Sizing Phone Systems

There are two main factors that will determine the size of the system you need:

	The number of incoming phone lines (or number of simultaneous calls into / out of your building.)
	Number of extensions or telephone endpoints in your building.

The number of "extensions" you need is essentially a tally of the number of users the system will have in addition to common areas (hallways, conference rooms etc.) of the building and any currently unoccupied office you anticipate using within 1 year.

Even if a telephone system can handle your current phone traffic, you should be sure that it can also handle your future needs. The ideal system should be able to handle expansion in a very cost-effective manner. PBX systems like Inter-Tel’s Axxess System, allow you to increase capacity by adding new cards that increase the total number of ports available. Some key systems are expandable by simply adding another cabinet identical to the first. While still in the planning stage, discuss about how much it will cost to add more extensions, making sure to specify different amounts, e.g. 10 vs. 20 vs. 50 more extensions. Learning the exact method of expansion is not important - what is important is that expansion is easy and affordable.

The watchword when buying office telephones is total cost of ownership (TCO). Buying office telephones purely on price can easily get you into trouble: more reliable, expandable systems do tend to cost more per user up front - but the savings you will see in the long run make it worthwhile. In addition to being able to add more users as your company grows, you should find out how easily your office telephones can be upgraded as new features and technologies are released.

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	5 questions to ask your VoIP vendor.