Identity Main Customer Touchpoints

You’ll need to dive deep into the primary ways and reasons your customers interact with your business in order to create an effective customer service strategy. Here are some questions that might help start the brainstorming process:

• How often are you being contacted by your customers?
• What are the main lines of communication customers use to get in touch with you?
• What are some of the most common customer questions or requests when they contact you?
• How do you measure customer engagement?

Make sure you’re keeping the entire customer journey in mind, from start to finish, when analyzing the responses to these questions. At what time of the journey do they ask specific questions about things like billing, features, or any other aspect of your business? Create a visual customer journey map if you need to, and keep the above questions in mind when mapping it out. Knowing how and why customers are communicating with you will ultimately play a big part in developing your customer service strategy.

Set Customer Service Goals

This one is huge when it comes to developing a unique and promising customer service strategy. Think about your customer service team and the most frequent types of interactions they have with customers. With this in mind, define specific goals for your team – each one focusing on a single area. For example, measure customer satisfaction with a brief survey after each interaction, with the main goal being “increase customer satisfaction by _%”.

Even if it’s just a quick pop-up that says, “Click how many stars you’d give us,” or, “Did we resolve your problem? Yes or no.” This will allow customers who might not be prone to speak up if there’s an issue to voice their feedback more comfortably. If a customer says their issue has not been resolved or if they only give one or two stars, make sure you include a text area where they can provide specific details of their experience and any potential concerns they have (and get back to them ASAP). 

It’s important to measure these survey results and analyze the feedback of each customer while keeping your goals in mind. Have a specific timeline of when you want to reach your goals. If you’re looking to receive only four- or five-star feedback or “review” responses within the next three months (or whatever timeline fits your business best), you’re going to need to get down to the bottom of where exactly in the customer journey process you could have improved your communication or services. Make sure your business’ goals are challenging enough so your customer service interactions can keep improving while also being attainable with work and targeted effort.

Define Customer Service KPI’s

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) provide a detailed look into how well your customer service is doing – instantaneously! The main one’s you’ll want to focus on are:

• Customer satisfaction score for overall customer happiness
• First response time, to measure the time your customers are on hold
• First contact resolution, to estimate how many customers have to talk to you more than once to get a solution
• Average resolution time
• Number of issues, and how many are active or resolved
• Customer retention rate

CallHarbor’s online portal provides our users with detailed insights into many of these KPI’s, such as how long your callers are on hold for and average resolution time. If there’s a caller who has called multiple times with an unmarked resolution, you can listen to their recorded phone conversations to see if there’s a roadblock, or find out whatever it is that’s preventing the problem from being resolved. It might just be a difficult issue, or it could be a problem with the agent who answered the call. You can use these measurements to overall improve your customer service strategy. Maybe your agents need a specific amount of training before taking calls, or maybe you need to gather and analyze customer satisfaction scores on a more regular basis.

Make Sure Your Team Is Driven

Lastly, it’s essential that your customer service team is committed to the highest customer service standards possible while maintaining a positive attitude. They not only need to fully understand any type of feedback or issue that presents itself, but they need to truly want to resolve the issue so that the company can have increased success. If you provide a service or product that requires customer service interaction outside of normal business hours, make sure your team is readily available during the set times where customers are able to contact them.

If you’re like us at CallHarbor and have a 24/7 customer service team, make sure your team members have enough drive to wake up at 3am if they get a call, along with enough motivation (and energy) to get the problem solved as quickly as possibly. Employees who want to see their business succeed and have that inner drive to problem-solve (no matter what time of the day or night it is) are the ones you’ll want to have leading your customer service efforts.

A Good Customer Service Strategy Can Transform Your Business

Don Alden Adams, President of the Tract Society of Pennsylvania, says, “To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.” Knowing your business’ goals, touchpoints, and KPI’s are all necessary to have a successful customer service strategy. However, it comes down to your team being resolution-focused and sincere when tackling any type of customer service issue. If you can focus on these aspects and have a stellar team intact, ready to solve whatever is thrown at them, then you’re on the route to success!

