The Benefits of Call Forwarding

Excellent customer service is one of the most important things you can give to a customer no matter what line of business you’re in. For many businesses, their telephone system allows them to help deliver an acceptable form of customer service. Call forwarding is a feature that will offer many benefits to a company that opts for it.

Instant Access

When a customer calls looking for a specific person to talk to, connecting them with that person immediately is key. Call forwarding will allow you to transfer that customer’s call to the person they need to speak with. With VoIP phones, the call can be transferred within the office, to a phone from their home, or to their cell phone. Staying connected to customers at all times provides excellent customer service.

No Messages

When a customer calls to speak with you and you’re not around to answer the call, they will be forced to leave you a voicemail or message. Many customers feel discouraged from leaving messages because they feel like the information won’t be held as privately as a phone call would be. Call forwarding will cut down on the amount of office messages and will allow each employee to set up a personal voicemail.

On the Go

Some business require their employees to travel to different parts of the city, country, or even the world. Whether this person is out of the office for half of the day or for a week, call forwarding will make it seem like they never left. Employees can be on the go, but still remain in contact with their clients and customers.

Call forwarding is a small feature with HUGE benefits that will be useful to businesses who utilize it. When your business needs to provide excellent customer service, contact Reliable Voice & Data Systems to inquire about a new VoIP phone system. To learn more, or to schedule a free estimate, give us a call at (877) 385-6657.

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Tips on How to Effectively Work From Home

Compared to working in an office, working from home can be a complete night and day experience. While each setting has its own pros and cons, working from home can be more productive for certain types of people. If you’ve recently started working from home, here are a few tips to help you stay productive.

1. To-Do List - When you’re away from the office and your fellow employees, it can be tough to remember every single thing you have to do each day. Create a daily and weekly to-do list so you can check your tasks off as you complete them.
2. Do Not Enter - Distractions can take over when you’re working from home. Avoid having any contact with family or friends during your work day. Express that you are working during a set time of hours and that you would appreciate it if they meet with you after work.
3. Office Space - Productivity can fall if you are not working in the right space. Laying on your bed on a laptop might hinder less results than if you were sitting at a desk. Invest in a good desk, chair, and computer if you want to accomplish a lot during your work day.
4. No One is Home - When the phone or the doorbell rings, sit quiet and let it go. Distractions like these can cause serious disruptions in your daily work flow. Pretend you're not home and the distraction will go away in a matter of seconds.
5. Stay Connected With Employees - Throughout the day, communicate with your fellow employees. Use email, chat applications, and your work phone to work together. Take it a step further and meet up with them every so often. Even if it’s just once a month to talk over important topics and tasks.
6. Leave the Kitchen - You’re at home next to a refrigerator and pantry filled with food. Work can get boring and repetitive sometimes, but resist the urge to snack. With easily accessible food only a short walk away, the pounds can surely start packing on.
7. Take Breaks - As long as you’re handling your workload well, take small breaks as you need them. Get up and stretch your legs, take the dogs outside for a bathroom break, or go wash your face. If your job requires you to take a lunch break, use it for eating as well as other activities you wouldn’t normally be able to do (swimming in the pool, working out, etc.).

Working from home can be a better work experience for many people, so make sure that you are doing so efficiently. When you work from home, think about installing a VoIP phone system in your house so you can constantly stay in contact with your company and clients. Contact the experts at Reliable Voice & Data Systems to learn more about VoIP, or to schedule a free estimate by calling (877) 385-6657.

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How Your Small Business Can Benefit From VoIP

Small businesses are what help make the world go round! They serve their local community’s needs, which in turn helps the business grow and stimulates that town’s economy. It’s a win-win, but what a sweet victory it is when you can do that while also making the business operation run smoother. Enter VoIP; stage right.

On the Go

Many businesses have a physical location, but sometimes their employees need to be in other areas while they work. When you choose VoIP you can always stay connected no matter where you are in the country. With call routing, any phone call that would normally go to your VoIP telephone will be automatically redirected to your cell phone. Business trips just got a whole lot easier.

Team Meetings Whenever

Why have everyone in the same room for a meeting when you can just as easily hold a conference call? Thanks to VoIP you can create conference calls with the addition of software that allows you to share media on-screen. This goes hand-in-hand with allowing employees to work from home or on the road, as well as communicating with business clients.

Analytics

VoIP is great because it’s cost-effective and comes with an arsenal of features, but it also give us information. The data that VoIP software provides is important because it will show you exactly how you use the phones. This allows you to adjust your usage, make changes to your service plan, and find out how to improve your call timing. Nothing is better than free information about your business operation (besides profit, of course!)

When small businesses switch from traditional phone systems to VoIP, their business operations will run a whole lot smoother than it did before. If you think VoIP is right for your business (don’t worry, it is), contact the experts at Reliable Voice & Data Systems. To learn more, or to schedule a free estimate, give us a call at (877) 385-6657.

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How to Conduct an Effective Conference Call

Whether you’re working with another company or working with travelling members of your own, it’s important to know how to have an effective conference call. In order to do just that, follow these steps.

Before the Call

• Plan It Out - Decide on a time that works for all participants, especially if they are in different time zones. Find a time that isn’t first thing in the morning, too close to the end of the day, or is in the middle of a lunch hour.
• Send Requests - Send an online email notifying all attendees of the conference call, when it takes place, and any instructions they need to know in order to access the call. Also, include a small agenda with talking points so everyone can properly prepare.
• Reminder & Remember - The morning of the call, send out a reminder to all participants to make sure everyone a) remembers, and b) is on time to the call. You’re also going to want to brush up on all of the talking points and anything you might be presenting.

During the Call

• Begin the Call - Make sure you start the call at exactly the time that is on the invitation request. In order to be on time, head into your conference room a few minutes early to log into any sites or set up any programs you might need.
• Stay on Track - No one wants to be on a conference call for too long, so make sure you stay on track as you follow your agenda. Make sure you cover all of the talking points, but in an amount of time that isn’t too long or too short.
• Take Notes - A conference call consists of a lot of talking from a lot of people, so be sure that note taking is done. Oftentimes a designated note taker is recommended so all participants can focus on the tasks at hand.

After the Call

• Recap - After the call has been completed, review your notes and create a call recap. Send this to all participants so everyone knows what needs to be done. It’s also good to have all of the information from the call documented in case there are any future disagreements.

Being able to have an effective conference call will allow all participants to communicate and receive any information they need in a smooth and easy way. Luckily, when you have a VoIP telephone system, conference calls are reliable and easy to set up. To learn more about VoIP phone systems, or to schedule a free estimate, give Reliable Voice & Data Systems a call at (877) 385-6657.

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