For small business owners, the idea of having a small business phone system set up can be exciting. After all, a successful business needs to have an open form of communication not just with a client, but within the organization itself. However, unless you are an experienced phone system operator, there are some mistakes a new owner can make. Mistakes that can mean the difference between profit and failure. Below are the top 3 mistakes an owner must avoid when setting up a phone system.

1. Be sure that you have the right number and type of telephone lines to match the needs of your business. If you have too many lines, that means you are paying for line rentals you don't need, while if you don't have enough, then calls may be redirected to phones that do not need it. Also, you might have staff waiting around doing nothing because all the phones are tied up. And being idle in the workplace is a definite no-no. So make sure you strike the perfect balance and match the equipment to the needs. Don't over estimate or under estimate, be sure to be precise in your decisions.

2. The second mistake people make is agreeing to timed telephone calls in 20 second or even 1 minute blocks. This can prove to be an expensive mistake because if you make just a 1 second call, and you are signed to a 20 second block, then that quick call will cost the same as a 20 second one. That's a lot of extra seconds. TIme is gold, and it applies here. So before you agree, make sure that you sign up for 1 second increments rather than the 5 second or 1 minute blocks. The benefits of which are pretty obvious.

3. The third mistake a new small business phone system owner should avoid is not getting a business phone plan match their call spending. What you want to do is making sure you are getting the lowest per minute call rates for the most common call types you will need. If you need to make overseas calls, make sure your plan favors that type. If you are using it for local calls, then choose the plan that matches with it. Otherwise, you might be spending for something that you are not using and thus accumulating a bill that isn't justified. Which may seem like highway robbery in the part of the telco, but in actuality you are to blame.

There are other things to consider of course when you are getting a small business phone system, from the right telco to the proper service support and other fine print details worth noticing, but it is the top three that should be first addressed since these can cause a lot of headaches if left unabated. However, in the end, it all depends on what you and your business phone needs are. Of course, it goes without saying that one must also practice good common sense. If you are smart enough to run a business, you are smart enough to choose the right business phone system.