Though pay phones are largely going the way of the dinosaur, some businesses still prefer to maintain them on the premises, using phone booths and enclosures for a variety of reasons. Pay phones can still generate money for a business, and, like vending machines, pay phones are a one-time investment that can pay off big in terms of traffic routed to your front door.

Both indoor and outdoor telephone booths are still popular for getting pay phone options on site. When looking for supplies and accessories for a phone booth or enclosure, busy managers can use the power of the web to get the stuff they need quickly and conveniently. Businesses using pay phones include:

1. Public facilities like camps and schools, where people who may not have cell phones need to be able to make calls in a convenient phone enclosure provided by phone booth manufacturers or contractors.

2. Businesses that evoke an "old-fashioned" atmosphere with classic telephone enclosure models, including diners, drug stores or department store shopping areas.

3. Any business that wants the traffic that will be routed to a pay phone in indoor or outdoor phone enclosures where no other are accessible nearby.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find state-of-the-art pay phone units for phone booths

If you're going for a pay phone in a public area, think about an upgrade: card-operated phones are the style in other countries, and with today's cashless systems, your pay phone should be accessible to people who aren't carrying rolls of quarters in their pocket. Evaluate cash vs. cashless to see what's right for your area.

I recommend: Get free shipping on coinless phones like the G-TEL 525 at Payphone.com. Find a wide variety of pay phone models including faux vintage styles at the PayPhoneOutlet.com, another online pay phone supplier.

Get phone booth covers for phone booths

Another great supply that you will need is a handy hard vinyl cover for a phone book. People using pay phones want to be able to rely on the phone book included in the telephone enclosure, and the cover helps to protect the book from the elements.

I recommend: You can find stylish hard vinyl phone book covers from Hapco Elmar online. Joe Menu is another site that will ship telephone directory covers to your shop in vinyl or pricier materials.

Get seating for phone booths

If you want to really provide comfort and convenience for guests and maximize profit from your on-site payphone booths, you'll want to set up a stool or seat inside your telephone enclosures. Look for great sturdy and comfortable models from professional online shops to outfit your phone booth space.

I recommend: Get sturdy leather topped stools with back, shipped Fedex, from Algrove Bar Furniture, an online shop offering seating for bars that can fit inside your phone booth. Find wholesale buys on more of these seating products for a telephone safety enclosure at RestaurantSeatingDirect.com.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When outfitting phone booths, always have the precise measurements available: an accessory item doesn't need to just fit inside of the booth, it also needs to fit through the doors. Keep this salient detail in mind when ordering.

Phone booths originally provided a place where people could yell into a phone to maintain a connection without disturbing their neighbors. While the main function for a phone enclosure remains the same today, the booths have undergone a wide variety of changes over the years. Today’s options range from a sit down booth with an open roof and door to a fully enclosed structure to a multi-telephone kiosk with no walls.

While multi-telephone kiosks serve their purpose, many patrons prefer to have a quiet place to talk that allows for private conversation. This includes people who use cell phones. Many businesses look at a phone enclosure as a way to keep peace between cell phone users and other patrons. Others like the style it adds to the atmosphere and customize the phone booth to include leather or velvet seats.

Regardless of the style, a phone booth should:

1. Allow privacy
2. Have a clear door to prevent mischief
3. Blend in with the surroundings
4. Have a local phone book in the telephone enclosure
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Buy from phone booth manufacturers that offer a wide variety of phone booths

Varieties include sit-down telephone booths, multi-phone kiosks and fully enclosed payphone booths. A phone booth manufacturer that offers several varieties and custom designs provides its customers with a one stop shop to find the best look and style for their needs.

I recommend: View the showroom for REDY REF, which began manufacturing telephone booths in 1913 and is a leading telephone booth manufacturer that designs kiosks to fit your environment. For classic looking phone booths, browse the selection of Sherron Telebooths. Look at their client list for big name companies that trust them with their needs.

Get a telephone enclosure for cell phones

Many businesses such as bars, restaurants and movie theaters as well as locations like libraries now offer a phone enclosure without the phone. These provide a quiet place for people on cell phones to talk and are designed to fight talk pollution.

I recommend: Look at the package options available from Salemi Industries. Additional features of the Cell Zone include rubber mat flooring and shelving. Model SI200ST is available as an outdoor phone enclosure.

Purchase used phone booths

Classic phone booths enhance the atmosphere of venues trying to recreate a certain era. Often, refurbished phone booths cost less than new ones and provide character to the enclosure.

I recommend: Buy a refurbished telephone enclosure from EPS Custom Telephone Booths and Kiosks. The phone enclosure inventory constantly changes but typically offers British phone booths and wooden phone booths.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Many phone booth manufacturers do not include the cost of shipping in the list price.
• •  Find a manufacturer that provides national installation.
• •  Some companies ship telephone booths assembled where others expect assembly to occur on arrival.

Phone booths and enclosures education and training encompasses preparation for design, manufacture and installation. Because of the widespread use of cellular phones, most telephone booths are designed as custom installations and require extensive design and engineering, rather than just mass production.

Varying levels of training and certification are needed depending on the type of work you are doing with the phone booths. A higher education degree is necessary for a high-level or leadership position in manufacturing, but the design and installation of a phone enclosure may be done with little formal education and requires prior experience only.

When looking for phone booths and enclosures education and training, consider the following options:

1. For designing phone booths, learn drafting and graphic design software.
2. To work with phone booth manufacturers, obtain a degree in manufacturing technology.
3. Learn to install phone booths using online tutorials and instructions.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get the skills necessary to design and engineer phone booths

For all phone booth projects, but especially for custom telephone enclosures, drafting and graphic design skills are a must. By obtaining a grasp of programs like AutoCAD, VersaCAD, Photoshop and Quark, you can obtain the skills you need to do the design and engineering work for a telephone booth manufacturer.

I recommend: MyCADSite.com offers a wide range of free AutoCAD tutorials, useful for drafting a plan for a telephone enclosure. Mike's Sketchpad is a good site for tutorials in Quark and other graphic design programs ideal for the creative side of manufacturing phone booths.

Obtain a degree that qualifies you to manufacture phone booths

Manufacturing and industrial engineering skills are another main component of the telephone enclosure business, and training to do these jobs starts with an engineering degree. Most engineering degree programs also need to be supplemented with some level of industrial work or internship experience.

I recommend: East Carolina University offers a bachelor's degree in industrial technology, which can be completed online. Ferris State University in Michigan has a similar manufacturing engineering degree, useful for students interested in becoming phone booth manufacturers.

Learn the basic skills needed for installing telephone booths

Individuals who provide installation and maintenance for telephone enclosures may or may not be employed by a phone booth manufacturer. Some instructional materials are available online for people interested in doing basic installation, especially for other small businesses whose needs are narrow and specialized.

I recommend: EPS Custom Telephone Booths provides an installation guide online for people using one of their phone booth models, or a similar type of telephone enclosure. Popular Mechanics offers step-by-step instructions for installing a new phone line, which would apply to businesses who want to install a small phone carrel in their office for employees or clients.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Because historic phone booths are very popular for certain businesses, familiarize yourself with refurbished and used phone booths, especially if you are training for the installation and maintenance side of the businesses. Designers and manufacturers can also take some lessons from vintage phone booths to achieve a traditional style.