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Scott Blythe
Scott Blythe is the Owner/Operator of PHONEGUY Inc. of Pittsburg KS. Scott is a lifetime resident of SE Kansas, graduating from Frontenac High School, and attended PSU Vo Tech in Electronics. Scott has 34 years of experience in installing and maintaining hundreds of business telephone systems. For more information or to reach Scott please call 620-249-2759.
Business
2012-11-19 10:54:15
How often should I upgrade phone systems?
A- There is no good single answer to that question since there are numerous considerations involved. Many factors are also very personal and specific to the type of business. Here are a few things to help you sort it out. First of all, does your current system function properly? If youre only problem is a single phone that is noisy, or you can hear your customer but they can't hear you, or the dial pad is bad, that's not enough to warrant a change of equipment. The problem might be solved with a service call or simply replacing the one phone. If all your lines are noisy, or your phone system reboots itself randomly, you may have a bigger problem that requires replacement of equipment. Unfortunately some of the older telephone systems were sealed case units where a technician cannot get inside to work on them. That alone may be a factor in deciding the worth of purchasing a new system. Almost all of the newer digital telephone systems allow you to switch cards internally, which keep you from having to change the entire system in order to fix a single problem. Sometimes nothing more than a programming change can fix quite a few issues. Remember that telephone systems are nothing more than job specific computers. Unfortunately, unlike your desktop or laptop computer, your telephone system won't remind you to upgrade your software or check for troubles. Sometimes the trouble is not your phone system, but may exist in the hardwiring leading up to your phone system or at the phone system itself. All of these things can usually be very quickly discovered by having a technician simply visit your site and look at your existing conditions. Most telephone systems have a built in end of life. The manufacturer develops the system knowing that within 7 to 10 years they will replace it with something newer and better. That does not mean you have to replace your equipment that often. If it works for your job and functions properly you can use the same system for decades. Quite literally, it's your call.
 
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