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Save Money with VoIP: Top 4 Tips

The Advancements in the telecom industry have enabled businesses to drive towards modernisation. The use of cloud phone technology or hosted phone technology is growing rapidly in the business world. Thanks to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology businesses can improve their communications while saving their financial cost. Hence, every business is now looking to upgrade its communication network to Voice over IP technology to improve overall cost while reducing business costs. To illustrate how your business can reduce cost with VoIP, in this article we are going to discuss how VoIP phones can benefit your business and allow you to make your financial savings. Learn about: Top Features of VoIP Technology Four ways to save money with VoIP 1. Hardware Traditional telephone systems require expensive hardware. If your company needs an auto-attendant feature then you will have to install a separate hardware for auto-attendant. This just increases the expense of your business communication needs. Furthermore, if you want to add second auto-attendant for a different branch then you will need to purchase a second set of hardware. By employing a business VoIP phone system, you become completely free to update or change your system according to business needs, without having to buy extra hardware. With VoIP telephony, you can easily add or remove users, route calls over any location, update IVRs, all this can be done without any additional expense. Most VoIP providers offer advance calling features that businesses need. This includes: Caller ID Call block Fax messaging Call holding Video calls Instant messaging All these features come with a plan, so you don’t have to pay for each feature separately. 2. Zero Maintenance Just like any machine, traditional telephone hardware can fail at any time, and that can cause substantial maintenance charges and can be heavy on your pocket. On the contrary, if you use a VoIP phone system, you can easily eliminate hardware breakdowns and other preservation issues without losing any cost in revenue. Additionally, traditional phone parts are expensive to purchase and cost more because you have to employ a technical team of expert to maintain the system. This not only costs money but also a lot of time. On the other hand, with the Voice over IP platform, your service is responsible for managing the system and its maintenance. Keep this in mind that the majority of telecom providers no longer offer old traditional telephone systems now. So people who still employ these phones will face some concerns on maintaining this system as it is becoming extinct. Because of less availability, it is also going to cost more. 3. Easy To Setup VoIP may sound technical to some, but it is actually easier to set up and control. Further, businesses can easily download VoIP apps as a significant part in their business communication; this can either be done by your computer or your mobile. Here are some other reasons why having an internet-based phone system is less costly: Existing Internet can be used to employ a VoIP platform. Similarly, an existing landline phone can be used with an adapter. It removes long-distance calling costs, especially if you are making overseas calls as you’re using the Internet connection that means the analogue voice signals are converted into a digital format which cuts the cost in half. 4. No Additional cost for Advanced Features Many service providers such as VoIP Business offer features like call recording, auto-assistant, voicemail to mail, call routing, video conferencing, music on hold, and many other features at no extra cost. All these advanced features come as part of the package. These advanced features help small to medium-sized businesses become more efficient and professional in their work field and deliver excellent customer service- which is always needed to grow business. We at VoIP Business believe every startup, small and medium-sized business deserves to use enterprise-level communication services at affordable prices. Check out our pricing plan, choose the right plan for your business and enjoy enterprise-level VoIP phone services at affordable prices. Try our VoIP solution with free signup now! Want to learn more? Read: Work from Home Efficiently During Quarantine – Few Helpful Tips

why should businesses switch to internet telephony

Why Businesses should Switch to Internet Telephony or VoIP?

