If you think that all telephone services are equal and that there’s no difference between a business phone and a home phone system, you’d be wrong. In fact, there are several differences between a phone used for business and a phone used for personal calls, including required call features, calling abilities, and even how many phones you need available.

The following are differences you should consider when comparing business and home phone services:

Cost

There’s an estimated increased cost of 75 to 120 percent on business phone lines, more than home phone systems. This increase in cost is because business systems offer more complex features, which may be essential to your business. And because of this, business phone systems can range from prices like $20 a line to a whopping $1,000 a line depending on the features required.

The cost of setting up a home phone system can also be expensive for what you are getting. With more people opting for Bluetooth or other mobile device enabled phone systems, prices can skyrocket. Phone companies could require you to purchase a second phone line for this service, not to mention the added tax and regulatory fees added to your bill.

Usage

A business phone usually gets a lot more useful than your typical home phone. Businesses rely on their phones to communicate, not only with clients but also with staff and vendors. Communication needs could span the length of a state or the length of the globe. Meaning that business phones lines must be more powerful and handle a lot more traffic than the standard home phone, and they require the features and capabilities to support these calls.

Equipment and Features

When looking at what businesses require in a phone system, you can see there is a huge difference when compared to the requirements of a home phone. A business phone system will need to be able to forward calls, conference with multiple people, and will need to be prepared for multiple lines. These are features most don’t require a home phone. A home phone can support features such as caller ID, voicemail, and, call waiting. You do not miss more advanced features in a home phone system.

Furthermore, voice over internet protocol (VoIP) is becoming more widely used. This system allows both businesses and individuals to make calls through their internet provider. In some cases, this is more reliable than traditional telephone services.

Required Services

The required services of your phone system will vary depending on what is required for your business to function, or what personal preferences you have as far as home phones go. Depending on the volume of calls a business receives, specific services or features may be essential. What’s more, phone companies may be more likely to fix an issue with a business line sooner than they would for a residential phone system, this is especially true of VoIP providers. This difference in service speed could be because businesses pay higher prices than residential customers.

Something other things to consider are phone numbers and tax deductions. Businesses can purchase toll-free numbers, or the numbers can be randomly assigned. Choosing a specific toll-free number comes at a cost, however, which is something those with a home phone do not need to consider. For businesses who are making a lot of calls, tax deductions are possible. This deduction is also an option for those with home phone systems, especially if your business is home-based or you work from home periodically.

Phone services can be a tricky thing to figure out. Do not be fooled, however, because there is a significant difference between a phone used for personal calls and a phone used for professional calls. Not only do costs vary, but so do the features and capabilities of the service and the equipment. Before signing up with for phone service make sure you take a moment to look at what is being offered to you and decide if it will fulfill all your needs and requirements.