For small businesses with aspirations to scale and grow in this digital age, having an efficient communication system – which incorporates advanced business phone features – is essential.
Traditional phone systems, though reliable, are increasingly being replaced by more advanced VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) solutions that offer a wide array of features designed to enhance communication, boost productivity and improve customer service.
Read on to learn more about the advanced business phone features every small business should utilise to stay ahead of the game in the face of continuous competition.
Why are advanced business phone features important for small business success?
Advanced business phone features yield countless benefits for small businesses, thanks to features like cloud-based systems, call forwarding and voicemail-to-email, which we’ll explore further below. These tools prove indispensable, even when employees are working remotely. Getting the most out of such features improves flexibility and ensures no opportunities are missed.
Reliable phone systems also ensure minimal downtime, which is vital for small businesses that rely heavily on communication for customer service and operations. These systems offer tailored solutions that adapt to business needs.
In addition to an innovative business phone system, small businesses can benefit from unified services such as failover broadband and managed Wi-Fi, which reduce costs by consolidating IT and communication needs under one provider.
What are the key advanced business phone features that small businesses should leverage?
While the list is extensive, here is a roundup of the most impressive advanced business phone features that small business owners should be getting to grips with:
Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is a crucial tool that small businesses can use to streamline incoming call management. Acting as a virtual receptionist, IVR greets callers with pre-recorded messages and guides them through a menu to connect them to the correct department or person.
This not only reduces the time staff spends manually transferring calls but also enhances the customer experience by providing prompt and efficient service.
Skills-based routing
Not all customer issues are the same, so naturally, they shouldn’t all be handled the same way.
Skills-based routing solves this issue by directing calls to the most appropriate agent based on the nature of the query or the caller’s language preference. For example, a technical issue might be routed to a highly trained support specialist, while a sales query could go directly to the sales team.
This method reduces the time spent transferring calls and improves first-call resolution rates by ensuring customers are quickly connected with someone who can address their needs effectively.
Call queuing and VIP queues
As a small business grows, so does the volume of incoming calls. Without a proper system, this can lead to frustrated customers and missed opportunities.
Enter call queuing – an essential feature that allows businesses to handle large call volumes by placing incoming calls into a virtual queue based on predefined rules, such as issue priority or agent skills.
This feature ensures that even during busy periods, customers know their call is important and will be answered in the order it was received.
For high-value clients that are of most value to the business, the VIP queuing feature allows prioritised handling of their calls. These clients are automatically pushed to the front of the queue, ensuring their needs are addressed promptly.
Voicemail to email transcription
The traditional voicemail is a critical communication tool, but modern systems have taken it a step further by adding voicemail to email transcription. This feature sends the transcribed version of a voicemail directly to a designated email, ensuring that no important message is missed, even when employees are away from their desks.
For small businesses that operate on a hybrid basis, or where team members wear multiple hats, voicemail to email ensures critical messages are reviewed promptly, helping them maintain efficient communication at all times.
Call recording and monitoring
For small businesses, call recording serves multiple purposes.
Importantly, it helps in training new employees by providing them with real-life examples of customer interactions. Recorded calls can be reviewed to ensure agents are following protocols, remaining professional, and handling customer concerns effectively. Additionally, recorded calls can be used as evidence in case of disputes or to comply with regulatory requirements.
Call monitoring goes a step further, allowing managers to listen to live calls and provide real-time feedback to agents. This feature enables businesses to ensure that all interactions meet the required quality standards, boosting overall service performance.
Call analytics and reporting
Small businesses can benefit greatly from data-driven decision-making, and call analytics offer just that.
Advanced VoIP systems provide in-depth insights into key metrics such as call duration, wait times, missed calls and first-call resolution rates. This data can help businesses identify bottlenecks in their customer service processes and enhance overall operational efficiency, bringing them one step closer to exceptional customer experience (CX).
With analytics, small businesses can track and measure the efficacy of their communication strategies, allowing for continuous improvement.
Mobile app integration
Another key advantage of VoIP systems is their ability to integrate seamlessly with mobile devices. Mobile apps allow employees to make and receive business calls, access voicemails and join conference calls from their smartphones, ensuring they are always reachable and productive, regardless of their location. With mobile apps, employees can access the company phone system from anywhere, ensuring they stay connected even when working remotely.
This feature is invaluable for small businesses, where flexibility and mobility are often necessary to maintain operational efficiency.
Boost business performance with a bespoke, modern phone system
Small businesses need communication tools that offer flexibility, scalability and efficiency. With advanced VoIP features like IVR, call routing, voicemail transcription and mobile integration, modern phone systems provide these businesses with the tools they need to streamline operations, improve customer experience, and enhance productivity.
Investing in such a system, from an expert business telecoms provider like One Contact, enables SMEs to elevate their communication capabilities and position themselves for growth in an increasingly competitive market.
Leverage the power of advanced business phone features for your SME with the help of One Contact
Offering bespoke business phone systems and secure, reliable data networks, One Contact is your one-stop shop for all business telecom needs.
Our team provides well-planned and competitively priced solutions tailored to the unique needs of small businesses. A key advantage is our proactive support, resolving issues quickly, often before the customer even notices a problem. This ensures businesses stay connected and operational with minimal downtime, making us your trusted partner for seamless communication.
Contact us today to unlock huge savings with an unbeatable quote.
