Most everyone works from home at least some of the time these days. That can provide opportunities and advantages but also can mean headaches if your home office isn’t set up to handle the workload.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is one of the tools widely used by those working remotely. Business leaders use it to keep in touch with their teams when they are out of the office but many remote staffers use it to handle customer service calls.
The great thing about VoIP is that it puts everyone under the same universal phone number. That means you can be in your home in Wichita, Kansas, and answer customer service calls for a company in Maine without needing to convince the customer you are with the company’s customer service department. For salespeople, it means making calls while you are on the road without handing out your private cell phone number. It’s all tagged under the business number.
So far, statistics show that VoIP for business is a success. A 2021 business study said that those who use VoIP saw a 77 percent increase in productivity.
However, business leaders who don’t properly prepare employees or their home offices for VoIP can run into issues. Below are some strategies to make everything run smoothly and maximize productivity with VoIP services.
Here are 7 strategies needed to get the most out of VoIP.
1) Look and update your internet and network capabilities.
VoIP works best when it has reliable, stable, higher-speed internet to use. Those who got internet service five or six years ago should probably re-evaluate it as now there are different speeds and classes. There could even be better service available in your area for a lower cost.
2) Provide the right equipment for your staff.
VoIP can utilize a lot of different hardware and software for your office. You may have desk phones already but you need to make sure they will work with VoIP. Those who are going to implement SIP calling will need SIP phones.
Remote workers will likely need headsets to use the calling software off the computer. This becomes more crucial if they are doing jobs like customer service or telemarketing. The headsets have a microphone and earpiece so they can adequately hear and respond to the caller.
3) Keep a company directory.
This may not seem like a big deal but some companies have remote workers spread out all over the country. Having a company directory where you can reach them by their business extension, video conferencing, email, instant messaging, and their private phone number as a backup will ensure you can get in touch should there be an emergency.
4) Train your employees.
VoIP is simple to use, depending on the VoIP service provider. However, not everyone is a computer mind so there should be some training to avoid a learning curve or frustration. Since VoIP can be used on practically any device, training should be on how to use it on tablets, laptops, and mobile phones as well. That is especially important for any of your traveling staff.
5) Integrate with apps.
Several apps are available on computers, laptops, tablets, and phones. Some of them are likely team collaboration or project apps. Don’t leave it to your staff to figure out how to integrate the apps into VoIP or how to use them through VoIP services on these different devices. Have the VoIP service company do it and train everyone how to get to them from any device.
6) Make sure employees set up voicemail and any voice transcription features.
This is vitally important for any employee dealing with the public as a customer service or technical help person. One of the great things about VoIP is transcription of calls in real-time is a feature so there can’t be any dispute on what was said between a customer and an employee. Business leaders can also monitor calls in real time so they can look at the details of any given phone call if they need to do so.
7) Train employees on how to handle calls with VoIP.
It’s one thing to learn how to use the equipment but another to learn how to handle calls. Your employees will need to understand how to put someone on hold or mute while they contact a supervisor for information. They also need to learn the protocol of how your business answers calls, treats customers, and deals with unique situations.
The VoIP Difference
VoIP can open up opportunities on many levels because of the features it offers. It combines all your communication models into one system where you can easily monitor and manage it. How productive VoIP makes your business depends on how well you use it and the VoIP services you use.
4Voice offers the best in VoIP services with reliable, high-quality calls and numerous features that aren’t available with landlines. We offer 24/7 customer support with access to engineers so you won’t have to deal with an issue alone.
4Voice offers outstanding security with our private server in a secured data center accessed only by our engineers. Our end-to-end encryption ensures everything transmitted on our system is secure.
We also can use your existing equipment to implement the VoIP system so you will save money on hardware costs. VoIP services can save businesses up to 50 percent on communications costs compared to traditional systems.
Contact us for an evaluation of your communications infrastructure to see what you need to do to have VoIP services make your business more productive and profitable.
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