How Can We Optimize Our Use of a VoIP Business Phone System?
Companies without a cloud-based phone system before the lockdowns of the pandemic, quickly learned how important having their communications virtual is to business continuity.
Business phone lines are the main way that customers and potential customers connect with companies. If remote employees can’t answer those phone lines promptly, then sales can suffer.
Online voice and video calls more than tripled during the pandemic, illustrating just how important cloud-based communications are. One that many companies have switched to over the last 18-24 months is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
VoIP phone systems allow companies to have their phone lines answered from anywhere and employees to access all phone system features. A frustration when employees are working remotely and their company uses landlines is that, sure a number can be forwarded to them, but they can’t call out on a company line. They also can’t easily transfer a call to someone else, because the bulk of the phone system features are located at the office.
With VoIP, you can access all enterprise-class features, such as a company directory, call transfer, hold, outgoing calls, etc. no matter where you are.
But not all companies are happy with their new VoIP experience. Here are some tips to optimize yours to make it better for everyone.
Tips for a Great VoIP Experience
Use Quality of Service (QoS) on Office & Employee Routers to Prioritize VoIP
If you don’t have Quality of Service (QoS) rules on your router, then bandwidth can be given out haphazardly. For example, you might be on an important call, when someone else on the same network begins downloading a large file, suddenly your call fades out because bandwidth is being taken by the download.
Using QoS allows you to tell your router which applications to give priority to, so that download would simply take longer rather than impacting your VoIP call.
Have this set up on any office routers and help remote employees do the same with theirs through your IT provider.
Work With Your IT Provider to Set Up Advanced Features
VoIP offers a lot of great features for very little cost as compared to traditional landline phones. But these can be tricky for some businesses to set up themselves if they’re not familiar with how to do it.
Get help from a trusted IT professional, like Skyline IT, to set up things like your ring groups, company directory, departmental voicemail, etc. so you can take full advantage of all that your VoIP system offers.
Give Your Employees Time to Train on the System
Don’t just throw your employees into any software without proper training if you want them to be as productive as possible. Give them training on the new system so they’re not left fumbling around on their own.
This allows you to set up call handling protocols that everyone can follow for a more consistent caller experience. This will also help ensure that all your team members, not just those that are tech-savvy, understand how to take advantage of time-saving features like voicemail to email transcription.
Have Remote Employees Put Their Device on a Guest Network
Approximately 20% of companies have suffered a breach due to a remote worker. It’s important to put safeguards in place that help secure all the digital communications flowing through remote workers’ home networks.
One way that remote employees can add additional protection for communications and other business activities is to set up a guest network and only put their work devices on that network.
This provides a level of separation between business data and devices and less-secure home devices like smart speakers or children’s devices.
Choose a Reliable Service Partner
Not all VoIP services are created equally, and if you purchase a service from an out-of-country provider, getting help when you need it can be difficult.
Your business phone systems are vital, so it’s important to use a reliable service provider, and better yet, one that is local and can visit you when needed to address any issues or provide in-person training as needed on your system.
Offer Employees Choices for Using VoIP
One benefit of VoIP is that it allows your business phone lines to be used in multiple ways. This flexibility boosts efficiency because employees have options.
Allow your employees to use VoIP in more than one way. The standard options include:
- Using a VoIP-enabled desk phone
- Using a computer and headset
- Using a mobile phone and VoIP app
Get Your VoIP Phone Services from a Local Provider You Can Trust
Skyline IT Management can assist your Oklahoma business with an effective and flexible cloud-based phone system that comes with top-notch support.
Book a Call today to schedule a technology consultation.