Today’s businesses have transformed their business communication from a traditional phone system to Internet telephony or VoIP. One aspect in the telecom industry is that the landline systems have not much evolved with time. The system is almost the same as what it was in the earlier 19th Century. With the latest advancement in the telecom industry, especially after VoIP telephony, many companies are now opting for cloud-based technology. This system is not just a cost-saving solution but also very useful in terms of functionality, flexibility, mobility, reliability, and advanced features that are used by many SMB’S around the globe. We will look in-depth, how Internet telephony has taken over the conventional phone system. Keep reading to know why your business needs Internet telephony. What is Internet or IP telephony? Voice over internet protocol or Internet telephony allows you to make calls by using your existing Internet connection. The Internet phone calls can also be made with your current landline phone via the adapter. As VoIP allows communications over the internet, it doesn’t require any installations like conventional phone lines for each separate connection. Researchers predict that VoIP growth will be over 115 million by the year 2020 to 2025 and the global VoIP users are expected to increase over £120 billion. Read More: What are the two main advantages of Internet telephony? What is Landline? A Traditional or landline system also known as POTS or PSTN use physical wires for each connection that stretch all over the world to make phone calls. Old PSTN systems were adopted over the hundred years ago and use Circuit switching method via LAN. The technology used in traditional phone lines is purely analogue that transmits voice signals over a packet of networks like physical switch-boxes that place calls and dedicated telephone is required to make the connection between two callers. Here are some aspects of why you should choose VoIP telephony: When analysing VoIP telephony vs. landline, it’s essential to understand both are different technologies. Choosing one for your businesses will have a significant impact on your business. You competitors should not surpass you just because of your telephone system, and we will help you determine which solution is best for your business communication. Internet Telephony vs. Landline call features Internet telephony offers many advanced features that are not possible with the traditional phone system. The features include Call forwarding, Call Recording, Voicemail to email, IVR, Conference calling, Call queue etc. all these advanced features are provided efficiency in the work field. Some of the VoIP features are discussed below. Call forwarding: That allows your network to forward some or all incoming calls, if you are unable to receive pick calls. You can manage calls better by forwarding them to your mobile or any other number. Voicemail: It enables callers to leave a message whenever you’re offline, so you can listen to it from anywhere through your devices i.e. laptop, tablet or even mobile phones. This way you don’t miss any important opportunities. Call recording: This feature enables you to record some or all calls. You can use this feature for learning and practising sales initiatives. This can also help you in promoting your organisational development growth. Call queue: This feature allows your team to work smoothly and effectively. With call queue, you can manage your staff and departments by routing calls to the available staff members when other agents are busy or unavailable. Voicemail to email: It allows your organisation to receive all your voicemails as audio files directly into your inbox. You can listen to these audios from anywhere when you want. This can help you maintain your focus on important at hand and save your time. On the other hand, the traditional phone system doesn’t offer a lot of features in contrast to VoIP telephony. Most traditional carriers provide voice mail, call forwarding and call waiting, but they come at a cost. The notable feature of the landline system is that; it is tried and tested technology. Here are the few advantages of using an Internet Telephony system 1. Cost-effectiveness The main reason why businesses switch to IP telephony is its cost-effectiveness. VoIP calls are cheaper than landline calls and it offers low international call rates. There is no high installation or maintenance required. They come at low cost and can help you save up to 60% on overall cost. 2. Mobility The IP phones are not dedicated to a particular location. It can be used to make calls through your mobile phone from everywhere as far as you have an internet connection. This mobility enables you to work remotely, and you can continually manage your teams’ activity. This is one of the significant benefits of VoIP phones. 3. Scalability & Flexibility It is a massive factor that demonstrates the power of VoIP technology, as it provides your business a potential to grow. A traditional phone demands more financial investment when your business grows, they need equipment, licenses, taxes and other dedicated infrastructure. Contrarily, IP telephony is adjustable and expands with your business growth. As VoIP phone system is hosted in the cloud you don’t need to have the physical infrastructure to grow your business. Read more: What are the impacts of Covid-19 on VoIP Market Try a free VoIP trial now with VoIP business.

Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on VoIP market

In the most challenging time, when many sectors have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the world is continually fighting to reduce the effects of Covid-19, the telecoms sector especially VoIP (Voice over Internet protocol) and IT sector undoubtedly have come at the top as the most favourite child in a global economy. However remote working, Homeworking, online communication like video conferencing, have increased at the globe through the internet connection. VoIP has suddenly become vital for today’s society, and some experts believe that if we have to face the worst effect of the virus, this will be one of the top industries that would be standing, stronger than earlier. Read more: How VoIP phone systems help businesses in the remote working? COVID-19 financial toll on VoIP Coronavirus is now a global epidemic. Millions of people from all over the world are affected badly by this pandemic and people are forced to work from home to lessen the effect of this disease. Many countries have adopted a lockdown strategy but some countries have lifted lockdown without knowing what happens next. This is the situation no one can assume or predict how long it will take to recover from this pandemic. Unquestionably, there has been a sudden change in the demand of cloud-based phone services worldwide. Many schools and education sectors have largely adopted the VoIP system to allow VoIP video calling for online classes. Many health workers, doctors have used this system immensely in their training and meetings. Even before this pandemic, most of the business had already shifted to cloud-based technology and were already turning themselves to online productivity by employing different VoIP features for their work field. It is unclear how long will this pandemic force people to stay at home, but the usage of a cloud phone system will continue to grow. Try a Free Signup With VoIP Business. Some Potential impacts of Covid-19 on VoIP Network resiliency and usage VoIP businesses have recorded large spikes and many countries reported enormous volume of voice calls that are increasing exponentially. Customer satisfaction Around the globe, VoIP is taking on a diversity of measures to make continuous improvement for customer satisfaction and give businesses easy access to their workforce. In the UK, VoIP has increased the capacity and offers unlimited calls and some of the companies are providing free networking tools or some have reduced their cost to facilitate their customers to work from home during the COVID-19. Financial consequences VoIP companies have been less affected by the pandemic, but some companies can face some issues with the cash flow alike other sectors. Many VoIP companies have continued to invest in their network for a long-term period, and some are looking forward to 5G technology because It will advance speed and reliability. Read more: How VoIP technology helps businesses in the COVID-19? What factors businesses should consider before investing in VoIP technology during COVID-19? VoIP systems depend on internet performance. A stable internet connection is necessary to run your business smoothly while using a VoIP platform. Can the internet collapse? Critics say that it’s unlikely and the internet is designed to survive not to cease or decline. Can VoIP solutions cater to the demand of every business? It depends on what services you are utilising, how competent they are? How much scalability they have? What Important features VoIP offers? Call Forwarding – allows you to forward some or all incoming calls, if you can’t pick your office phone number, you are still able to forward it to your phone number or any other number. IVR – Auto call attendant or IVR is a feature that allows the callers to transfer the call automatically to the company representative, without waiting or having to talk to an operator. Call recording – This feature allows businesses to record phone calls that can be further used for practising and learning, marketing tools or techniques that will help to boost your sales and productivity. This feature can also be used to improve the clients satisfaction and monitor your team. Share Voicemail – It enables multiple users to interact on the same data or source that helps the businesses to collaborate and work efficiently. For example, A Manger can send information from a single source or means that can be accessed by all team members or particular members. Read on: Top features of VoIP Technology 2020 Try a free Sign up now and get an experience of free VoIP calling.

