Businesses past in the 20th century relied on a business landline phone. However, many people, businesses included, rely mainly on cellular connectivity with a business mobile phone these days.
Which is best for your needs: landline or cell phone for small business? While a landline may feel more reliable, a business cell phone may offer more mobility in a digital age. It depends on the unique needs of your business.
Pros & Cons of a Business Landline Phone
Since most folks rely on mobile phones these days, you may wonder how landlines work and what benefits they would provide to your small business. You wonder: Do landlines work without power? Do easy to use landlines exist, or should you invest in a business cell phone?
Pros
Investing in the best option means considering your business target market. Here are a few pros of considering a business landline phone:
- Clear connection: A landline almost always guarantees a clear call quality from that end of the line.
- Reliable in emergencies: In case of emergency, a landline won’t die. Your coverage is secured by being hardwired.
- Trust: Though more people are using cell phones, most folks won’t know if you use a landline or cell phone, unless they come into your physical location from time to time. Older generations tend to trust landlines more, just as they prefer to meet in person. It becomes a question of: Who is your target audience?
- Ease of use: Depending on your needs, a landline can be more reliable as it’s connected and in a set place for the day. You don’t have to worry about the loss of your phone. Depending on the hardware involved, your company and its employees may be more familiar with its usage.
Cons
What about the cons of a business landline? Is the phone cord more like a leash for your business, restricting your movement and leaving you waiting by the phone?
Landline costs can prove expensive depending on the landline phone features you add on to your service. Here are the downsides to choosing a business landline:
- Limited availability: In a mobile world, you are connected to your customers as far as your landline goes — leashed to your desk, if you will.
- Missed leads: How much of your time is spent waiting by the phone to act on a lead that never arrives?
- Ease of use: While a landline may be hardwired, depending on the size of your business and the phone utilized, it may be difficult to juggle calls along with call volume.
- Rates: Unfortunately, long distance conference calls are still exorbitant. Extras included on a business cell phone plan or via a free app may come at an extra charge with a business landline plan. Plus, you have the additions of complex installations and hardware.
Pros & Cons of a Business Cell Phone
There are benefits to having a landline, but it doesn’t exactly keep your business mobile in a digital world, especially if your office is remote or moving, too.
Pros
The truth is that you have to keep your business on the go! From business availability to cell phone plan prices, here are a few pros to investing in a business cell phone:
- Savings: For smaller businesses with one to two people, you can significantly cut the cost of the landline. bundling your phone and internet savings.
- Mobility and availability: Your business stays with you on the go with a mobile office right in your pocket. You can quickly connect to your customers from anywhere with your small business phone plan, from a simple call to social media. Your accessibility will increase customer and business associate loyalty as engagement levels rise.
- Instant help: Along with that availability, you can pull up receipts, invoices, contracts or queries to quickly answer customer, vendor or business associate queries. Access and backup everything on the cloud.
- Conduct quick to-dos: Dreading getting back to the office to check email, issue invoices and file paperwork? Do so with a tap of a finger with your smartphone or tablet.
- Ease of use: Less devices to manage with greater and faster access to documents and information through apps and the cloud.
- Quickly act on leads: Follow up with local and international leads on a dedicated business cell phone line that works from anywhere. Multitask with notifications to address leads by phone and digitally.
Cons
Modern technology equips smartphones and smart devices with innovative apps and features. However, owning a business cell phone as your primary line of communication can have its downsides with shoddy cell reception in rural areas.
What if you lose your phone? When it comes to cell security, how secure is your business and customer data then?
Cell phone ease of use may not be a benefit for older generations who prefer landlines, but keep in mind that 52.5% of U.S. households are wireless only. Older generations are slower to give up landline use, but the number is on the rise. Here are a few cons to consider as you contemplate investing in a business cell phone:
- Cell security: If secure measures aren’t taken or if encryption isn’t available, the phone could fall into the wrong hands and valuable company data shared via hacking. Employees must be trained in secure phone usage.
- Poor Connectivity: Between rural areas and dead zones, like basement offices or other enclosed areas, mobile phones may not always have a strong and clear connection, which inhibits communication. Coverage may only be limited to how extensive the network is. Where are your customers, vendors and associates?
- Ease of use: Depending on experience with smartphones and tablets, less inexperienced and older employees may feel incompetent without training on how to use specific apps and features.
- Loss of savings: Depending on the size of your business and budget, you may incur more costs if you plan on supplying each employee with a device and training on it. However, this loss may be temporary if it means saving more money in the long run with gained efficiency and less red tape due to paperwork you can now do digitally.
Depending on your company budget, you must consider the pros and cons of landline vs. mobile business phone systems. When it comes to small business phone solutions, choose Teltik, as you can trust us to catapult your business into the digital age, and to provide you with mobility, savings, transparency, trust, and connectivity your customers and partners will back 100%. That kind of investment quickly spirals into success for your brand.