It's time to buy a business phone system. At first, it's tempting to lump them all together by saying, "Oh, they're all pretty much alike."

But that just isn't true anymore.

For example, many phone systems require multiple keystrokes and hard-to-remember codes to perform even the easiest tasks, such as picking up and transferring calls, retrieving voice mail and setting up conference calls. By contrast, the more progressive systems use single keys, intuitive functions and interactive on-board prompts to help you execute these everyday phone tasks quickly and easily.

Businesses need powerful and flexible features to improve productivity, efficiency and customer service. Yet the phone system must be easy to understand and use. It needs to provide adequate capacity for many years into the future. Any potential system should first be demonstrated in real-world business conditions with an in-office "live" demonstration.

When reviewing a phone system, it's important to ask yourself three critical questions:

• Does the system include all the features, functions and capacity my business needs?

• Is it easy and intuitive to use?

• Can the dealer provide me with a "test-drive" demonstration of the system so that I can experience the functionality first-hand instead of just showing me the deskset?

It's a fact: businesses depend on reliable phone systems as the heart of their companies' communications needs. But the business that goes shopping for a new and improved phone system may find the many choices confusing and intimidating.

Today, phone system manufacturers are offering a huge variety of choices in every configuration imaginable. It's difficult to cut through the clutter to see what really counts in a telephone system: the productivity you get for your money.

The best telephone system for your company is the one that delivers the most value based on your specific and unique needs. It offers features and functions that will help save time, build customer relationships and increase revenues. You want to get the features that your business will actually use, and you want to get everything you need at a fair price.

The good news is that no matter what your size or situation, there's a business telephone system that fits your needs perfectly. There are some basic phone system features that virtually every business today expects: voice mail, phones with displays and programmable keys, and park/hold/transfer. But there are many other amazing features now being touted:

• The ability to capture name-and-number Caller ID on every call for instant redial, and "attaching" the Caller ID information to the message, even if forwarded to other extensions.

• The ability to greet callers with an automated attendant and route calls to the desired department or extension quickly and efficiently.

• The ability to instantly record a live conversation by pressing one key.

• The ability to have your important calls automatically forwarded to you wherever you go - to a different office, a cell phone, to your home, anywhere.

• The ability to use the Internet as an alternative to traditional phone lines for office-to-office connections and to support teleworkers.

How do you sift through the hype to find the phone system that works best for you? One that really represents your best set of functions, reliability and price? We'll explore what to look for, and avoid, in a business telephone system. You'll discover just how to find the phone system that will maximize your efficiency, help you build strong customer relationships, increase your revenue stream and give you a competitive edge.

It may surprise you to learn that there are huge differences in what business phone system manufacturers call "standard" features. To complicate things more, there are many different versions of most of these features, some that are much better than others, and some that are far easier to use. Many manufacturers list features as "capabilities" and then charge extra to actually add them to the system. Here's a rundown of today's most-needed business phone systems' features: Voicemail, Live Call Recording, Advanced Caller ID, Live Call Screening, Music or Message-On- Hold (MOH), Auto Attendant, Automatic Call Distribution (ACD), and Verbal Help & Tutorials.

The most productivity-enhancing phone systems offer a variety of additional features designed to make employees more efficient, including: Conference bridges, Automated paging, "Follow-me" call forwarding, Background announce, Multi-purpose programmable keys, Virtual Answer Key, Trunk-to-trunk transfer, TAPI support, Options for digital lines, Expandability, and the option to add VoIP capability easily.

Be aware that there are distinct, discernible differences among telephone systems. It is essential to compare features and functions to find out which will deliver the best long-term value for your business.

As you investigate various phone systems, be sure to find out how each system's features and functions will benefit you directly. Be sure that everything you need is included, not an extra-cost add on. Make sure you try each function and understand its benefits and how to use it. Then you'll be in a position to make a solid decision that will pay for itself many times over.