The post Developing an Effective Customer Service Strategy appeared first on CallHarbor.

Create Your Own Space

While working remotely, it’s very beneficial to have a designated area that you use only when working. This could be a separate office room, or part of your living room that you’ve turned into a professional and organized space for work tasks. Many people initially try setting up a work space in their bedroom, but this sometimes associates working with resting, which you’ll want to avoid if possible.

Make sure you have a simple and distraction-free space behind your work area, and ensure that there are not too many windows behind you, as this can make you look like a silhouette during virtual meetings. If you’re in an area of the house where you’re tempted to watch TV while working, try turning on some white noise or relaxing music instead. There’s always time for Netflix once you’re off the clock!

Don’t be afraid to spend a little money on your office decor and accessories (if your budget allows for it). Making the space inviting and aesthetically pleasing will help you look forward to your workday more. Add some plants to your desk or an end table, hang up an inspirational quote that speaks to you, or plug in some aromatherapy to stimulate your senses and make for a relaxing vibe throughout the day. Remember, working remotely gives you the potential of taking control over the way you experience work (which most likely takes up a decent amount of your day), so you might as well make it gratifying and appealing! 

Time Management & Workday Structure

It’s all about time management and staying focused when working remotely. If you’re just diving into a remote position, you might want to consider scheduling regular breaks, making sure you don’t work intensely for more than 90 minutes at a time. Just taking two-minute “microbreaks” has been shown to improve cognitive performance.

Allowing yourself to take multiple mini-breaks will also increase your overall productivity throughout the day, as you’re less likely to get burned out. Giving yourself (and your brain) a few minutes to breathe can be incredibly beneficial for your mental and emotional wellbeing. Some people use the Pomodoro technique: 25 minutes of uninterrupted work, with five-minute breaks throughout the day. 

Additionally, many companies have moved away from micromanaging their remote employees, so it’s important to create your own work schedule if your employer does not provide you with one. Set aside time each morning to check your email, respond to anything urgent, and plan out the rest of the day’s priorities (whether it’s hour-by-hour or task-by-task). Keeping up with all of your responsibilities in a structured way will not only set you up for success, but you’ll end each workday feeling rewarded and confident – all from the comfort of your home!

Communication is Key

It’s nearly impossible to over-communicate with your coworkers and supervisor(s) while working from home. Communication is really the foundation of good remote work,” says Brie Weiler Reynolds, a career development manager at FlexJobs. Since you don’t have the opportunity to collaborate in person, you’ll need to find other ways to stay in touch effectively and clearly. Some great ways to do this include:

• One-on-ones and routine check-ins
• Team meetings/video conferencing
• Slack or Microsoft Teams messaging
• Project management software
• Email

Don’t forget to ask your coworkers what their communication preferences are, as they may be different from yours. Some people prefer to receive an instant message via Slack or Teams rather than having to reply through an email, while others would rather collaborate through a video meeting. No matter what the preferred method is, frequent communication will undoubtedly help everyone stay on the same page and build better connections and trusted relationships across the team.

Final Thoughts

Working from home requires self-discipline, time management, and strong communication skills. It can take a few weeks to get into the swing of things when starting a new remote job, but you’ll soon experience the rewards that come along with it. While some people might be starting to return to work full-time or in a more hybrid capacity, the trend towards remote work is here to stay. 24% of professional jobs are still available as fully remote, so find the one that’s right for you and start reaping the benefits of remote work!

Sources

(1) Apollo Tech

(2) 8×8

(3) US News

The post Tips for Succeeding in a Fully Remote Position appeared first on CallHarbor.

1. Integrated communications

Retailers need to consistently communicate to the public about what they do and what they sell. With a fragmented communications structure, it’s nearly impossible to do this, making it difficult for companies to reach their business goals and maintain a strong brand presence. UCaaS ensures that retail employees collaborate internally and coordinate more efficient and profitable interactions with the public and potential customers.

