5 phone system features that can transform your business

Cloud-based business phone systems are, and should be, a staple of any entrepreneur who’s looking to set their business up for success. With legacy, on-site PBX systems falling by the wayside and VoIP-based ones take its place, an unprecedented and constantly expanding number of internet and cloud-based features are now at your fingertips.

This, along with worldwide trend towards more flexible and remote work, means that the phone system will serve as the collaboration and communication backbone of businesses for years to come. Here are a few powerful features you can expect from a BPS:

Integrate with collaboration suites via softphone

Zoom. Teams. Webex. Over the last three years, businesses’ reliance on productivity and collaboration software has skyrocketed as the needs for remote working required a platform that made the working process as easy as possible.

Most collaboration software offer direct integration with cloud phone systems, allowing you make and take calls using a softphone feature. You can even link phone numbers with your personal or enterprise contacts, making it seamless to connect with customers and teammates via phone call, instant chat, or even video conferencing.

Our phone system plans support either Microsoft Teams or Cisco Webex, both of which you can access via desktop, phone, laptop, or tablet.

Call queuing & advanced call routing

Waiting for an operator to pick up the call can be a very frustrating experience for any customer. A phone system’s more customisable routing features allow you to optimise your business’ call screening and handling processes.

Virtual call queueing essentially lines callers up to the operator best suited for their concerns, based on specific filters and conditions. For example, your phone system may have a separate call queue for support concerns, and another one for sales calls.

Most phone systems also offer advanced call routing options that allow you to filter callers by location, time, or even concern via an interactive voice response menu (IVR), which provides valuable information to available operators.

Hunt group / line hunting

Often, a hosted office phone system comes bundled with a phone number, but that may rarely be enough for businesses with different branches or phone lines within their company. Having a line hunting feature allows the phone system to forward and distribute calls to any number within a pool of numbers that are in a hunt group.

For example, you may have a six-person sales team. When their lines are grouped together in a hunt group, your phone system will automatically forward calls to any free team members, thereby making the process more efficient. This feature works perfectly with the call queue and routing features mentioned earlier.

CRM integration

Because they work via the internet, it’s important to remember that business phone systems do not work in a bubble. Many businesses like yours often make use of CRM platforms like Zoho, Freshworks, or Salesforce.

By integrating your CRM with your phone system, you can automate important data tracking on things like real-time caller information, location, returning customer concerns, and more. In case you need something stand-alone, we offer an inbound number service that has the same call tracking & intelligence capabilities.

Call recording and analytics

More than just integration, however, a phone system plan also offers other in-built features such as call recording, which you can use to track and measure the quality of your customer service or fine-tune your staff training processes.

Real-time call reports that detail when you get the most calls, and how many you miss can also allow you to make operational decisions that improve efficiency and the quality of service.

Choose a phone system that’ll keep it simple.

As you can see, there’s a lot more a phone system can offer beyond just calls. If you think a phone system is right for your business, Alltel’s SmartConnect BPS and UC platforms offer a straightforward, reliable experience at lower rates. To learn more about our plans, visit alltel.com.au or call us at 1300 255 835 today.