Sales Director
Running a telephony-based business can be tricky. There’s a lot to think about, from training staff and creating efficient ways of working, to delivering exceptional customer service. With a VoIP telephony system however, you get a host of impressive features and options designed to support you in each of these areas.
These additions are often referred to as ‘Call Management’ features. They allow you to monitor performance and save time while making it easy for customers to reach you.
In our latest guide, we look at VoIP call management; tackling the big questions and highlighting some of the key features of these impressive systems.
If you’d like to learn more about VoIP technology, what it is and how it works - our article ‘What is VoIP?’ has everything you need to know.
Your VoIP system has tons of impressive features, each one created to help your business function at its best. Some of these tools are collectively known as call management features, which enable you to organise and manage customer calls efficiently via a series of customisable functions.
Looking for a way to get callers to the relevant business area? Call routing can help. Maybe you want to understand how to maximise staff performance? VoIP analytics does exactly that. And with these being just two of the handy tools available, it’s clear how integral VoIP’s call management features can be for any modern business.
VoIP systems like T2K’s Gamma Horizon offer several features—such as call routing and IVR (Interactive Voice Response) —that let you distribute and manage customer calls - helping them avoid the frustration of long call queues.
If you’re looking to cut down customer wait times, call routing with VoIP has you covered. You can easily divert calls to other users or business areas, while also assisting customers in finding relevant support for their queries.
Suppose a customer wants to speak to a particular team. In that case, VoIP can automatically route them to team members with the relevant knowledge, reducing the need for callbacks or rediversion to other departments.
Some VoIP systems have even introduced AI into their routing, using real-time information to share call volumes across different servers, departments, and team members. This load distribution prevents your network from overloading, while also reducing customer wait times.
As we’ve mentioned, sitting in a queue, and listening to the same hold music repeatedly gets old quickly. So why not give your customers their time back with an automated callback? These features are often customisable, allowing you to tailor them to your customer's needs.
With many VoIP systems, you’ll be able to choose how your customer receives their callback. For example, they may want to receive a callback later in the day, at a time of their choosing. Other customers may request a callback when your next available call agent is free.
You’ll often be able to qualify your customers, too. This means that if they’ve been waiting a specific amount of time in a queue, they automatically qualify for a callback.
An IVR is part of the bigger picture of call management. It allows you to put the power in your customers' hands, while also automating a process to get them where they need to be.
You may have experienced IVR features when calling your bank; letting you check your balance or get answers to simple questions. IVR features have a similar use as part of your VoIP system, giving your customers options such as hearing the basics of their account or speaking to a relevant call agent.
IVRs are another customisable element of your VoIP system too, pulling together other aspects of call management to help create maximum efficiency. This customisation allows you to route calls, prioritise calls based on demand or nature, automate callbacks, or simply answer frequently asked questions.
Monitoring employee performance is essential when identifying training needs. Luckily, your VoIP system allows you to not only listen to and support call staff, but to analyse data based on real-time activity, such as call volumes and abandon rates.
Call monitoring allows supervisors to listen in to calls as they happen. This can be invaluable for new starters or those with training needs, allowing them to receive feedback and coaching while a call is still fresh in their mind.
Your customers will thank you too; as live monitoring in areas like bad call quality and staff performance allows you to resolve these issues quickly. This means customers will receive exceptional service on a crystal-clear connection, which in turn boosts your reputation.
Real-time access to call volumes, patterns, and trends allows you to make balanced decisions regarding system and staffing capacity. Having data patterns to work with enables you to predict the staffing volume you’ll need on certain days, while also letting you monitor system capacity, and the allocation of network bandwidth in a particular area of your business.
“I’ll just pass you over to my manager” - a common phrase among call centre employees. And while being able to pass customers onto a more knowledgeable member of staff is a positive, VoIP’s call whisper and call barging features save you time and energy.
Call barging is the digital equivalent of ‘getting your manager’. It allows call handlers to conference with a superior during a customer call. This gives the superior the choice to either offer assistance or relieve the call agent and take the call themselves. As a time-saving measure, it prevents customers from waiting around for help, instead receiving the support they need there and then.
With call whisper, supervisors or team leaders can communicate with agents during a call without the customer hearing. With their supervisors advising them of the correct action to take, an agent can then provide accurate information to customers or resolve tricky situations in one fluid motion.
From hands-free voicemail transcription to accessible messages, these VoIP features reduce the hassle of managing and responding to customer communications.
Picture a busy call agent. Call volumes are high, and on top of that, they’ve also been assigned voicemail transcription duty. Ordinarily, this would involve playing the voicemail, scribbling down as much as you can, before pausing it and resuming scribbling.
Voicemail to email eliminates this hassle by transcribing voicemails to text and sending them to your email. It allows your call agents to focus on customers, while VoIP's powerful automation removes a time-consuming and monotonous task.
Gone are the days when employees would log into the business voicemail, be informed that there were 50 new messages, and have to wait for each one to finish before proceeding to the next. With visual voicemail, messages appear in list form, allowing employees to work through voicemails at their own pace. They can then focus on the task at hand without rushing, resulting in a more accurate outcome.
Many VoIP systems, like T2K’s 3CX model, offer integration options. These features allow you to pair your favourite platforms with your VoIP phone system, including CRMs, email clients, productivity tools, and more.
Many businesses use CRMs to manage their customer data, including personal information, call notes and potential leads. Pairing a CRM with your VoIP system via integration simplifies data access. You’ll be able to access customer data quickly during calls, without having to click between multiple screens or platforms to find the information you need.
The same goes for logging customer calls, notes or reminders. Integration allows you to save new data to a CRM so that others can access it for potential future queries.
To learn more about VoIP integration, head to our article ‘Is VoIP Compatible With My Existing Business Systems?’
Although some of the more basic packages exclude it, most VoIP providers offer packages with mobile integration. With these features, remote workers can access all features of your business's VoIP system, while working from home or on the go.
Mobile access often comes in the form of a user-friendly app, allowing iOS and Android users to take calls, support one another or collaborate anywhere with a broadband connection.
Digital phone systems have come a long way. They’re no longer just a means of interacting with customers and colleagues; instead, they provide tools to improve business performance in multiple areas.
With VoIP call management, access to real-time data allows you to measure employee performance, track call patterns, and manage your customers' needs and expectations.
If you’d like to learn more about how VoIP’s call management features can benefit your business performance, contact T2K today.
Having worked for T2k for nearly 25 years, it's fair to say that Lee is an expert when it comes to all things telephony and business communications. Overseeing the commercial side of the business, he has helped the company evolve and grow through the decades. In recent years, and with the advent of VoIP and hosted telephony, Lee has made sure that T2k is at the forefront of technological developments. With a firm interest in helping businesses navigate the world of telecoms, Lee is responsible for the majority of the content on this website.
