Hi, my name is Wendy, and I worked as a small business consultant for years, helping people to improve their companies. Now that I have taken a step back from that role, I decided to start this blog as a creative and professional outlet. In this blog, I am going to focus on one aspect of running a business–the phones. I plan to take on all angles of phone services including concepts such as voice over internet provider (VoIP), different types of hardware, taking the phone to the cloud and much more. Every business needs a unique solution for their communications needs, and the advances in the phone services industry allow that to happen. I hope that you enjoy reading and that you learn a lot here!
Although many people are dropping their traditional landline service in favor of mobile devices, the transition can be harder for businesses. Whether you are a small or large business, there are several phone solutions to meet your needs without being tethered to a landline.
Keep It Simple
The best way to keep your business phone solutions affordable and applicable to your type of business is to find the simplest solution. For example, if you are a small business or a self-employed individual who does not necessarily need a landline phone, try cloud-based or mobile options. Cloud-based systems rely on an internet connection to work. Depending on the provider you choose, you can have calls routed to different people within your business and all the "extras," such a voicemail.
Mobile options work similarly because they require an internet connection, but can be useful if your business only has one person and you want to avoid giving out your personal number. If you are typically at home during your business hours, you can use an app on your home Wi-Fi connection to receive calls. Other options include free or low-cost phone numbers that are routed to your personal number. Although you are still using the minutes provided by your mobile carrier, you can receive calls through an alternate number.
Consider A Call Center
If your business receives a high call volume, having your calls handled through a call center might be a better option. For example, some businesses, such as major sellers online, may handle many orders but do not always have the necessary staff to deal with calls. Call centers work well because many of them handle the job for various businesses by handling the customer service end. Generally, you will need to provide the service with as much information as possible so they know how to answer questions about different products, shipping, and how to handle concerns. Another advantage is these call centers may be open all day, since customer service agents may work from other countries or work from home. The employees at your business can focus more of their time on products, marketing, and other fundamental aspects of maintaining the business and only handle customer service issues when needed.
Go Virtual
Adopting a completely virtual phone system might be your next move if you have customer service representatives, but are considering moving them out of the office into remote positions. With many businesses finding ways to cut costs and explore work from home positions for their regular employees, starting with customer service can be an affordable way to make a change. Virtual phone systems work much like a standard business line, where a caller might dial a number and is eventually forwarded to a representative. If you have a business system set up where employees can access the necessary information to do their job remotely, most customer service functions can be completed with a computer, internet connection, and a headset. This is the ideal solution if you would prefer to avoid outsourcing your customer service, but need an affordable compromise.
Finding the appropriate business phone system for your needs will make handling calls easier while avoiding over-payment on unnecessary features. Contact a company, like BTPVoice, for more help.
Share17 November 2017