From incorporating voice, messaging, and video & mobile technology, retailers can create a better overall experience for both team members and customers. This collaboration secures a more unified message that allows for on-the-go operations, increased brand clarity, and enhanced productivity.

2. Reduced costs and improved scalability

The cloud is the future of communications, especially for the retail industry. Cloud technology for retail can help businesses facing limited budgets, multiple locations, and continuous technological maintenance & upgrades. Upfront technology is no longer an issue with UCaaS as it would be with an on-premises solution. Instead, you pay a certain amount per user while providing constant collaboration with team members and customers. Additionally, many retailers have seen monthly phone charges reduced by 30% to 40% after switching to cloud-based telephony, as it eliminates toll and long-distance charges.

3. More flexible work arrangements

Ever since the pandemic began, many retailers have relied on remote or hybrid workers to perform service and support tasks after seeing a multitude of benefits. UCaaS makes it possible for these companies to operate with more support agents, whether reps are local or off-site, allowing for a much-needed coordinated approach and more constructive communication.

A team of talented employees utilizing the most progressive and beneficial communications system creates a major competitive advantage for a retailer. Taking advantage of UCaaS proves that retailers can successfully still conduct their daily business operations, even if it isn’t happening in their brick and mortar locations.

Switching to a UCaaS platform can undoubtedly help retailers streamline communication and cut costs, while giving customers a better experience and increasing brand awareness. By making the switch to an all-in-one communication system, retailers will surely see a boost in efficiency, customer satisfaction, employee happiness, and overall improvements that will help save money and increase future profits.

Sources

• Fuze
• Ring Central
• 8×8
• Parallel Tech

The post 3 Ways UCaaS Benefits the Retail Industry appeared first on CallHarbor.

CallHarbor’s Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) gives businesses of all sizes the features they need to succeed, from call center capabilities, to reception, to internal meetings. CallHarbor gives a fully featured Unified Communications Suite, with voice, messaging, SMS, video, and mobility features. CallHarbor also offers auto attendants, music on hold, call queues, voicemail transcription, and more, in every base package. All of it is backed by the best 24/7 US-based support, along with free installation and training.

“We are very honored and excited to receive TMC’s 2022 Unified Communications Product of the Year Award. It is a fantastic achievement to be recognized for our unique, innovative, flexible solutions, and we pride ourselves in our high quality, reliable service,” stated Frank Kadaf, Founder & Owner of CallHarbor.

“It gives me great pleasure to honor CallHarbor as a 2022 recipient of TMC’s Unified Communications Product of the Year Award for their innovative solution.” said Rich Tehrani, CEO, TMC. “Our judges were very impressed with the ingenuity and excellence displayed by CallHarbor in their groundbreaking work on their Unified Communications Solution.”

More About CallHarbor

CallHarbor is a national VoIP provider that goes a step above the rest. With no upfront costs, no surprise billing, and straightforward pricing, CallHarbor makes it easy for businesses of all sizes to get access to an upgraded business phone system.

The CallHarbor products have evolved over the years to meet the new demands of the workplace, always offering the latest technology with the greatest features, such as full unified communications, call center functionality, web softphone, enhanced voicemail services, call recording, and more. Our 24/7 US-based support is always available for you, with service that is unmatched.

For more information about CallHarbor and to learn how we can help you make the switch to a more flexible and reliable phone solution, please visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The post CallHarbor Receives UC Product of the Year Award for Exceptional Innovation appeared first on CallHarbor.

Increased Demand for UC in Non-Profits

A unified communications strategy makes it easy for non-profit employees to stay connected and keep their goals aligned, all while staying within their budget. The right UC solution in a non-profit environment allows for:

• Reduced costs: One of the biggest reasons non-profits are moving towards a UC system is the cost-effective savings. It’s a no-brainer that budget is a constant concern for non-profit groups. With UC, it’s possible to reduce the number of daily costs by combining your communications into a unified system, saving money in the long run. You’ll avoid excess roaming charges for long-distance calls out of the office, and you won’t ever have to pay for third-party conferencing software. You can also reduce travel expenses by replacing face-to-face meetings with virtual conversations via video or phone.
• Increased productivity: Fundraising, event planning, and gathering support for a crucial cause requires a lot of hard work. With UC, non-profits can communicate with team members and donors more effectively through a vast array of devices. This enhances worker collaboration among employees and volunteers, while improving overall efficiency. It also reduces the costs of communication, as company phones are no longer a necessity. Instead, personal devices can be used to access the phone network, thus increasing versatility and productivity.
• Enhanced collaboration: Consistent collaboration must be a primary focus if a non-profit organization wants to succeed. UC solutions include features that employees can use to collaborate more effectively with each other. If the entire team is using the same communication platforms, it’s much easier to stay connected with everyone throughout the day. This is especially true since many employees of non-profits frequently travel for fundraising efforts and events, so you can keep in touch with your team no matter what time zone you’re in. You can talk with co-workers in real-time about a project via phone, in a video conference, or by joining a group chat.

The Trends Driving UC for Non-Profits

With UC, it’s more possible for teams to work from home and do their part to keep their work sustainable. The demand for UC in non-profits has been increasing for years, and there are certain trends that are starting to get more hype, such as:

• Cloud communications: The cloud allows for non-profits to stay on track in unpredictable environments by ensuring that all employees can continuously operate as normal, no matter what. Because everyone has access to the same technology, there’s less of a risk for confusion when employees are shifting in and out of the office. With UC, companies can choose between multiple communications methods, including voice, video, email, social and text, while using a variety of features that exist within these channels. This gives employees the ability to communicate in the ways they prefer and to reach out to donors using their chosen methods.
• Analytics and data: Since non-profits typically have limited budgets, it’s important that they keep an eye on their analytical data on a regular basis. Access to the right insights can make it easier to determine which supporters to follow-up with and where to aim future fundraising strategies. With UC, you can get detailed analytics across all communication channels by having each conversations and piece of information in the same place. Through real-time analytics, companies can use their communications data to spot trends crucial to their success.
• Reduced carbon footprints: For non-profits that are trying to make a positive impact on the planet while keeping overhead costs low, reducing their carbon footprint is imperative, even when it comes to communication strategies. With UC services, employees can communicate easily via text, email, and phone, while receiving all messages on a single device. This reduces the need for note-taking and keeps employees in better communication, all while reducing their dependency on on-premise telecom.

To Sum it Up

A unified communication strategy can provide increased productivity, reduced costs, higher efficiency and improved analytics to non-profit organizations. When staff members have an effective and aligned experience, the results show through customer satisfaction levels and donor contributions. For non-profits, this can mean saving money and keeping their goals aligned with their limited budgets. UC makes it possible for these companies to unlock the opportunity to integrate multiple communication strategies through a single, simplified system.

Sources

• Grand View Research
• UC Today
• DGI

The post The Benefits of UCaaS for Non-Profits appeared first on CallHarbor.

Lower Expenses, Higher Productivity

First things first – savings! Studies show that businesses who make the jump from on-premise to cloud call centers can see cost savings of nearly $200K within the first year. This is possible because these savings come from so many different areas. When you eliminate a legacy system, all of the maintenance and upkeep costs fizzle out.

Cloud telephony also saves you money on hardware since you don’t require a switch or PBX, so there’s no large upfront cost and no continuing maintenance. The only thing you’ll have to think about is your phones, as you may need to get new ones to operate with all of your solution’s capabilities.

On top of that, your IT staff, or whoever was trying to manage your phone issues, is freed up to focus on other tasks. With a cloud-based call center, all the features your agent needs are available in one app, which completes the screen switching. With more flexibility and fewer obstacles to working remotely, employees are set up to work more productively. Businesses of all sizes see productivity improvements of up to 21%.

Reliability & Downtime

Cloud-based systems typically maintain 100% uptime as long as agents have a strong internet connection. This is not the case with an on-site call center, which can have major reliability issues. Because it’s location-specific, many problems can arise such as construction mishaps or a severe storm that interferes with the server room. If something like this occurs, you’ll need to wait for someone to get on-site to resolve the issue and bring the system back online. This can lead to a significant amount of downtime that threatens business continuity. Because of their geographical redundancy, cloud call centers have a much more reliable architecture.