How to Improve Team Collaboration – Managing Remote Employees

Remote working has become an essential and useful benefit that any business can offer, and it’s clear why. Remote work options have become popular among employers and employees to unlock better productivity. Companies that have remote workforces can save money on office space and other overheads. In contrast, remote employees enjoy the perk of working from anywhere they want. There is no doubt that remote working can be beneficial. Still, it does come with some challenges, especially for managers or supervisors. If you are currently managing a remote team, then you have to find ways to guide, support and nurture your team members. Before we tell you ways to do just that, let’s look into what a remote team is. What is a remote working team? A remote team is a group of professionals that doesn’t work from a particular location like an office space or coworking space. The individuals in this team may belong to different time zones, cultures and have different skills. But, mostly, they all depend on the same collaborations tools to get the work done. According to a survey done in 2017, almost 62% of the working population has flexible roles, while 98% of those employees believe that remote work makes them more productive. The growing trend of remote working opportunities will continue to grow as more businesses are exploring possibilities of digital transformation. New collaborative tools like file sharing, video conferencing make it easier for people to work from anywhere, at any time. With the right collaborative tools and an internet connection, you can get to work. Allowing employees to work remotely has many benefits; however, you need to manage the team efficiently. How to Manage Remote Teams? Over the last few years, the concept of remote working has become very common. Employers feel more comfortable in allowing their staff to work from home or remotely. The managers also understand the value of accessing talented employees that are not restricted by a geographical location. Plus, using employee timekeeping software simplifies remote work management, allowing employers to track tasks and ensure productivity across distributed teams. All businesses are always looking to perfect the remote working experience for their workforce. Hence the demand of collaborative tools has increased. To empower your remote team, you need the right collaboration tools, commitment, and right attitude. Tips on Managing Remote Teams 1. Practice Constant communication with Voice over IP A cloud phone system can be a great solution for improving communication quality while still enabling your team members to manage their time effectively by working remotely. In addition, the remote patient monitoring market has also seen significant growth, leveraging cloud-based communication technologies to enable healthcare providers to remotely monitor and care for patients, ensuring continuous and effective healthcare management. Every successful team needs communication to thrive and the only way to do so it to have different means of communication. Then you can decide which mean to use to connect with your employees. For daily conversations, you can use conferencing and instant messaging in real-time. If you want to conduct more in-depth meetings, then you should try regular calls over IP phones and video conferencing. However, conversations with remote teams don’t always have to be business-related either. It would be best if you gave your employees the time to bond and chat to boost the effectiveness of team collaboration. 2. Encourage Transparency As the manager of your team, you will be the one to whom others turn for guidance. You cannot expect your remote team to communicate openly if you don’t talk in the same way with them. You have to make sure every team member is updated about what is going in the company with regular alerts or newsletters. As a manager, you have to ensure that your remote team can quickly come to you whenever they are concerned and have queries. Even something like video conferencing can make you appear more transparent. According to research, 87% of the workforce feels more connected to their colleagues whenever video is available. To run a successful and productive remote team, you have to remember the following: Make clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Schedule work hours, meetings, and holidays Encourage transparency and honestly in work. Discuss expectations, goals, and concerns team members Track performances and projects through remote work management tools 3. Encourage Better Relationships between Employees One of the most common problems that a business faces when managing remote teams is encouraging buy-in from remote workers. With employees’ distributed around the globe, it can be hard for remote workers to feel an emotional connection with you or other colleagues. Therefore, you need to commit some time to develop a relationship with your remote workers. If you want a high-performing team, then you have to become mindful of their feelings. Look for opportunities to connect with your employees and to develop a bond. For example, you can set up a group chat where employees can talk to each other about random things. Also, you could schedule regular breakout sessions where your team can get to know each other. 4. Use the Right Tools to Keep Teams Organised Managing a remote workforce means you have to know how to structure your team so that they can deliver better productivity in every environment. Since you won’t be in the same place to oversee them, you will need tools to empower teams and keep them organised. For example, you can use tools like Dropbox or Google Drive or Studocu to share files with everyone. Last is especially recommended if you are combining remote work with studying so that your team has access to all kinds of information. While remote teams do benefit from the freedom to work independently, it doesn’t mean that they don’t need tools that keep them on track. Even a simple tool like a cloud-based calendar can help in arranging meetings with colleagues or a collaboration tool like VoIP Business can help you monitor your team’s performances actively. Consider these things to manage teams: Audio and video conferencing and instant messaging File sharing tools Storage and automatic backup tools Project management and time tracking software Calendar and scheduling tools 5- Out of Sight but Not Out of Mind In the modern business landscape, remote teams are everywhere, and their popularity will continue to grow. While managing a remote team may seem difficult, tools like VoIP Business conferencing and more can help better the process of management. VoIP Business aims to provide you with best business phone system to manage remote workforce. Just remember, your employees might be out of sight; they don’t have to be out of mind. As a manager, provide them with structure and tools that can help them thrive along with your business. Improve Efficiency Of Remote Teams With VoIP Enhance the efficiency of your remote teams by adopting Voice over Internet Protocol technology. VoIP facilitates seamless communication among dispersed team members, offering features like high-quality audio and video calls, instant messaging, and collaborative tools. With VoIP, remote teams can stay connected in real-time, fostering better collaboration and decision-making. The flexibility of this advanced phone system allows team members to access the system from anywhere with an internet connection, promoting remote work. Advanced features such as call forwarding, voicemail-to-email, and virtual meeting capabilities contribute to improved workflow efficiency. Improve VoIP to streamline communication, boost productivity, and create a cohesive work environment for your remote teams.

