other applications to link to your phone?

 

Office phones don’t just have to serve the purpose of being a phone that sits on your desk. You can invest in a phone system that links your Contacts into the phone so they are readily available for use. You could also invest in video conferencing features for meetings.

 

Making the Switch

Switching phone systems is no small task, but spending a little time to plan ahead will go a long way in making the process go smoothly. Asking good questions to evaluate your needs and working with a trusted provider will allow you to find the right solution for your business. Then, sit back and enjoy your business’s new technology!

 

 

Blog Posts on the STIHL USA website:

Manufacturing Technology Summer Camp 

http://www.stihlusablog.com/2014/08/summer-camp-introduces-students-to.html 

 

Behind the Scenes: National Anthem Chain Saw Video

http://www.stihlusablog.com/2014/08/behind-scenes-with-stihl-singing-test.html

 

A section from my final History Capstone Research paper on the Weimar Republic titled: "Woman as Man" 12/2013

 

...Once the war started, women began to shift into the once male dominated roles. Germany made it a priority to get these jobs filled because the work the men did had to continue to keep the country prosperous as well as to produce goods for army. As Weitz explains, “…many women moved into metalworking and munitions factories. Where once there had been few in number and hired only as helpers, now they became numerous and skilled machine operators.”[1] These new roles required women to gain training and knowledge into a new field of work that had previously been a temporary position to them.

Engaging in this new area was also beneficial for other women who could then move into the jobs other women had once had. This new female dominated workforce was taking on positions that no woman had entered before and more women were added to the positions throughout the war. As Weitz put its, “young women fled the farms for the greater independence of the cities and factory labor.”[2] As the war came to a close and men came home defeated, they believed they would be walking back into a work where they dominated and women would go back to falling by the wayside.  However, once the men came home they were in for more of a rude awakening than they received when they lost the war.

When the men came home from the war, one of the ways that the government tried to get these men back into society was by having women give up their jobs so that men could have them back. This push for men to get back into the workforce however did not deter women from having jobs. From The Salaried Masses, Siegfried Kracauer gives the reader a perspective on the numbers within the workforce after the war by stating, “In simple numerical terms: there are 3.5 million salaried employees in Germany today, of whom 1.2 million are women.”[3] This number is far higher than Germany had ever had even during other wars.

Women had a multitude of reasons to stay in the workforce after the men came home from war and tried to reclaim their jobs. As Kracauer explains, “…so many women have flooded into salaried jobs can be explained, by the rise in surplus of women, by the economic consequences of war and inflation, and by the need of the new generation of women for economic independence.”[4] Women sought out this economic independence and enjoyed their new place in the workforce. Trying to keep women out of the work force was addressed in the “Manifesto for International Women’s Day”, a document found in the Weimar Germany Sourcebook that comments on the struggles that women went through to take care of their families. The reading states, “You working women, you who make demands and struggles, you count in the millions… the demands of the working women of Germany are also the demands of their sisters in Switzerland, in Austria, in Holland, in France, and other countries.”[5] While this support for women to get jobs raged on all over Europe, the depression in Germany also played a role as to why men and women were having trouble getting jobs.

 

Seventeenth Century Literature interpretation 05/2013 (London study abroad trip)

 

During the time of the seventeenth century, England experienced a multitude of changes in power from Kings to appointed Lord Protectors under England’s first constitution. This, in turn, indefinitely changed the way theatre and writers were able flourish and work in the country. After two Kings ruled who fueled the revolution of the people and the country, the civil war was brought on in 1640s. This was something that the text really points out as an unearthing matter that took the leadership of England in a new direction. The text presents itself in a way of making a parallel between how the bad times with Parliament and the monarchs in turn hurt the theatre. “One of Parliament’s first acts after hostilities began in 1642 was to abolish public plays and sports, as ‘too commonly expressing lascivious mirth and levity’” (The Early Seventeenth Century, 1364). When problems were solved with the monarch and Parliament, the theatre was brought back.

            Luckily, once the crown was reinstated with Charles II crowned as King, the period to follow would be called the Restoration years: “it saw the restoration of the monarchy and with it the royal court, the established Church of England, and the professional theatre” (The Early Seventeenth Century, 1364).

Theatre had been an important part of life in England especially for the early monarchs of the seventeenth century.  King James I and King Charles I were great admirers of theatre and it came to be that they would have ‘masques’ performed. These masques were “spectacular private performances, which involved music, dance, opulent costumes and extraordinary scenery and special effects. They were performed once or twice at one of the royal palaces and were only seen by members of the court” (17^th-Century Theatre, The Court Masque).

These performances were quite extravagant and at times when the shows would call for Gods or Kings, the King would get to perform the role. This was a great show of power and wealth for the time since only royalty could afford them. During this time, patronage was also something that was helping writers make money and have other goods. One of the writers, dramatist, and poets referred to in the reading was one of the gravestones we saw in Westminster Abbey, Ben Jonson. 

The reading refers to Jonson in a multitude of contexts. In one, we hear of him reaping the rewards of receiving patronage from the king in the terms of a regular salary for writing masques for the royal court. He was also Sir Walter Raleigh’s son’s tour and accompanied him on a continental tour. Jonson also lived on the country estates of Lord Aubigny and Robert Sidney in exchange for writing them poems and other works” (The Early Seventeenth Century, 1352).

Patronage worked during this time until the end of theatre came in the early 1640’s. Even the writers who had loyal patrons to help fund them for their writings were lost. Even the best writers went away and presented themselves as amateurs during this time. From the text we learn they focused on more important matters like, “love, war, the king’s service and the endurance of life.” 1365

Though patronage did have its ups and later its downs before the death of Jonson, sometimes the incentives just were not enough. Ben Jonson was said to have struggled with money throughout his life and ended it being a poor man. His story has a funny twist in regards to his burial in Westminster Abbey. He is said to be the only person to be buried standing up. The Westminster legend has it as this:

“[Upon] being railed by the Dean of Westminster about being buried in Poets' Corner, the poet is said to have replied "I am too poor for that and no one will lay out funeral charges upon me. No, sir, six feet long by two feet wide is too much for me: two feet by two feet will do for all I want". "You shall have it" said the Dean. So Jonson was buried standing on his feet in the northern aisle of the Nave and not in Poets' Corner.” (Ben Jonson)

Throughout the early seventeenth century King’s powers shifted as well as the worlds of some of the great writers and playwrights. With the downfall and execution of King Charles I brought great sadness to the lovers of theatre. The fall of the monarchy brought great upheaval to the way England had been run for centuries by putting the Lord Protector in charge. With this breech in tradition though brought back a greater, stronger England, which restored not only the monarchy but also the theatre tradition. This great restoration benefitted not only the line of Stuarts but the common folk as well.