Office phone systems have come a long way in the past decade. What began as limited physical hardware tied to office space by a tangle of phone lines has grown into a cloud-based, omnichannel platform that utilizes the internet to deliver business communications. This has many benefits to the average business, especially when it comes to feature sets. What might have cost you hundreds of dollars a few years ago, now comes standard with most office phone systems.
Don’t believe us? Here are five of the most cutting-edge features you’ll have access to if you pick the right office phone system.
1. Unlimited Calling Nationally and Internationally
Instead of paying for separate landlines, and the costs associated with them, today’s VoIP-based office phone systems provide unlimited calling plans both nationally and internationally. Since all calls will be routed over an internet connection rather than legacy wiring, you don’t have to worry about overages, surcharges, or tolls.
You simply use some of your device’s monthly allowance, a cost that’s baked into your monthly system payments. Now all you must worry about is making connections and closing deals.
2. Real-time Call Recording & Analytics With Office Phone Systems
Good office phone systems can record calls. Great office phone systems provide real-time call analytics. Exceptional office phone systems offer both. Call recording allows users to save the audio of their calls in the cloud to review later. This is an excellent feature for teams that deal with customers frequently. Did a customer’s complaint and an employee’s explanation not line up? Play the recording to see what really happened. Looking to improve your customer experience? Pull several recordings – some good, some bad – to review with your employees and find the best way forward.
Call analytics, on the other hand, allows administrators to view call analytics in real-time, giving them an overall view of the health of their company’s communication. They can see how long calls last, which representative answered the most calls, how frequently a particular customer has called, and so on. Not only that but it also gives administrators insight into call flow. If they see a representative has a long call queue, they can quickly divert some of those calls to another employee. No more “best guess” call path planning. Now you have solid data to inform your decisions!
3. Find-Me/Follow-Me
There’s no denying that today’s workforce has become more mobile than ever. From visiting other co-workers’ desks to traveling across the country to attend a tradeshow, employees are spending less time at their desks than ever. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be reached. Many office phone systems come equipped with a find-me/follow-me feature.
This is like call routing and call forwarding and allows users to automatically divert incoming calls to another number, user, or device when they’re not within reach of their office phone. For instance, if someone calls and find-me/follow-me is enabled, it will first ring the user’s office phone. After several rings, the call will be forwarded to the user’s cell phone number. If the call remains unanswered, the call will be forwarded to an answering service.
If you want to be reachable no matter where you are, be sure your office phone system comes equipped with find-me/follow-me capabilities.
4. Simple System Management
In the old days, businesses used to employ IT professionals specifically for office phone system upkeep and maintenance. While necessary at the time, it is no longer necessary now thanks to simplified system management.
As we mentioned earlier, office phone systems have become increasingly integrated with the internet. This means that many VoIP-based phone systems have web-based management portals which give their users the power to add users, delete users, activate/update specific features, and so much more. No more flipping through vast user manuals or contacting IT and hoping they have time to help. Now the power to manage your system is squarely in your hands.
5. Softphone Capabilities Of Office Phone Systems
As we mentioned previously, we are seeing an increasingly mobile workforce. This is thanks in large part to the office phone system feature known as a “softphone.” A softphone is an application that turns any device into an office phone system. All you have to do is install it. Unlike find-me/follow-me, it allows users to make calls from their personal devices as if they’re making the call from their desk phone.
It also gives them the ability to call from anywhere and from any device – whether it’s a laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Softphones also allow users to update their office phone system settings, check their voicemails, instant message several employees, and so much more!
Get the Latest Communication Features with Advanced Communications
At Advanced Communications, we know only you know what’s perfect for your business. This is why we offer a fully customizable phone system with an extensive library of features for you to choose from. Worried some features might be out of date? Don’t be!
Our team of experts is dedicated to keeping up with the latest advancements and handling the necessary updates, ensuring you always have the best office phone system supporting your business. If you’re interested in learning more, feel free to reach out to our team at your convenience. We’re always eager to answer your questions!
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