Before settling on a VoIP provider, PBX (News - Alert), and/or IP phone system, businesses need to think about the feature set that is suited for their needs. If a particular business is small, some of the more basic features such as call forwarding, voice mail and three-way calling might be all that are necessary. But VoIP features can distinguish how an SMB operates; do they seem like a small operation or can they be as on-task as the enterprise guys?
For VoIP service providers, having the most features means being able to appeal to a more widespread group of individuals and businesses, thus resulting in more revenue and customers.
For businesses, there are specific features that standout among the usual known VoIP highlights especially for SMBs. According to AVOXI, the top four features crucial to businesses are IVR/auto attendant, time of day routing, failover and redundancy and call redirect.
When it comes to the auto attendant, incoming calls are answered by a central number and then routed based on the caller's need. For example, the caller can choose to route the call to the sales department, billing department, accounts receivable, etc. In a small organization, one person or department may perform all of these functions, and the call may end up at the same extension for multiple choices; but callers don't know that, and your organization appears to have more employees than it really does.
AVOXI’s IVR allows customers to get to where they need by using their voice or keypad. The feature is included with their virtual call center solution.
When it comes to failover, for an SMB, no feature could be more important. Down time means lost business. In the event of network disruption, failover allows voice traffic to be automatically redirected to a third–party Internet or private data network. AVOXI works with many tier 1 telco carriers, so blocked or failed calls are instantly sent via another carrier to a specified number.
VoIP services offer many features that SMBs don't routinely obtain with traditional phone service, including simultaneous ring, do not disturb, virtual phone numbers, and more. However, focusing on the more specific features as outlined by AVOXI will ensure SMBs success in customer communication.
As VoIP becomes more omnipresent in the workplace, it's likely that the differences in how SMBs conduct business versus their larger counterparts will fade.
Edited by Rich Steeves