In business, all true success stories start with a vision and a plan. Identifying your business goals and objectives and the strategies you’ll use to achieve them is a must-take first step for any organization and a crucial element to ensuring future success. The same can be said about your organization’s telecom service. Start with a plan and you’ll help to ensure that your phone service successfully meets your needs today and tomorrow.

What should a phone service plan include? It may vary for different types of businesses (business-to-business, retail, services), but before you choose a phone service provider, it will help to consider the following questions:

• What is the size and layout of your facility? If you have a warehouse or storage area, make sure there’s a way for employees to communicate or even reach 911. Also think about the number of offices and cubicle spaces you have. Will you need a one-to-one ratio of phones to desks?
• How many employees will need landline phone service?
• How many employees will need mobile service?
• What percentage of your business is driven by inbound vs. outbound calls? While both are important, if you rely heavily on incoming phone calls, think about incorporating a hunt group and make sure you have enough phone lines so callers never get a busy signal.
• What is the likelihood of having to expand or contract the business? Make sure you understand the terms and conditions of your contract as well as the flexibility of the service provider to add or remove phone lines.
• What type of professional image do you want to project?
• Do you need fax capabilities? Alarm services? Point of sale? A directory listing so customers and prospects can find you?
• How available do you want to be after normal business hours?
• What type of telecom service will you need in case of emergency or power failure?
• Who are the phone service providers in your area? Other businesses in your area can be an excellent referral source.

So, have you created a plan for your phone service? What were some of the things you considered before selecting a phone service provider? Let us know your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section.