Organisations across the UK are switching to VoIP based phone systems for both their internal and external communication needs. However, many systems of that type in the marketplace are not ideally suited for call centres. Some lack the features required to manage large volumes of calls.
What Is A Call Centre?
Call centres are centralized offices that are dedicated to dealing with telephone inquiries. These services can also be outsourced. Companies like Call Center offer a full range of call centre services and VoIP phone systems.
What Do Call Centres Require From A Phone System?
Over the course of the past 10 to 20 years, call centres have evolved quite a lot. They now handle more calls than ever and customer exceptions have become much higher. Customers are no longer content with just contacting a company via phone. Now they want to be able to use further communication methods including live chat, emails, text messages and social media platforms. As a result, call centres now have to manage multiple channels of communication.
Multi-channel Communications
As a baseline, your call centre needs a phone system that links together all forms of communication (call recordings, email messages, SMS, etc.) in one place.
Software To Link Communication Channels
For different channels of communication to work together, each one needs to be able to connect to and allow access from multiple systems. It is for this reason that the industry-standard – SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) – is utilized by most call centres. Rmember, your centre’s phone system does not only consist of hardware like headsets, phones, cables and switchboards, but it also uses various software packages.
You should look for call centre phone systems that have the following features:
• Ability to direct calls to specific groups • Call queue management • IVR (Interactive Voice Response): IVR can transform your call centre. If a caller is just seeking basic information, such as account balance update, bill payment data, etc., the IVR can take care of their enquiry freeing up agents to handle more complex calls. • Reporting and analytics • Enterprise tools such as ERP and CRM • Call monitoring so the shift supervisor can monitor agents without interrupting their work • Call recording so recordings of calls can be used for feedback, training or legal issues. • Telephony features*
*Telephony features are all the features that come as standard with a basic business VoIP phone system. Examples include notifications, call hold options, transcription, voicemail, voice to text, etc. Many call centre phone systems also have click to call functionality, which allows customers to automatically call a business from the business’s website.
Why Should Call Centres Switch To Best VoIP Systems?
• Price
Nobody in the industry questions the fact that VoIP phone systems offer great value for money. There are no other types of call centre phone systems that can compete on price. With a hosted VoIP, for instance, internal calls between in-house employees are free while international calls cost only a small fraction per minute of what they used to.
• Features
VoIP phone systems also typically come out ahead when it comes to features. The adoption of digital technology means that more sophisticated functionally is available that traditional landline-based systems can’t possibly offer. A conventional analogue phone system cannot integrate multiple channels of communication the way a VoIP system can. And, the best news is that organizations don’t have to buy any extra physical equipment to enable advanced features.
• Continuous Innovation
All polyphony services are managed online with a cloud-based or hosted VoIP call centre system. The service provider manages all the software and equipment used. This means vendors can immediately deploy new features as soon as they are ready for the market. Furthermore, service providers are in a constant battle with each other to provide new features to their customers. Since it is super simple for businesses to switch providers, call centre VoIP phone system providers have a big incentive to ensure they are at the cutting edge of innovation. As a consequence, call centre organizations get to access the best features at the lowest prices.
