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5 Signs You Need a New Business Phone System

Your business phone communication system can make or break your sales and customer support efforts. More specifically, a bad phone system can lead to miscommunication and ineffective communication which can result in a loss of valuable customers and leads. Here we look at 5 signs that scream “Your business needs a new business phone system!”

When to Start Looking for a New Business Phone System?

Since so much of your business’ success depends on good communication, it is important to find the right business phone service. Here are 5 signs you need a new business phone system. In other words, consider getting a new phone system if your current office communication system has any of the following:

1. Bad Pricing and Low Reliability

Are you struggling with paying the bill for your current phone system? Is the pricing not straightforward, leading to confusion and paying more than you originally signed up for? Your business phone system provider should be reliable and trustworthy. And you should be able to predict your monthly bill without any surprises for better accounting.

Switch to a business phone service provider that helps you understand what to expect from your monthly bill. As you sign up, you should have a clear idea of what you are paying for. This means no hidden fees or set-up/installation fees that just turn up out of nowhere. With a predictable monthly bill, your business can manage its communication-related finances better.

Related: How To Set Up a Business Phone System in your Office

2. Less Variety of Virtual Communication Features

With the advancements in telecommunications and technology available, businesses now have access to many opportunities and top-notch services and features. And so, if your current phone system is offering you the bare minimum, then you are missing out.

Advanced services such as global call forwarding, call recording, a variety of virtual numbers, and so on, can help with effective call management by providing your business with the right communication tools. These services can improve productivity and efficiency in your office which will lead to better customer service and more sales.

3. No International Call Forwarding

Any business with a goal for expanding globally must have international call forwarding. An international call forwarding service enables businesses to connect easily with their global customers. With this service, you can have incoming calls from different countries route to a destination of your choice. For example, your US-based company can receive international calls from customers in the UK, Asia, Australia, and more via virtual phone numbers. These calls are forwarded to your main office in the US or remote offices around the world via international call forwarding.

As such, call forwarding helps businesses maintain global connectivity by providing customers around the world with inexpensive ways to call for product inquiries or customer support. Even if your business is located outside the country, customers can call your local or toll free number and evade long-distance calling rates. This encourages customer calls and builds trust and credibility for your international business.

4. Limited Customer Support

Customer support is an essential tool for any business. And so, if you cannot reach customer service for help with your business phone system, especially during emergencies, then again, you stand a chance of losing out on customers. Unreachable or bad customer service can break a company.

Look for a business phone service provider that is available 24/7 and offers multichannel support. For example, United World Telecom offers 24/7 customer support via voice, live chat, email, and trouble tickets. We also have an online knowledge base with self-service information.

5. Long-Terms Contracts

Lastly, you want a business phone system that does not force you into long-term contracts. In case things change within your business, you should be able to scale up or down or switch to new services. A provider that locks you in with contracts or high cancellation fees can make it difficult to grow your business.

Why Should You Consider United World Telecom?

Since 1996, United World Telecom has been providing businesses around the world with cloud phone systems and virtual communication tools to boost sales, customer support, and international business. Advanced services and features we offer include:

  • International call forwarding
  • Outbound calling with customizable caller ID
  • Hosted call recording
  • Cloud IVR
  • Extensions and DID numbers, and more

United World Telecom’s plans are straightforward with no hidden fees or long-term contracts. We don’t force our customers into commitments as we know our service will speak for itself. We offer five different plans for businesses of every size and type; so you can choose the plan that works best for your communication needs.

Get a New Business Phone System Today!

We offer a variety of services that can help you create the ideal cloud phone system for your specific company. Get a VoIP business phone system today by calling us for more information or by signing up on our homepage!

5 Benefits of Unified Communications for Remote Teams

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Struggling to manage your remote teams? Unified communications for remote teams or UCaaS can be the solution you need to increase visibility of remote teams while maintaining productivity.

Unified Communications for Remote Teams: 5 Benefits

Unified communications compiles all business communication and phone system tools together in one place. And so, you and your remote teams can access voice, video, email, and text messaging in one location, one platform.

UCaaS focuses on internal communication. As such, it benefits remote team collaboration and connectivity. This is why unified communication is growing more and more popular as a communication solution for remote teams. So, how exactly can your remote and distributed teams benefit from this service?

1. Mobility: Make Remote Working a Possibility with UCaaS & VoIP

Voice over IP (VoIP) is a communication service that enables business communication such as audio, video, and SMS transmission via the internet. With VoIP technology, users can make and receive calls from any location and any device as long as they are connected to a stable internet connection.

This means you can improve connectivity with your remote workers by giving them the ability to stay connected no matter where they are. And so, they remain accessible not only to the rest of your team but also to customers and business contacts. With call forwarding, customers won’t even realize that the business number they dialed is being forwarded to another location. They can still receive timely and efficient customer service even when your teams are distributed.

2. Easy-to-Use Softphone Solutions

Most VoIP providers will offer you easy-to-use softphone solutions that help users transform their devices into business communication tools. Softphones or webphones come in a variety of forms. You can get a software application, web dialer, or web/Chrome extension. A web phone has many advantages such as:

  • Making outbound calls to anywhere in the world using a dynamic caller ID feature to match the location being called
  • Access to contacts and customer history
  • Call logs and records
  • Quick and easy call transfer within your network
  • Free in-network calls to other team members
  • Access to voicemail

Having this tool can help your users stay up-to-date on calls and contact history which paves the way to better internal and external communication.

3. Flexibility: Use Any Device

Whether or not your business implements a BYOD policy, unified communications for remote teams will let users use devices they are comfortable and familiar with. This gives them the opportunity to use tools and apps that can improve their efficiency while not having to panic when a device fails. They simply log in through another device.

