How Hosted PBX Improves Your Customer Service

While delivering excellent customer service has always been important, on today’s competitive landscape it is more essential than ever.

For example, a study by financial services company Fifth Third Bancorp revealed that 50 percent of customers will hang up the phone if placed on hold for more than a minute. And research by Peppers & Rogers Group found that 70 percent of customers will cease dealing with a business because of poor customer service. However, on a more positive note, the same research found that customers who feel that their needs are catered and that they are important are 10 to 15 times more likely to remain loyal.

In light of this, it goes without saying that businesses cannot afford to be on the wrong side of that research – i.e. losing 70 percent of their customers instead of generating loyalty. And that is why so many businesses of all sizes, including small firms and startups, are choosing hosted PBX. 

Below, we highlight 5 key ways that hosted PBX improves customer service:

1. Automatic Call Routing

As noted above, most customers dislike being placed on hold – and many of them loathe it. With hosted PBX, businesses can setup automatic call routing that instantly pushes a call through to an available employee regardless of where they are located (e.g. another office, home office, on the road, etc.). As a result, hold times are either dramatically reduced or eliminated, which is a win for both customers who are better served, and employees who are more productive.

2. Customized Greetings

Arguably the only thing that some customers dislike more than being placed on hold, is being “bounced around” from department to department. With hosted PBX, businesses can set up customized greetings and use interactive menus that help callers quickly self-direct their call (e.g. sales, service, etc.). Again, this is a win for both customers and employees. 

3. Multichannel Options

Many of today’s customers – particularly Millennials – are not necessarily picking up their smartphone to make a call. Rather, they are clicking a button on the laptop (or tapping it on their tablet). A hosted PBX system lets businesses deploy multichannel options, so that customers can reach them in the manner that they find more convenient – including over the web.

4. One-Number Service

Customers do not like having to keep track of a handful of numbers when they want to call their account representative, sales consultant, technical services representative or any other designated individual. However, in today’s world, most employees have several numbers: an office number, a business cell number, a personal cell number, and possibly a home office number as well.

Hosted PBX allows employees to establish a single phone number that automatically routes to their various lines and devices. As such, customers conveniently receive a single number, and employees never have to worry about missing a call. Furthermore, when employees make a call from any linked phone (including their smartphone), the business number will show up on caller ID.

5. Voicemail to Email & Voicemail to Text

Some employees are unable to check voicemail throughout the day, because they are in meetings or otherwise on-the-go. This can be frustrating for customers who want responsive service. With hosted PBX, voicemails can be automatically forwarded as emails and/or text messages. As such, employees can discreetly pick them up from anywhere, and prioritize their response accordingly.

Learn More

To learn more about how hosted PBX improves your customer service – and enables your employees to be much more productive and profitable – contact Votacall today. Your consultation with us is free, and we will provide you with answers and advice that are specific to your unique business needs and goals.

Interested in learning how VoIP phone systems can benefits your business beyond customer service? Download our FREE eBook to discover the true ROI of business VoIP.