Work from Home Efficiently During Quarantine – Few Helpful Tips

As governments worldwide have put strict restriction on travelling due to Coronavirus/ Covid-19 outbreak, more and more employees now have to work from home. While for some, it might be a dream come true, for others working from home can be demotivating. People who are extroverted or highly active have the hardest time with home-based work, and they may start missing office. If you are one of those people then worry not, we are here to help you recreate the office environment at home and be just as productive. All you need is to follow some steps, and working from home won’t seem as demotivating. How to Work Efficiently While Working from Home? First! Pick the right kit Having a complete work-like set-up at home can make it easier for you to stay focused, happy and healthy. So, here are a few things you need: A desktop monitor Having a second screen can help you work on multiple projects at the same time, and it can also help you stay in touch with your co-workers while working. We are sure that for better communication and collaboration, your company uses VoIP Business, so you can use its conferencing feature to work in partnership with your colleagues just like you do in the office. A Wireless mouse and keyboard Another essential aspect that we often overlook is our posture. So, keep your back, neck and wrists happy by using a wireless keyboard and mouse. Try avoiding leaning over your computer or laptop; this way you can perform tasks efficiently. A supportive desk chair Make your working situation better by getting a real desk chair with excellent back support. You can adjust the chair according to your liking. For optimum comfort and posture, aim for the centre of your monitor to be in line with your eyes. Your VoIP Business Mobile App While working at home, you don’t have to go off the grid. You can take your office phone extension with you by downloading the VoIP Business Smartphone app for Android and iOS. You can make calls, hold conferences, share files to stay on top of your tasks. Don’t forget to find the perfect space while Working Remotely Office space is not all about the equipment. It is a combination of lighting, decor and the aesthetic. So, if your home working space includes plunking your laptop on a sofa, then you will find yourself less productive than usual while also slipping into a bad posture. What should you do? Just follow these three helpful tips to make your work haven: Separate Working and Living The human brain tends to compartmentalise. This means that if you work from the living room of your house, then the urge to binge-watch will be a bit stronger. If you can, then set up your workstation in a separate room or pick a quiet corner of the house to work from a designated space. Personalise If you think working from home has no perks then you are wrong. One of the biggest perks is that you get to design your own workspace according to your taste. According to research, having a welcoming and warm work environment can improve productivity. Having some artwork around can boost your creativity as well. Get Plenty of Natural Light One more thing that can help you work efficiently is natural light. It has been scientifically proven that natural light supports our vision, aids creativity, boosts mood and also leads to better sleep quality. Can VoIP Help Employees In Working From Home? VoIP phone systems are highly beneficial for remote work scenarios. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology enables individuals to make and receive calls online, providing flexibility and accessibility for those working from home. Here are several ways in which VoIP phone systems support remote work: Flexibility: VoIP allows users to make calls from anywhere with an internet connection, offering the flexibility needed for remote work. Cost-Effective: VoIP often comes with lower costs for long-distance and international calls, reducing expenses for businesses and individuals working remotely. Unified Communication: VoIP systems integrate various communication channels, including voice calls, video conferencing, and instant messaging, into a unified platform, fostering efficient remote collaboration. Advanced Features: VoIP systems offer advanced features such as call forwarding, voicemail-to-email, and call recording, enhancing communication capabilities for remote workers. Mobility: VoIP can be accessed through softphones or mobile apps, allowing users to stay connected while on the go, contributing to increased mobility for remote workers. Virtual Meetings: VoIP supports virtual meetings and conferences, enabling remote teams to collaborate in real-time, share screens, and conduct productive online meetings. Few more tips for efficiently working During Quarantine! Be ready by being on top of your daily tasks and try to work as soon as you sit down at your workstation. We have some tips that can help you be ready: Being prepared for work means having a clear list of to-do tasks. So, create a list the night before. Make sure that you maintain strict work hours. Don’t forget to clean up your work environment. We understand that working from home can be more or less distractive for some. But it also means less pressure, stress and more personal space. Therefore, more people believe they can be more productive while working from home than in the office. Get working on our tips mentioned above and also become a home working convert soon.