Analytics

Analytics are crucial for a call center’s ability to determine what’s working well and what might need to be improved upon, and cloud-based solutions can provide contact centers with valuable insight. With cloud-based software, call center management can monitor incoming and outgoing calls, along with gather data on call times and assess how well agents are performing. All metrics are displayed in a real-time dashboard and regularly updated, so you can notice any problems at a glance. On-premises systems don’t have these analytical features. There may be options to purchase them separately, but who wants to spend extra money when there’s a simpler solution out there?

Flexible & Reliable Communications

In addition to being much easier to install and maintain, cloud-based systems are the ideal solution for call centers planning to keep remote work as an option. Times have changed, and with so many people working from home these days, an old on-premises PBX solution no longer makes sense. Today’s workers want reliable, secure, and feature-rich communications that can serve their employees and customers no matter where they are located. Cloud communications are making this happen.

Sources

(1) Contaque

(2) LiveVox

(3) Cloudtalk

The post Why a Cloud Call Center is Better than On-Premise appeared first on CallHarbor.

Toll free numbers are often used for customer service and complaint lines that need to be accessed nationally, so that a customer trying to get in contact from across the country won’t be charged a long-distance rate if they call. Let’s take a look at six specific benefits of using a toll-free number.

1. Improve Customer Satisfaction

It can be very frustrating when you try to get in touch with a business just to discover that you can’t find their contact information. On the business side of things, this is definitely something you never want your potential customers to experience.

A toll free number makes it easier for your customers to reach you any day, at any time, and get their questions answered without any cost. With a cloud-based business phone system and a toll free phone number, you can answer calls from any device. This ensures that communication is easy for yourself, your colleagues and your customers. The easier you make it for your customers to reach you, the more likely they are to remain a loyal customer.

2. Easy to Remember

Another benefit of having a toll free number for your business is that it’s much easier to remember than any other number, especially if it’s a vanity number. A vanity number is a toll free number that spells a name, word, or acronym chosen by your company, such as 1-800-FLOWERS or 1-888-NEW-CARS. Think about how much easier it is to remember 1-800-Flowers than it is to remember 1-800-356-9377.

Without a vanity number, people might not even bother trying to look your number up online. The only potential downside to vanity numbers are that they are typically harder to find, but they’re proven to be infinitely more valuable to your business. The more likely people are to call you, the more potential generated leads and sales your company will get, which can be a very powerful marketing tool.

3. Professional and Credible

Most large companies today have toll-free numbers. However, by offering the same type of calling experience, a smaller company can create the perception that it’s a more robust and experienced company. “People associate toll-free numbers with established businesses that have been around a long time,” says Shayne Sherman, CEO of TechLoris, a Massachusetts-based company that helps businesses solve technology issues. Furthermore, 86% of consumers said in a survey that they perceived businesses with a toll free number as a higher quality company. Having a toll free number can undoubtedly build upon your company’s professionalism and overall credibility.

4. Portability

With a toll free number, you can still be reached by your toll free number regardless of where you are located. This is done by simply forwarding your calls to your cell phone or any other phone of your choice. If you’re looking to transfer toll free numbers, it is a simple process and can be completed without interrupting service. On top of that, once you purchase a toll free number, it’s all yours! Even if you change providers, you can take your number with you. This is a huge perk for businesses who might need to be reached despite any potential location or provider changes.

5. Marketing Tool

If you have a website, a print ad, and maybe even other marketing platforms such as a billboard or commercial, it can be difficult to track how your callers found your toll free number without blatantly asking them. Luckily, toll free numbers allow you to create extensions, which can then be associated with a particular campaign. You can have one number displayed on the print ad, one on the commercial, etc. Your toll free numbers and extensions can act as an invaluable marketing tool and can ultimately result in an increase to your call volume, sales and ROI.

