Communications with the outside world are pretty vital for any business, and this means having the best telephony equipment to suit the needs of the business. The use of computers and the internet have seen telephone usage decrease; along with the trend towards managing with a mismatched system of phones- as it is no longer seen as being of prime importance. However with the introduction of web based communication comes the risk of depersonalisation of business which to be honest does not suit all potential customers. There are still a strong set of customers that will want to use the services of a given business: but will not want to use the internet to do so. For many people their decision on where they will take their business comes down to whether they can talk to someone- a real voice, on the telephone.

For that reason it is therefore vital that office supply mangers ensure telephony budgets are allocated and proper equipment purchased and installed. There are various systems on the market; from standard cabled phone systems to voice over IP systems which root through similar channels to the company's computer network and the internet. For the most part a standard phone line system works for most SME business. In order to decide what system will best suit, companies must decide how the system will work. Is there a need to have more than one phone line in so that more than one caller can be dealt with at a time? Does the system have to have the ability to transfer calls to different extension numbers to help route the caller correctly? What happens when a caller is placed on hold, will there be silence, hold music or a recorded message? Does the company need a queuing system in place to allow callers to wait in line and be kept informed of progress?

All of these issues are important, and for some larger companies this falls outside the remit of the office supply manager and sits with the IT department, but for smaller companies this could well be a job for the office supply manager. Thankfully, choosing the correct system couldn't be easier as the information available is comprehensive and offers clear guidance based on what the customer needs the system to do.

Fax machines also fall under the remit of the telephony system and to a certain extent have lost popularity. There are however still companies that need this facility. Again consideration will need to be taken as to whether this requires a separate phone line or whether it can run on the same one as the phone - in which case for the duration of sending and receiving a fax the phone cannot be used. In some modern offices it would be realistic to do away with the fax machine and have a scanner and email to transmit any documents that need to be sent in electronic format. Whatever the need, a well thought out and installed telephony system will last several years.