Customer is king. The customer is always right. Customer satisfaction has always been a pinnacle of business success – an indication that you are thriving in a competitive world. But mastering customer service is becoming ever more of a challenge in a fast-paced landscape where your clients and customers are always looking for exceptional experiences, and are willing to leave a company that they’ve been doing business with for years if their expectations are not met.
As a business, you need to find ways to deliver quick and efficient support, and stay ahead of the curve, providing exceptional services and experiences. Any tools that can help you do this are critical, and one of the technologies that is boosting customer service and enhancing business processes is Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.
What Is VoIP?
Let’s start at the beginning. Before we can look at how VoIP improves customer service, you need to understand what it is and how it works. VoIP is a technology that allows users to make voice calls over the internet instead of traditional phone lines. It converts analogue audio signals into digital data that can be transmitted over the internet, making it possible to place calls from a computer, smartphone or other devices.
What does this mean practically for your business? Well, because you don’t need to have a dedicated handset to place VoIP calls, your humans can access your phone systems from their existing devices, which allows your business more flexibility. It also means that you don’t have to rely on phone companies like Telkom, or incur fees for every minute that your humans spend on phone calls.
What Is The Difference Between VoIP And Cloud PBX?
The next question to naturally follow once you have a basic understanding of what VoIP is, is how does it differ from, for example, a cloud PBX system.
While the two terms are often used interchangeably, the difference between VoIP vs cloud PBX is similar to the difference between having a phone line and having a phone system. VoIP on its own is like having a phone line. It has all of the basic functionality that you need – allowing you to make and receive phone calls. Having a phone system (like a traditional or cloud PBX system), on the other hand, involves not just making and receiving calls, but having voice prompts that direct customers to various departments, allowing callers to record messages that can be listened to later or leaving their numbers for callbacks. It makes transferring a call to another user quick and easy, or allows for conference calling between multiple users and devices.
Essentially, VoIP is what makes a cloud PBX function.
How Can Using VoIP Improve Your Customer Service?
Investing in cloud VoIP and cloud PBX solutions can improve the customer service that you’re able to offer in various ways, from exceeding expectations and reducing wait times, to providing interactive voice responses and making communication easier.
• Exceeding Increased Customer Expectations
The service level that your customers expect from your business is astronomical. With the way technology has been advancing, it’s no longer enough to just be mediocre when it comes to customer service. You need to exceed expectations wherever possible, and expectations are already at an all time high. Your customers want you to be open 24/7, available whenever they need assistance, and be able to provide feedback and support instantly. And more than that, they don’t want to feel like they are just nameless callers – they want a personalised experience, where the person on the other end of the line knows who they are and why they’re calling before they even have to say a word.
While the humans in your business aren’t mind-readers, having tools like cloud VoIP and cloud PBX systems at your disposal means that you can offer a more professional, personalised experience to your customers. On top of being able to have backup staff answering calls at all hours on their personal devices to give the impression that you’re always available, one of the best features of a well set up VoIP system is that you can integrate it with your database, reflecting a caller’s name if their number is stored within your systems, and allowing for your teams to answer the call with a personal greeting. It’s a simple step, but one that has the potential to easily delight your customers and make them feel at ease.
• Reducing Wait Times
No one wants to be put on hold for half an hour, or have their call passed from one person to the next without their issue being resolved.
Another way that VoIP improves customer service is that it allows you to direct callers to different departments to streamline your call volumes. You can even have an option to request a callback if your phoneline is busy, rather than having people waiting in the queue. This means that customers won’t be stuck on hold for extended periods of time, waiting for the next available agent.
And with technology like Artificial Intelligence advancing in leaps and bounds, you can even set up your VoIP solutions to have a virtual assistant that provides automated responses and directs callers to the information they need, without ever having to speak to one of your team members. This is particularly useful for call centres that deal with the same questions on a regular basis, since you can record answers to your frequently asked questions, reducing friction for your clients, and decreasing your daily call volume, freeing up time to deal with more pressing customer service matters.
• Providing Interactive Voice Responses
VoIP systems often include interactive voice response (IVR) features that allow customers to self-serve by selecting options from a menu. This technology can automatically direct customers to the right department or service by using voice or touch-tone commands, which is a major plus in terms of improving customer satisfaction.
Using IVR helps reduce the frustration that customers feel when they have to wait on hold before speaking with a human, and can even help manage call volume spikes during peak times. Interactive voice responses also provide a consistent and professional experience for customers, regardless of the time or day they call. This convenience is highly valued by customers, and can ultimately lead to increased loyalty and retention.
• Making Communication Easier
VoIP systems also make communication easier for both your team members and your customers.
