VoIP (voice over internet protocol) is nothing new. Ever since the early days of widespread internet, in the mid-nineties, people realized how they should utilize this network to reduce calling costs, especially internationally, and VoIP was born.
Since then, VoIP has grown to become a staple of modern business communication. It offers some distinct features and clear advantages that will not only reduce phone bills but future-proof your business and make it much more effective today.
Feature #1: Conference calls (3-way calling)
While there are many features internet telephony shares with modern landlines nowadays, such as VoIP caller id, it also has a plethora of powerful tools that make it an automatic choice for businesses, one of which is 3-way calling.
3-way calling is a bit limiting term, as modern VoIP lets, you create a true conference call with more than three participants. In fact, depending on the provider, you will be able to connect with up to 30 people on a single call.
With 3-way calling, you will save time and make your calls much more effective. You will be able to get all of the information from multiple team members or clients simultaneously, without that dreadful “Let me check with him/her, I will call you back in a second!”
Feature #2: Advanced call forwarding
VoIP phones and apps put a lot of control in your hands, as they allow you to customize how they will handle call forwarding.
Manual call forwarding lets you transfer the call to a number of your choosing, but auto-forwarding is something you will likely use more often. Once you set it up and activate, any call that goes to your VoIP number will automatically transfer to a number of your choice, including cellular. This will allow you to never miss a call and make taking calls more comfortable, as you will be able to take them on the go.
Feature #3: Call routing
Call routing lets you immediately connect the caller to the right person without putting them on hold. This is different from call forwarding, where you first take the call and then forward it to a different number, whether manually or automatically.
VoIP lets you configure call routing by customer type, history, location, or by agent experience and availability. This is also known as automated attendant, as this feature eliminates the need to have a receptionist who would route calls manually.
Setting up call routing the right way will make your customer support much more efficient. This VoIP feature will significantly improve customer experience, cutting support times and allowing you to deliver a professional level of support, even without a call center.
Feature #4: Call recording
Recording calls (with the consent of participants) is an excellent tool for accessing agent performance but also keeping track of all of the requests. Plus, you never know what kind of issue might arise in your day-to-day interactions, and having call recordings might come in handy to resolve problems quickly, or as insurance and proof you did everything that was up to you.
Feature #5: Voicemail options
VoIP offers a plethora of voicemail features, which are very useful as you sometimes can’t answer a call. When that happens, a client, customer, or lead can leave a voice message, which will allow you to prepare before returning the call.
There are also more advanced options, such as voicemail forwarding, which will allow you to receive messages on other devices too. Some VoIP service providers even let you convert voicemail to text messages, automatically transcribing them.
Feature #6: Toll-free numbers
If you operate internationally, offering a toll-free number to your customers will show that you care. Toll-free numbers will ensure customers don’t pay extra fees when calling your support from abroad.
This is especially important for customer support by phone. If a customer is encountering a problem, the situation on its own is annoying, as they are forced to wait to get help. It gets even worse if they have to wait for an agent to answer while simultaneously being charged extra for making a cross-border call.
If you get a toll-free VoIP number, they will have peace of mind not having to worry about their phone bill, improving their customer experience significantly, and with it, your support ratings too.
Feature #7: Call queueing
Call queuing is another useful VoIP feature for situations when you suddenly receive an unusual amount of phone calls, taking your staff off guard.
With call queuing, each caller will be notified that an agent is about to receive their call. They will get reports telling them how many people remain in front of them while listening to music on hold, or maybe your promotional messages or the latest features of your products.
At the same time, agents will know how many people there are in the queue, which will let them organize themselves better and ensure people don’t wait longer than necessary.
Feature #8: Call monitoring, whispering, and barging
Call monitoring lets senior staff listen to the calls of agents they manage. This will ensure each person provides the best quality service to customers, maintaining the highest level of support.
Call whispering is helpful for training, as the manager will not only listen but will help the agent by providing instructions the customer can’t hear. This will improve the level of customer support but also provide support for the junior agent, teaching them how to operate in a similar situation.
Call barging is something you won’t use too often, but if you have to, it can be a lifesaver. This feature is especially useful when dealing with angry customers. If things don’t go as planned, a senior agent can interfere, take over, and solve the complicated situation.
Bottom line
As you can see, any business can take advantage of the eight features we listed in this post. Not only that VoIP puts telephoning to a whole new level, but it is also much more affordable than regular lines. And the more calls you receive or make, the bigger the difference becomes.
Not only will you save money on phone bills, but advanced VoIP features will also unlock the full potential of your business communication. You will no longer rely on the outdated landlines – VoIP gives you all these advanced features and so much more, really pushing your company’s telephoning into the 21st century, where it belongs.
About the Author
Dennis Vu is the CEO and Co-founder of Ringblaze, a virtual business phone system company that helps teams to better serve their customers, anywhere