Video Conferencing Bringing a Social Isolated World Together

From non-profit, small business, enterprises to everything in between, video conferencing has never been used by so many people at the same time. In times of global threat, people are social distancing. This precautionary step has put a strain on the workforce, as employees and managers are trying to work from home. In such times one tool that has proven to be a useful tool is video conference calls. With this innovative and modern tool business can maintain the work ethic they have in the office. They can communicate with everyone whether a supplier, partner, investor, customer or employee. The reason that businesses have taken this tool into consideration is because of its numerous benefits. We are going to enlist some of these benefits for you. How is Video Conferencing Bringing a Social Isolated World Together? Simple Management and Usability Conferencing Online is a great collaborative solution that gives the working teams the access they need. Since, it offers more than just video conference including real-time instant messaging and screen sharing. However, depending on a lot of desperate web conferencing solutions can complicate everything, be implementing a strong online meeting solution with user-friendly interface can help teams focus on their meetings rather than having to troubleshoot every meeting. So, make sure you put your trust is a good Voice over IP conference service. That doesn’t make false promises. Enable the Digital Workforce Video conference software creates a collaborative meeting culture in an organization while also enabling a digital workforce. With a video meeting, teams can maintain the human connection regardless of a physical location that speeds up the decision making and enhances a business’s ability to collaborate globally. So, if you have started to use video conference now while social isolating then you can closely experience the benefits of the conference and use it even after the lockdown is over. Increase Communication Reliability Video conference is a secure and fast solution to communicate with your teams. As the video continues to develop into a critical business function, it is essential to prioritise the enterprise-level service and support reliability in your chosen solution. Just invest a bit time in finding whether your provider works towards developing a better product. Rally Communication and Culture Nowadays workforce prioritises flexibility, mobility and modern types of communication over private offices anyway. This way remote workforce can come face-to-face with the in-house employees, it can essentially boost productivity on both ends and it can reduce travel expenses as well. Comparing the cost of a video conference and travelling shows that video conferencing is the better winner. Whether your business comprises of remote employees, is globally dispersed or emphasizes a healthy work/life balance, a video conference solution has the ability to bring the human connection to every interaction. Improve Value and Reduce Redundancy Businesses that upgrade to video VoIP conferencing find out more value in video conference solutions that also include screen sharing, conference recording, live streaming and chat. The total cost of ownership, licensing and maintenance for multiple providers, just adds the unnecessary cost for the end-users. A standard-based interoperability solution allows businesses to extend their investment and more value from the solution by integrating it, for instance, integration of the solution with Microsoft suites such as Teams, Outlook, Exchange and Skype for business for clear audio and video experience. Adopting such solutions can ensure workflow and better productivity. How to Choose the Right Conference Service? If you have seen the news recently or been on social media then you would have noticed that there is a surge of interviews done through video conferences and the basic dilemma which comes with it, the interference. Regardless of how far technology has come, there still is an issue of poor audio quality. With the popularity of video conference, the audio quality has become even more of an issue for many since service providers eagerly provide audio and video even to those with a poor internet connection. So, what actually is important for a conference, being able to hear or see? There is no doubt that with a video you get additional pointers during a discussion but you can’t do without the audio. Audio is the key to a conference call. Without audio, conferencing is a useless tool. So, when you choose a service provider and need video then make sure that your provider adequately deals with the poor internet connection when audio and video conference is involved. What does this mean? Well, it means you got to ask this question if a host or participant has poor internet then is the video element of the conference ‘frozen’ in order to ensure more internet bandwidth goes to the conference audio quality. If not then you might face an issue with audio quality. Enjoy Video Conferencing With VoIP Elevate your communication experience and foster seamless collaboration with VoIP by delving into video conferencing. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology revolutionises voice communication and offers powerful video conferencing capabilities. With VoIP-based video conferencing, teams can engage in face-to-face virtual meetings, enhancing the depth and effectiveness of communication. This feature is precious for remote work scenarios, allowing teams to connect, share screens, and collaborate in real-time from various locations. VoIP’s video conferencing functionality combines high-quality visuals with the flexibility of accessing meetings from desktops, laptops, or mobile devices, making it a versatile and indispensable tool for businesses seeking efficient and interactive remote collaboration. Embrace the era of visual communication and enhance your team’s connectivity with VoIP video conferencing.

