And one of the greatest competitive edges that any company can leverage is an advanced communications system.
Any means to increase communication opportunities between clients, employees, and stakeholders is crucial to the success of the modern workplace.
That's where VoIP phones enter the picture. VoIP stands for "Voice over Internet Protocol," which is just a fancy way of saying that it uses an internet connection for phone calls and features.
Voice over IP business phones combine the best aspects of a typical office phone with the ease and versatility of a wireless connection. And the advantages of using VoIP phones are numerous.
So what are the must-have features for a VoIP system? Let's take a look at five of them.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is such a must-have feature in VoIP phones that it's almost easy to forget it.
IVR technology acts as the first layer of response or greeting for incoming calls. We're all familiar with IVR—it's that automated voice menu or directory that you get whenever you call a business.
IVR can be easily customized, and it eliminates the need for a receptionist. Bonus: it also contributes to a professional look for your business.
What if you could see a caller's complete relationship history with your company before you even take the call?
This is where data integration linking comes in handy. With this feature, you can field a call armed with useful information on the caller's purchase history, or their various interactions with your business.
This saves time, and helps you find a solution or close a deal much faster.
Sometimes a client, customer, or employee needs to contact you, but you're out of the office or can't answer the office phone for some reason.
That's the beauty of VoIP phones. With the "find me/follow me" feature, you enter a sequence of preset numbers. If someone calls the office phone, and you're not there to answer, the call will be forwarded sequentially to the other numbers.
So the call "follows" you until it finds you. If you're unavailable to answer any of the numbers, the call will go to voicemail.
This must-have feature allows you to record calls, or monitor them for quality or later clarification.
You can play them back anytime you wish. That way, you can audit your customer service to ensure you're delivering the goods for your clients and customers.
Voicemail to email is a great feature for Voice over IP business phones.
It's pretty much what it sounds like. Instead of having to check your voicemail each day, you receive an email with an attached MP3 file containing the recorded voicemail.
It's a small extra feature to make your busy life a little easier.
We've just scratched the surface of the best features for VoIP phones in this article.
VoIP services are one of the most versatile communications solutions for businesses out there; these features and more let you customize to suit your needs.
At EnvisionIT Solutions, we have long experience in installing and getting businesses set up with VoIP phone systems.
Sign up for a free VoIP assessment today, and see how we can set you up with a VoIP system of your own.