Sizing a Phone System

When buying a phone system, a primary concern is to make sure that the
system is the right size for your firm. Knowing your requirements in advance
will help you negotiate with vendors. There are two main factors that will
determine the size of the system you need:

Lines -  Also called trunks, lines indicate the total number of outside phone
            lines used by the company.

Extensions -  Extensions refer to every device within the company that needs 
to connect to the phone system. Most of the extensions will be for telephones.
However, fax machines, credit card terminals, modems, and any other
equipment that requires a phone connection must also be tallied.

In key systems, system size is usually indicated as a combination of lines and
extensions. For example, a 12 x 36 system accommodates up to 12 lines and
36 extensions. In contrast, most PBXs define size in terms of "ports," which
indicate the maximum number of connections that can be made to the system.
This includes outside lines and inside extensions, as well as phone system
accessories such as voicemail or automated attendants.

Even if a telephone system can handle your current phone traffic, you should
be sure that it can also handle your future needs. The ideal system should be
able to handle expansion in a very cost-effective manner. PBX systems allow
you to increase capacity by adding new cards that increase the total number
of ports available; some key systems are expandable by simply adding
another cabinet identical to the first. For planning purposes, inquire about
how much it will cost to add more extensions, making sure to specify different
amounts, e.g. 10 vs. 20 vs. 50 more extensions. Learning the exact method
of expansion is not important - what is important is that expansion is easy and
affordable.

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