When it comes to facilitating better business communication, your phones are a necessity. With the right technology, your employees can enjoy the various features of conference calls that are so vital to the success of a business. These conference calls allow members of your team who are in different geographical locations to meet at a specified time to discuss your business matters.
When You Have Bad Phone Technology, You Have Bad Business
A business’s phone technology can make or break their future success in their market. When you have an ineffective conference calling option on your phone, it can hinder your employees’ ability to interact with each other. Without proper communication, there will be a lack of urgent decision-making that can affect your business’s ability to move forward against competitors in your market.
The Features To Look For In A Good Business Phone
Having the right business phone is all about understanding what particular features you want. As you know, conference call features are a must for any business phone. But, there are also some other features that you’ll want to get to make life more efficient for your employees.
Automated Attendant
No one likes to call a business to only have the phone ring non-stop. Most people expect to get the phone answered within a few short rings of dialing. When your phone system has an automated attendant, it will ensure that your phone calls get answered quickly. Many of these systems come with touch-tone options that allow your callers to select which department or person they want to speak to.
Voicemail
This is a vital feature to have for a few different reasons. First, you want to be able to give callers the ability to leave a message if your business is closed. Second, this setup allows customers to leave messages for specific employees or departments. This way, you can ensure that customers know that someone will be responding to their inquiries. Many phone systems come with remote access capabilities so employees can check their voicemail from anywhere.
Conference Calling
Probably the most important feature that you must look for in a great business phone is conference calling. This specific feature allows you to connect multiple lines for a mutual conversation. Various specific features can come along with conference calling. These include adding more than the traditional two additional lines and conference call recording.
Enabled Headsets
If you have a wide staff of users for your phone system, many will likely need to utilize a headset. The days of writing and holding the phone are gone. Most secretaries utilize headsets so they have their hands free to type notes into their computer system or look up a customer’s information. Ensure that the business phones which you purchase are able to have headsets enabled. You may be surprised to find out that not all business phones come with this particular feature.
Hold Message Or Music
When you get put on hold by a company, it’s very common to hear some sort of music or message from the company. This helps to ensure you that you’re still on hold and the line hasn’t disconnected. When there’s just dead air when you get put on hold, it could have you wondering whether or not you’re still connected. You want to purchase business phones that allow you to utilize hold music or streamline a message to consumers while they wait to be answered.
Caller ID
Caller ID is a great feature to consider having on your business phones. It can allow your staff to identify which customer is calling so they can address them by their name when they answer the call. This feature can also allow your staff to easily weed through solicitation calls and ensure that they answer your true customers first.
Microphone Muting
Whether you’re in the middle of a conference call and you want to discuss something in private with a co-worker or you just want to talk to your secretary while you have a customer on your phone, microphone muting is a must. This feature allows you to mute your phone or headset so that you can talk in private without the caller hearing you.
Many awesome features can come with new business phones. As you upgrade your equipment for better conference calling, ensure that you pay attention to what features are the best to add to fit your business’s needs.
