Cloud Phone Systems - UCaaS

Moving your phone system to the cloud gives you the ability to harness the power of the internet. A landline-based phone system used to be an adequate solution, but the way business is done has evolved. Some of these features are: Web phones: A web phone is an application that allows you to make phone calls online. You can use almost any web browser, such as Safari, Chrome or Firefox. The call sounds as it normally would, but the voice data transmits over the internet. You can make the call using a headset or mobile phone. You also have the option of using a more traditional phone that’s connected to your computer. You can make and receive calls to any landline, cell phone or internet-based phone. Automated assistants: An automated assistant can be a virtual gateway between you and callers. They answer the phone and give callers preprogrammed messages. They also take messages, forward calls and provide important information. They can also take information that callers enter on their keypad during the call. You can program an automated assistant to provide basic information. This enables callers to get the answers they need without having to wait on hold. This saves time for both the caller and employees. It also frees up employees to handle other tasks. Conference calling: With conference calling, three or more parties join the same conversation. With a cloud-based phone service, the location of each person does not matter. Whether participants are in different cubicles or continents, all they need is internet service. Video conferencing: Video conferencing allows participants to talk face-to-face via a video stream. The signal is processed at the data center and delivered to the screens of each participant. An organization can use video conferencing to share screen recordings and video content. Call transfers: The ability to automatically transfer calls saves significant time. You do not have to have someone transfer incoming calls to everyone in the organization. Your business phone system can do it for you. The system gives callers the ability to choose the person they want to talk to. This happens via a variety of data entry methods. Callers can enter numbers or spell all or some of a person’s name. Call forwarding: A system with call forwarding can send calls to a phone number chosen by the recipient. If you have employees in various locations, this can help streamline communications. The same is true if people in your organization need to travel. For instance, an employee may be going away and only have a cell phone. The system can forward all calls to their mobile phone so they do not miss opportunities while on the road. Calls can be forwarded to web phones and landlines. Hold music: Hold music helps people relax while they wait for an answer. It also reassures them that they’re still on the line. You can further tweak the hold music feature with periodic, helpful messages. These can vary based on the needs of the organization. You can provide information about the business or tell the caller their position in the call queue. A business phone system can also inform the caller approximately how much time they have to wait. Message management: The message management feature collects and organizes messages. A cloud-based business phone system can deliver messages to the right people. It can also store them for as long as you need. Team members can access the messages while on the road, at home or in preparation for a meeting. Voicemail: Voicemail with a cloud-based phone system is accessible to all players in the organization. You can set up a variety of voicemail boxes—each meant for a different department or team member. The organization can also choose to keep voicemail for later use. Business Text / SMS (short message service). Business SMS is a powerful tool for time-sensitive communication. Emails work well, but people often check them too late. Even voicemails may go unchecked for days. Sometimes, people can get too busy to take a phone call. A business SMS system allows the recipient to get information right away. It’s an effective tool for getting quick answers to questions and updating team members on the go. You can store messages to reference them later. You can also send out scheduling information so team members can make the necessary adjustments. As well, you can set up text groups so entire teams can get the same message at once. Call queuing: When you have multiple callers trying to reach the business at the same time, call queuing can help. Each caller is put in a queue to wait for their turn. A cloud-based business phone system can inform callers of their place in the queue. It can also automatically move people up in the queue when others hang up. Call recording: Call recording makes it possible to record and store entire conversations. Managers or team members can review calls later for quality control. Decision-makers can use recorded calls to plan agenda items for meetings. You can also use a content management system to store conversations for training or promotional purposes.