The Complete Guide to Managing Remote Call Centre Agents

As technology trends continue to develop, the workforce has begun to change shape as well. Because of high-speed internet and cloud networks powering VoIP and contact centre solutions, access no longer is limited to the office space. Fortunately with a call centre software agents can get connected to the same network in the office, which they need to make and answer calls. With just the internet and headset agents can easily work from home. Whether you have a contact centre or a call centre, the trend of remote working is not just convenient but can be more productive. Your agents don’t have to worry about making it to the office through rush hour and they can work from the comfort of their home while remaining productive and efficient. However, not everyone can manage a remote team. Hence, we are going to give you guys some tips to efficiently manage a remote team. Tips To Manage Remote Agents Efficiently: Daily reports, call logs and check-ins: While you won’t be able to call your agent into the office or have then dropped off a work report daily before heading out, you can still put-on compulsory check-ins from remote agents. Through unified collaboration, team collaboration, Hipchat or slack you can always stay connected with the agent’s while also tracking their online presence. Making agents check-in when they begin working, updating their progress and then again check-in with the end of day report can easily substitute those in-person reporting. Most of the popular contact centre solutions offer access to agent’s call logs and daily activity so managers can monitor agents. Control Quality Assurance Tools: Cloud phone system offer access to activity reports and call logs and they have a lot of other quality assurance tools. A lot of solutions allow customers to rate call quality based on specifically predefined metrics. If monitoring call grades, call logs, and status report is not enough then there are other powerful features available. Although no one wants to micromanage or be micromanaged there is call recording which you can use to train agents and make sure outbound calls are handled properly. There is also call barging so supervisors can listen in on agent’s calls in real-time as they happen, they can do it even without alerting the agent or customer. This way manager can have hands-on approach and track agents work without having to be in the office. Try to make work fun, Gamification: The idea behind Gamification is simple; it applies the typical elements and rewards of playing a game to your agent’s work. Using competitions with other agents, point-scoring and with some rules and regulations for help, you can build a solid reward system for the highest performing agent. Offering incentives to the most productive agents and creating a series of goals can help your agents engage with the tasks at hand and it enhances productivity. Gamification is one of the great ways to ensure your agents reach the highest level of efficiency. There are call centre solutions that have built-in Gamification to integrate with the platform. Collaborate and Foster a Community: Agents that work from home may feel a bit disconnected from the community and culture of the office. But, fortunately, because of so many communication and collaboration tools available n the market, contact centres can establish the social media community and help remote agents stay connection. If your contact centres use Slack, needing your remotely working agents to sign up and join the appropriate Slack rooms can help them be in the loop and offers them a way to communicate with other co-workers, general team chat room, and managers directly. However, you have to centre them on a fun team-building exercise or event. Best Tools for Managing Remote Workforce: There are a lot of features that a contact centre must have, some of which are specifically tailored with affordable call rates and tools for managing remote employees. Automatic Diallers: Thanks to automatic diallers like progressive, preview, predictive and power diallers, managers can cut down on remote agents’ downtime by ensuring a steady stream of phone calls. With call centres, diallers, particularly predictive diallers, agents can have another call ready to go as soon as their latest call ends. You agents may never be this efficient or productive on their own. Employees Management Tools: An absolute schedule is important to keep your agents on task throughout the day. A good workforce management tool can make it easier to create schedules that work with agent’s availability, manage call flow and call volume and help maintain a flexible workforce. Call Management Software: This feature allows managers to vigilantly monitor their agents, regardless of their locations. Supervisors can train their agents virtually by dropping in on live calls or by providing silent coaching through chat to help ensure agents provide a consistent service level. Screen Sharing and Remote Access: If managers want more in-depth agent monitoring, several contact centre solutions allow screen sharing and remote access from an agent’s computer to manger’s computer. Screen sharing and remote access feels just like a walk around the office and keeping an eye over the agent’s activity. Complete Call Analytics: With call logs, supervisors can take a look at the great amount of data contact centre software provides like when, how many calls and how long the agents were making calls. Such tools allow managers to keep an eye on when their agents are logged in and how long they were idle and if they flag as unavailable to take other phone calls. Real-time manager dashboard: While a lot of solutions like reporting and call logs are seen after the fact, through real-time manager dashboards managers can monitor agent’s activity in real-time. If an agent is on call, manages can peek to look at all the related information and then call barging and silent coaching is possible from here. Compliance and Quality Assurance Features: Managers can stay on top of their agents, improve security in the network and obey any regulations with call recording, encrypting communication and adhering to government regulations, based on the industry your contact centre operates in. Customer surveys Post call: Analysis and monitoring of agents can also be done with post-call customer surveys. These surveys can give callers a chance to rate their conversation which is made possible through contact centre software. The level of satisfaction to help managers understand and get feedback on the agent’s performance. A service provider offering great contact services is VoIP Business. They offer an all in one VoIP Solution for Call Centre that can help managers manage their remote workforce easily. They offer all the above mentioned must features that every contact centre needs. This way remote agent can be a good addition to your contact centre and it can help ensure a high quality of service along with round the clock customer service, all for low overall cost. The company offers Free Call Plan so that you can test out their services for free without making a long term commitment.

