Our options when it comes to our telecommunications systems change rapidly. New features are constantly being added that can sometimes leave you wondering what it is that you actually need. While there are several phone systems with numerous bells and whistles, before you start dressing things up too much, be sure that you have at the very least these six basic business phone features.
Find Me Follow Me
Possibly the best feature to be created for business phone systems is the find me follow me feature. In the past, if you weren’t by your desk when the phone rang you missed the call and for many organizations that means missing out on money too. Being able to forward calls to mobile devices has increased workplace efficiency tremendously. There are a couple options with this feature regarding how your calls are forwarded including:
- Have all devices ring simultaneously
- Ring in a sequence (desk -> cell phone -> coworker phone -> voicemail)
This feature is especially useful for sales oriented organizations or companies that take services calls.
Voicemail Transcriptions
With the advent of text messaging, people have become somewhat impatient with the need to actually listen to their voicemails, and for good reason. We can read messages much more quickly than people can speak them so during the busy workday, it’s beneficial to have the option to read your voicemails as opposed to listening. Instead of being forced to listen to the 3-minute voicemail your boss left you, you can quickly read it form your inbox. Bonus, the voicemail is available to listen to as well.
Easy Scalability
Physical phone lines are a pain especially when adding new users. Utilizing a VoIP phone network means that your lines run through computer networks making scalability a breeze and much less expensive than traditional phone systems. Your only limitation is your bandwidth. Unlike copper lines of the past, bandwidth can be easily scaled up or down with your provider enabling you to add or subtract phone lines as needed.
Quality Controls Features
With VoIP systems, organizations have the ability to monitor the quality of service their employees are offering to customers. The key features you should look for when looking to have a bit more control over the quality of your service are:
- Monitor: Allows you to listen to a call undetected beneficial for training and monitoring for quality.
- Whisper: This feature plugs you into the call and enables you to speak only to your employee without the customer being able to hear you. This is an incredible training feature for new employees taking calls for the first time.
- Barge: Similar to a conference call, this feature let’s you join in the conversation with all parties.
- Record: Activating this feature will record both parties on the line which can be used for later playback.
Intuitive User Interface
Most VoIP systems have a central user interface that allows you to make changes to your network via a dashboard. Having a program which allows you to make configuration changes from a central location with virtually only the click of a mouse means that you have more control over your system.
Cloud Enablement
How about taking the responsibility of managing your phone system off your hands completely? For small organizations who don’t have the ability to employ IT professionals full time, utilizing a third party to manage your phone system is a dream come true. Not only is it one less thing for you to worry about, but cloud operated systems are more secure than those operating on premise. Since the cloud company’s sole purpose is to manage these phone systems, they take extreme precautions to ensure the safety of your information.
Is it time to upgrade your business’s telephone system? If you’re not already implementing them in your business today, you’ll be blown away by the benefits once you do. Questions about enabling these business phone features? Contact Beacon Telecom today and see how we can help your business become more efficient.
