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Showing posts from October, 2016

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF CUSTOMER FEEDBACK

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Customer feedback can be one of the most useful tools available to your company when it comes to business telecommunication. The way you use your communications tools to reach customers, hear what they have to say, and turn their feedback into real results will determine whether or not your customers decide to stick with you for the long term. Of course, you must first have mechanisms in place for gathering feedback for this to work. GATHERING FEEDBACK While some large corporations are known for their customer service surveys, many companies have failed to ask their customers the most basic questions about their service. This often results in customers leaving anonymous reviews online but never communicating their wishes directly to the company. With the help of a modern business telecommunication system, you can implement phone-based customer service surveys as well as social media and email-based surveys. Even a comment box on your website can help generate useful data points.

USING SMARTER PROCESSES TO IMPROVE EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY

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The goal of today's office phone systems is far greater than just answering phone calls. Modern technology is aimed at consolidating processes, sharing data more efficiently, and building stronger teams. Even a few minutes saved on each phone call can quickly add up to drastic improvements in your turnaround and reductions in your labor costs. MULTITASKING One of the biggest assets of new office phone systems is their ability to handle a variety of information simultaneously from a single interface. In the past, call center employees have complained about working in several different windows at once, clicking through menu after menu to reach the information they need. Today's phone systems are more fluid and allow users to gather more data in less time, saving precious minutes on the phone with customers. COLLABORATION Another major change in modern phone systems is a greater ability to share information among team members and collaborate effectively. By having intern

IMPROVING CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR BETTER CUSTOMER RETENTION

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Customer retention is a major part of increasing profits. It is common sense that customers who keep coming back will keep spending money with you, but the truth is that repeat customers actually spend more on each individual transaction as well, further multiplying their value to your company. When you compare the cost of procuring a new customer versus reaching out to a repeat customer, it becomes obvious that customer retention should always be a priority. KNOWING HOW YOUR CUSTOMERS WANT TO COMMUNICATE More studies arrive each day showing us that Millennials are simply not interested in waiting on hold for customer service. Instead, they prefer immediate answers, even if those answers are not the best solution for their problem. They prefer online resources they can access on their own, such as FAQs, and chat or email support so that they can multitask without having their phones to their ears as they wait. Customers are even willing to pay more each month for your service if

BUSINESS PHONE SYSTEMS: ASSESSING YOUR NEEDS

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Finding the right business telecommunication equipment to update your business will depend greatly on the type of business you are running and the way your phones will be used. To take advantage of the best available technology for any scenario, you should consider contacting a phone system consultant who will help you assess your needs based on a wide range of metrics. NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES The first step in deciding what kind of business telecommunication system to buy is determining the scale of your operation. You can approach this in two ways. First, a simple headcount of the number of employees in your company will tell you how many potential lines you need. However, if your company operates in shifts where more than one person shares their desk or phone equipment, it might be more helpful to break your headcount into groups by shift and department for a more accurate view of your business. WHAT FEATURES YOU NEED Now that you have a list of departments and people who will

VISUALIZING THE SLAPPEY PLEDGE: THE THIRD EGG [VIDEO]

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I WILL BE THE THIRD EGG . I will find ways to create value for customers through economical means. I realize I make the difference in a customer's satisfaction. I will not describe things as "easy" but will instead reinforce the value of what we do in each interaction with our customers. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE : After attending a small conference in Vermont, Jimmy decides to grab breakfast at a local restaurant on his way out of town. He finds two quaint little restaurants across the street from each other on Main Street. Seeing that the one on the left has a full parking lot, he decides that must be the preferred place in town to eat. He is seated and has a very nice breakfast. The service and food were both great, but there seemed to be something more he couldn't quite put his finger on. He notices that the name tag on the guy filling his coffee cup is the same as the name on the door, so he starts a conversation with him: Jimmy : Are you the owner?

4 COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT MODERN COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

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In the last several years, modern phone technology has gone through some major changes. As the technology has advanced, some businesses have been slow to get on board with what they see as expensive, overly complicated VoIP and cloud-based technology. A number of myths have arisen that often drive people away from these services, and we are here to put those fears to rest. NEW TECHNOLOGY IS LARGE BUSINESS ORIENTED One of the most common complaints from small and mid-sized businesses is that all of the latest and greatest technology is aimed at major corporations. Small business owners are often intimidated by these systems because they don't believe they have enough users or infrastructure on hand to make the move. In reality, VoIP is a remarkably flexible service that can be extremely beneficial for small business owners. VoIP office phone systems are scalable and you pay a flat monthly fee based on your current size. Adding new lines in the future is simple and may minimal

THE CASE FOR A BUSINESS PHONE UPGRADE: ROI

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When it comes to office phone systems, there are several important ways for you to measure your return on investment. You can start by breaking your ROI down into two categories: internal and external . This will allow you to add up the gains that you see for both your employees and your customers. INTERNAL ROI New office phone systems can cost thousands of dollars to roll out effectively, and there are ongoing maintenance and service fees to be accounted for. However, you may find that the latest technology allows you to immediately streamline your call routing systems, eliminating the need for multiple receptionists answering phones. It is possible that a new phone system could save you $20-30,000 a year in salaries for employees that are no longer needed. On the other hand, by improving the efficiency of your routing system and offering other avenues of customer service like chat support, you may also be able to multiply the amount of work that each individual is capable o

UPGRADING YOUR BUSINESS PHONE SYSTEM: WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?

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Making a major upgrade to your phone technology for business purposes can seem like a high-risk endeavor. Many business owners are hesitant to make the jump because of the perceived costs of the investment and a fear of the unknown when it comes to learning new technology. Fortunately, today's phone systems are versatile and efficient enough to save you both time and energy once they are in place, so you can put your fears to rest. NEW PHONES COST TOO MUCH If you are just beginning to shop for new phone technology for business, you may be looking solely at the price of buying brand-new equipment up front. However, if you take a step back and look at your current system, you may be surprised to see how much it is already costing you. Over the last three years, how much have you spent annually on phone lines/internet, service, maintenance, repairs and random replacement parts to keep things running? Now look at what a new phone system will cost you annually and consider how mu