Boost your efficiency with Unified Communications and IP Phone Systems
Time is crucial in modern business operations, and yet it is still commonplace for larger businesses to use ISDN or PSTN lines and other antiquated communication methods when better options are available. While there can be a large-ish initial outlay on unified communications and IP phone systems, the long-term savings and marketing benefits cannot be denied.
Integrate Your IP Phones with Your ERP System
Imagine the productivity and customer service benefits your company could enjoy if every customer that called in was able to be greeted by name from the outset of a conversation.
It could soon become the norm in business communication. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems can be integrated with your phone system to cross-reference the calling phone number and immediately open a call note if there’s a match without the operator having to do a thing.
Currently employed to great effect in call centres, integrated ERP systems are gaining popularity within businesses looking for a competitive edge when it comes to communication.
Use Presence Information to Keep Everyone in the Loop
Presence information can be very useful for interdepartmental communication. With a software client like Skype for Business or Slack, to name just two of the plethora available, employees can choose from a number of options to indicate their current status for video, instant messaging or voice communication.
You can avoid interruption by broadcasting your current status to colleagues, allowing employees to prioritise and successfully work around the availability of others. IP phone systems that utilise presence information enhance the satisfaction of customers calling-in to a business by limiting miscommunication and wasted time spent on hold.
Skype for Business is better than email for internal use
We’re all familiar with Skype by now. The popular video-chat application was acquired by Microsoft in 2011, who introduced a specific application for business calls in 2014.
The compact interface and flexibility of Skype for Business make it an excellent option for company-wide communication. Users can ask and answer short queries among colleagues without closing the program they are currently using and losing focus. In effect, it is a quicker practice than sending and waiting for emails, with the additional benefit of being able to share documents, desktop screenshots and presentations with participating parties.
As an application that houses in-built cyber security measures and is available across all devices, Skype for Business is already growing in popularity among medium and large business and we think this trend will continue.
Note: In early October, Microsoft announced that Skype for Business will be superseded by its new Teams software. Skype’s functionality will be rolled-up into the new product and bundled with a variety of new productivity features.