With VoIP, customers can choose their preferred method of communication, be it through voice calls, video calls, or instant messaging. And having the option to choose the communication tool that will work best for them enhances their overall experience. This system allows for seamless transitions between different modes of communication, enabling customers to switch from a voice call to a video conference, for instance, without any disruptions. Plus, VoIP’s compatibility with various devices (from traditional desktop phones to cellphones and computers) makes it easier for customers to reach out whenever they need assistance, regardless of where they are. By prioritising convenience and accessibility, VoIP greatly simplifies the process of customer engagement, fostering a more enjoyable and stress-free interaction for your clients.
And for your team members, features like one-click calling allow them to easily connect with clients from anywhere in the world. This reduces the delay in responding to client requests, giving the impression that your business is open around the clock, and that your team is there to help whenever your customers need them.
How Can Using VoIP Help Your Business Processes?
Apart from improving customer service, VoIP also brings numerous benefits to your overall business processes. As Irfaan, one of our IT Pros who deals intricately with VoIP systems and helping our clients to set them up, puts it: “It’s more than just a phone system. It’s a lifestyle choice that aligns with the way that you live and work today.” Here are just a few of the ways that VoIP improves customer services and enhances your business operations:
• Embracing Remote And Hybrid Work
“Imagine having the freedom to manage your business calls from a beach, your home, or while travelling,” Irfaan explains. “That’s the kind of flexibility that cloud VoIP bring to your life.”
With more and more companies embracing remote work or adopting a hybrid working model, VoIP is the perfect solution to keep communication lines open and efficient.
• Improving Reliability
When your company is experiencing high call volumes, you want to make sure that you have a reliable phone system in place to handle the increased demand. And if your business operates in a country like South Africa, factors like loadshedding have the potential to compromise that reliability. But when you have a cloud VoIP system in place, loadshedding in one area will not necessarily impact your teams’ ability to answer calls on their portable devices like laptops and cellphones.
“It’s like having a dependable assistant who’s always there, rain or shine, ensuring no important call is ever missed, even during power outages.”
• Prioritising Security
“Think of cloud VoIP as a guardian angel for your conversations,” says Irfaan. “It keeps them secure without you ever having to worry about the technicalities.”
VoIP systems provide enhanced security compared to traditional phone systems. With features like encryption, firewalls, and secure data transmission, VoIP systems offer a secure communication channel for businesses. This not only protects sensitive business information but also builds trust with customers who value security and privacy.
• Reducing Your Environmental Footprint
VoIP systems are an eco-friendly option for businesses looking to reduce their carbon footprint. With VoIP, there is no need for physical phone lines or hardware, reducing electronic waste and paper usage. Plus, VoIP systems use less energy compared to traditional phone systems, making them a more sustainable choice for businesses.
“By choosing cloud VoIP, you’re not just making a smart business choice,” Irfaan explains. “You’re also doing your bit for the planet by cutting down on energy and hardware.”
• Reducing Costs
One of the main advantages of VoIP is its cost-effectiveness. Traditional phone systems often involve high setup and maintenance costs, as well as expensive long-distance calls. With VoIP, these costs are significantly reduced, as the system is entirely internet-based and doesn’t require any extra infrastructure. Additionally, most VoIP providers offer unlimited local and international calling plans at fixed monthly costs, making it more budget-friendly for businesses.
• Maximising Features
VoIP systems offer a wide range of features that can greatly enhance your business communication and productivity. Busy call forwarding, voicemail-to-email transcription, call screening and recording are just some of the many features provided by VoIP systems to streamline your business processes.
• Integrating Seamlessly
VoIP systems can integrate easily with other business apps such as your CRM and call centre software, or your Microsoft 365 platforms. This allows your team to streamline their workflow and access all necessary information in one place, making communication seamless and hassle-free. Furthermore, VoIP systems can also integrate with other communication tools such as video conferencing and instant messaging, providing a unified platform for all your business needs.
How Can Solid Systems Help?
When you’re looking at all of the advantages that a system like Cloud PBX holds for enhancing your business, or how VoIP improves customer service, it can be easy to become overwhelmed. After all, there are so many different options available to you – how can you be sure that you’re taking advantage of the features that are going to enhance your operations, rather than getting caught up in just adopting technology for the sake of it.
This is where having a reliable IT company like Solid Systems by your side can make all the difference. When we work with businesses to implement VoIP services, it’s about more than just putting a technology in place. We work with you to understand your unique goals and objectives, and find the right VoIP solutions that will work for your business, and help you exceed those goals.
As one of the trusted VoIP service providers in South Africa, we have been helping businesses to adopt cloud solutions and cloud PBX systems for almost as long as they have been available, and love working with businesses to enhance their operations and see them improving the customer service that they are able to offer in turn.
If you are looking for a technology partner who is about more than just implementing solutions, but about customising them to your unique needs, then you’ve come to the right place. Schedule a free consult with our Sales team today and let’s see you stepping into the future with confidence.
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