Does my receptionist need a desk phone?

[aliciaholmes]

I am wondering if I need to purchase a desk phone for my receptionist?  Or can she just use her computer to transfer and track calls?  

[FORE-Craig]

Hi Alicia,

It is certainly a personal preference. I would definitely suggest that you get her a comfortable headset to use if you go with using the Zoom app on her computer. You can indeed do everything through the Zoom app on the computer. 

Some things to think about would be:

• call volume / number of calls received;
• her ability to adapt to using a computer-based solution;
• comfort of headset versus handset;
• feature/functionality of the various desk phone models that Zoom supports versus the computer desktop app and the optional Zoom Phone Power Pack for the computer desktop. 

I hope that helps!

Craig

[townsendwc]

@aliciaholmes 

Much like Craig notes, it really comes down to how your receptionist likes to work and the comfort level with using the desktop application vs a phone and potentially a sidecar for the BLF's and such.  With today's cloud-based phone solution from Zoom, there really isn't a need for a physical device unless you need to integrate something like a fax machine or similar that uses only analog inputs.

My recommendation is to show the receptionist how the desktop app works and ask what "a day in the life" really looks like for the role.  Determine if there is a good headset that is liked or not.  There are good options for both phones/sidecars and headsets that won't break the bank.

Hope this helps!

--Bill