The Role of VoIP in the Evolution of Business Productivity
Manisha Sukhyani — October 31, 2019 From the day we came into existence on this planet, we have seen various forms of communication. From sending pigeon messages to dialing numbers on a telephone to pressing keys on smartphones – everything has constantly changed the way we interact with others.
Since the invention of smartphones, the age of quick calls is going on forever. It’s fascinating to see phone calls taking charge of personal as well as professional lives of users. Even businesses rely heavily on phone calls to communicate with employees and customers.
But do you think it’s a productive way to handle customers and employees?
Tell me, are you able to keep pace with business with constant calls? Are you sure you don’t miss a single million-dollar deal on phone call? Do you answer all of your consumers in their moment of need? Do you know how many hours your employees waste because of personal calls?
You may say what choice do you have?
Dear friend, each day new technology is commanding the attention of businesses. Yet, I won’t say that the new technology has just arrived to eliminate all your worries. Rather, I am focusing on already existing technology that has the power to change the productivity levels of your business but are overshadowed by phone calls.
Yes, I am talking about a common, yet so underrated, technology called VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).
What is VoIP?
VoIP is making calls anytime, anywhere, using internet-connected devices like computers, smartphones, headset, etc. WhatsApp, Skype, Facebook video, and voice calls are all examples of VoIP technology.
Now you may say that you already use social media all the time. Of course, but not in away that makes your business more productive than ever.
How VoIP Synchronize Your Entire Business?
On one side, your employees are trying their best to answer your customers’ calls. On the other side, you are trying to contact your employees to get updates on your business. Additionally, some employees may need some business-relevant information and are trying to reach those employees who are on vacation.
Such a mess…
Bits and pieces are lying here and there, and you are unable to make sense of them.
Now imagine one person sitting at the center of your business. He manages calls from multiple side including yours, your employees’, and clients’. That person is VoIP.
VoIP replaces your phone system with digital technology. It puts a digital network at the center of the system while increasing the efficiency of your business network and eliminating the need to manage multiple networks.
As per Statista, VoIP global market size is predicted to reach a size of 145 billion U.S. dollars by 2024.
VoIP offers unified communications, connecting everything from customer interface tools to day-to-day operations of company’s voice services. With VoIP, employees are never out of reach as it is the internet that keeps them connected. Employees have access to all business information via internet-connected devices. By replacing calls with VoIP, your customers are free to connect with you at anytime and anywhere.
All in all, VoIP empowers your business to run at the pace of today’s demands.
3 Productive Benefits of VoIP to Businesses
Say goodbye to mobile towers and phone lines and welcome the infinite power of internet with VoIP.
Over the last 6 years, VoIP has become more than just a phone service. Its multi-purpose communication system is going beyond video call, SMS, voicemail, caller ID, call forwarding, etc., to aid your business in productivity.
Here are three ways VoIP increases your business productivity:
1. VoIP Saves Employees’ Hours of Wastage
How many voicemail accounts does each of your employees handle?
Stop and think. Suppose your employees manage only two voicemail accounts – one for business and one for personal use. That means they have to maintain and sort out messages on both lines. Employees with multiple “titles” play different roles which include managing clients on multiple voicemail accounts. All this results in chaos which affects employee productivity and restrains their growth.
VoIP comes with a single mailbox. It collects messages from multiple locations and then unites them into one voicemail account. It reduces distractions from multiple places and gives employees the freedom to manage everything from a single place. In fact, voicemail turns messages into an email and delivers them directly to users’ inboxes. When everything is available at a single location, productivity becomes a piece of cake.
For instance, Utah State saved $ 120,000/- year on labor expense by automating ticket features via VoIP services. They even reclaimed 80 hours a week of productivity for their IT team.
2. VoIP to Improve Customer Services
Do you really think that customers want to interact with you and that’s why they keep dialing your customer care number?
Nope.
They simply want a solution to their issues as soon as possible. They can’t waste time on sending mail and waiting for hours to hear the reply. That’s why they always grab a nearby phone to make a quick call and get the solution.
The problem with phone calls is they keep customers waiting till the customer care executive is available to talk. Making customers wait for more than a few minutes or answering them with a busy line leads to a poor customer service experience. As a result, customers go on social media to sing a song of your bad customer service and spread the word about why others shouldn’t buy your products or services.
How much business will you lose with such an experience?
VoIP automatically answers most of the customers’ queries. For example, VoIP stores data like order tracking, delivery status, etc. If customers have such common queries, they will get the answer without waiting or dialing a number. If they have major queries, VoIP connects customers with employees (no matter where they are) and gets their queries solved in the matter of moments. The better your service, the higher your brand reputation.
3. Anytime Access to Your Entire Business Network
These days, the craze of working from home or working while traveling is increasing at the high speed. And companies allow it to give their employees a big break without cutting their salary. But how do they manage everything while employees are not available in the office?
Well, , VoIP is the obvious answer. VoIP’s key job is to connect everything including the managers, employees, and customers in one place. If customers can remain connected with your brand via VoIP, why not employees?
As VoIP stores company’s data in one place, employees can have access to it at anytime, from anywhere. They can answer customers with the help of data, and they can enjoy their life too. Your business will float on the clouds with employee productivity at its peak.
Is it Costly?
Many companies want to adopt VoIP services for the sake of their employees and customers, but they are afraid that they will have to pay more. That’s a myth. VoIP systems allow companies to purchase their private exchange services without additional telecommunication equipment. This saves a lot of cost for companies who pay unnecessary bills for national and international calls.
So, you got the answers to all your VoIP queries. Start integrating VoIP services into your business and ditch those phone bills now.
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