If you’re running a business, there’s a good chance your phone system already does more than you’re asking of it. Most companies switch to VoIP for the obvious reasons, lower call costs, easier scaling, ditching an ageing phone line, and then stop there. But VoIP features for business go well beyond making and receiving calls, and plenty of tools already sitting inside your package could be saving time or picking up lost enquiries. In this article we look at the three VoIP features available to businesses, that you might be using, or even aware of.
Smart Auto-Attendant Routing
One of the most underused VoIP features for business is smart call routing, sometimes bundled in as an auto-attendant. Rather than every call landing on the same desk, or bouncing through a manual transfer chain while a customer waits, calls can be directed automatically based on time of day, which team is free, or even who’s calling. For a business without a dedicated receptionist, this is effectively a virtual one, on duty around the clock. It sounds minor until you consider how many enquiries are lost because nobody picked up in time, or a caller was passed between three people before reaching the right one. Setting proper routing rules is fairly quick and it certainly doesn’t involve a system overhaul. The return is fewer missed calls and less frustration from your customers.
Take Your Office Number Anywhere
Mobile integration, sometimes called twinning, lets staff make and take calls on your business number from a mobile or laptop, wherever they’re working that day. For hybrid teams, or anyone who spends part of the week visiting clients, this closes an obvious gap, i.e. customers ring one number and reach the right person, rather than being told to try a mobile that isn’t listed anywhere. It also means a personal number never has to be handed out just so someone can be reached. Voicemail, call history and the company directory travel with the user too. It’s a feature that pairs well with a business mobile contract, since the two are built to work together.
Turn Call Data Into Business Insight
VoIP systems quietly collect a huge amount of data such as call volumes, busiest times of day, how many calls go unanswered, how long people wait before someone picks up. In our experience, very few businesses ever look at it. Pulled into a simple dashboard, that information can shape real decisions for example whether you’re under/over staffing on certain days, whether a particular line is missed more than others, or whether a marketing push actually generated the calls it was meant to. It’s also useful for spotting patterns you might not otherwise notice, like a steady trickle of missed calls outside office hours that are worth covering. None of this usually needs new hardware or a fresh contract. Often it’s simply asking us to show you how to read the data / dashboard.
Final Thoughts
The theme running through all three of the above features is the same in that they are very likely already available, and the cost of finding out is usually nothing more than a conversation. Business owners and IT decision-makers are often focused on getting the phone system working, and revisiting it later isn’t high on the list. But a few small adjustments can turn a system that already works fine into one that actively supports the business with fewer missed calls, easier remote working, and a clearer picture of what’s really happening on the phones. If you’re not sure what your setup can do, it’s worth asking your account manager here at The One Solution.
Get in touch today via our contact form or call us on 0330 094 5545.
