The office phone is not an add-on; it’s a must-have. You can’t promote effective communications without one. For a number of organizations, that means adopting the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) approach to communications. When evaluating business VoIP providers, there are specific phone system features that help make business communications more effective.
A recent Telco Depot blog highlighted some of these features, stressing the value they deliver in the corporate environment, regardless of the size of the business. Let’s take a closer look at what they suggest and how it can impact the business environment.
Call Routing – it should go without saying that routing a call to the right party should be crucial to ensure quality customer care. But, not all VoIP solutions will automatically offer this feature – be sure to ask for it.
Call Forwarding – depending upon the size of your staff or their tendency to be mobile, you may need the capability to forward calls. This can be done manually or automatically, depending upon the needs of the environment.
Auto Attendant – not every organization has the funds for a live operator, yet the business may flourish when calls are automatically handled. A business VoIP provider should make this feature a ready option for deployment.
Hold Music or Message – while it’s not always a good idea to keep someone on hold for too long, the reality is there are times callers need to wait. When that happens, you may want to entertain them with tunes or the opportunity to share a message.
Mobility – today’s workforce is increasingly mobile, putting more pressure on the phone system to support individuals on the move.
Conference Calling – regardless of the industry focus, there are a number of times when multiple individuals need to get together to collaborate and focus on moving initiatives forward. With conference calling capabilities, the need for face-to-face meetings is eliminated, saving time and travel costs.
In addition to these features, it’s also important that the business VoIP provider offer the support and data security necessary to ensure optimal performance of the business phone system. This not only ensures the company gets the most value out of the selected system, it also builds the value of the vendor relationship, ensuring they are keeping the needs of the customer base top of mind.
Edited by Rachel Ramsey