Whether business has changed technology or its technology that’s changing business is one of those chicken before the egg questions that’s hard to answer. Both have advanced with unprecedented rapidity in the past few decades, and each advancement has pulled up the industries around it in close proximity. But with certainty it can be said that neither technology nor business is what it used to be, however far back you want to look. A good barometer of this change can be found in the types of business phones readily available to businesses of all sorts and sizes.

Modern business phones utilize a different type of connection known as VOIP (Voice Over IP) which enables a host unprecedented features. It relies not on an analogue system, but essentially harnesses the power of the internet. Accordingly, the list of features is long and impressive: video calls; video conferencing; and even instant messaging. Equally important, because of the internet’s gift of turning international into local, long distance rates are greatly reduced if they even exist at all. Businesses rely on enlarging their network, and for this there’s no greater tool than the internet.

It used to be that phones were only used to call or receive calls from people. With touch screens, USB ports, blue tooth connectivity and even Ethernet ports, the business phone has become a powerful computer on its own. Its functions have multiplied. With this in mind, it’s a good idea to purchase the latest innovations so as to minimize the extent to which your technology becomes outdated. The later this happens the better!

Not all the advancements belong in the futuristic realm unimaginable twenty or even ten years ago. Cornerstones of the old-school business phone functions have been improved like added calling extensions, more intuitive directories with greater capacities, and call forwarding. Just like the innovations listed above, the internet is an essential tool, and really the backbone of the new systems. Obviously voice mail was a necessary feature for businesses in years past, but the internet allows for multiple mailboxes so everyone is assured their own private connection, accessible through email, phone or computer. Phones can be equipped with “call log” to keep track of the minutes spent over the phone with particular clients without individually timing each conversation. Until recently, faxes were considered the one thing that existed in hard copy. But now fax machines can now digitize an incoming fax into a PDF format, thereby allowing set members of your office a chance to see it immediately upon arrival, wherever they are in the world!

Depending on the nature of your business, modern business phone systems are so advanced that if used properly you may not even need an office! Everything that’s available is ready on the go. Business has frequently demanded the creation of better technology, and with Ipads and apps set to co-ordinate with business phones, its clear this trend of mutual growth appears to be increasing in momentum exponentially.

Author Bio: Trying to get the best business phone systems?