Voice-over-internet-protocol (or VoIP) business phone features keep businesses linked and provide a slew of useful functions. As more businesses are shifting to remote work and cloud-based phone services, the VoIP market cap has topped $30 billion at the end of 2020, with a CAGR of 15% expected between now and 2027.
What’s more, there is no standard VoIP offering. Instead, you can choose which features your company will specifically need and then incorporate them.
If you’re still using an antiquated telecom system and you are looking to improve communication and workflow across your firm, VoIP is definitely what you need. However, ensure you check which VoIP features apply to your firm and which manufacturer offers them in a single product. Currently, there is a hotly contested debate about which features are the most important and which should be focused upon by manufacturers and designers for each type of business.
This piece describes several extremely beneficial characteristics of a VoIP system to help you make the best decisions for your small business. But first, we need to know what VoIP is.
What is VoIP?
VoIP is a type of communication technology that allows users to make and receive voice calls and other features via the internet. This means that VoIP conversations are possible as long as there is internet access.
Following the advent of remote and hybrid working, most people began to switch to apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, which allow audio and video calls to be made over the internet. These options are just one of several products that may be classified as a VoIP offering.
As a result, VoIP has become a widespread technology in recent years, particularly among SMEs globally. It is becoming common to see many organizations replacing traditional telecommunications systems such as leased lines with VoIP.
Best Features of VoIP
Below are the best features of VoIP that small businesses should be using:
Virtual Phone Numbers
Virtual phone numbers are operational phone numbers that are not associated with any device or actual physical location. These numbers can vary from vanity, international, toll-free, and local. A virtual phone number enables organizations to utilize the same phone number on numerous devices while ensuring that differently located staff are unified under a sole phone number.
While international lines can be expensive, this function allows enterprises to transmit calls overseas.
Third-party Software Integration
Most VoIP service providers include a slew of business solutions that supplement the platform’s feature set in terms of integrations. For example, (CRM integrations such as Salesforce allow you to obtain client contact information and make calls directly from the phone system interface. This way, small businesses benefit from a more centralized customer operation which improves productivity, rather than using multiple screens.
Call Monitoring
It is not uncommon to get notifications that calls are being monitored for quality assurance purposes. This feature allows supervisors to listen in on phone calls to ensure that staff follow protocols and respond to customer requirements and inquiries as effectively as feasible.
With this, it becomes easier to examine employee performance and provide feedback to help them improve in the future. This is one greatly important yet largely unused customer service feature of VoIP solutions. In fact, close to 20% of firms do not deem it essential to monitor their calls in any way, according to the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI). How then do you know things are being done right?
Call Analytics
This feature is a popular VoIP tool that uses artificial intelligence to follow calls and collect essential data. Sales and marketing teams take advantage of this to make the best decisions for their activities. The information gathered spans from customer demands to lead creation. Analytics, when applied correctly, enhances customer experience and directs marketing and sales initiatives, resulting in better outcomes with potential and current customers.
Automated Attendants
There is a widespread misperception that automated Attendants make a company appear “impersonal.” Nevertheless, automated attendants are the ideal tool for highly engaged small businesses that want to make a fantastic first impression when pushing through leads.
Automated attendants might sound patronizing, but customers know that clear, succinct information they need follows every greeting. Rather than getting transferred multiple times, callers may obtain the necessary information or connect with the appropriate person without wasting time.
Furthermore, upgrading the voice recording or selecting an alternative recording is so simple that anyone can do it within minutes – no need to wait for IT staff. Simply make your changes, save, and let it continue running.
Besides, startups and new companies using automated attendants help project professionalism.
Call Recording
If you want to be confident about everything spoken during a call, this feature solves that problem. Transcription might communicate words, but a recording allows you to draw essential conclusions based on voice inflections and pauses, which you could miss if all you have are transcriptions.
Need Help Setting Up Your VoIP? Quantum Technologies Is Here for You!
Most SMEs would agree that the pros of adopting VoIP for small businesses much outweigh the cons, particularly in today’s highly competitive business environment. Getting yours would show you mean business and help increase productivity.
Quantum Technologies offers business-oriented IT solutions for SMEs in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Contact us to get started!
