For most businesses, telephone communications have become an afterthought. We pick up the phone, hear a dial tone and expect it to work. The fact is, the office telephone system has come a long way and as the workforce becomes younger, there are key features that are a must. I’ve compiled a list of four features that are a must if you are considering a new VoIP system for your office.
1. Unified Communications
Unified Communications is the integration of real-time communication services such as instant messaging, presence information, telephony, video and audio conferencing. For example, imagine you are on the road getting ready to meet with a client and you need to speak with Alice in your sales office. For most businesses this means calling the main office, speaking with the operator, and waiting on hold while they track that person down. Today, it requires a simple glance at your mobile phone app using packages such as MaxMobile from Altigen communications or the Nextiva VoIP app and you can instantly see if your team member is on the phone, out to lunch, or available. You can then simply touch their extension icon and your phone automatically connects. From there, it gets even better! You can add additional callers using the same method and have an impromptu conference call while you drink your coffee in Starbucks. Other options include company chat rooms, IM’s, and more.
2. Follow me or ring anywhere services
As workers become increasingly mobile, effective communication becomes a very important consideration to keep teams on the same page. Whether it is a schedule-based call forwarding option or the ability to have your telephone system call your mobile, home phone, or even an assistant your VoIP system should have this feature.
3. Visual Voicemail
Your iPhone has it, why shouldn’t your business telephone system? Telephony systems from Altigen, Nextiva, and Fonality all give you the ability to view, listen, forward, delete your voicemail directly from your phone with a simple touch interface. Systems from Nextiva even give you the ability to have your voicemail transcribed and e-mailed to you. Other voicemail abilities include integration with Microsoft Exchange as well as the ability to have your voicemail e-mailed to you as an audio file.
4. BYOD
BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device, is a trend that is gaining momentum in the workplace. With BYOD, employees are allowed to connect approved personal smartphones and tablets to your company network. The Altigen, Fonality, and Nextiva products all support this functionality allowing the software to be installed on tablets, smartphones, and PCs. You’ll save money and your employees will be happier when they find out they no longer need to carry two mobile phones.
In summary…
If you’re looking to upgrade your communications experience, let Xecunet help. Xecunet has a ton of experience with traditional PBX and VoIP implementations from a small office to enterprise and government.