For small businesses, growth is hardly predictable, and managers need tools that can accommodate changes as they happen. Growing businesses often choose VoIP, an internet-based alternative to traditional phone service, for the effortless adaptability and modern features landlines can’t provide. But how does it work?
Easily Adapt to Changes
Though growth is a common goal for small businesses, it can be challenging to anticipate accurately. Landlines require more advance planning than their VoIP counterparts, and accuracy is more significant for landline systems – if a business overestimates or underestimates the number of necessary lines, it may end up paying for service it doesn’t need or missing calls due to insufficient lines.
With VoIP solutions, by contrast, adding and removing users is easy, and the cost per user is significantly lower. Businesses can continuously and affordably scale their VoIP phone service to their current needs, paying only for what they use. Burstable SIP VoIP trunks even allow businesses to receive calls at maximum capacity instead of blocking them and missing potential opportunities. This flexibility and scalability is the reason call centers are switching to VoIP; it accommodates dynamic businesses of any size.
VoIP’s adaptability also eases location changes and expansions. Since landlines are physically tied to their location (sometimes even specific rooms within an office), they make moving or increasing office space difficult. With VoIP, however, moving phones is as easy as plugging them in where you want them. This gives small businesses the freedom to expand and relocate as needed.
Manage Increasing Call Volume
As businesses begin to extend their reach to a wider clientele, an interactive voice response (IVR) system or automated attendant can greatly relieve call volume burden (without the added expense of a live receptionist). These automated functions can deftly handle multiple incoming calls, seamlessly routing them to the appropriate recipient. If all employees are busy, call queuing enables people to wait on hold with custom hold music or leave their phone number for an automated call-back.
No matter how many calls your VoIP PBX can handle, however, if there are consistently more calls than people available to address them, you’ll need to reconsider your employment structure or hire additional staff. VoIP’s detailed reporting features can show you exactly how much time each employee is spending on the phone, as well as the time of day with the highest call volumes, the duration of calls and other figures that can help inform employment decisions. Check call analytics often to gauge whether to hire additional employees, how many and in which fields, and how to staff and stagger employees to account for call volume patterns.
Support a Growing Workforce
Businesses should also leverage analytics and VoIP call recording technology as they bring on new employees to ensure calls are being distributed appropriately and employees are meeting performance standards. For new hires, analytics and recordings can indicate which employees require further training or remediation.
Additionally, remote work is a growing trend in modern workplaces, and work-from-home policies can save businesses up to $10,000 per employee every year. VoIP solutions support this trend by making mobile communication and routing easy and customizable. VoIP technology can seamlessly route calls to off-site locations, like a second office or an employee’s personal phone, and managers can determine the time, days and other conditions in which routing rules apply. VoIP solutions also facilitate internal communication, helping keep remote employees in the loop with projects, team members, and the office day-to-day.
Project the Right Image
When starting out, a business owner’s cell or home phone number may be sufficient for a company’s main contact number. However, callers getting a business owner’s personal outgoing message, hearing a family member or other non-business member pick up the phone, or noticing that the CEO answers all incoming calls to the company’s main number may alert them that the company is in very early stages of development. For businesses planning to expand, this is not a favorable message to send potential customers, employees and partners.
VoIP auto-attendants and IVRs can help remedy the image of a fledgling business by immediately giving callers the impression of a larger, official company with many cogs turning in a busy office. VoIP toll free and vanity numbers also project the idea of a large, established company at a very low cost, and encourage callers to contact your business at no cost to them.
Be Prepared for Anything.
Small businesses should focus on tools that help them grow rather than box them in. VoIP solutions are known for their adaptability, and can provide businesses the phone support they need at each stage of development.
Looking to grow your business? Check out the top ten benefits of 4Voice’s business VoIP solutions in our infographic.
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