Telephony requirements change as business evolves; having the right package in place for current business needs is essential.
Is your VoIP package working for you? Or are you working to pay for inadequate VoIP?
Pre 2020
It was sensible to take a look at telephony packages on an annual basis and make adjustments where necessary. This may have included increasing call minutes, introducing on hold marketing, adding to the number of seats, etc. Yes, it was worth reviewing telephony, but it wasn’t ordinarily a case of making sweeping adjustments.
Post 2020
Things are very different. Many office-based businesses have changed their working patterns beyond recognition, and chances are change is here to stay. Not only is hybrid working a ‘thing’ but isolating at the drop of a hat is an unfortunate fact of life. Additionally, ‘presenteeism’ is proving unpopular; remaining in the workplace whilst ill is a definite no no. Telephony needs are, in many cases, wildly different than they were 18months ago.
Conference Calls
Conference calls, the remit of the tech-savvy in 2019, are now the norm both for commercial and domestic use. Meeting in person, whilst sometimes preferable, is by no means essential and technology is adapting fast to cater for every video conference whim.
Get answered
How calls are answered, by whom, and on which device has also changed dramatically. As workers drop in and out of offices / isolate / recover from illness / home school their children, so call handling has needed to adapt at pace in order to maintain service levels.
What are your needs?
Offices aside, many other businesses will have different telephony needs. Think hospitality. How many restaurants now provide takeaway and delivery services that are here to stay? The telephone is in far greater use both inside the restaurant and by delivery drivers.
Leisure businesses
Leisure businesses have also had to adapt, needing to provide far more information to customers. Good telephony will be used to provide said information without the need for human interaction, and can be amended whenever circumstances change.
Flexibility
Whatever the business or industry, change has occurred. While businesses have had to become more flexible, telephony aids the transition.
Working patterns
Changes to work patterns are arguably the biggest long-term changes that we’ll see in the UK, post pandemic. Flexibility in where and when we work has skyrocketed. Wake up with a tickly throat – don’t struggle into work and risk infecting others; stay at home and work if you feel well enough. Need to take the dog to the vet? Work at home and flex hours to suit. Want to take advantage of a cheap flight and sit in the sun, while still working? Work remotely… The list goes on. Frankly, many people are simply more productive at home, and no boss wants to argue with that!
How can telephony aid hybrid working?
VoIP phone systems are designed to allow oodles of flexibility. It’s now time for businesses to ensure they’re taking advantage of it.
Make sure each staff member can access calls, conference calls and customer information from wherever they’re working, and on whichever device they have access to. Using a laptop? Make sure it can be used as a desk phone. On a mobile – allow Call Transfer. Need to quickly change voicemail or activate Auto Attendant? Do so with ease, wherever you are. The list goes on.
Whilst VoIP allows us to work whenever we want to it’s also worth mentioning that it can help us to literally switch off. Maintaining a work/life balance has never been more vital; just because we’re working at home, doesn’t mean we’re on call 24/7. VoIP features can be used to suit your schedule. Set your working hours, making sure out-of-hours voicemails give clear customer service advice; no ringing out, leaving customers feeling ignored.
Additionally, you need not worry that your mobile number is made public if you don’t wish it to be. Gone are the days when your mobile number needed to be advertised or even tracked as soon as you called someone. Using mobile apps, VoIP displays the business number of your choice, rather than an individual mobile number.
It’s a win win. Working hours are set, customer service standards are upheld, out of hours voicemails and calls to action are clearly offered to set client expectations and you can continue with your free time, worry-free and present. Customer service improves, staff benefit from greater flexibility, business productivity accelerates. Why not add work-life balance to the new normal hybrid mix – there’s a way to have the best of everything!
Which solution suits you?
Telephony requirements vary dependent upon business type, sector and size, and needs change in time. And then there are budgets to consider. Which functionality would your business benefit from, and how much does it cost?
Firstly, consider where your business is today, and where you would like it to be tomorrow. How have working practices and patterns changed? Secondly, take a look at the range of VoIP features that are available and evaluate which ones will best fulfil your needs.
Ask us for help
At Voip Exchange we’ve listened to our customers and put together a range of competitively priced packages. They’re designed to give you all the flexibility you need without a hefty price tag. Take advantage of our bundles… or don’t! If you need a bespoke set of VoIP features, just ask us for options. Additionally, let us help – we want you to succeed, only paying for what you need. We’ll run through all the features with you, discussing each one and detailing the types of benefits you’ll gain.