6. Creates Both Local and Nationwide Presence

Utilizing a toll-free phone number is an easy way to convey a bigger presence. You can reach beyond a local area code, and create a recognizable area code that people nationwide will know. Using toll-free is great for businesses who want to advertise to a wider audience. It ultimately gives their audience a feel that they can trust this company to perform no matter their location, building on the increased credibility aspect.

Consider Adding a Toll Free Number to Your Business

Have you thought about adding a toll free phone number to your business? No matter the size of your company, toll free numbers can be a huge benefit, giving customers a convenient and free way to reach you by phone or SMS. Because of the benefits mentioned above, ads that include a toll-free number see a 30% increase in response rates compared to those that don’t. You can’t argue with the numbers! Add a toll free number to your business today to start reaping the benefits.

Sources

(1) Line2

(2) Central Comm

(3) Grasshopper

(4) Kixie

The post 6 Reasons a Toll Free Number Can Benefit Your Business appeared first on CallHarbor.

It’s become a known fact that the future of modern business communication is cloud-based. With the easy accessibility of the internet, cloud-based phone systems are a more cost-effective option for businesses. The UCaaS market is predicted to hit $24.8 billion by 2024, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.5% during the forecast period (BusinessWire).

A Crucial Feature: Video Conferencing

Video conferencing has become a business communications must-have in recent years. With a UCaaS solution, meetings and video conferencing can happen with much more ease and efficiency. It enables you to assign and track tasks, share documents, and makes sure your team continues to communicate outside of meetings with ongoing messaging. The audio component of the video feed is hosted via VoIP telephony. Video conferencing often features a call recording function, allowing users to save and share the video with others. Video recording is included once you’ve purchase your basic video package through CallHarbor.

UCaaS solutions give you the possibility of virtually linking up with just one other person, or having a multi-participant call, no matter where your current location is. Video collaboration is made easy with UCaaS, whether your team is in the same room or in different countries.

The Future of Business Communication: SMS & MMS

CallHarbor’s UCaaS platform also includes business SMS and MMS, so teams can stay connected and text without having to give out their personal cell phone number. You can do this from any of your devices. SMS messages can help your team engage in real-time chat remotely, and it’s great for quick reminders, briefings, and maintaining overall communication throughout the day.

Messaging is also an excellent way to not only provide customer support, but also improve customer experiences. Your company can communicate with its customers on their preferred channel to excel the customer experience. The number of clients who prefer text-based communication is rapidly growing, as it is more efficient and convenient than calling or emailing. SMS is here to stay!

On the Go, All the Time: Mobility

It’s clear that the demand for mobility is rising, especially with so many people working from home these days. With a reliable UCaaS solution such as CallHarbor, you can rest assured knowing that mobility remains a part of your business strategy. For instance, the cloud will ensure that your teams can tap into the tools they need through applications for their tablets and smartphones.

Unified Communications increase mobility by offering tools that allow calls to be taken on a desk phone or web-softphone and transferred to a mobile phone or device – to continue a conference call while travelling to another location. 

From a business perspective, the ability to utilize this mobility opens up a more efficient and productive work environment. Teams can stay in touch multiple ways, from wherever they are. Employees can work wherever they are most comfortable and most productive. Clients can get questions answered whenever they need them. What more can a business ask for?!

More and more businesses and organizations see this mobility as a factor in succeeding in their industries. Its becoming a fact that to stay competitive, you need to have a flexible business phone system that moves with you. The recent T-Mobile Mobility Trends Report showed that 7 in 10 enterprises cite mobility as a priority, as it can help them gain competitive advantage (Mobility Trends).

To Sum It Up

Through the cloud, UCaaS simplifies the deployment and management of communication strategies. There’s no need for a large in-house IT team to get started, as all of your support comes from the back-end. With CallHarbor, you don’t even have to worry about a monthly service fee.

With UCaaS, companies unlock the opportunity to integrate multiple communication strategies through a single, simplified cloud system. You can connect everything from your video conferencing to your enterprise voicemail, totally seamlessly.

