Does My Business Need a Multi-Line Phone System?

If you have a workforce of more than a handful of people, and want to give your customers a professional experience when they contact you, a multi-line phone system will help you. To be more specific, you'll want to invest in a multi line phone system if you:

• Would like to provide customers with dedicated numbers to reach certain departments or employees
• Would like more than 5 employees from the same team/office to have the ability to make an external call
• Require each employee to have their own phone extension or a direct dial number

When considering how many lines- or users- you'll need, it's important to remember that the best multi line phone system for business will integrate with key business processes as well. A system that is surplus to requirements or doesn’t support your business as you want it to will not only cost you a lot of money but it will waste resources too, something no business can afford.

Working with a dedicated phone system provider will help you understand your business processes in detail and what type of system you would benefit from.

Another consideration is – do you need physical lines? Many businesses today are switching to a VoIP phone, an internet based solution to customer services that has all the benefits of a multi-line phone system, but with modern quality of life improvements, and generally, much lower running costs. VoIP can even remove the need for physical phones altogether, replicating the experience on your computer, tablet or mobile phone.

Benefits of a Multi Line Phone System for Business

Cost – With a multi line phone system, the cost of calls are usually much lower than a standard phone line, this is usually because many of the multi line systems now operate through the internet. In addition, telephone numbers are hosted in the cloud so you don’t have to pay costly line rentals and all the system hardware and maintenance is taken care of by the provider leaving you with more time to focus on your business than worrying about a complex technical glitch with your phone system.

Increased productivity – Multi line phone systems can be routed quickly which increases customer satisfaction and frees up employee time so they can work on other things.

Professionalism – When a business needs to grow, more lines can be added to the system without having to install a whole new phone network. It also conveys a greater degree of professionalism having a dedicated phone number that customers can contact rather than simply a mobile number.

Functionality – Many multi line systems are extremely flexible allowing businesses to add or remove numbers, integrate voicemail, set up call forwarding and much more, offering a far greater range of services than a standard phone system.

Collaboration – If you have a remote team, a multi line phone system can improve collaboration and maintain communications. Calls can be re-routed to their mobiles meaning that calls don’t go unanswered.

Customer Service – Using a multi line phone system gives customers confidence. They will recognize that you have a good set up and a strong team who are responsive to customer service requests. Phone lines can make a significant impact on your day to day business operations.

Call waiting/forwarding – Never miss a call. If you’re busy, customers can leave a message or be routed through to the extension of a colleague.

How Do Multi Line Phone Systems Work?

As the name suggests, a multi-line phone takes the line coming into your business, and splits it into multiple lines, allowing two or more phones to be linked at once via the same connection. The upshot of this is that it allows businesses to set up an internal phone system without the need for installing new phone lines at considerable cost and inconvenience. With a multi-line phone, there’s no disruption or extra ongoing expense, and employees can each be given their own extension number, as well as being able to pick up calls internally should their co-workers be unavailable.

They also introduce new features, such as call management to answer and direct calls to the relevant person, or the ability to take messages when nobody is available.

Multi-line phones can be connected together to create a network, with one phone plugging into the next, or with each phone connecting to each other via an internet connection.

How to Choose the Best Multi Line Phone System

When managing a business you need a phone system that you can rely on, and there are several factors that you should take into consideration.

These can be as simple as getting the right telephone number and area code, or as important as how much it’s all going to cost and whether you'll be able to address more complicated business requirements by incorporating features such as voicemail, call divert and caller display.

Any type of multi line phone system whether it’s has a two line or four line capacity would bring a number of benefits to your business because they can significantly improve communication channels, support your existing processes and are flexible enough to adapt as your business grows.

But you should take care to choose a multi-line phone system that suits your growth strategy, to future proof it as much as possible. So let's take a look at each of the multi-line set ups: 2 line, 4 line and cloud-based.

Best 2 Line Phone System

2 line phone systems are ideal for a small company or home-based business owner.

They feature a range of functions such as auto-attendant and call forwarding but can keep business and personal calls separate. A 2 line phone system will have two separate lines, voicemail inboxes and telephone numbers, which can be connected to the same device.

Popular with start up businesses or companies who are in the early stages of growth, two phone lines can prove crucial to enhancing customer service and improving communications.

A 2 line phone system will offer a range of benefits to both small start up businesses and medium sized enterprises. A business can enjoy multiple benefits associated with such phone lines because there are multiple ways of handling and processing calls allowing a business to deal with two calls at the same time. This not only facilitates multitasking but it makes a big difference when handling your day to day operations. 2 line phones are also popular with home based businesses because they allow business and home life to be kept separately.

As technology continues to develop, telephone lines are becoming more advanced with the 2 line system being just one of the many improvements in telephone communications. As the years progress, VoIP technologies will continue to develop and other systems will be launched which offer a greater choice of options to communicate effectively with colleagues, customers, partners and suppliers.

Small business owners are more likely to use a 2 phone line system because these types of business are usually in the early stages of starting up and may either use a small home office to manage the day to day operations or work within a shared office. A 2 phone line system will avoid receiving work phone calls on a personal home telephone number.

Larger businesses can also use two line phone systems to manage different areas of their business such as one for general customer inquiries and then another line to handle technical queries. However within a larger businesses it is not unheard of for there to be a four, six or even twelve line phone system which has been installed to serve more complex communication requirements.

There are many 2 line cordless phone systems available if you are looking for a more flexible communications option. Employees in the healthcare industry, as well as those in construction and other types of shift work can benefit the most from a 2 line cordless phone. To read more about plenty of indoor and robust outdoor options please view our cordless phones guide.

4 Line Phone Systems

Four line phone systems are often used for larger businesses or those with small teams, so that each member of the team can have their own telephone line and make use of it while other people are also making and receiving calls.

Having a 4 line phone system means that four employees could be on the phone at the same time. However, up 16 phones could be connected to a 4 line system. So it is important to consider how many phone lines your business usually needs simultaneously, not just the number of phones you’d like connected, before you start purchasing anything. Otherwise you could be investing money in extra lines that will go unused.

Cloud-Based Multi Line Phone Systems

Today, many businesses are favoring cloud based systems (sometimes called Hosted VoIP-based)  for multiple users, instead of regular multi-line set ups. There are many advantages to these, not least of doing away with traditional phone set-ups and replacing them with a virtual network which can be considerably cheaper, accessed anywhere, and be used on existing hardware such as computers and cell phones.

Cloud based systems are also much more versatile and scalable, with no physical limitations on how many lines you can have. You can adapt the number of users from 2 to 4 to over 100+ quite easily because multiple virtual lines do not need to be installed and uninstalled. This allows your business to be much more flexible and meet your customers needs quicker. 

The Best Multi Line Phone Systems: Comparison

Whatever kind you choose, your business phone system is an essential piece of kit. Multi line networks can offer greater flexibility and with dedicated lines, business can come across as being more professional and organized which leaves a great impression with customers.

So what are the best multi-line phones on the market right now? We looked at both corded and cordless multiple line phones systems and found the following models came out on top. All of these multi-line phone systems can help take your business communications to the next level.

The phones we've listed below are traditional multi-line models, but if you're looking for a more future-proof solution, check out our guides to the best VoIP phones and top 10 VoIP providers.

Verdict: Multi-Line Phones for Your Business

Multi-line phones are an essential bit of office equipment for any business, no matter how small. The question shouldn’t be can you afford to have a multi-line phone, but can you afford not to? As the models above show, prices start from a reasonable $70, and can be expanded as your business grows. Get tailored price quotes for your business today to find the best multi line phone system deal.