All too often phone companies are willing to offer overkill business phone services. They will claim that your basic small business phone system doesn't provide the features you need and they happily offer a add-on to fix the problem. Services range from voicemail, extended voicemail, rollovers, call forwarding, etc. The question then becomes is your phone system limited? When evaluating a small business phone system, consider what you need now and then peer into the future growth of your business and plan in advance.

The most common features you will need include:

Voicemail - Does your system have enough voicemail extensions so you won't end up needing to add telephone company voicemail and adding a hefty bump in your phone budget.

Call Forwarding - You need this feature to stay in touch with your customers and employees when you have to be out of the office. This keeps you from having to give everyone your cell or home phone number and helps to protect your privacy.

Easy Installation / Configuration - While shopping for a system, look for the ability to easily install and configure it on your own. Installation can cost a pretty penny, and the more user configurable systems allow you to program your phone system without having to pay the manufacturer or a third-party technician to do it for you. The best of the new small business phone systems are user friendly and enable you to do it yourself.

Expandability - Be sure the system you buy today can grow to accommodate the future needs of your company. With Voice over IP technology and new advanced Internet telephony services, your phone system needs to be ready to connect to the IP network while keeping your connections to the traditional telephone network. Buy a hybrid systems that is built with SIP standards to ensure compatibility and avoid having to bury your business phone system before it's time.

Small business phone systems don't have to be limited. There are numerous choice available to the consumer to take care of all your phone system needs. You just need to shop carefully and make a wise choice.

One of the hottest choices on the market today is the TalkSwitch system by Centrepoint Technologies. TalkSwitch, a hybrid phone system that offers IP and traditional telephony, is specifically designed for businesses with as few as one and as many as 32 phone users. The compact, user-friendly TalkSwitch is a great example of the newer systems that provide the features of a PBX at prices that most small businesses can justify.