Call Forwarding for Sales-Oriented Businesses

As technology evolves, so do people’s expectations of instant customer support. Missing out on phone calls often leads to missed sales opportunities. Providing instant connectivity for sales and customer support is fundamental for increasing sales and can have a significant impact on a business’ bottom line.

The Importance of Call Forwarding

Let’s say you’ve been on a call with a potential client or customer for far longer than you expected, yet are on the cusp of making a rather sizeable sale. Without any type of call forwarding in place, calls that come and go while you’re on the other line will end up getting sent to voicemail - a pet peeve for professionals who work in an instant-gratification world.

If you’ve got call forwarding set-up, everything changes. Today’s technology is more sophisticated than ever in the past, featuring special routing programs that can use a caller’s geographical location, the time of day and other factors into consideration when determining what to do with a call. The end result allows even the busiest offices to handle a large amount of calls throughout the day without missing out on potential sales opportunities - a truly important aspect of day-to-day operation that no business owner should ever overlook.

Types of Call Forwarding

There are many types of call forwarding available to small businesses, with the most common being Variable Call Forwarding (VCF). With VCF, the user can program call forwarding to be on or off at will, and calls can be routed to another phone in the office. Another option is referred to as "Call Forward/Don’t Answer" (CFDA). In this scenario, there’s no need for manual programming - you’ll have up to 4 rings to answer a call, after which the call will be transferred elsewhere. Call Forward Busy (CFB) is another option, in which the caller doesn’t hear a busy signal and is thus routed to an answering service in the case that all lines in the office are busy. While not the most effective option on its own, it can be useful when combined with CFDA forwarding.

Call Forwarding Tips

The secret to getting the most out of call-forwarding is learning how to properly utilize it. Consider the above options, and choose the one that best fits your business. Also, it may be wise to have calls routed to your cell phone, which will ensure you don’t leave clients out to dry when you’re not in the office. If you’re going to have calls sent to another employee, be sure they know what to do and how to deal with the client. There’s nothing more embarrassing than having a client’s call routed to someone who isn’t able to properly address the questions they may ask, so don’t overlook the importance of preparing your employees for such a scenario.

Which Call-Forwarding System is Right For Your Business?

In the end, the most important thing to determine when shopping for call-forwarding technology is what the needs of your business are. Variable Call Forwarding is perfect for most businesses, as it requires very little intervention to operate and allows you to route a call to any telephone in the office. Remote call forwarding is another important feature that lets those who work from home or are often on the road handle incoming phone calls with ease. If you’re running a call center (even a very small one), Call Forward Busy (CFB) is an excellent option, as it will help to keep callers on the line and prevent them from hanging up. Most companies that offer call-forwarding services will let you switch between plans at will, so there’s no need to worry about making the wrong decision.

So don’t wait to setup call forwarding for your business - you could be losing valuable customers right this minute! The sooner you find a service plan that’s right for you, the more streamlined your call strategy will be.