Did you know that business phones can be hosted in the cloud? Closed-based phone systems are a staple feature of any business looking to streamline their communication. With hosted PBX phone systems and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology set up, you can gain access to an impressive range of internet and cloud-based features.
The worldwide shift to flexible remote working patterns means that business phone systems will continue to serve as the communication backbone for many years to come. It creates flexible options whether you’re on site, at home or on the go and the ability to integrate into software such as CRMs, Microsoft 365 and ticketing systems. Our blog explores some of the nifty features you can capitalise on when using a business phone system.
PBX Phone System
A PBX phone system offers more flexibility than traditional office systems. It’s great for hot-desking because staff can log in and out of connected phones regardless of where they’re sitting for the day. You can better manage your call flows as a PBX solution allows you to:
- ‘Park’ calls and retrieve from a particular phone in your business.
- Configure groups of people who can pick up calls for each other.
- Manage call queues: see how many people are waiting, how many staff are on calls and info such as average wait times and missed calls.
- Set up automatic diverts based on time of day.
- Use an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to gather information from clients via their keypad entries before a call is routed to staff.
Call queuing & advanced call routing
Call routing sends calls to a specific queue based on predetermined criteria. Also known as call forwarding, it allows companies to redirect or forward incoming calls to a specific phone line for better call management.
There are thousands of configurations available for a call routing service. For example, the phone system may have a separate call queue for sales calls, customer support, and another one for human resources.
Furthermore, advanced call routing options can filter callers by time, location, and even via an interactive voice response (IVR) menu. These features offer valuable information to the customer representative.
Hunt Group & Line Hunting
In general, a hosted phone system will come with a phone number. But for businesses with different departments and phone lines, this may not be enough. Integrating a line hunting feature allows the phone system to redirect calls to any number (within the “hunt group”) who are available to take the call.
For example, there might be team of 10 customer support consultants. If 8 of those consultants are unavailable, or on another call, the phone system will redirect the call to the remaining 2 consultants who are free to answer the call. This feature streamlines the communication process. It also works well with the aforementioned call routing features.
Call Recording & Analytics
Generate in-depth reports and access volume and distribution call data. A phone system plan provides other in-built features such as call recording, which can be used to monitor, track and measure the quality of your customer service. It can also be used to review your employee training processes, as well as monitor who’s been in touch and when.
You may also have access to your own Client Portal – providing you with access to your call history and Business Intelligence (BI) reports to analyse the types, origin and time of your calls. Tailored reporting can help with operational decision-making, as well as enhancing the efficiency with which your services are offered.
Customise Your Service
An array of additional services work hand-in-hand with PBX phone systems. Some of which include a live answering service for when you have too many calls, or if it’s after hours. Service providers, such as TMC, can also help you set up an inbound number including 13, 1300 and 1800 options. An IVR can also be implemented to greet your customers and provide them with pre-recorded information.
A PBX phone system streamlines how your business receives, actions and reports phone calls. Whether you need a little or a lot of support with your business calls, TMC will tailor a communication package to suit your needs.