Mobility and 5G. While some VoIP services still offer mobile handsets, these devices seem to be on the downslope. After all, if talking while walking is your goal, why carry around a clunky handset when you should just be talking on your smartphone? Seamless voice switchover based on geofencing is one approach. So if your smartphone detects that it's inside your company's wireless network it can seamlessly engage your VoIP client over Wi-Fi, not your cell service and now you'll be making and receiving calls from both your personal calling plan as well as your business' VoIP service. This generally goes beyond simple calls to also include texts, voicemail-to-email, and collaborative online meetings.
“Hey there! This is [name] at [XYZ company]. Thank you for calling. I can’t take your call right now but if you leave your name, contact info and reason for calling, I’ll call you back right away. Take care and speak with you soon!”
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On-premise or hosted PBX: This isn't a choice all businesses will face. Small analog phone systems usually come with a simple hardware PBX that's kept on-site. And medium and large businesses often want the control of an on-site PBX, but they also have the IT budgets needed to maintain them.
800-555-1212I will be checking my voicemail messages periodically, so please leave me a message and I will return your call as soon as possible. If you need immediate assistance, please contact my assistant, Suzy Jones at 1-800-555-1212 extension 6336.
Invite the caller to leave a detailed message. If there is certain information you need, make sure to include that information here.
Note that most small business phone systems today include additional communication channels and team collaboration solutions, such as video calling, instant chat messaging, SMS texting, and file sharing.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
Ready to put your voicemail to work for your brand? Learn more about Tendant’s built for responsiveness voice solutions by visiting Tendant.com.
The VirtualPBX Feature Codes, for instance, let users dial *97 to reach their personal voicemail boxes.
When you’re looking for a job, a good rule of thumb is to answer your phone as often as you can. You never know when a recruiter might be calling to set up an in-person meeting, or conduct a phone interview.
Phone systems are a big investment with a long-term impact for small businesses. If you get the wrong system, you could have problems. If you go cheap, you could suffer additional expenses when you try to scale for growth. If you go expensive, you could pay for a lot of bells and whistles you don't need, which would put a strain on your budget.
8×8 places its efforts on ensuring they have a truly unified cloud-based communication system that works simply and seamlessly with your business.
Nextiva also includes an auto-attendant that will play callers a customized greeting and provide them with a menu that connects them with specific people or departments within your company.
You can be certain that you’ve answered the return calls from your customers by having a fixed schedule every day that’s dedicated to checking your own record of return calls. If you can have a team for this purpose, then have one. The prompt feedback you can give those prospective clients after they’ve returned your call may successfully translate to better sales and higher profitability.
2. “Hi! We’re glad you called [company name]. We’re happy to help but we are either on the line with another client or on the go! Please let us know your name, number, and reason for your call today. As soon as we become available, we will call you right back. Thanks!” Ask your callers to leave a short message so you can determine when to return their call.
GoToConnect (formerly Jive) delivers a cloud-based unified communication solution to organizations of all sizes across the U.S. GoToConnect includes integrated products for business VoIP, video conferencing and contact center whic... Read more
If you’re not going to apologize or sound regretful about it, chances are you will lose on potential prospects. Mean it to your prospects how you are really sorry you can’t assist them at the moment.