To dive even deeper into UCaaS, check out the following CallHarbor blog posts:

• Important Benefits of UCaaS That You Should Know
• 8 UCaaS Terms to Know
• 3 Ways UCaaS Leads to Better Customer Service Solutions
• Why Your UCaaS Network Matters
• UCaaS: Simplicity as a Service

Sources

• Avaya
• UC Today
• Sangoma
• Nextiva
• Tech Target

The post What is Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)? appeared first on CallHarbor.

Call Centers Before Everything Was Digital

Call centers have been a crucial part of customer service since day one. According to records, the earliest call center was implemented by The Birmingham Press and Mail over half a century ago in 1965. This system used the revolutionary GEC PABX 4 Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) technology to filter incoming calls and assign them to available agents. ACD technology ended up replacing human operators in many large-scale companies, as it could offer a much more flexible automated system that could handle more calls.

The 1970s was when ACD really started to pick up. Once call centers started giving companies a unique and distinctive edge, companies pressed to link up with phone operators, while others established their own phonebanks. After seeing a ton of demand, ADC technology achieved the capability of differentiating between different call types and connecting people to specific agents. This improvement cut down call waiting times and broadened call center capacity, leading to the possibility of toll-free calling.

Call centers started making a substantial global impact in the 1990s. Companies with different locations were finally able to route calls between each other through phone lines. Customers could also now place orders from catalogs, update their personal account information, and so much more.

Call Centers ➜ Contact Centers

The transformation of call centers to contact centers depended on the need for companies to adhere to ever-increasing customer expectations and stay caught up with the advances in tech. Call centers were still on the rise and in increasingly high demand in the early 2000s. However, phones still remained the main form of communication despite the digital age taking over.

Mobile devices changed everything. Call centers were not able expand fast enough to meet the needs of customers, who started experiencing long hold times and endless automated menus. Luckily, the digital age was about to take over. The ability to stay connected grew from just phone calls to texts, emails, social media, mobile apps, and live chats. Call centers began expanding their capabilities to handle these new channels and expectations, encouraging customers to use them to their benefit. This is when call centers became central points of contact.

The Shift to the Cloud

For contact centers, moving data to the Cloud made a lot more sense when compared to physical servers, especially in terms of cost and efficiency. The shift to cloud communications presented customers with numerous ways to contact brands if they had a question or concern. It also allowed for quick and easy integrations with third-party applications such as CRM, ERP, as well as a multitude of applications such as WhatsApp Business and Facebook Messenger. Gartner predicts at least 50% of all contact centers worldwide will be in the Cloud by the end of 2022.

The Impact of COVID-19

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a mounting rise in call volumes for most contact centers, especially those providing travel-related and medical information. In the beginning stages of the pandemic, call volume to contact centers climbed 300% in just days. After two years of pandemic life, that number has sky-rocketed to over 800%. 

On top of this system shock, the volume increase hit just as contact centers were required to start practicing social distancing requirements. The pandemic forced about 90% of the global contact center agents to work from home as a result of social distancing mandates. Most contact centers were extremely unprepared for the significant shift of remote work and struggled to ensure that their agents were set up with the proper technology and secure VoIP infrastructure in their homes. This ultimately led to higher hold times and endless transferring that we’ve all experienced since the pandemic began.

Wrapping Up

Today, most customer service issues can be handled via phone calls, online chat, email response, and social media outlets. Next-generation cloud contact centers are undoubtedly the future of customer service, and it’s no surprise that it’s a rising trend for customer service teams. COVID-19 raised customer expectations and put a strain on support availability, thus making CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service) even more prominent. Contact centers have become an irreplaceable part of almost every major business, and they will surely continue to evolve to meet customer trends and changes in the future.

Sources

(1) Genesys

(2) Hiver

(3) CallCenter Studio

(4) RingCentral

The post The Progression of Cloud Contact Centers appeared first on CallHarbor.

