It’s a new year, everyone is back to work, and it’s a great time to think about your phone system. The winter months can cause and reveal all kinds of unexpected problems; the best way to deal with these issues is to be prepared and have a system that can adapt to your needs, no matter what the weather.

Here are a few things you should be considering at this time of year:

How would you cope without power?
Unfortunately, inclement weather is often an inevitability at this time of year. We’ve already seen widespread storms and damage caused by heavy rain and strong winds, but what does it mean for your phone system?

A question most of us will never ask is what would happen to your systems if one of these storms meant a prolonged period without power?

The good news is there doesn’t actually need to be any downtime when it comes to your phone system. With an uninterruptable power supply (UPS), work can continue without interruption. No need to worry about a power surge or fluctuation causing a problem, with the UPS protection we supply. With our UPS, clean power is fed to your most sensitive equipment all the time. This means that your organisation’s core processes can still be carried out, and your contacts are able to communicate with you.

So the real question is, do you currently have a UPS?

Reacting to illness and fluctuating staff levels
Seasonal illnesses affect almost all organisations, and at this time of year they’re certain to be at their most prevalent. What does this mean for your phone system?

People calling that person could be left disappointed if they can’t get hold of them, or they’re bounced through to someone else that isn’t familiar with the enquiry they’d like to make. The good news is that this can be handled by a robust and well thought out phone system; calls can be forwarded to the right people to take at their own desks, call volumes can be monitored to make sure nobody is overloaded, and the system can even be integrated with others so you have all of the information you need at your fingertips.

We understand that people will need time off; we make sure everyone contacting you doesn’t see any difference in the level of service you give them.

Seasonal demand
December and January can see some of the largest call demand fluctuations for many organisations; the run-up to Christmas may be busy, whilst lower staff levels before new year could require tweaking before a January stampede of enquiries.

It’s important that your system is able to react and foresee these fluctuations, and respond to them effortlessly. If yours isn’t currently doing this, then it may be time to review whether what you’ve got really is the best you can have.

Having the right support
Given all of the above, one of the things you are going to need and potentially rely on at this time of year is great support and maintenance. It’s what we’re all about at Equations, and it’s the reason that our clients stay with us winter after winter, and summer after summer. No matter what time of the year, our support is always going to be second to none, so if you’ve experienced any of the issues above, you’ll know we’re always on the end of the phone and ready to help.

If you’d like any more information about how Equations can help fine tune and support your phone system please give the team a call on 0808 2020 411.