Perhaps you’ve switched to a VoIP phone system for your small business, and you’re already benefiting from the lower costs and greater flexibility. But if you’re like many small business owners, chances are you’ve stopped short of maximizing the value of the new toolbox you’ve just received.
Since VoIP operates over the Internet, it opens up a whole world of cheap or free features that were once unattainable to companies with limited budgets—including some features you can’t even get on a traditional PBX phone system. While whole books could be written on the advantages of VoIP, let’s explore just a few key features that could help your business compete on a greater level.
Call Parking
Call parking greatly simplifies the hold/transfer process for incoming calls. No more dialing a transfer extension to another person in your office (which, if you do it wrong, can hang up on the customer). Instead, you “park” the call and notify your associate, who then picks up the call from any available phone in the office. Need to move to another desk while on the call? Park it, move to the other desk and pick it back up. It saves you time and stress—and in some cases, the sale.
Conference/N-Way Calling
VoIP greatly simplifies the process of having multiple people on a call, through conference calling and “N”-way calling (so named because you’re no longer limited to 3-way calls). This capability used to be quite costly on traditional systems, but VoIP makes it accessible across the board—so your small business can act like a big one without paying big bucks.
Hold Music and Messages
Again, no need for fancy upgrades. With VoIP systems, easily integrate hold music for held or “parked” calls, and you can even record customized messages to keep the leads warm while they’re waiting—all for a fraction of what such features used to cost.
Escape from Queue
When you were on hold with a company, have they ever given you to the opportunity to leave your number and hang up without losing your place lin line? This feature, “escape from queue,” readily available through VoIP, allows a customer to leave a phone number and automatically get a call back when his turn comes. If you have lots of customers on hold, it can make your calls much more pleasant when you finally get to them.
Virtual Local and International Numbers
One of the most powerful and overlooked advantages of VoIP is the ability to purchase additional virtual phone numbers within almost any area code or country code. If your business is on the East Coast, but you have a lot of clients in Los Angeles, having a number with a local L.A. area code gives your customers the psychological comfort that you’re “nearby.” Even more importantly, if you do business in a foreign country, having a “local” number there means your customers don’t have to pay to call you, and it’s worth the extra cost to have that call transferred seamlessly to your phones in the states.
If you’re not taking full advantage of the features of VoIP that could increase your revenue and business growth, we can help. Call us at 1-877-NetServ to learn more.