Olivia Maier
Today we are here to share what we consider to be the most important, and even necessary, features of a telephone system for business use. While there are certainly more points and features that can be included, we wanted to give you a helpful checklist with only the essentials.
As simple as this may sound, you may not have considered what the right business phone number is for your team. If you want to offer a phone number that is accessible to all potential customers, consider a toll-free number to help callers avoid charges. How about an international phone number for your worldwide clients? Or maybe you just want a local area code, so that your community knows exactly where they can find you. The best phone systems will give you plenty of options for your business phone number.
Another must have feature is business SMS messaging. This can open up an additional channel of communication with your customers and clients, that may be more convenient for them and your team. Give yourself the opportunity to connect in an additional way with business text messaging.
Gone are the days where “press 1 for sales, press 2 for billing” is acceptable to most callers. When you take advantage of a voice based IVR system, your callers can simply speak their purpose for calling, and your phone system will take care of the rest.
Cloud based technology
Landlines belong in the past, especially when it comes to business communication. With cloud technology your team can increase their flexibility, accessibility, and even improve the quality of their phone communication. You don’t have to invest in this technology yourself, just simply take advantage of a cloud-phone provider.
Voicemail AND voicemail transcriptions
Voicemail is crucial for any business, and it requires the ability to be customized to present a professional image. However, voicemail shouldn’t end there. Take advantage of voicemail transcriptions, so that you can easily access your voicemail even when audio isn’t convenient.
Your business phone communication should match the rest of your brand, especially in terms of tone and personality. Look for customization options such as having music on hold, welcome messages, and more to tailor your phone system to your needs.
You shouldn’t be limited to one phone or device when you are using your office phone system. Instead, look for a phone system that gives you access to phone, desktop, and tablet apps. And if you like old fashioned or more traditional desk phones, look for a phone system that specifically offers SIP phone integrations.
Ring groups
When a call comes in for a specific department, make sure that all appropriate members are notified through customizable ring groups, Ring groups allow for an entire department such as “sales support” to be notified. This can help simplify your workflow, and decrease wait times for callers.
Your business phone system shouldn’t live in a bubble, and smart integrations can help you avoid that. By connecting your business phone system into tools that you already use and love, you can further streamline your communication and avoid harmful information silos.
Answering phone calls doesn’t need to be an individual event, in fact sometimes your team members will need a helping hand. Look for collaboration features such as call whispering, call forwarding, and call commenting to allow for that crucial teamwork to take place.
These features are just the start to what can be an incredible tool for your team to take advantage of. Take Yodel’s features for a test drive with our free 14 day trial, and learn all about how we provide all the essential features and more.
