Why a VoIP Telephone Means Better Service for Businesses and their Customers
The dramatic rise of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) throughout the last decade is proof of the technology's real-world benefits. Compared to traditional communications, VoIP is more customizable, more scalable, it requires less infrastructure and hardware, it comes with an array of free features and, obviously, it's almost always cheaper.
VoIP is great for businesses — no argument. But did you know the versatility and features of VoIP can be harnessed to improve the experience your customers have with your business? Consider the following ways that your VoIP network can double as the backbone of your customer-service campaign.
Never Miss a Call
Customers or potential customers HATE busy signals, voicemails and automated systems. Traditional phone networks required businesses to establish call centers if they wanted to offer 24/7 human customer service. The awesome forwarding and routing features of VoIP, on the other hand, means incoming calls can be directed anywhere at any time — even to the mobile phone of a sole proprietor.
This concept is made even better with the following enhancements:
- Sequential Dialing: Set a series of numbers to be dialed in order. If the first line is busy or unavailable, it will dial the second, the third and so forth.
- Simultaneous Dialing: Ringing many numbers at the same time reduces hold times and all but eliminates the chance that a customer's call won't be answered.
- Time-of-Day Routing:Beat time zones and get around closed offices in certain regions or on holidays by manipulating the time of day — or day of the week — that calls are routed. If your East Coast office closes at 5pm, schedule calls to be routed to the West coast for three more hours starting at 4:30.
Cheap Callbacks
If you do miss a call, it's imperative to call back right away — in fact receiving a call from an actual person can go a long way to mending fences. The flat-rate nature of VoIP billing means you can call customers anywhere — as frequently as you need — without breaking the bank.
Offer Local Numbers in Different Regions
With VoIP, any quantity of local numbers can be routed to a call center, a business, an office or a cell phone. This serves three purposes.
- It gives customers the warmth of calling a familiar number that feels close to home.
- It gives the impression that you are a local business.
- It removes expensive distance-calling charges to customer who are using landlines.
No Place Like Home
Get rid of massive overhead by allowing your customer service reps to work from home. VoIP networks can be accessed from anywhere, and when a customer calls, they have no idea if the competent, capable rep they reach is in an office or in their pajamas.
VoIP technology has been great for business. It's allowed enterprises to completely revamp and modernize their communications systems while saving money. It's allowed small businesses to erect phone systems once reserved for only the biggest and richest firms. But now, businesses are using the technology as the centerpiece of their customer-service campaigns — one more reason to go with VoIP.