How a VoIP Phone System Can Help Your Small Business

02:55 PM May 03, 2021

If you have a small business, being able to reliably communicate both in-house and with clients is necessary. Thankfully, email is a great option that you probably already use regularly. It’s not sufficient as your only communication tool, though. Many conversations are easier to have over the phone than in back-and-forth emails. Setting up a phone system also allows your clients to access you immediately when they need to talk. Here are a few ways that a VoIP phone system can benefit your small business.

Portability

In the age of increased demands for location-independent working, an Ooma VoIP office system allows you and your employees to have your business phones with you both in the office and elsewhere. Desktop handsets are a great option if you have a permanent office location, but your VoIP system also allows you to use your mobile phone to make and receive business calls. Your VoIP app also gives you access to your business voicemail system for checking messages on the go.

Personalized Virtual Receptionist

Setting up the answering system on your VoIP phone system is straightforward with the online tools your provider will give you. You can have your virtual receptionist answer all incoming calls or have it be a backup to your human receptionist if you have one. Callers can hear a custom message that you create with options that are relevant to your business. If they simply need business information, such as your hours or location, your virtual receptionist can provide that easily. If your caller needs to speak to someone, though, your virtual receptionist can connect them to the right person or group. This setup can help give your business a professional image. Even if you are the only person who handles sales and customer service, having your clients choose those departments from a phone menu sounds impressive.

Call Recording

If you do not have a dedicated secretary to take notes during a phone-based business meeting, it can be difficult to capture all of the important points from the discussion while also participating in the conversation. If you use a VoIP phone system that allows you to record your phone calls, you have the option to go back and listen later to be sure that no one forgot any action items and to refresh your memory on any key decisions that the team made. Some systems even offer automated transcriptions of calls, which would allow you to skim your conversations to review the important points. You can also share recordings and transcriptions with any team members who could not make it to the original meeting.

Custom Ring Options

If your virtual receptionist answers a call and the caller indicates their need to speak to someone in customer service, you can program your system to ring through to the handsets of all customer service representatives at once. This allows the call to be answered by whoever is currently available, rather than sending the call to an individual who may be unable to answer at that time. If the caller chooses a particular person to speak with, your virtual receptionist can send the call to that person’s handset. It can also be set up to ring through to the next specified person if the first is unavailable. This will help minimize the number of calls that go unanswered and end up in voicemail, which is great for customer satisfaction. When you’re evaluating your small business’s communication options, be sure to look at VoIP for your telephone system needs. The abundant features will help you create strong relationships with your clients and improve in-house communication as well.