MODERN OPTIONS FOR UPGRADING YOUR BUSINESS PHONE SYSTEM


Today, the virtual telephone system is becoming a staple of businesses large and small. The benefits of moving toward a VoIP system are many, and the costs may actually be less than you expect. The virtual telephone system is extremely versatile and can be scaled to any size organization with a wide range of optional features included.

VOIP

VoIP stands for voice-over-IP, which essentially means that your phones will be connected to your network and place calls using the internet rather than a dedicated phone line. It was designed as part of the process of moving toward a more integrated communications system overall, allowing your phones to interface with your computer and gather more information than traditional systems. VoIP systems can be hosted locally using a virtual access point at your office location, or they can have a dedicated server on-site. Cloud-based VoIP allows more dynamic scaling with less equipment on site.

MODERN FEATURES AND FUNCTIONALITY

The most important thing to know about your virtual telephone system is that it is capable of doing much more than traditional phones can. It doesn't particularly matter whether you choose to host your VoIP system locally or in the cloud, as the software remains largely the same across all three hosting options. This makes it possible for small scale businesses to take advantage of the same advanced features that were previously only available to large corporations. These features include things like:

  • Hybrid Solutions: Combining old and new technology so that your heaviest phone users get the newest equipment and upgrades while keeping old hardware in place for areas that don't see as much phone traffic (i.e. giving your front desk and customer service agents an upgrade while other offices keep their old phones).
  • Mobile Support and BYOD: Allowing users to bring their own mobile devices to work, or offering company cell phones to employees out in the field. Not only can you expand your viable up time by keeping more people connected more of the time, but you can also use the dynamic extension feature to have both phones sharing a single number. This way, if the office phone is not picked up, it automatically transfers the call to the mobile phone.
  • CRM Integration: A most useful tool for data gathering, analysis and customer management, CRM software has become a major part of day-to-day operations for most companies. Allowing your phone system to interact with your CRM will ensure that you can quickly identify customers the second they call and provide them with the help they need more efficiently.
  • Personalization: Another, often overlooked, benefit of virtual telephone systems is the ability for individual users to personalize their phone settings to meet their needs. Even employees who share phones can have separate accounts each saved with their preferences. As they log in with their credentials each day, the phone will automatically pull up their saved settings for higher productivity and comfort.

Virtual telephone systems now provide more communications solutions than ever before. By integrating with your network and adding tons of new features, these systems are about more than just placing calls. They offer a better way to do business and reach your customers.

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