4. Plenty of Communications Tools to Use

The best part of UCaaS and VoIP working together is that your team gains access to advanced communications features such as:

  • Call monitoring
  • Call recording
  • Outbound calling
  • Call transfer and extensions
  • SIP trunking
  • Creative routing strategies
  • SMS, voicemail, and fax forwarding
  • IVR

These tools and features are designed to boost your workforce for optimum results. In addition to these tools, you can also invest in an online client portal so that employees can effectively handle customer queries and communication in a centralized platform. By equipping them with the right tools and software, they can do their job effectively, even when working remotely.

5. Maintain Productivity & Efficiency

The biggest issue businesses face when switching to a remote working system is accountability and lower productivity rates. But unified communications for remote teams can help fix this issue by making your remote teams more visible and transparent. You can continue to maintain productivity and the desired results by reducing the space between you and your teams through virtual communication.

Remote Working Made Easy with UCaaS & VoIP

Because of COVID-19, remote working as a trend has grown popular and will continue to be a desired workplace policy. And so, businesses should prepare for remote teams to ensure there is no drop in efficiency and business growth. Speak with one of our experts today to see how unified communications and VoIP can support your company!

7 Reasons Why Your Business Needs Cloud Communication Solutions

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With the advent of cleaner and more advanced technology, more and more businesses are looking for high-quality and cost-effective technological solutions to streamline and automate their business processes.

One faction of technological advancement is moving to the cloud — from cloud computing and storage to cloud communication.

The main reason to take your business processes and communications to the cloud is to increase flexibility and reliability while reducing costs. Cloud communication solutions bring all your communication needs to one platform while offering additional benefits.

How Can a Cloud Phone System Support Your Business?

A cloud phone system — also known as a virtual phone system — comes with cloud communication tools to help businesses communicate efficiently and cost-effectively. Cloud phone systems use voice over IP (VoIP) to transmit calls over the internet. Because of this, users can make and receive business calls from any location, using any device. And they will have access to advanced telecom features that promise high call quality, VoIP redundancy, and global coverage.

When to Switch to Cloud Communication?

There are many reasons why a business may consider switching to a cloud phone system from a traditional phone system. You should consider cloud communication solutions if you want to:

  • Get rid of low voice quality leading to dropped calls and muffled audio.
  • Prepare for disasters and outages.
  • Reduce costs spent on hardware and equipment.
  • Centralize business communications into one unified platform.
  • Expand your business’s global reach cost-effectively.
  • Manage remote teams.
  • Offer remote working and telecommuting abilities.
  • Get out of long-term contracts.
  • Create a customizable business communication platform that works well for your business’s needs.

Why Should Businesses Use Cloud Communication to Grow?

Cloud communication solutions can give your business an opportunity to expand and extend its services to neighboring and global markets. And you can do this without exponentially increasing your business expenses. Here are 7 main reasons why your business needs cloud communication solutions:

1. Rapid Growth and Scalability

As your business grows, add new users and direct inward dialing phone lines without needing to purchase extra equipment or physical phone lines. You simply add new employees to the control panel and give them access. Additionally, if your business plans to test or enter new markets, you can expand globally without opening field offices or even traveling to these regions. With international call forwarding, you can forward calls from those areas to your main office, wherever it is located. This way, you can grow your business at your own pace without your budget taking a hit.

2. Global Coverage

As mentioned above, you can get cloud phone numbers from multiple countries around the world and forward calls to your main headquarters, satellite offices, or remote agents. This allows your business to offer global customer support and make your business reachable to customers wherever they are.

3. Lower Costs

All you need to make a cloud phone system work is a computer or laptop and internet service. By reducing the need for desk phones and other extra equipment or hardware, you can save tremendously on communication-related costs. Plus, if you offer employees telecommuting options, you may even be able to save on space and office equipment.

Reasons why a business needs cloud communications.
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4. Unified Communications (UC)

Having all business communications on one platform can reduce time spent chasing information and messages on different programs and apps. Streamline your business’s communications by bringing and accessing important communication channels in one place, and improve productivity and efficiency.

Related: 5 Unified Communications Trends You Need to Know in 2022

5. Advanced Call Management

Use call management and routing tools to keep your calls and employees organized. Route calls based on different predetermined rules to ensure customers are assisted efficiently. This can also help reduce the number of abandoned calls. You can ensure calls are handled at all times of the day by routing calls to different locations during off-hours or high-traffic periods — such as satellite or remote agents in other time zones.

6. Remote Team Management

Use these call management tools within a UC platform to manage remote and distributed teams. Forward calls globally across different offices, employees, and regions with advanced routing options. Check call records to see details of incoming and outgoing calls. Record calls and review them for quality assurance and performance management. Keep tabs on your teams and measure productivity.

7. Environment-Friendly Solutions

Finally, switching to a cloud phone system is another way to make your business eco-friendly. This is because, with cloud communications, you can:

  • Reduce the use of excessive hardware or equipment.
  • Reduce the use of paper by going paperless.
  • Lower commuting needs by offering telecommuting and remote working options.
  • Expand to new markets without opening up physical offices, and more.

Convinced Yet?

If you’re still on the fence, connect with our experts to get an idea of what a cloud phone system solution will look like for your business. We can get you set up with a phone system that complements your business and communication needs. Call us today at 1 (877) 898 8646 or chat with us online to learn more!

How to Save Money on Your Business Phone System

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Now is not the time to make do with business communication tools and services that are subpar.

Customers are interacting with businesses more than ever since the pandemic. Lockdowns led to shopping and shipping uncertainties, and your customers are looking for reassurance. So, if you are experiencing common business phone system woes, then it’s time to upgrade your business phone system.

Here’s a guide to saving money when upgrading your business phone system.

We will look at various business communication solutions and how you can cut down on communication-related costs.

Upgrade Your Business Phone System Cost-Effectively

There are many reasons to change your business phone system. But the main reason is if your current system is inhibiting your employees’ ability to communicate with customers and team members. And with various telecom advancements, you can safeguard your business from these issues.

While advancements in technology may mean that purchasing a new phone system will be expensive, that is not necessarily the case. Telecom providers have found ways to make business communication features more affordable while retaining the quality of service. But to understand how you can save money, you’ll first need to understand the common issues associated with phone systems and what to look for in a new provider.

Common Business Phone System Issues

  • Your customers call your business during off-hours and encounter an empty office and ringing that goes on forever.
  • Or — if you are one of the lucky ones — your phones are ringing all the time, but you don’t have enough customer service reps handling phone calls, leading to missed or abandoned calls.
  • Perhaps call quality is lacking, leading to jumbled audio and dropped calls.
  • Another issue is that maybe a phone call is the only way to reach your business. What about those who prefer email, chat, or SMS?

Issues with your business phone system can greatly impact the quality of customer-business relationships. When your business is not easily reachable, customers will go elsewhere. And, you best believe, they will find a more accessible company (most likely, your biggest and baddest competitor).

So, where do you draw the line?

Why Switch from Your Current Provider

There are many types of phone service providers out there, and it is easy to get lost in the mix of fancy features, over-the-top advertising copy, and unrealistic promises. But if you stick to the basics, you can narrow down exactly what your business needs and how to look for the right service.

How bad does it need to get before you decide to switch to a more reliable and cost-effective phone service provider? Here are five signs to start looking for a new provider:

1. Low Call Quality

There is no excuse for poor call quality today. The best phone service providers will use Tier-1 networks to deliver excellent call quality. And so, if you struggle to hear or communicate with customers through your provider, they are offering low-quality service, and it is time to change that.

2. Limited Access to Necessary Features

Almost every phone service provider offers a basic set of features such as call forwarding, call transfer, number blocking, and basic automated responses. However, the bar has been raised with the entry of virtual phone service providers. Virtual providers offer these features along with advanced services for a similar, if not lower rate. With cloud phone service providers, you can expect:

  • Advanced routing options (location-based, skill-based, and time-based routing)
  • Integrated voicemail, fax, and SMS options
  • Automated voice response (IVR) systems offering callers self-service options
  • Call recording software, and more.

Most virtual phone service providers will offer you a variety of services and pricing plans. This lets you find a plan that fits your needs and budget. Compare what you are paying for your services with what other providers are offering. You might find a less expensive plan with more features and tools.

3. High Voice Calling Rates

Advances in technology have reduced international calling rates a great deal over the past two decades. But not all providers pass these savings down to their customers. This means that you may be paying more than what your service is worth. For this reason, it is important to know what other providers are offering and how they compare against your provider — more on that below.

Another thing to note is the type of provider: traditional or virtual. Different providers offer different features and cost savings. For instance, virtual phone numbers that work along with cloud phone systems are relatively inexpensive. Plus, they let businesses expand beyond immediate geographic boundaries without the need for physical offices. In other words, they give you more flexibility for less. So, when looking at other providers, be sure to understand what type of phone service they offer.

4. Unfair and Binding Contracts

A good call forwarding service provider will not require you to sign any contracts. As a business owner, you should be able to scale your service up or down, as needed. Some providers require users to sign long-term contracts to lock them into a minimum agreement, fixed rates, or termination fees.

save money on phone service

How to Find a Cost-Effective Business Phone System Provider

So, how can you upgrade your business phone system to give your employees everything they need to do their jobs well without burning a hole in your communications budget? Here are some tips to keep in mind when looking for a new business phone service provider.

1. Make a List of Features & Services Needed

First, pen down what your business needs. Consider:

  • Do you need to route calls to multiple locations or departments?
  • Do you want to offer off-hours service? (Think: 24/7 round the clock service)
  • Can phone automation tools better support your business? (Think: automated routing, IVR systems, chatbots, etc.)
  • Do your employees need to transfer calls seamlessly across departments and locations?
  • Do you need to record business calls for compliance purposes or to track performance?

A good-quality phone service provider can help you customize your business phone system to meet your specific requirements. Route calls as needed — to other business locations or remote workers during off-hours. Design an IVR system to interact with the customers and transfer them to the appropriate department or employee. Record and review calls to learn more about customer preferences and needs. Offer SMS, email, and live chat support to reach a wider audience.

Making a list of all the things you want to be able to do with your business phone system can help you narrow down the right provider. Additionally, prioritize these features — ones that are must-haves sit on the top of the list and the nice-to-haves come under.

2. Research Different Types of Providers

As mentioned above, there are different types of phone service providers: traditional, on-premise, and cloud phone service providers. Each type of provider has its own strengths and weaknesses, and choosing one depends on what your business needs.

Traditional phone service, or POTS, is a landline phone service using traditional copper wires to transmit calls.

  • Offers a variety of features, yet limited
  • Good for local coverage
  • Expensive for global coverage (international calling)
  • Offers reasonably-priced services
  • May not be supportive of remote working

On-premise phone service — is a private branch exchange (PBX) system owned by your business. Your business is in charge of installing and maintaining the system.

  • Basic and advanced features
  • Good for local coverage (depending on the provider, may be good for global coverage too)
  • Supports phone integrations with other systems and apps
  • High costs due to hardware and software needed
  • Needs to updated and maintained regularly
  • Requires an experienced IT team to manage
  • More control over the system and its functionality

Cloud phone systems — are hosted by a cloud phone service provider and give access to cloud communication tools like UCaaS and CCaaS solutions in one place. This business phone system runs over the cloud, allowing users to make and receive calls from any location and device.

  • Basic and advanced features (advanced routing, call recording, etc.)
  • Unlimited coverage
  • Inexpensive compared to traditional phone systems
  • Variety of pricing plans
  • High scalability
  • Maintained and updated by the provider
  • No need for IT teams
  • User-friendly service
  • Can support multiple local and international toll free numbers (ITFN)
  • Multiple phone integrations (chat, video, SMS)
  • Less control over the system, dependence on the provider
  • Highly supportive of remote and global teams
  • Bundle with SIP trunking
#Pro tip: Consider going for a cloud-based phone system. These systems are inexpensive compared to traditional phone systems and offer better global coverage.

4. Review Pricing Plans & Features

Once you have a good idea of your business wants, you can review pricing plans and determine a good fit for your business.

Most providers offer multiple pricing options ranging from small plans for individual or small teams to bigger, customized plans for large enterprises. You may even get a customized quote for your specific business; so it is always good to speak with a sales rep.

Shop around a little before you make a decision — remember, you do not need to succumb to sales pressure.

5. Consult Customer Reviews & Case Studies

Next, look for customer reviews and testimonials. Customers are very vocal about businesses they are passionate about and businesses that disappointed them. Reviews can help you gauge how this provider works and how responsive they are to customer feedback.

You may even look for case studies (or, customer stories) to get insights into how businesses like yours are using this service.

6. Consider Logistics

Do you have to enter a long-term contract or get locked into a minimum-use agreement just to use the service? If yes, then move on. Quality service providers shouldn’t have to ask you to enter commitments to use their service. If their service does well and speaks for itself, you will want to stay regardless of the contract. This is a show of faith in their own ability to meet their needs.

#Pro tip: look for a free trial or demo to better understand how the service works on hand.

Take Time to Find the Right Service for Your Business

Finding the ideal phone service provider takes time, and you may need to try 1-2 before finding the perfect match. But knowing what is available, comparing services and costs, and knowing your business needs can help you narrow down and find the right business phone service provider.

Moreover, in today’s digital age, e-commerce shopping, digital selling, and online trading have become essential aspects of many businesses. Therefore, ensuring that your chosen phone service provider offers seamless internet connectivity and reliable communication channels is crucial for executing successful online transactions, maintaining customer relationships, and driving your business forward.

So do your homework, research providers, study customer reviews, and make a decision. Switch to a service that supports your employees and customers and leads your business to create better relationships.

Get cost-effective phone solutions with United World Telecom. Speak with our representatives today to learn about our solutions or to start upgrading your business phone system. Call us at 1 (877) 898 8646 or chat with us online!

7 Call Center Tips to Stay Competitive in 2024

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As with any business, it is important to be aware of the ongoing trends and developments in the industry. Furthermore, it is essential to know what customers expect from your business at the current time. Here we discuss 7 practical solutions and call center tips to help your business stand out among the competition.

2024 Call Center Tips

The following call center tips are suggestions for call centers that do not have these solutions in place. Staying competitive in 2024 means staying relevant, providing easy access and quick resolutions, and keeping with the trends.

1. Be Aware of TCPA Compliance

First and foremost, ensure your call center is TCPA compliant. Be aware of the current and upcoming TCPA compliance regulations to avoid fines and lawsuits. TCPA guidelines for call center telemarketers and robocalling state that telemarketers must:

  1. Obtain written consent from consumers before robocalling consumers
  2. Not use an existing relationship with a customer to avoid getting written consent
  3. Offer an automated “opt-out” mechanism or Do-Not-Call feature during each call so that customers can tell the marketer to stop calling

2. Consider Call Center AI

If you do not already have call center AI tools, then now is the time to upgrade. Automation and AI tools can help improve efficiency and streamline processes so everything runs smoothly. Certain tools may even interact with customers and offer solutions to common questions or provide troubleshooting help, without the need of an agent. It is important to note that AI does not necessarily replace live, human agents because customers will want to talk to a live person at some point. Automation merely helps organize calls and take care of simple, mundane processes.

There is a variety of call center AI tools offered by virtual phone service providers. For example, some common call center automation tools include:

  • AI virtual agents
  • Chatbots and email automation
  • Interactive voice response
  • Smart and automatic routing
  • CRMs and agent assists
  • Notifications and alerts

3. Maintain Call Center QA

One of the most important call center tips is to continue to maintain call center QA. Quality assurance (QA) is the process of studying how your call center performs in terms of quality and working on areas of improvement. Some ways to improve and maintain your call center’s quality assurance is by:

  • Training agents and providing training materials regularly
  • Sitting in on agent calls or reviewing recordings of calls during performance evaluations
  • Using assessment tools to evaluate agent and call center performance
  • Conducting workshops and seminars
  • Creating and using professional scripts
  • Collecting feedback and analyzing data to identify ways to improve performance
  • Providing agents with the right call center software tools to aid them in their jobs
  • Providing valuable incentives to boost performance

4. Plan for Remote Team Management

The COVID-19 pandemic led to many businesses working from home in 2020. As a result, call centers have found usefulness in virtual call center software that helps agents stay connected and continue to make professional business calls from any location.

This trend will continue into 2024 with many call centers moving to the cloud or converting to cloud-based contact centers. Virtual call center software comes with a variety of tools to support remote working and remote team management, such as:

  • Outbound calling with customizable caller ID
  • Cloud-based dialers that can be used from any location and any device
  • Smart call routing (time-based routing, location-based routing, simultaneous ringing, etc.)
  • International call forwarding
  • Call detail records and metrics that can be used for performance evaluations
  • Inbound and outbound call recording

These tools help virtual call centers remain active and continue to work efficiently, irrespective of where agents are located. Furthermore, there are tools that call center managers can use to observe and evaluate their agents’ performance.

Useful call center tips for 2021.

5. Track and Measure Call Center KPIs and Metrics

Collecting data and tracking call center metrics goes a long way in understanding how your call center is performing and how it can do better. One of the most common call center tips you will hear when starting a new call center is to identify key metrics or KPIs and track them. Most call centers track the following call center KPIs to evaluate performance:

  • Average Time in Queue
  • Calls Handled
  • Average Speed of Answer
  • Average Handle Time
  • Percentage of Calls Handled by Type
  • Average Abandonment Rate
  • First Call Resolution
  • Percentage of Calls Blocked
  • Customer Satisfaction
  • Net Promoter Score
  • Customer Effort Score
  • Agent Turnover Rate
  • Cost Per Call (CPC)

6. Offer More Communication Channels

You may even want to consider omnichannel solutions for your call center. Most call centers specialize in phone and email conversations. However, there is a growing preference for live chat, chatbots, and video conferencing as customer service options. For this reason, switching to a multichannel support model may prove more useful to your call center.

7. Continue to Offer Excellent Customer Service

Lastly, continue to train and motivate your agents to offer excellent and empathetic customer service. Research shows that going into 2024, customers expect high-quality care with empathetic and quick responses for customer support teams. Keeping these trends in mind, retrain your agents with a focus on empathy, respect, patience, and positivity. 2021, 2022, and 2023 were trying for us all but 2024 can certainly be more considerate.

Improve Communications with Virtual Call Center Software

Need help finding a reliable virtual call center software provider? United World Telecom can help get you set up with virtual call center software and advanced communication tools. Browse our features online or speak with our experts to learn more!

How to Go Green with Cloud Communications

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More and more businesses are looking for efficient and cost-effective ways to cut down negative environmental impacts and make their businesses more green. One way your business can become more eco-friendly is by replacing your traditional phone system with a cloud phone system. Cloud communications can help you cut down on unnecessary costs, space, and material waste while improving business connectivity. But how can you achieve this?

Why Invest in an Environment-Friendly Business Communication System

As climate change awareness grows, individuals and businesses are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and have a more positive impact on the planet.

Businesses are taking action to combat environmental issues in a variety of ways; from including sustainable packaging to following ethical practices to sourcing products produced in sustainable ways.

Another avenue for change is a business’s communication or phone system. With advancements in technology and the development of smarter and cleaner products, you can easily upgrade your business phone system to one that is more environmentally conscious. Here’s how:

Green Communications and Green IT Solutions

Green communications is the practice and process of creating a communication system with energy-efficient technologies and products. By doing this, your business can reduce and minimize resource use in different aspects of communication, and move towards making your business environment-friendly. Green communication practices include:

  • Updating old technology or legacy systems for newer, energy-efficient products.
  • Implementing virtualization where one physical server runs multiple programs and systems.
  • Choosing cloud communications solutions instead of traditional phone lines.
  • Substituting remote work and telecommuting for travel.
  • Investing in Green IT solutions.

Green IT refers to computer and IT systems, applications, and practices that have a positive environmental impact and enhance sustainability. The three facets of green IT include:

  • Greening of IT — focuses on efficiency design, manufacture, use, and disposal of computers, communication systems, and applications.
  • Greening by IT — focuses on using IT systems to reduce energy and resource consumption.
  • Using IT to increase green awareness — using technology to promote awareness of green practices and the importance of sustainability.

You can learn more about Green IT in this handy fact sheet about green IT created by the University of Michigan.

Environmental Impact of Cloud Communications

Can upgrading our business phone systems and business communication services actually help the environment? And, what is the environmental impact of switching to cloud communication solutions?

According to a report by Accenture, “Migrations to the public cloud can reduce CO2 emissions by 59 million tons per year which equates to taking 22 million cars off the road.” This goes to show that moving to the cloud can help your business not only cut down on operational costs but also support your social responsibility efforts.

But why do we need to reduce our carbon emissions? To reduce pollution-related death, to make the air cleaner, and the planet healthier. Want to put into perspective how much CO2 is produced? Check out this illustrious guide to CO2 by the Bank of the West.

Reasons to Switch to Cloud Communications

There are many reasons to take your business communications to the cloud: cost savings, gaining a wider reach, access to advanced features and integrations, using a reliable network, and so on.

But if social responsibility and sustainability are core to your business, then the environmental impact of green communications will mean much more. Here are the benefits of switching to cloud communications:

Sidebar: Now this is going to get technical, but bear with us, we will break down these technical terms.

  1. Clean energy transitions — shifting energy production away from ones that release high levels of greenhouse gases.
  2. Material waste reduction — reducing the amount of material wastage to improve resource efficiency and reduce pollution.
  3. Less use of hardware and equipment — gradual dependency on cloud computing and software.
  4. Reduced dependency on paper — paperless alternatives.
  5. Greater flexibility — ability to work and connect from any location; telecommuting.
  6. Adoption of resource virtualization — enabling one physical server to run multiple independent programs or operating systems.
  7. Development of robust data centers — improved data centers with combined heat and power systems.
  8. Multi-function communication systems — eliminate the need for deskphones with computer telephony integration.
  9. Storage efficiencies — storing data in a way that consumes the least amount of space without affecting performance and operational efficiency.
An image showing green cloud communications.
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6 Ways to Go Green with Cloud Communications

How can a cloud-first approach boost business communication and benefit the planet? And how can your business take the necessary steps in the right direction? Here are some ways to make your business more environment-friendly:

1. Switch to a Cloud Phone System

First, if you are still using a traditional phone system, you may want to consider switching to a cloud phone system instead. A virtual or cloud phone system comes with VoIP capabilities and cloud phone numbers.

Such a system uses voice over IP or VoIP to transmit voice signals from one user to the next via an internet connection. Therefore, it does not need traditional phone lines or physical hardware to make and receive calls to function effectively.

Cloud phone numbers or virtual numbers use VoIP to connect users from one location to another. These numbers are not attached to any one physical location or address and can transmit calls virtually.

You can buy local phone numbers from countries around the world. And you can use them from any location. Additionally, you even gain access to various advanced call routing and call management features to create an efficient business communication system.

But the main benefit of switching to the cloud is to reduce environmental impact with lower hardware and equipment use, telecommuting, and virtualization. More on this below!

2. Reduce Use of Hardware and Equipment

A cloud phone system or VoIP phone system only needs a business SIP trunk provider and a stable internet connection. You can then convert any device into a business phone. You don’t need heavy-duty computers or high-end deskphones. And no additional equipment or cables are needed.

This means you can run your cloud phone system through smart or energy-efficient devices instead of bulky setups over-consuming energy. And if you get multi-function devices, you can further cut down on the need for extra devices and machinery.

For example, when you purchase SIP trunks, you can get a softphone to make and receive calls. The softphone is a web dialer that lets you make business calls from any device like a laptop, smartphone, tablet, etc. You simply download a softphone to your device. Log in with your VoIP/SIP credentials and start making calls.

With this feature, you can convert your existing computer or laptop into a phone, instead of getting a deskphone. And you can use advanced call management and collaboration features such as call transfer, conferencing, outbound calling, managing caller IDs, updating contact info, and so on. This way, you have a multi-function and energy-saving device.

Related: How Much Does a SIP Trunk Cost in 2021?

3. Reduce Paper Usage

Unified communications include voice, video, email, messages, chat transcripts, contact/customer information, ticket tracking, voicemail, fax, and file-sharing. So, it’s only natural that you end up with a lot of confidential and important documents and transcripts. And a lot of paper.

But by taking your business communication system to the cloud and using cloud communication and storage features, you can easily cut down on the use of paper. You can:

Share files and documents via your email, control panel, or CRM. Go paperless with an eFax or Fax-to-Email feature that forwards incoming faxes to your email address instead. Automate customer tickets to end up in your CRM. Integrate your phone system with the right CRM and file storage services such as Google Drive or Dropbox to keep all important documents in one place securely.

4. Encourage Telecommuting and Remote Working

Advancements in technology have made it easier than ever for people to communicate and collaborate over the internet. And a cloud phone system helps with just that. It lets you make business calls from any device and location as long as it is connected to the internet. Plus, when you integrate your phone system with other services such as your project management system or CRM, you then have a full-fledged digital workspace.

This means a lesser need for physical office space and running an in-house office. Cut down on commute times and travel costs by telecommuting and letting your employees work remotely. All without losing productivity or connectivity!

Related: 5 Benefits of Unified Communications for Remote Teams

5. Conduct Video Meetings

If the pandemic taught us anything it was the effectiveness of a good Zoom meeting. Zoom and other video conferencing and streaming apps became commonplace for meetings, webinars, tutorials, and even weddings!

We know that video meetings work. So, when possible, conduct video meetings instead of in-person meetings. This reduces time and money spent traveling only for such meetings. And with a VoIP provider that has a video conferencing integration, you can do this cost-effectively.

6. Scale Globally Without Physical Offices

Finally, when it is time to expand your business globally, you will be glad to have an easily scalable phone system. You can set up direct inward dialing from target countries to your existing phone system, and establish a virtual, local presence without opening a physical office immediately.

Scope new markets, test and conduct market research, and gradually grow your business. All without increasing your carbon footprint or burning a hole in your pocket.

Go Green with a Cloud Phone System

So, are you ready to take the next step? Making changes can be overwhelming but we can help you switch to a cloud phone system with minimal interruption and downtime. Call us today or chat with our experts to learn more! We are here to help you create a business phone system that works best for your business.

The Complete Guide to Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS)

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Need to upgrade your contact center software but don’t know where to start? Here’s an in-depth guide to Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) with everything you need to know about cloud contact center software in 2021.

What is Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS)?

Contact center as a service, commonly known as CCaaS, is a cloud communication software for businesses and contact or call centers. The most attractive feature of CCaaS is that it enables multichannel communication through one platform. And so, CCaaS is generally used by businesses to help them communicate with customers and leads effectively.

How Does CCaaS Work?

In essence, CCaaS is a call center software based in the cloud; that is, it connects users with essential communication tools virtually. This is a good solution for any company that wants to be in control of its business communication and manage teams from different parts of the world.

Your CCaaS provider is in charge of the software. This means that the provider takes care of developing, updating, and maintaining the software. Your business and employees don’t have to worry about managing hardware or maintaining updates. The tools and features included in such software are designed for easy usage and setup. Additionally, you won’t need a large IT team to make these communications possible.

Since contact center solutions and features benefit sales and customer service teams, sales managers usually make CCaaS purchasing decisions. These leaders look for solutions that make it quick and easy for their teams to connect with clients and leads and move them down the sales funnel.

CCaaS Features

CCaaS solutions were created to help agents and employees quickly and accurately connect with customers. As such, each feature and service involved supports call management, call forwarding and distribution, remote team management, and enhanced caller experience. Some common features include:

By including these features and services, contact center solutions help automate and manage call volumes and call flows more efficiently. With these features and self-service options, CCaaS solutions have grown into a trusted and reliable alternative to traditional contact center solutions and phone systems.

CCaaS vs On-Premise Contact Center Solutions

When it comes to contact center software, businesses have two choices: on-premise or cloud contact center solutions. Deciding which of these solutions is most suitable for your business depends on your business communication needs and budget. Let’s look at the differences between CCaaS and on-premise contact center solutions:

CCaaS On-Premise
Works virtually; located in the cloud Located on-site
Enables remote team management May not be effective for remote team management
No set-up or installation costs Includes set-up and/or installation costs
Software is hosted, run, and maintained by the provider Software is run and maintained by the company
In-house IT team not required for maintenance and updates In-house IT team required for maintenance and updates
Additional hardware and equipment not required Additional hardware, equipment, and installation may be required
Offers contact center features and services Offers contact center features and services
High scalability, reliability, and flexibility High reliability; low scalability and flexibility
Advanced communication features and services Basic communication features and services
Enables cost-effective international communication International communication is more expensive
Cheaper Expensive

Taking note of these differences, you can make a decision for your company based on your company’s size, in-house and remote teams, call traffic, and budget. You may also want to consider what your business hopes to achieve with your contact center solution. Do you want to expand internationally in a cost-effective way or do you want to stay local? Is remote team management a key factor? Do you anticipate scaling up or down and need a solution to back you up? And so on. Answering such questions can help you make an informed decision.

CCaaS and UCaaS: A Business Communication Powerhouse

When looking for communication solutions online, you will often come across a number of viable options. UCaaS refers to Unified Communications as a Service and is growing popular as an internal communication tool.

The main differentiating factor between these two solutions is that UCaaS focuses primarily on internal communication while CCaaS aims to improve customer experience. For this reason, IT managers make purchasing decisions for UCaaS while sales managers make decisions for contact center solutions.

While these solutions work on different aspects of business communication, by bundling UCaaS and CCaaS your business gains a full-fledged communication system that manages both internal and external communication. This way, you can encourage internal collaboration as well as improve customer experience.

Maximize CCaaS with SIP Trunking

CCaaS and SIP trunking together can create a powerhouse for your business phone system. Companies can use SIP trunking to boost their business communication system through hosted cloud solutions. To make unified communications work effectively, your business will need a SIP trunking solution that bundles all necessary telephony solutions together. With SIP trunking, a business can access global coverage are various communication features, all in the same platform, inexpensively. SIP lines are cheaper compared to traditional PSTN solutions, considering the many options the solution offers.

Contact centers and businesses using CCaaS solutions will have multiple locations and customers from around the world. As such, using a single or global SIP trunking provider can prove more useful and cost-effective than working with multiple regional providers. Furthermore, CCaaS and SIP trunking providers offer scalability where a business can expand, as and when needed, without your business having to worry about accommodating compliance with various local regulations. Your provider takes care of everything.

Business guide to Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS)
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5 Benefits of CCaaS

So, why should your business consider getting CCaaS? If your company is looking to upgrade its phone system while keeping costs low, consider cloud contact center solutions. Here are 5 reasons to get CCaaS for business.

1. Better Internal Collaboration

Cloud contact center solutions offer multichannel communication in one place. This means various departments and teams can communicate smoothly and share information in real-time through the same platform. Increase team collaboration between departments by choosing CCaaS.

2. Low Communication-Related Costs

When all essential features and services are available through one platform or service, you do not need additional service or equipment to support your communication needs. In fact, CCaaS is a cloud-based solution that does not require hardware and additional equipment to make it work. Your employees can use existing devices and phone systems, and can use these devices from anywhere in the world.

Furthermore, your monthly bill is more predictable since you know upfront how much your service is going to cost. Lastly, CCaaS is equipped to help businesses conduct international communication at low rates as well. With all these benefits, you can see significant savings for all communication-related processes.

3. Better Remote Team Management

By going virtual, your business can easily manage remote teams since users can communicate through the business phone system from any location and any device. Cloud contact center solutions support remote contact centers, virtual call centers, BPOs, distributed teams, and more, by providing tools that let users work efficiently.

4. Low IT Costs and Maintenance

Similar to low communication-related costs, your business can also save on employing a full IT team as well as costs related to updating and maintaining the software. This frees up costs that may otherwise be put towards marketing and sales initiatives to boost brand awareness.

5. Improved Customer Experience

Finally, all of the above reasons make way for enhanced customer experience. If customers struggle to reach your business, they won’t hesitate to look for similar solutions elsewhere. By utilizing a reliable and high-quality phone system, you make it easy for employees to connect with valuable customers and vice versa. This means that agents and reps are given the tools they need to convert more customers and increase the business’ overall sales.

Get Contact Center Solutions for Your Business!

United World Telecom offers various virtual communication solutions for businesses looking to add call center software and features to their existing communication system. We can help you upgrade your business phone system without much work! Call us today to learn more or chat with us online!

What is BYOC? How Can it Benefit Your Business?

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With the wide range of telecom terminology and phone system abbreviations swarming the internet, it is easy to get lost in new technology and systems available for business communication. BYOC is one such term and concept that has been gaining prominence with cloud telephone solutions. So, what is Bring Your Own Carrier and how can businesses benefit from this setup?

Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC): Definition, How it Works, & Benefits

BYOC provides businesses with the option to bring their own carrier or SIP trunking provider and add it as part of their communication setup. This is in place of using an all-inclusive communication platform. Let’s dive into what a Bring Your Own Carrier process looks like and why businesses should care about BYOC.

What is BYOC?

Bring Your Own Carrier or BYOC is the process of businesses bringing or choosing a carrier to plug into an existing phone system. In other words, businesses can choose what carrier to add to their existing UCaaS or CCaaS.

The main reason to consider BYOC as a telecom solution for your business is to shift from using on-premise communication solutions to cloud-based phone systems. By moving to the cloud, your business gains flexibility, mobility, scalability, and more control over your business telephone system.

Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC) and SIP Trunking

Moving your telecom needs from an on-premise solution to a cloud solution may seem overwhelming. However, advancements in telecom and cloud communications have made it easier and cost-effective to make this move. Some ways you can switch from traditional phone systems to virtual systems include:

  1. Adding SIP trunks to an existing IP PBX
  2. Choosing a UCaaS that is packed with service features
  3. Switching to a cloud solution

At the core of these options is SIP trunking which provides global communications functionality. SIP trunking replaces the traditional phone system by allowing users to place business calls via their internet connection instead of copper phone lines. SIP trunks in a VoIP system can hold multiple SIP lines (up to 100) at a time, allowing for multiple calls to occur simultaneously. These lines can be spread across different devices, departments, and locations. SIP trunks can be added to your existing PBX system without needing additional equipment or hardware.

Related: SIP Trunking: Everything You Need to Know

The Problem with The All-in-One Approach

For over 10 years, telecom companies have been offering an all-in-one communication solution that offers PBX, SIP trunking, and other business communication services. Not all of these providers own every aspect of their offering. For example, many of these providers have their own PBX functionality but they may get their phone and voice coverage from other SIP providers. This can pose a few issues, such as:

1. Higher bundled costs — Since these providers are getting services from elsewhere, the bundled costs may prove higher than if you were to get an unbundled solution.
2. Uneven quality — Since these providers don’t own all parts of their service, they cannot guarantee voice quality which may lead to coverage and quality issues.
3. Compliance issues — There are many regulations that telephony providers must follow and if the provider fails to comply, your business can face coverage issues such as dropped calls.

So, how can your business combat this issue? Enter: Bring Your Own Carrier!

How Can BYOC Benefit Your Business?

The concerns and issues mentioned above have led to the rise of the Bring Your Own Carrier alternative. You can opt for an unbundled solution where you choose your own carrier. What are the benefits of bringing your own carrier?

  1. Maintain control over call routing and forwarding.
  2. Secure, consistent, and high VoIP quality.
  3. Lower service interruptions that may be compliance-related.
  4. Save money on communication-related costs with low SIP trunk pricing.
  5. Scale up and down as necessary.
  6. Keep existing phone numbers through number porting.
  7. Increase global coverage.

Not having a choice or being stuck with a carrier that doesn’t match your needs can become a liability. Being able to choose a SIP provider or carrier that fits right in with your phone system is a great boon in ensuring uninterrupted, high-quality service.

Choose the Right Carrier for Your Business

Having a solid business communication system in place can determine how well your business performs and how customers interact with it. United World Telecom offers SIP trunks in more than 160 countries around the world with international SIP termination and dynamic local caller ID. As your SIP trunk provider, we are here to offer a customizable solution to help you expand globally. Call us today to buy SIP trunks or to learn more about how this service can help your business improve its communication system and global coverage!

What is Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)?

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When researching business phone service or VoIP providers, you will come across the term CTI or computer telephony integration. Here we explain what computer telephony integration or CTI software is and how businesses can use this technology to streamline business communication and increase agent productivity.

Computer Telephony Integration: What is CTI Software?

In simple terms, CTI is a technology that connects computers and telephony. Computer telephony integration or CTI technology enables computers to interact with telephones or perform telephone functions like placing and routing calls.

A CTI software is designed to streamline contact center operations and improve agent performance and productivity. Mostly used in call centers, CTI software can also be used in businesses of various sizes that have a steady stream of call traffic.

CTI Functions

So, what can your business use computer telephony integration for? There are many functions for CTI technology — here are some ways to use this technology:

  1. Make phone calls from your computer at the click of a button.
  2. Identify callers by matching the incoming phone number to a database of customer records.
  3. Route and transfer calls through advanced routing and self-service options such as IVR.
  4. Display customer information on agents’ screens before they take the call, also known as screen popping.
  5. Access to call logs, reporting, and recording functions.
  6. Access to manual and automatic dialing options such as click-to-call, autodialers, and softphones.
  7. Conduct basic phone controls such as answer, transfer, conference, hold, etc.

Computer Telephony Integration Applications

What are some common applications of computer telephony integration technology and what businesses can take advantage of this software? Some computer telephony integration applications include:

  • Call and contact centers
  • Business with distributed teams and remote employees
  • Business process outsourcing (BPO)
  • Small-to-large businesses with high call traffic (fluctuating and consistent)
  • Businesses with multiple offices and customer service locations spread geographically
  • Companies with global coverage and international clientele
A photo of a man using CTI (Computer Telephony Integration)
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5 Benefits of Using CTI Software for Business Communication

How can your business use CTI and benefit from this type of VoIP integration?

1. Place Calls With Any Device

The main attraction and benefit of using CTI software is that users do not need telephones or desk phones to make and receive business calls. Instead, they can simply click to call through their computers or laptops using headsets. This helps cut down costs on additional equipment needed.

2. Caller Authentication Through Integrations

Computer telephony integration technology easily integrates with most CRMs, further simplifying and streamlining agent processes. The CTI preemptively identifies the caller by screening the phone number or email address through the customer database and then displaying the information on the agent’s computer screen. This is also known as screen popping or screen pop. By automatically authenticating the customer, the agent is prepared to offer fast service.

Additionally, depending on the type of CRM used, call records may be automatically added to the customer’s record for data analysis in your call center. Think: call history, call detail records, transcripts, metrics, and other important caller information.

3. Advanced Call Routing Options

Another key feature of CTI software is providing call routing and transfer. With computer telephony integration technology, your business can route and manage calls more effectively. You can use an interactive voice response system or automatic call distributor to route calls automatically based on predetermined rules.

To do this, design and create an easy-to-use and informative IVR system. When callers call your business, they will be presented with menu options and prompted to speak or push buttons for further options or to be transferred to the right department. Based on their input, they will be assisted or transferred to the appropriate department. Some ways to route calls include:

  • Caller input — Callers indicate what they need through the IVR menu
  • Caller history — Based on the caller’s previous interactions with the business
  • Agent availability — Routes to the next available agent or employee
  • Location-based routing — Based on the location of the caller
  • Time-based routing — Based on the time of day of the call
  • Skill-based routing — Based on the skill or expertise needed (for example, language preferences)
  • Department needed — Callers indicate what department they need

These call routing options help with call management so your callers get to the right agent and receive assistance as quickly as possible. You can reduce wait times and frustration related to being routed to the wrong person or department.

4. Collaboration Tools

Besides making it easy for customers to connect with your business, CTI technology also supports in-house collaboration through:

  • Voice and video conferencing
  • Call whisper and call barging
  • Warm call transfer
  • Call monitoring
  • Call recording

With these training and collaboration tools, teams can work together and managers or supervisors can listen in on calls and provide coaching.

5. Unified Communication Tools

Finally, along with phone calls, CTI software can also be used to receive faxes and emails. This makes it a UCaaS trend that lets you access all you need about a customer and their history with your company.

Want to Learn More About Advanced Telephony?

Our telecom experts can help you find the right business communication set-up for your company. Call us at 1 (877) 898 8646 or chat with us online to learn more!