Each phone system you could potentially use as the main communications platform for your startup has its benefits. Each solution comes with its own pros and cons in the form of higher and lower costs, better or worse connectivity and more or less control. However, a reliable phone system would, of course, be one you can depend upon to not fail you when you need it most.
This is why we highly recommend a phone system that includes more of the above positives and reduces the potential negative impacts of the aforementioned ‘cons’ to an absolute minimum. Here are some of the options you could choose from…
Traditional phone lines and mobile devices
If you’ve started the business from home, you may well have been using your existing phone line and mobile number as the primary means of contact. Naturally, there are several immediate downsides to this. One is that everyone you call, or who calls you, has a number that they can get you on at all times – on the day, night or weekend, or while you’re on holiday.
From a personal point of view, the implications are obvious – less time away from work for you. However, from a business point of view, what’s to stop non-business-related calls, like pesky domestic sales calls, reaching you during working hours, or someone else in the home accidentally taking a call? You won’t be able to distinguish between personal and business calls – and it’s hard to look like a big business when a disgruntled teenager is answering your most important calls!
Traditional telephone lines for business
On the other hand, if you have set up your office outside of the home, or got your hands on a dedicated business line – using ISDN and PSTN networks carries a time limit. In 2025, these lines will be shut down, so businesses nationwide are being encouraged to make the switch to an alternative method sooner rather than later.
However, even while these networks are still around, they are not as efficient as the modern phone systems that everyone will be using from 2026 onward. For starters, they can be far more costly, involving additional telephone lines and therefore higher telecoms bills coming the way of the business owner. They are also more prone to periods of disruption – for instance, if maintenance is being carried out on the local phone lines.
VoIP phone systems and emergency call routing
Ultimately, the most reliable phone system that any startup could hope for is one that can be managed flexibly at all times. So, if you do happen to be working from home, but don’t want business calls to come to the house after a certain time or over a given period of time, you can redirect all calls to another number – without your customers ever needing to know.
Similarly, if your network suffers an outage, you’ll want to know that you’re not missing out on business. With the combination of a VoIP phone system and emergency call routing by Planet Numbers, you’ll have full control over how, when and where you are contacted at all times – and even have the option of a ‘live’ call answering service, should your network unexpectedly go down.
If you’d like to learn more about what Planet Numbers could do for the phone system at your startup, call us on 0800 0886 886 and we’ll guide you to the most effective service for you.
