5 Ways that a Hosted VoIP Phone System Improves Customer Service

On today’s hyper-competitive landscape, customers do not just want outstanding customer service: they demand and expect it. In fact, Walker Information predicts that by the year 2020, customer experience will surpass price and product as the most important brand differentiator.

In order to lean towards customers and make every touchpoint memorable (and for the right reasons!), businesses of all sizes — from startups with distributed teams to large enterprises with multiple offices — have made the switch from a conventional phone system, to a leading-edge Hosted VoIP phone system. Here are the 5 key ways that this evolution has enabled them to take customer service to a new level, and surge past their competitors:

1. Auto-attendant and IVR avoids frustration and confusion. 

The only thing that customers dislike more than having their call go unanswered is having to repeat themselves as they are passed along from employee to employee. A hosted VoIP phone system features built-in auto-attendant and IVR, so that calls are immediately answered, and customers can easily and efficiently self-direct themselves to the right department, team or individual.

2. Total mobility, hunt groups, and ring groups cut down on voicemails. 

While we are listing things that customers hate, add voicemail to the mix. A hosted VoIP phone system significantly reduces — and in some cases eliminates — customers being sent to voicemail in three different yet complimentary ways. First, employees can install an app on their smartphone to receive calls anytime and anywhere or have calls forwarded to any number (including home landlines). Second, managers can set up hunt groups, which ring designated phones in sequence. Third, managers can set up ring groups, which ring multiple phones concurrently. Add it all up, and the chances of customers going to voicemail — and getting frustrated — plummet.

3. Voicemail-to-text boosts responsiveness. 

Sometimes, however, calls will indeed go to voicemail — simply because an employee is unavailable. With a conventional phone system, customers must wait until that employee checks their voicemail, which could be hours or days later. But with a hosted VoIP phone system, voicemails are automatically stored as audio files and emailed to the designated employee. As such, they can pick it up on-the-go, which increases responsiveness.

4. All employees get direct numbers or extensions.

Customers do not like going through switchboards, and employees do not like it either — especially if they are trying to build personal relationships with customers. With a hosted VoIP phone system, every employee no matter where they’re located — in-house, remote, or a hybrid of both — can get their own direct number or extension. What’s more, when employees use their smartphones to call customers, their assigned VoIP number will appear on call display; not their personal smartphone number.

5. Integration of Salesforce enhances customer experience. 

Learn More

To learn more about how a hosted VoIP phone system can help you dramatically improve customer service, contact the Votacall team today. Your consultation with us is free.

Also, be sure to check out our FREE eBook on how to choose the right partner for your hosted VoIP phone system: