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Category: Tech

Why Virtual Phone Numbers are Essential for Productivity

Posted on by Magaly Fuentes

Source: Stockphoto.com O#23559 – ID#100087333090

Productivity is a crucial factor in any business however large or small. If it starts to wane, then profits begin to plummet. One of the best ways you can boost productivity is by using virtual phone numbers.

These days, more and more employees are juggling family, school, and other commitments outside of work. These are some of the main reasons why so many employees prefer to work from home. Before you rule this idea out, think about it carefully. Allowing your employees to work from home can be beneficial to you and your company in many ways. Here are just a few examples:

  • Cutting down your overheads: If your team works from home, you don’t have to provide them with an office. This means you can save money by not having to rent a workspace for them.
  • Increasing flexibility: Because employees are working from home, they can flex their hours. This means you can have someone available to cover customer service whenever you need them. And that means no dissatisfied customers because they will be tended to.
  • Employees love telecommuting: They can kiss goodbye to those stressful rush hour commutes and work from the comfort of their own home. Many employees, particularly millennials, are actively seeking jobs they can perform from home.
  • Increased productivity: People who telecommute are 20 percent more willing to work over 40 hours per week. What’s more: studies show that telecommuters are 20 percent more productive, and they miss far fewer days of work than their in-house colleagues.

How to Optimize Productivity When your Staff are Telecommuting

You can get the most out of your staff when they are telecommuting by using a virtual telephone system. United World Telecom is a leading provider of virtual telephone numbers. Virtual phone numbers eliminate communication gaps between you and your team members and your employees and your customers.

You can assign virtual phone numbers to individual members of staff or to a group of users. With virtual phone numbers, you can also set as many extensions as you need so that customers can connect with the department or employee they need. Extensions also make it easy for you to connect with your team members.

With virtual phone numbers, calls can be routed to the number or numbers of your choice, whether it is your office number, landline, or your employees’ personal cell phone numbers. This is particularly valuable if you have customers overseas who are located in a different time zone. You can make sure your team never misses a call.

No Need for Technical Training

Because virtual phone numbers are easy to use, you can control everything using an online interface – there is no need to pay for technical training for your employees. Your virtual phone number provider takes care of everything else, so you don’t have to purchase expensive software.

Furthermore, when you sign up for your virtual numbers with United World Telecom, you will also have access to a suite of advanced features, which can help to boost your brand and make your company look more professional. These include:

  • Call recording
  • Simultaneous calling
  • Local ringback tones
  • Black and white lists
  • Rollover minutes
  • Voicemail to email
  • Fax to email
  • SMS to email
  • Failover forwarding

Making and receiving calls from a virtual phone number has never been easier.

Other Advantages of Telecommuting Using Virtual Phone Numbers

If you are still not convinced that you can boost your productivity with virtual phone numbers, here are some more benefits for you and your telecommuting team:
Optimal connectivity: Because you are combining bring-your-own-device with intelligent call forwarding, it is possible to make calls from anywhere in the world. It’s virtually impossible to miss or drop a call when you have so many options.

  • Ultimate communication management: Using just your smartphone, you can use features which allow you to process incoming calls from multiple channels. You can also assign call back requests, emails, and missed calls to specific employees.
  • Immediate deployment: Because virtual phone numbers require no dedicated hardware to operate, as soon as you have signed up for them, you are good to go. United World Telecom can help you pick from local or toll free virtual phone numbers.
  • Superior flexibility: All the available features are completely customizable. These include recording a personalized greeting, routing patterns, voice menus, and black and white lists. You can activate and deactivate numbers and features as you see fit.
  • Ultimate control: You can tend to all your virtual phone number communications using United World Telecom’s online dashboard. The interface documents every activity that’s going on within the virtual phone system, including all incoming and outgoing calls, even missed calls, voicemails, faxes, SMS activity, and internal interactions. You have all these metrics at your fingertips. You can also record any or all incoming and outgoing calls, which is great for customer support training and resolving customer disputes.
    Contact United World Telecom today and ask for a free trial without any obligation!

Achieving First Contact Resolution

Posted on by Magaly Fuentes

Source: Stockphoto.com O#23559 – ID#100029235119

Quality customer service is a necessity to run a profitable business that continuously attracts new customers and retains the loyalty of past buyers. Every entrepreneur values customer service, no matter the size of their business. Yet, new business owners and established professionals often hear the same advice about customer service management.

Call center employees must be well-trained. Agents should also be friendly and patient to show customer appreciation while also making callers feel more comfortable when speaking with team members.

What is First Contact Resolution?

What about repeat calls from customers? Finding a solution for customers during the first conversation is ideal. When a customer calls back to discuss the same problem, this is often negative and not the desired result after the first call. When you can fully satisfy the customer during the first call, this is known as achieving first contact resolution (FCR).

first contact
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A Solutions-First Approach

FCR greatly elevates the customer service experience and prevents upsetting delays. Furthermore, it shows how knowledgeable your team is in your industry. Negative callback experiences lower staff morale and can frustrate callers. Resolve customer issues and they don’t have to call back to ask similar questions or inform you that your help was ineffective.

Achieving the first-contact resolution at your call center is a unique process for every business. Use these four tips to help increase it.

Track FCR In Your Company

The first step to achieving first contact resolution is knowing your company performance by tracking metrics. Gather data to find areas where first-contact resolution is easily achieved and where more work needed. Tracking performance allows managers to see where employees need additional training and support, increasing the likelihood of solving customer problems on the first attempt.

Areas of poor performance require special attention in the process of achieving first contact resolution. Understanding why FCR was not achieved by knowing why customers needed to call back is key for management to modify their training approaches and strengthen all aspects of the customer service approach.

Know Thy Customer

Knowing the customer is essential for achieving first contact resolution, and the best customer service agents understand customer behaviors on a deeper level. Understanding spoken and unspoken behaviors allows reps to better analyze individual needs and the most effective strategies during the call. Effective customer service agents often go off-script because they can notice the caller’s tone of voice and word choices. These observations help customer service agents address hesitation and confusion by providing more assistance during the first call.

Understanding customer behavior while achieving first contact resolution does more than impress the caller. Customers will feel genuinely understood, and this strengthens their personal connection with your brand. A true sense of connection will naturally inspire buyers to continue investing in your business and recommending your services to others.

Set Specific Goals For Team Members

Setting FCR as a priority means setting clearly defined goals. As these goals are being set, supervisors must explain why these guidelines are in place and the positive impact achieving first contact resolution would have on the company.

If call center agents are only achieving first contact resolution, they might think this is a good sign without realizing FCR should be a frequent occurrence. FCR adds more value to the company, resulting in more calls and sales.

Let employees know the importance of achieving first contact resolution at team meetings (or individually). Agents are communicating with customers every day, which provides an understanding of customers in a more personal way.

Let your customer service agents tell you about their experiences with callers for a deeper level of insight. Then, show your team that you value their knowledge by incorporating their suggestions as you continue setting guidelines for achieving first contact resolution.

Ask The Customer

After achieving first contact resolution is set as the priority that everyone in your business understands, data should also be gathered from the customer directly. Provide the option for customer surveys to allow customers to openly voice their opinion on your service. Management and agents can use customer input as a resource to determine the best course of action moving forward.

Achieving First Contact Resolution Is Profitable

Today running a successful business means finding a way to stand apart from competitors. Operating a business that customers enjoy connecting with leads to more purchases as callers speak directly with team members for assistance.

Strengthening your first contact resolution is an important part of setting your brand apart as an expert in your market as well as a leader in customer service. Leaders in the customer service field are among the best assets for a business looking to grow. Your customer service agents are imperative to the efforts of becoming a more reputable business. Empowering your customer service teams will help them to be confident and impactful when speaking during phone calls. Keep in mind, you also have the option of using software and additional resources to help your customer representatives achieve first contact resolution goals.

Empowering Your Customer Service Team

Posted on by Magaly Fuentes

Source: Stockphoto.com O#23559 – ID#100167511684

Customer service teams are often at the center of globally recognized companies and small businesses. Regardless of the industry, these teams have one thing in common: they connect with customers on a professional and emotional level. Working as a customer service professional is a responsibility fueled by learning and innovative thinking.

empowering your customer service
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Managers can provide support as agents work and find their unique voice, but there’s no need to look over their shoulders to help. The best companies don’t thrive on micromanagement. Instead, they create effective customer service teams by providing access to the tools employees need to succeed.

Empowering your customer service team through knowledge and freedom will increase their confidence and helps them to make customers happy. The relationships your customer service agents build with callers is critical to the success of your business because an exceptional customer service experience will keep your customers confident in their decisions and loyal to your brand.

Word of mouth advertising is no longer done face to face. Sharing both pleasant and negative experiences online is now the norm. Keeping this in mind, it’s imperative to help agents deliver a memorable experience. Through the internet, customers will see your reviews and use this information to determine if doing business with you is the right choice.

Keeping your customer service team motivated should always be a focus of training throughout the duration of their employment. Use these tips to empower your customer service team while creating more productive and motivated work spaces.

Ask Customer Service Agents For Advice

Showing employees their input holds weight when making company decisions is a key method for empowering customer service agents.

Callers are frequently expressing their thoughts for improvements to agents. Your call center representatives know customer preferences better than anyone because they speak with customers daily and receive feedback.

Therefore, when service agents share their ideas, it’s important to listen. Their input is coming from the diverse perspectives of your clientele while understanding the internal operations of the company.

Guessing the needs of customers is often ineffective, and communication gaps have multiple negative effects. Failure to communicate properly can alienate team members, resulting in a higher turnover rate. Sales can also suffer because customers may have trouble connecting with a brand that demonstrates poor messaging.

Request the input of agents and you’ll be empowering customer service teams by showing appreciation for their knowledge. Your marketing strategies will also be more impactful when using the knowledge of your team to customize your advertisements and brand message.

Provide Access To Mentors

Assessing skills and investing company time and resources into training is expected for new team members. But training shouldn’t stop after the hiring process.

Your team must stay competitive to be a leader in your industry as markets and technologies continue to evolve. Consider mentorship programs or mentor matching software as a resource to connect mentees and mentors, and make the programs easily accessible.

Coordinate a team of mentors with experience and a proven track record for implementing strategies that work. These experts are empowering for your customer service teams because their personal stories of trial and error can resonate with employees and boost confidence. Your team members must accept their role as a constant learning experience. They don’t have to feel the pressure of knowing (or not knowing) everything or be afraid of making mistakes.

There are always goals to meet, but that doesn’t mean everyone knows the strategies of how to meet company objectives and hit deadlines. The right mentors will help customer service agents understand various ways to meet goals and discuss approaches that enhance the customer experience.

Management roles require an extensive amount of time and energy. When supervisors have to oversee company operations and assist customer service agents, it doubles their workload and creates a tense environment. Managers can feel more comfortable to let team members work freely as they become more knowledgeable.

In Conclusion

Empowering customer service teams helps team members to be more comfortable in their role as they create profitable relationships with callers. Furthermore, it creates a deeper level of commitment to the company because employees are at ease when working knowing their work is valued and know company leaders have their best interests at heart.

While empowering customer service teams is the focus, workplace empowerment will benefit the entire company. An empowered customer service team is more likely to close sales, which positively impacts the brand’s value and bottom line. As other businesses notice the success of your team, it opens the door to more sponsorships and partnering opportunities.

Positioning your business as a trusted authority in your industry takes work, and a strong team dedicated to customer service will always be beneficial. When your business is providing high-quality goods and services while meeting the needs of customers, you’ll build a commendable reputation and inspire customer loyalty.

Choosing a Voice for your IVR & Voice Prompts

Posted on by Ilsa Morales

Source: Stockphoto.com O#23559 – ID#100203026446

The first voice that your customers encounter of your brand through your IVR & Voice Prompts can make or break your image. We all have heard the old adages about how the first impression is the most important, so wouldn’t you want the first voice your clients hear to be the right one for your company?

Every time your customer calls your company, they are greeted by a familiar voice and in order to create a great experience for your customer, two major factors are at hand:

  1. The technology must be up to standard
  2. The voice must be humanizing

Having the highest standard in technology means that your customers will be greeted by a clear voice, that is able to guide them efficiently and correctly. When the voice is humanizing, the sound offers a friendly vibe that encourages friendliness to be mimicked on the other end.
The easiest way to accomplish this clear and friendly sound for your customers is to hire a professional voice actor to record on your IVR system. Voice actors for IVR are actually easily found because they are managed by telephony applications.

choosing a voice for your ivr
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Choosing the Right Voice

Finding the right voice for your IVR is not as easy as picking a random name from a hat. You have to think about what voice stays consistent with your brand. To find the right person for your IVR, consider these options before making your choice.

Tradition

In the past, all businesses used female voices for their voice prompts. You can find evidence of this as far back as World War II. The trend of using automated female voices began in the cockpits of fighter airplanes so that the male pilots could distinguish who was talking. To this day, the majority of businesses use a female automated voice, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can narrow down your search just yet.

Male Voices Vs Female Voices

Pros for the male voice include that most people believe that a man is forceful and dominant. However, female voices are said to sound more soothing. Knowing these details, it can be assumed that a customer would feel calmer on the phone when hearing a female voice. However, depending on what you are selling or what image you are trying to portray, a male voice might be more persuasive than a female voice.

Know Your Audience

Between male and female voices, one thing is sure, males prefer to hear other males and females prefer to hear other females. Therefore, if your customer base is dominated by one gender over another your choice is much more simple. If there is no clear gender division of the audience, there are still more things to consider. For example, if you cater to an older community, it might be best to choose a male voice as older individuals might find it more difficult to hear and understand a higher-pitched female voice.

Industry

If your industry is not trying to sell a product or service, and instead uses IVR to communicate with their customers regarding account information and payment information, this company needs to find a voice actor that will be perceived as capable. In this situation, where your clients are trying to accomplish a task instead of purchase an item or dispute a situation, a more forceful voice may come in handy. However, no two task-oriented industries are the same. Health insurance companies prefer to use soothing female voices. These voices are preferred for more sensitive subjects as humans are inclined to trust females.

What Are the Options?

There are many options to choose from for voice automation including multiple companies to work with and multiple voice options. The three most popular voice options are robotic text-to-speak voices, hiring a voice actor, or combining the two.

Only you know what will be best for your company, and you might be finding yourself justifying each option for an IVR voice. Some companies know immediately which voice would fit with their brand immediately, others can have a harder time because they reach a broader audience. Consider the options and situations above before making your decision. Luckily, if your customers don’t like the voice you pick for your voice prompts, they probably won’t be super bothered by it. If you are worried that you haven’t made the right decision, consider putting together a focus group to test out your favorites.

What is an RFP Document?

Posted on by Ilsa Morales

An RFP Document is a Request for Proposal that many companies and the U.S. government use in business practices. Perhaps you have heard of an RFP before and just cast it off as a business term that you might use, but not necessarily know the process of. RFP documents are used between businesses that want to create a leveled playing field with other companies that they would like to do business with. The process of creating an RFP document can be overwhelming to some. Read on to learn about a simplistic approach to the RFP process.

call center compliance and security
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RFI

The first step to an RFP is creating a Request for Information. The RFI is like an introduction on what your company is about and what you hope for your company to strive for in the future. Once your company has created its RFI, you can send them out to several different companies which can hopefully help you create your bottom line. The RFI includes typically a set of questions for each company to answer as well as the company’s future plans and other essential details. Once your company has received a sufficient amount of RFIs returned, you can then look over each company’s circumstances and find out which company would work best with yours.

Issuing an RFP

Once you have decided which companies are the right match for your business, you can begin the process of issuing an RFP. The RFP will have more detailed questions than the RFI that both companies can release. These questions might be about the team members that will be working together and timelines that work for each business. Once completed, the RFP document then goes out to your top companies that responded to the original RFI document. The RFP may also be collected by a company that specializes in categorizing and housing RFPs. This company can use your RFP to help other businesses searching for services that your company offers.

Inside of this RFP document will also be your proposal. The company that you have invited from the RFI stage will write out their proposals which will include the solution to your issue and how their company will help resolve it. These should be very detailed and will look completely different for each company.

Request for Quotation

An RFQ is also known as an Invitation For Bid. The RFQ is similar to the RFP except that your company provides its solution and wants to find a company that can provide that solution in the way that your company would like to go about it. The RFQ states what the issue is, what the answer is, how to go about resolving the problem, and what it looks like and how it works. It also includes an idea of what contracts and payments will look like. This is important if your company is on a budget or if it is for a government agency which must always use a budget.

Tender

If your business needs something such as a simple good or service from another company they can use a tender bid. Instead of a long and complicated RFP, they will send out a Request for Tenders. If your company wants to find a company that will place their name and phone number on pens, they could use a tender bid. In order to get an RFT the company that you are looking towards will need to subscribe to a tender clearinghouse.

Teamwork

The RFP process is complex has many steps, but if you have a reliable team, you should be able to create one reasonably simply and without error. Because of its complexity, having multiple people responsible for different parts of the RFP is essential. Not only because it will save time, but because each department works differently and will have insider knowledge on specific details that need to be included. Be sure to gather everyone for team meetings so that everything in the RFP is concise, getting coverage, and the information is not being repeated. It also helps to have several people looking at the document to catch last-minute errors.

Case Studies

A case study should be included in your RFP to let other companies know about your company’s experience. This isn’t a very complex issue but can be time-consuming if you put it off. Add your case study to the beginning of your project so that way you can get through the RFP faster.

Call Center Compliance and Security

Posted on by Ilsa Morales

Call center management knows that there are risks and rewards when it comes to running a business. However, some things, such as compliance and security are things that should never be risked. Information on your customers is sensitive data and needs to be continuously managed. Your business needs to find the leaks in security and implement security policies before any con artists can break in, which unfortunately is becoming a common practice today.

call center
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Due to a streak of data breaches, the Federal Trade Commission has created new rules and regulations for security that your business needs to be up to par with. If your business is not up to the standard, you will find yourself dealing with huge fines and legal battles.
In order for your business to stay compliant, you need to make sure that the following compliance acts are satisfactory.

1. Encryption

VoIP encryption is a useful tool that allows companies to gain access to customer information by using coded messages that unauthorized users cannot get hold of. This can be used through call center interactions over the phone or through emails and chat. These encryption codes need to be adequately managed by your IT employees.

2. Login

Many call centers have a variety of login systems that can timeout very quickly. This can frustrate customers and agents alike, but there is a solution. Single sign-on is standard for the FTC and can work with several systems at once.

3. Storage

Storing data is an essential piece of managing all data that is unfortunately overlooked by many companies. Ensure that your company has enforced multiple backups to your data storage and that old data is being disposed of when it is no longer necessary. When your storage becomes compromised, it can become a massive headache for businesses. Therefore, it is best to plan ahead and have good recovery software in place.

4. Recording

Call centers use recording as a means to learn from mistakes and to look back on calls during disputes. However, recording important information can cause issues. In the past, call centers have had their agents turn off their recordings while being given important information, but that is not up to regulations anymore. What call centers can do is use an IVR to secure important data like credit card information and social security numbers. Also, in order to stay up to standards by the FTC, all callers must be notified that the call may be recorded.

5. Do Not Call

All call centers must be up-to-date on those consumers who have added their number to the do not call registry. Failure to stay up to date can result in massive fines.

6. Debt Collection

If you work for a debt collecting agency, the FTC is cracking down on those who do not follow the Fair Debt Collection Practice Act. Therefore, if your agents are using threatening language or shady collection practices, you could find your business in the midst of litigation.

7. Truth in Lending Act

All call centers must provide crucial information such as interest rates and late fees to their consumers before a customer agrees to purchase a product.

8. Equal Credit Opportunity Act

This act forbids companies from denying loans or credit to consumers based on their race, religion, marital status, age, gender, etc.

9. General Data Protection Regulation

GDPR is a relatively new regulation that call centers must accede to. This rule is for companies that store information for European residents whether or not the business itself is located in Europe. European customers can ask for their data to be erased. Businesses must grant their consumers their requests in a timely fashion in order to remain compliant. Therefore, if you have European customers, you must have a plan in place that can quickly erase data.

If your call center is not fully compliant, you could face some serious headaches in your future. The truth is, your company can not afford to wait to become up to standard because of the mounting security risks and in light of the critical data breaches that have already happened to several major businesses. Be sure that your vendors and IT staff are aware of all new regulations as they both play a significant role in call center compliance and security.

Authentication and Fraud Prevention in Call Centers

Posted on by Ilsa Morales

Source: Stockphoto.com O#23559 – ID#100115688898

The best way to combat authentication and fraud in call centers is to prevent it. Understanding is critical in the process of prevention. There isn’t just one way to prevent fraud in a call center; there are several ways that must all be used together in order to authenticate fully.

An image of a man ensuring authentication and fraud prevention in call centers.
Source: Stockphoto.com O#23559 – ID#100152507320

Dirty Tactics Used in the Hunt for Authentication

A variety of things are being used to authenticate callers, such as an account number. A social security number is often an easy way for scammers to get valuable information from customers. You must be on high alert against any compromised data, and even then, these essential pieces of information are still vulnerable. This is primarily because companies usually ask for information to authenticate, like their customer’s mother’s maiden name or first childhood pet when people inevitably lose their passwords. Asking these personal-knowledge questions are also easy ways that scammers can get through to find out more account information.

There are many authentication approaches for companies, including Knowledge Based Authentication and Multi-Factor Authentication. Most call centers revert to Knowledge-Based Authentication, or KBA, as their main bases for identification. But KBA is one of the most vulnerable authentication methods to fraud. This method can be compromised very quickly by users with untraceable software or by cunning people who can trick others into providing information to them. The people who procure this information through these means can then use this information to call your customers or your customer service agents to commit fraud. Not only are these threats a reason to skip knowledge-based authentication, but it is also very frustrating and bothersome for your customers to be subjected to a series of questions before they are able to get to what they need from your site. Since it is not a foolproof way to prevent fraud, what else can a company use to guard their customers’ information?

Multi-factor Authentication VS Knowledge-Based Authentication

Multi-factor Authentication, or MFA, is a superior choice to KBA. The MFA uses an approach that provides each caller with their own one-of-a-kind identity token. This token is taken from your phone device and carrier information. Another way MFA is useful to companies is that it can understand the characteristics of certain sounds which can be translated into a voice print. By collecting all of this information, you can then enter it into a database. The computer then scans all the information to send fraudsters into a database that will then blacklist them from the company and customers’ data.

Using these tactics and tools, a call center will then be able to assess the risks through authentication. Then it will be up to the representative to use this useful data and decide whether or not it is a risk. Their decisions will be informed and based on several factors such as what kind of account it is and which transactions, and for how much, are taking place.

Related: How to Set Up 2 Factor Authentication

The top providers of authentication are TRUSTID and Pindrop. Each one uses an MFA method. Both have numerous important clients on board, such as banks, credit card companies, and insurance agencies. However, they can both offer solutions to companies in other markets such as retail, telecom, travel, or healthcare. These solutions also work best when paired with an IVR, which can automatically prompt the caller to enter their authentication.

These solutions to fraud and authentication have worked for very large call centers that employ hundreds of agents that work for millions of callers, but what can a smaller call center use? Small call centers can still benefit from these authentication strategies through Value Added Resellers. These VARs can bundle up different types of outbound calling services and sell them to call centers. That way, you can get what your call center needs on a scale that you can use to your benefit.

Fraudulent issues are becoming more commonplace in the market and companies need to be prepared for dangerous situations before they arise. Don’t let your company get caught unaware by scammers; use secure VoIP along with the top prevention methods in order to avoid putting your company in debt and frustrating your customers.

Crush The Competition with Virtual Phone Numbers

Posted on by Ilsa Morales

Virtual phone numbers not only help to keep your business from inserting itself into your personal life, but they can also help you crush your competition. There are several incredible benefits to having a virtual phone number, such as a variety of built-in features, their low costs, hardware, and a reliable network.

businessman
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If you’re not familiar with what a virtual phone number is, then you probably aren’t sure why you need one for your business. Virtual phone numbers work for companies because they are an easy way for customers to reach you that isn’t tied to a specific telephone line. You can access your phone calls from any device, including cell phones, tablets, and computers, freeing you from being tied down to your desk all day for fear that you will miss an urgent phone call.

Virtual phone numbers are also great ways to save costs on long distance phone calls. If you have several clients overseas, you can purchase an affordable local phone number in those specific areas and avoid long distance fees. Even these international phone numbers are virtual so they can be tied to any device you currently use without issue.

Fulfilling the Needs of Your Customers

Contact centers are one of the business types that benefit significantly from the use of virtual phone numbers. Using local phone numbers helps agents to offer a more personalized touch with their customer service. Local phone numbers also help to alleviate the costs that some of your customers or clients would have to pay if your store is located outside of their local area.

The features provided with your virtual phone number contract can help your business portray a very successful and professional image, even if you’re working from your kitchen counter. Virtual numbers allow you to have as many numbers as you need, and they come with impressive features such as time of day routing (which will enable you to go out for lunch and not miss an urgent phone call). You can also add a customized greeting when your customers call. When a customer calls the number provided, they will be prompted by a professional greeting and then taken to a menu page that will allow the customer to choose which sector of the business they would like to speak with. For example, they may be prompted to press “1” for customer service, “2” for sales, and so on.

Virtual phone numbers also come with a feature called “call recording” in which you will be able to record phone conversations between customers and your employees. You can then use these files to figure out what works and what doesn’t work within the employee/customer dynamic. This can be a valuable tool to use when training customer service staff.

Creating a Local Presence

As previously stated, having a virtual phone number can give you a local presence in international countries, and it also allows you and your employees to work from anywhere in the world. Not only are virtual phone numbers flexible enough to allow you to step away from your desk, but you can also travel anywhere in the world. This is also a great way to keep international teams working together with functionality and ease.

Virtual phone numbers are also very affordable. Small teams and businesses have the option of choosing a flexible plan that will provide the minutes and services that they need, instead of paying extra costs for things they don’t. Because virtual phone numbers can be set up to reach most devices, you won’t need to purchase expensive phone lines. All work can be done on just one device if you choose, and you will still be able to keep everything in your business separate from your personal life and phone line.

One-Up Your Competition with Virtual Phone Numbers

The fantastic features and cost-saving benefits of a virtual phone number can genuinely give you the edge you need over your competition. If you’re thinking about purchasing a local or international virtual phone number for your business, contact us at unitedworldtelecom.com to get started right away.

Why You Should Optimize Your Business Phone Systems in Australia

Posted on by Ilsa Morales

If you haven’t optimized your VoIP phone system yet, you could be missing out on several prosperous opportunities. If you are still using an analog business phone number, you may find that it lacks the features and capabilities that you could be receiving with a virtual calling system. Read on to find out why you need an Australian virtual phone system now.

Get the Edge Over the Competition

Australia has a booming business scene, and you don’t want to be left behind during this wave of prosperity. Cloud phone numbers provide an unmatched service that allows you to take calls when you’re on the move. Whether that means leaving your desk or leaving the country, you never have to miss a phone call if you switch over to a virtual phone service.

Top Benefits of Switching Over

Image of a man optimizing his business phone system in Australia.
Source: Stockphoto.com O#23559 – ID#100173027572
  • Appeal To The Masses: You can use your virtual phone number to attract new people by providing an Australia toll-free number and advertising the number all around the country.
  • Stay Connected: With a virtual phone system, your clients and the members of your team can stay connected wherever you are located in the world. Virtual phone systems allow you to use local phone numbers to save costs on expensive international rates no matter where you are located in the world. If you are in America and your team is located in China, and your clients are located in Australia, you can remain accessible everywhere through your virtual phone system connection.
  • A Great Tool For Call Centers: Call centers can be set up with your new Australia virtual phone number on the same day. You can start taking calls almost immediately. Call centers handle customer service inquiries, compliments, and grievances. Providing a call center for your business shows that you care about your clientele and that you believe in your product. Plus, at United World Telecom you can set up call recording. Call recording can be used as a handy tool for training customer service representatives as you can quickly learn what is and isn’t working.
  • It’s Personalized: Virtual phone systems come with a variety of features that you can use to customize your clients’ experience every time they call.

Top Features for Business Phone Systems in Australia

  • Voicemail: You can customize and record your own personal voicemail greeting where your customers can state their inquiries when you are outside of business hours.
  • Call Recording: As previously mentioned, virtual phone systems in Australia come with a call recording feature. This is an excellent customer service tool for training and learning whether or not the training is being fulfilled.
  • Call Forwarding: Never miss an urgent phone call with the call forwarding features. You have the opportunity to set up an international call forwarding system where phone calls can be sent to different devices or people within your company. Outside of business hours, you can use this feature to forward incoming calls to your voicemail. You can even set up call forwarding to send transcripted voicemail messages to your fax machine or an mp3 recording to your personal or business email address. It is much easier to stay up to date on business communications when you have call forwarding.
  • IVR: An Interactive Voice Response is the recording that is often used as a greeting for several businesses. Usually this automated voice or a pre-recorded message by you or one of your employees will offer a standard greeting to the caller and then direct them to a list of menu choices so you can better serve them. For example, “Hello, you’ve reached Thomason Packing and Shipping. Thank you for your call today. In order to best serve you, please choose from the following options: 1 for sales, 2 for customer service, etc.”
How To Get an Australian Virtual Phone Number

You can choose your very own Australian virtual phone number by visiting UnitedWorldTelecom.com or by calling 1 (877) 898-8646. You can get virtual Australian phone numbers and toll-free phone numbers, then sign up online and start making phone calls right away with a free trial.