Top-Telecommunications-Industry-Challenges-Risks-in-2020

Top Telecommunications Industry Challenges & Risks in 2021

The telecommunication industry is in a transformational phase to adapt to the new cloud, IP telephony and technological trends. At first, communication technology was the focus that markets the first wave of information era, then came the internet phase that began around 2000. The industry realigned itself during this phase and came the time for portals and e-commerce. The cloud started to take shape in 2006 and that was the third phase of telecommunication industry transformation. The year 2019 was the era of cloud, a lot of new opportunities opened up for the providers. It’s evident that there is no escaping the cloud era and it is unstoppable. Other than new opportunities, the telecommunication businesses around are actually facing challenges in the era of cloud. New technologies such as Voice over IP, Virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), microservice, Internet of things (IoT) and more require that telecommunication companies organise their business structure and strategy according to the era of cloud, in terms of architecture, operations and networks. Further, to get a competitive edge, providers have to focus on offering customised solutions to the customers while also developing a long-term relationship with them. However, we discuss the challenges let’s first look at the telecommunication trends to look forward to in 2021. Telecom Industry Future trends 2021 5G Networks: the 5th Generation of networks is the most recent iteration of the internet connection. The 5G network brings 3 huge upgrades to the table. If offers great speed for data, less latency for short load times and increases the ability to connect more devices simultaneously. It can allow more proficient and detailed virtual and augmented realities, totally autonomous vehicles, massive connected IoT networks and higher resolution video. The 5G is anticipated to change the future of telecommunication. Diversified ecosystems: just like the ecosystems function in nature, the industrial ecosystems are a network of cross-industry businesses that work together to produce a strong and advanced industry. The telecommunication industry is going to see a move toward making those lucrative ecosystems. According to research, in the next ten year ecosystems will unlock 100 trillion in value by unlocking the competitive agility. The telecom providers and IT businesses & Startup have the highest potential to come together in alliance. IoT and Smart Cities: the Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of connected devices that communicate with each other and can be monitored and controlled remotely. By the year 2022, there will be almost 30 billion IoT connected devices globally, a lot of which will be industrial connections, an important part of smart cities. The smart cities take IoT further by establishing an interconnected network which can be accessed online by residents, through a mobile app. A network like such can provide communication and data channels which allow subscribers to manage their daily activities efficiently, from corresponding with the government to finding a parking spot instantly. Smart cities main goal is to produce better living quality for their residents by streamlining the urban services such as transportation and energy through smart technology. But, before the promise of 5G networks, experts could not foresee the capacity to support the data a connected city can generate. Now that 5G networks are on the horizon, the major urban cities will be racing to be the first one to introduce their own smart city. Increasing popularity of UCaaS: in 2021 we will see the consolidation of communication technologies into unified communications as service platforms. Such platforms have the underlying Voice over Internet Protocol technology; however they provide more than voice calling capability. Other VoIP Features include conferencing, fax services, team collaboration and instant messaging. One advantage of UCaaS is the ability to centralise all online communication within one platform. Instead of having to buy video conferencing separately, businesses can invest in a single product that has it all. Artificial Intelligence: the Artificial Intelligence in telecom industry consists of a myriad of focus areas. Network optimisation and customer service are at the top of the list. This year some big implementations of AI will be in these spaces. Predictive analytics is a promising capability of AI technology, particularly for the telecommunication community. The AI-based analytics offer telecom provides the ability to use data and machine learning software to predict the trends in future along with the potential infrastructure snags. In addition, AI-based virtual assistants and chatbots will change the way companies handle customer services. They can automate the conversations and mimic human speech automatically, while also drawing data and insights to offer positive and personalised experiences. With the introduction of IoT networks along with 5G capabilities will make this easier and will enable businesses to collaborate effortlessly to advance these technologies across their networks. The telecommunication industry is a significant centre for cutting edge technology adoption. With the integration of AI technologies, the IoT and 5G networks, the telecom providers will continue to be at the forefront of technological development. Challenges in the telecommunication industry With the new technologies becoming available, the quality and variety of services from telecommunication companies and internet providers are increasing, the profit margins decreasing and the line between technology providers and telecom companies are blurring. Telecom companies must decentralise the purchasing and decision power, internally and externally, due to the agile reconfiguration of the cloud. The telecom companies need to take a fresh look at the ICT (information and communications technology) innovation and adapt their organisation to the digital revolution by making strong cross-functional interfaces and by looking at tools for maintaining organisational flexibility. The telecom companies have to upgrade their IT and connectivity structure and focus on offering voice and data services that are high quality, affordable and reliable. The cloudification of telecom networks is a significant trend that can help address some of the challenges faced by the industry, such as the need for high-quality, reliable data services and the management of increasing volumes of data from IoT devices. The network security has become a huge priority for the telecom providers and they are facing new challenges that are powered by new technologies. Hence, some of the technical and operational innovations are required to meet customer expectations of full system security from network-level until the device. Because of millions of users, a wide range of products like VoIP Services, customised and bundled solutions, order fulfilment, operational support like service configuration, billing and customer care have become increasingly complex. Therefore, the cost of managing these operations needs resources and different tools, in turn, increasing the financial overhead. Another challenge coming up for telecom companies and internet providers is the impact of the Internet of Things which is leading to massive growth in the connected devices. The growth is producing billions and trillions of new data sources, hence, it’s expected that such growth can push the data to be managed by networks to zeta bytes per year. Try a free signup with VoIP Business.

