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Get the Best VoIP Phone System for Home Working
Get the Best VoIP Phone System for Home Working
Whether you’re a large multi-national corporation, a local SME or a part-office part-field-based operation, 2020 has been a challenging year for all. This is why business’s needs to adapt quickly and make the best use of all the technology available. In particular to get the best VoIP phone system for home working
If we stop to think, ‘the year of home working’ embodies what millions and millions have had to accept and adapt to overnight in 2020. You might find working from home has given you the gift of time and freedom – to see your children or to follow your hobbies. But it has proven a challenge, technologically speaking. A lot of hardware gathers dust at our offices whilst we type at kitchen tables, take conference calls in bedrooms, and try to find a suitable background for our zoom calls.
VoIP technology offers a rapid, cheap, and extremely scalable solution to changing working practices, and has been especially effective during a period when we have been asked to work from home with minimal implementation time. Something we can’t say often when it comes to large infrastructure changes.
It is fortunate that the use of VoIP telephone systems has grown steadily before 2020, and has become mainstream, without many of us even realising. If you aren’t certain, VoIP or voice over Internet Protocol simply means making phone calls without a traditional copper phone line. Services such as Skype, Facetime, WhatsApp and even the lockdown ubiquitous Zoom all offer some form of VoIP.
But instead of just ‘making do’, there are a slew of dynamic features and cool tricks which VoIP telephone systems can offer to get the best out of working from home.
Make your scattered and remote workforce more efficient than ever, no longer constrained by geography, infrastructure, or a static commute-heavy time-hungry office environment.
So, here’s our rundown of the smart VoIP solutions which can improve home working in any business – solutions you might not even know existed!
For the Bosses
- Instantly scalable – A massive advantage of using VoIP for any UK business is how easy it is to manage and scale up or down, depending on your need. Because it uses existing infrastructure (your internet connection) you simple install the software and deliver the handset required.
- Advanced call centre management – Including calls queues, call routing and analytics
In customer services especially, you need a single number for customers to access, but you want calls to be evenly distributed amongst your staff to optimise resources. With VoIP you can create any group or routing rules you want and push them instantaneously to your system. Calls will be answered quicker and distributed across team members evenly. You can see who answers calls quickest, who is available most often and work out if there are any organisational weaknesses in your customer experience.
- Automatic updates – security is paramount in the digital age and old school phone lines offered little. VoIP can provide end-to-end encryption and new updates are automatic and free, as a system redeployment.
- Only pay for what you use/need. Most calls are free including international calls – you just pay for the service.
For those WFH (working from home!)
- One system – Constant availability – because it doesn’t need a dedicated line, you can use the same number across multiple devices instantaneously anywhere in the world. Use a headset with your VoIP desktop app, use your dedicated VoIP phone or even your regular mobile when on the go – no call transfer or new call required – its seamless. As long as there’s a network connection you are good to go.
- Mailbox compatibility – with a few clicks you can make sure your VoIP and email systems are aligned and with it, accessibility to all your business contacts and calendar instantaneously.
- Push to talk – talk to colleagues like you would a walkie talkie or a voice note, just by pushing a button. Quick and easy, and minimal fuss.
- Availability status – Out of office or ‘do not disturb’ whatever your needs, you can inform other uses your availability just like email. This is also linked to your email/calendar to ensure you don’t get calls when you are already in a meeting.
- Ring back – trying to get hold of someone but they’re ALWAYS on the phone!? Ring back gets the system to check for you. It keeps calling in the background until the number answers – leaving you to get on with more important things.
- Anonymous call block – hate getting withheld number spam calls? VoIP can block a withheld number from not just one line in your system, but the entire system en-masse. No more time wasting, no more phishing.
- Temporary redirect – away on holiday or off sick, but expecting a big call? Redirect numbers from your line to a relevant colleague. Specific rules for specific numbers to make sure they get to the correct recipient as efficiently as possible
- Voicemail to text/email – You’re probably familiar with the idea of voicemail. But did you know that VoIP can automatically send your voicemails to you by email or online – either as an audio file, a notification or even as a transcribed text message!? Maximum efficiency.
- Conference and multi-person calls – team meetings used to take place round the water cooler or the coffee room. Now you can chat instantaneously either by audio or video. Add people to ongoing calls or leave without ending the call for others – only listen to what you need to.
Helpful for all
- Greeting messages – Customise your Customer journey to make sure they reach their desired destination as quickly as possible by recording specific greetings for individuals, teams and for businesses as a whole. Apply them remotely to all, control and change them when necessary all with minimal fuss and disruption to the team.
- Call recording – ‘for quality and training purposes!’ We’ve all heard that message, but it’s actually true. Forward call recordings, for info, and rate them according to their importance. Very useful for customer service requirements and for CRM…
- Connect to your CRM system – Useful for management to automate and focus attention on the right customers at the right time, but this feature offers so much more flexibility and agility for workers to optimise their workflows as well.
Due to the nature of the data recording VoIP calls can be automatically added to in house CRM systems and in some cases can be used to trigger follow up calls or emails, further activities and be used in sales, marketing and prospecting metrics. Allowing a 360-degree view of your customers.
As you can see, there are numerous things you can do to make your business more agile, your workers happier and safer and more able to do their job, especially at the home office if you use a VoIP telephone system.
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