Metropol

Hello all.

We currently run a small family business that has a single line telephone installed. I've been toying with the idea of installing a PBX system in it but I'm unsure of whether to do so (obviously due to costs and etc.)

At the most, it'd probably have around two extensions hooked up to it, one for the bar and the other for the shop (which is open irregular hours).

Let me know what you guys think.

Are you planning to keep just the one exchange line and have the two extensions (what I'd call 1+2) or upgrade to two exchange lines (2+2)?

Is the business likely to grow and you need more lines or extensions within the life of the PBX?

As far as I know, for now anyway it'd be just one line and two extensions.

In that case you probably don't need a PBX at all. In these hard times it would be a lot of expense for little advantage. I'd go for extra socket(s) to cover all the locations where you want phones, then sort out an internal system of letting the other location(s) know that you've answered a call which is actually for them and they need to pick up.

We're on a BT exchange line here at Harvey Towers, so if I pick up an incoming call which is actually for 'er indoors, I simply press the 'Recall' button and then put the phone down. That makes the phones ring again to reconnect the call and that's the system we use to indicate to the other person that they need to pick up. I've heard that that trick doesn't work on lines from all the suppliers, but worth a check.

Depending on the layout and distances involved, you might be able to get away with a DECT cordless system. You can run multiple handsets from a single base station, with facilities to call between them without tying up the external line. In fact I believe some systems allow you to call between handsets while a third handset is on an external call.

Steve in Pudsey wrote:Depending on the layout and distances involved, you might be able to get away with a DECT cordless system. You can run multiple handsets from a single base station, with facilities to call between them without tying up the external line. In fact I believe some systems allow you to call between handsets while a third handset is on an external call.

We've had cordless systems in the past but every time we had one it would interfere with our business satellite television, causing the picture to break-up and because we get calls nearly all the time, we felt that a corded system would be best.

Since you do need many extensions, purchasing the PBX system is not a feasible option as far as the costs are concerned. Instead, you can get a Hosted PBX system. I have been using a Hosted PBX system configured for three extensions and it works well for me. The best part is that I do not have to configure and maintain the system.