Expanding the office? Time to celebrate!
More realistically, business owners and managers handling office expansions are usually bogged down with logistics and staying one step ahead of Murphy’s Law – fire extinguisher and a stress headache in tow. While we may not have a fix for every run-in, here’s how business VoIP takes some of the top expansion risks off managers’ plates.
- Maintaining Service Quality
Rapid expansion can pose a risk to customer service quality, leaving departments undermanaged and new employees to fend for themselves. Virtual PBXs reduce this risk by empowering strong, continued external communication. With a mobile VoIP app, for instance, employees can field work calls with their cell or laptop, keeping them available to customers while working remotely or traveling. VoIP’s CRM-integration capabilities also supply employees with the tools to record detailed notes and access customer information during phone calls, cutting unnecessary questions and improving satisfaction rates.
Contrary to once-popular belief, VoIP PBX technology also offers better voice and call quality than landline phones do. Landlines rely on aging, unreliable equipment that’s difficult and time-consuming to repair.
Hosted PBXs, by contrast, facilitate calls over the internet, relying less on physical infrastructure and more on constantly updating technology. And if VoIP ever does deliver less-than-stellar voice quality, customer service can fix most issues instantly and remotely.
Tip: Keeping call quality high can help ensure customers receive a reliably pleasant experience.
- Strengthening Internal Communication
Incorporating new employees, departments or branches into an existing business can strain operations and throw a wrench into the gears of communication. So, how can managers keep communication fluid amongst frequent changes?
Cloud PBXs connect different locations seamlessly and with more customizable capabilities than traditional PBXs. This makes it easy for different branches to talk to one another and expedites transfers for external callers. What’s more, VoIP messaging apps keep employees in contact no matter where they are with desktop and mobile texting, messaging and calling features. This way, different branches, departments and even work-from-home employees are available to one another at a moment’s notice.
- Diligently Recording and Reporting Data
Business growth requires constant monitoring. VoIP solutions gather and report detailed analytics that shed light on employee, department and company performance. Among the delicious data? Employee availability, call frequency, missed call rate by department – creativity is the only limit to data gathering!
Advanced VoIP features also enable constant improvement. For example, managers can listen to recorded and live calls for quality assurance (“whispering” to the agent or “barging” into calls to keep them on the right track) or set up a post-call survey for insights into customer service performance and caller impressions.
Pro Tip: Keep post-call surveys short. Callers who agree to take a satisfaction survey are helping out your business – return the favor by respecting their time. Choose only the most important questions and keep it under 3-5 minutes.
- Onboarding Effectively
On-boarding employees can be a pain, and expanding companies often don’t have weeks to spare on lame-duck new hires working through paperwork and red tape. Fortunately, VoIP can get new employees set up with a new line and phone number almost instantly.
Rather than committing to large bundles of lines, VoIP allows managers to add and subtract individual lines as needed. Since the technology is internet-based, the lines can be added with a quick customer support call. While VoIP may not be able to stop the mountains of paperwork, it can get new employees making productive calls from the first day they walk in the door.
- Reducing Costs
Expansions can put pressure on company pockets, and VoIP offers significant savings while providing companies more advanced capabilities. Since VoIP business phone systems are internet-based, they cost less to operate, change and upgrade than outdated landline solutions.
Aside from a dramatically lower monthly bill (think half of what most businesses pay for landline service), hosted VoIP services also offer quicker, easier repairs for a much lower cost – that’s savings in technical support costs and in avoiding expensive productivity downtime.
Expand with Ease with a Modern Office Phone System
For most businesses, landlines are more of a hassle than they’re worth – that’s why VoIP is now the number one choice for businesses. Don’t hold back growth potential with technology that’s too old to keep up with emerging business trends; VoIP is equipped to support and drive growth, and its upgradability keeps it relevant as the business and industry changes. Take it from other growing businesses – here’s an infographic on the top ten ways businesses benefit from 4Voice’s business VoIP solutions.
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