Today it is officially spring, at least according to the calendar. That means it is time to start thinking about spring cleaning.
Often when we think about spring cleaning, we think about dusting away the cobwebs in our house and giving our home a thorough scrubbing. But businesses need spring cleaning, too, as a recent BroadConnect blog post noted.
“Whether you’re a C-level exec or work in a cubicle, virtually any employee can get involved in spring cleaning at the business level,” noted the BroadConnect blog post. “If you’re a decision-maker, choosing to reevaluate what’s been sitting around for too long could prove invaluable for better business. As someone who reports to the decision-maker, campaigning for some spring cleaning will truly make you shine as an attentive and dedicated employee.”
BroadConnect suggests three areas to hone in on when it comes to spring cleaning: Old periodicals that have piled up, such as magazines and newspapers; customer relationships and internal processes that are no longer efficient or necessary; and communications technology that may be long in the tooth, in particular business telephone service.
This last suggestion—reviewing your office phone system—is particularly worthwhile.
That’s because the Internet has dramatically changed how voice communications can take place. Instead of using a telephone line for each office phone and having the business telephone equipment in a closet somewhere in the office, it now is possible to leverage the Internet to make calling (VoIP) and have office phone service hosted in the cloud.
Hosted phone service offers real benefits, including better customer service, reduced cost and ease of management.
Because VoIP uses fewer resources during a call and is more efficient, the cost of VoIP service almost universally is cheaper than traditional landline service. And with hosted VoIP, the telephone closet and the hassle of maintaining it is instantly eliminated because the hosting provider handles equipment and maintenance from their data center.
Hosted VoIP also can improve customer service, because it brings mobility that just isn’t possible with a traditional landline. Whether an employee is in the office, on the road or at home, VoIP calls can follow this employee even when cellular signals are not good. Calls also can ring to several numbers simultaneously or in order, ensuring that someone on staff answers the phone. Don’t underestimate the customer service boost from always answering business calls instead of having it go to voicemail.
So this year, instead of just dusting the kitchen china during spring cleaning, consider also freshening up the office. It can make a big difference.
Edited by Alisen Downey