How Remote and Home Working with VoIP Can Help Businesses – Covid-19 LockDown

Since the spread of coronavirus or covid-19, more and more people are self-isolating as a precaution, you might be thinking what this means as a business owner. If you do not know which measures you should take for your employees’ safety then on the option to consider is allowing them to work from home. In this article, we are going to give you the best tips for working from home and how VoIP Business can help you achieve this while keeping the team linked up. The challenges of home and remote working There are job roles that can be fulfilled by working from home while others are somewhat difficult. In such unprecedented times, a lot of companies are scrambling to work out how the can minimise the damaging effects of Covid-19 on the productivity and revenue while also making sure that the well-being and health of employees aren’t compromised. Let’s discuss how VoIP Business can enable remote and home working. 1. A hosted VoIP system: Our business phone system is hosted which means you don’t have to worry about maintaining any on-site heavy equipment. Being in the cloud means you have easier access to your remote employees from different locations. We are an experienced and expert service provider which ensures you get great user experience. 2. VoIP Business mobile app: Allowing employees to work from home can generally mean that they depend on their internet connection to log in and receive phone calls. A strong internet connection is a basic for remote working, however, what if the large number of people working from home causes their internet connection to be under strain or what if there is an outage? Everyone just has to install VoIP Business mobile apps and use their mobile data for added resilience. 3. ‘Follow me’ feature: VoIP Business ‘follow me’ feature allows employees to maximise their availability for answering calls. If a customer calls and the agent is not at the table then it can call their softphone or even their mobile phone to make sure they are easily contactable even if you are not in the office. 4. Conference calling and conference chat rooms: With events and meetings being canceled everywhere; you may be worried about missing out on important meetings. Then you need not fear, our collaborative tools have the answer. With VoIP Business Phone services it is easy to conduct a virtual meeting with our conference call facility that enables you to create a virtual conference room quickly for an unlimited number of participants. Our conference rooms allow your employees to keep in contact with each other as easily and quickly as if they were in the office. Voice over IP technology comes with something known as ‘Service as a Software (SaaS)’. This allows you to manage networks and host all the necessary software with the help of the cloud. All these abilities combine to make remote working easier than it has ever been before. The cloud-based system also eliminates the requirement for storage devices and flash drives, which can be a security threat if they have sensitive data. So, with VoIP Business the prospect of your team working from home doesn’t need to be a frightening one. You can be assured that our features are designed to help remote workers meaning you don’t need to compromise on the quality of service of work that you provide to your customers Just Sign Up and Get Free Trial.

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