Your phone system is ultimately your main communication method, which undoubtedly influences customers’ perceptions of your company’s brand. To keep your employees and customers happy, use this post as a guide to learn which VoIP features would most benefit your small business, and how VoIP has already impacted many small businesses that have it integrated into their main line of communication.

Easy installation & maintenance

Traditional phone lines can be difficult to set up and maintain. They also often come with quite a high price tag. VoIP makes the installation and setup process fairly easy (and cheap!), especially if you choose CallHarbor as your VoIP provider. We do all the installation and training for you. That’s right – all of it. VoIP also keeps the configuration and maintenance aspects of your phone system relatively simple, even for individuals who aren’t exactly “tech savvy”.

VoIP for small businesses is excellent in terms of flexibility with phone numbers and the number of users. Keeping the same number is good for an established company. With CallHarbor as your VoIP service provider, you’ll be able to import all your current numbers and allow you to add or remove users as business needs change, all while using the cloud. With your user log-in information, you’ll be able to access your VoIP phones from any device.

Cost-effective

Operating costs for VoIP are significantly lower than the traditional phone companies. One of the most talked about VoIP advantages is that it requires no equipment and no maintenance on your part, meaning the investment costs are extremely low. You can also use a softphone that works through your desktop or laptop. This ability is a key feature of modern VoIP telephony, and is included in each CallHarbor plan option. With a virtual phone system, the lack of required hardware means you get high-quality software for a lower cost.

A few other reasons why VoIP is the most cost-effective options for your business are:

• VoIP significantly cuts down domestic and international calls
• Video conferencing eliminates the need for employees who are working out of town to travel back to the office in order to attend a meeting or deal with other work-related matters
• VoIP handsets are less expensive than traditional telephones
• Your organization no longer has to maintain separate networks for data and phones

On-the-go mobility

One of the biggest advantages of VoIP comes in handy for businesses with employees who work remotely or in multiple locations. It allows employees to bring their business phone line with them anywhere they go. CallHarbor has a mobile phone system app that can be set up to ring when a customer or client calls an employee’s business line. Additionally, the app allows employees to use their business line to make outgoing calls from their mobile phones.

A T-Mobile report from 2019 shows that 7 of 10 companies cite mobility as a top priority, and 63% of global enterprises regard mobility as the most significant factor contributing to competitive advantage. On top of that, Elizabeth Becker, a client partner for the IT staffing firm Protech, said she likes that their VoIP system allows for employees to be location-independent. “VoIP systems allow for business as usual, no matter where your employees may be physically sitting,” Becker said. “By having a VoIP system, it’s easier to give a little flexibility to employees while still staying connected.”

Advanced features & analytics

VoIP makes much of the traditional calling features like holding, transferring, call forwarding, and caller ID easier to implement into your business communications. VoIP also makes features like call recording much easier. The call is already digitized, so adding a feature to record the digital file is extremely easy and can be taken advantage of through CallHarbor’s easy-to-use customer portal. This is not to say that you must use the portal to make changes to your phone system; the CallHarbor support team is there for you 24/7, whether it’s to make one simple change, or 10 advanced updates.

VoIP services can also offer business tool integration. This allows your calls to integrate with other communication services like chat and email. These features can organize communication by party and time, meaning you can easily review a conversation that took place across multiple media. Furthermore, VoIP provides more powerful conferencing features, such as video integration, which is something every business should be taking advantage of. To dive in deeper to the features and analytics CallHarbor has to offer, take a look at the following blog posts:

• 50 VoIP Features & Benefits For Businesses
• 5 VoIP Features That Make Your Workday Easier
• 8 Call Tracking Analytics You Should Track in 2021

Is VoIP right for you?

It’s clear that VoIP phones come stocked with powerful features that will help your small business make a big impression. The stats speak for themselves. The majority of small businesses agree that the advantages of using VoIP technology far outweigh the disadvantages, especially in today’s highly competitive business landscape.

Aside from being an excellent communication tool, VoIP services can increase employees’ productivity, enhance the entire customer experience, and increase the overall company’s revenue! Visit CallHarbor.com today and schedule your free demo to see some of these great features mentioned in action!

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