Ever since they were introduced, VoIP-hosted phone systems have revolutionized the world of small businesses.
Not only are they a more effective means of communication, but they also provide a competitive edge to companies using them. In fact, it’s predicted that by 2020, there will be 204.8 billion corporate subscribers for VoIP globally!
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Why You Need a VoIP Phone System for Your Company
Gone are the days when PBX telephony was enough for businesses to thrive. With growing competition in the industry and the continuous evolution of technology, VoIP systems are the new big deal! Having a VoIP system for your office can help you in several ways, providing:
- Improved internal communication
- Enhanced customer care
- Market competition
- Network flexibility
- Cost-saving
- Workforce mobility
- Increased productivity
7 Top VoIP Features To Activate Immediately:
Now that we have established how a VoIP office phone system can help business, let’s take a look at a few features that you need to maximize.
1. Call Screening
Call screening allows you not only to identify the person calling, but it also gives you the option to decide how you want to handle that call. This is a particularly useful feature for small businesses, as it can help them redirect certain calls to another line.
For instance, you can have the call redirected to your cell phone for a more detailed and private conversation with your client. Similarly, if the caller ID shows a number for a heckler, you can instantly disconnect the call.
2. Find Me/Follow Me
With the Find Me/Follow Me feature, you can easily create a list of numbers for each employee to make it easier for the caller to connect to them.
This means that you can have multiple numbers where you may be reached at, instead of just one. The call routing feature makes it easier for clients and coworkers to get in touch with you and reduce the chances of the call being transferred to voicemail.
For instance, a client may call you at your office number. However, if you’re not at your desk, the phone will ring for two to three bells before being routed to an alternate number (for e.g., your cell phone).
If that line, too, is unavailable, then the call will be transferred to a third number for the next ring (for e.g., alternate cell phone or your home phone) and so on.
Don’t worry; you get to decide which and how many numbers you want added to your list. If you’re unavailable on any of these lines, the call will then be transferred to your voicemail.
This feature is especially useful for mobile workers as it allows them to stay connected with their clients and colleagues even if they’re not at the office. Moreover, the Find Me/Follow Me feature ensures that no phone call is missed, keeping your customer service intact.
3. Voice Recognition for Directories
The voice recognition feature in VoIP phones takes the standard call routing one step further. Through this, callers can be redirected to the intended person or department simply by announcing it on call.
For instance, if a client is calling to speak to Susan from your sales team, they can simply announce this verbally and be redirected to her line.
4. Virtual Conferencing
Everyone knows VoIP phones provide a conferencing feature, but how does this really help your business? With this feature, you can arrange for visual conferences with your clients, colleagues, and business partners while cutting down on costs as well!
Since VoIP systems work well with video conferencing and web tools, you can set up a floor monitor that enables you to manage invitations, speak to specific individuals, and even mute certain attendees if required!
You no longer have to worry about an online conference being too confusing or tedious to manage. VoIP systems let you have a smooth conferencing experience!
5. Do Not Disturb
It doesn’t get any simpler than this. The “do not disturb” feature leaves you, well, undisturbed. By turning on this feature, you can disable incoming calls from clients and colleagues temporarily.
This doesn’t mean they go ignored or neglected, though. The calls are simply transferred to voicemail or another platform you’ve chosen for yourself, so that you still receive the notification.
The “do not disturb” feature is particularly useful when you’re caught up with deadlines, are in a meeting, or at a conference.
Instead of having your phone ring loudly, disturbing you and your peers at work, the calls can simply be redirected to another medium, which you can later access and attend to.
6. Barge & Whisper
Want to improve your employees’ on-phone performance? VoIP phones can help you do this through their coaching tools.
The best part? You don’t have to wait for them to hang up before you make your suggestions for improvement. The VoIP phone system lets you do that while they’re still on call!
Here’s how it works: VoIP system comes with the barge and whispers features. The “barge” feature lets you listen to your employee’s conversation with a client without any interruption.
The “whisper” feature allows you to then provide them with tips or advice about what to say or how to say it without alerting the client about it.
These features are incredibly helpful for training new employees because you can assess their performance through and through while offering helpful tips simultaneously.
By listening to their conversation, you can monitor how they’re interacting with clients, and pick up on their strengths and weaknesses in the arena.
If you feel they’ve slipped up somehow or are struggling to answer the client’s queries, then you can instantly “whisper” recommendations without the client being aware of it.
7. Door Phone Integration for Security
This feature is a great way for you to improve your building security. By integrating an analog phone, you can then unlock the door of your building by arranging a two-way call with your visitors. Talk about a security upgrade!
It can be a challenge finding a good VoIP service provider for your small business, Top5 Business VoIP provides detailed descriptions and features of various VoIP service providers including Ring Central, CloudPhone, and Vonage!
- 7 VoIP Phone Features That Can Help Your Small Business - August 19, 2019
Hey great blogs, thanks for sharing this up here. Absolutely agree that VoIP has so many great features that small businesses can totally make use of. The above mentioned features are some of the major reasons why people turn to VoIP.