How to choose a new phone system: choosing an analog phone system

As the major concern of any business, the costs (both original and for ongoing maintenance) are usually scrutinized when a company decides to get a new phone system. In this area, there are really no comparisons. Analog phone systems are far less complicated and don't require nearly the computer processing and programming that even a basic digital phone system requires. Because of this, the equipment in an analog phone system is relatively cheap.

Ask any person on the street and they will tell you, "Digital has better sound quality that analog", but they won't be able to tell you why. Technically, there is in fact no appreciable difference. If someone is calling you from a third world country with poor quality phone cabling, that poor cabling is going to affect how you hear their call whether you're using a digital, analog or IP phone system.

But, the reason a digital signal is considered a higher quality signal is due to the way that signal is sent. With an analog signal, the sound is translated into a series of electrical pulses. If there is a power surge, an area of resistance within the phone line, or external electrical or magnetic interference the signal will become distorted, resulting in the person on the receiving end hearing this interference. With a digital signal, on the other hand, the sound is translated into a digital 'script' that is sent down the line. The receiving end of the signal reads the 'script' (instead of just measuring the strength of the electrical pulses) and translates this 'script' into sound. Because of this difference, digital phone signals are more resistant to external interference. In other words, when there is a difference in quality, a digital phone system will sound better.

The programming behind your phone system determines both how your business phone system will act and how easily it is to get it to act precisely how you want it to act. Programming defines, for example, the auto attendant; the ability to "push one for sales, push two for support" etc. This is where a digital phone system begins to come into its own. While an analog phone system requires only a simple computer to route it's electrical signal, a digital system uses far more advanced computers to translate its signals. Because of this increased processing power, a digital phone system will outshine an analog system in the sheer number of programming options available.

For example, let's imagine that you need the office conference phone to be on 'do not ring' status every Thursday from 1PM to 3PM because of your weekly staff meeting. With an analog system, a person needs to 'speak the language' of the phone system, and this language varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. To make your phone not ring for a certain time, you will usually need to put in a service call to your installer to program the option unless you have someone who can devote the time to reading and interpreting the system manuals to learn the language. The analog phone system will require input that looks something like: #31 255* 452A# *211 16 24 1300 1700 #31#, followed by a somewhat cryptic menu driven series of yes and no choices on its internal menu. This complexity can cost a lot of money in service fees for programming.

Although some analog phone systems are designed to allow a VOIP interface, If they do, they generally require that a separate module be installed to make the conversion from analog to digital. Digital phone systems, on the other hand almost universally are designed with a simple plug-and-play interface with a company's network. In other words, with digital or IP, sending your phone conversations through the internet rather than through the phone company's switching equipment is much more straightforward.

Sound quality, costs, programmability, and VOIP - these are the biggest factors that business owners should look at when considering analog phone systems. Whilst an analog phone system initially has a smaller price tag, it has fewer expansion options. Because of this, it may be the better option for a small company that plans to stay small and static in its technology use. For a larger office, or a small office with an eye on the future, a digital phone system has the programmability to do precisely what they need, and prevent their business phone system from becoming obsolete in the near future.

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