Neither do we.

Waiting on hold for a live agent is a universally-frustrating experience. When you’re on hold, a single minute can feel like thirty. Call abandonment happens when a caller hangs up before they get connected to an agent. There are several reasons why call abandonment happens, but it’s typically due to long hold times or poor customer service.

A Consumer Reports issue showed that the top complaint among consumers was the inability to get a live agent. Voice Response Inc. showed more than 1 in 3 people will never call back after hanging up from being on hold for too long. Luckily, there are ways to make the time go by faster and even more efficiently. 

Communicate with your customer

Communication is key. One way to make hold time feel more tolerable is to tell callers how much of it they can expect. A caller is much more likely to lose patience and abandon the call if they don’t know approximately how long they’ll be waiting. This is why it’s important to be upfront about the Estimated Wait Time (EWT). It also limits the chance of a customer abandoning the call just as they were about to be put through. Giving callers an EWT helps increase customer satisfaction. It allows them to manage their time and determine whether or not they want to stay on hold.

Virtual queuing and callback options

There’s only so much you can do to reduce hold time. At some point, you have to start thinking about the customer experience and help make it more enjoyable. A virtual queuing system is an effective way to empower your customers to feel more in control of their call center experience. Rather than having to suffer through long wait times when your call center is experiencing high call volumes, your customer can choose to schedule a callback at a convenient time.

A virtual queuing system also allows your customers to hang up without losing their place in the queue. Your agent can then call them back when they become available. This simple tactic keeps customers in the queue, reducing call abandonment rates, all while easing their frustrations of having to wait on hold. This improves the customer’s perception of their support experience, and your company, as callers will feel like your company respects their time.

Keep customers engaged

There’s only so many times you can hear, “Your call is very important to us. Please stay on the line and an agent will be with you momentarily,” before you lose it and hang up the phone. Incorporating new media and content can enhance the experience for callers.

Good hold music and messaging – such as product updates, account information, changes in business hours, promotional advertisements, short informational announcements, or self-service options – are common approaches and a nice change of pace.

Good hold music may not keep customers on hold longer, but a bad choice of hold music or a bad recording will surely make customers want to hang up sooner. Select music and messaging for the emotional effect you want to project – qualities associated with your brand. Another option for your hold message is to use a system that allows announcements such as the caller’s place in line, and their estimated wait time.

Utilize real-time monitoring

Solutions like ours offer real-time monitoring for your call center. This means you can track call abandonment rate, call volume, online agents and more, right from your customized dashboard. To lessen your abandon rate, you have to understand it. When are customers hanging up, and why? By looking at real-time analytics such as how many people are on hold, and the current wait time, you can gain insight into your call center. For example, maybe you aren’t staffed appropriately for that day or time of day.

Real-time analytics can give you insight into your system that you never knew you needed. Studying these analytics can help you dig deeper into KPI’s to keep your call center flowing smoothly.

Make sure your staff are well-trained

Having adequate staffing is important. Every contact center should have enough agents to handle the ongoing workload. Agents are the ones who interact with callers directly, and they can make or break their experience. Agents need to be trained on how to handle long wait times, how to apologize and empathize with frustrated callers, and how to resolve issues quickly and effectively.
They should also be trained how to use your call center software and tools, such as EWT messages, callbacks, and transfers. By training your agents, you can ensure that they deliver consistent and professional service to your callers.

Well trained and well-equipped staff are much more productive. They can deal with customer queries quicker and increase positive customer experiences through their knowledge. Fast, efficient computers, up-to-date systems, and the use of VoIP phone systems mean your agents are always connected and calls can be conducted seamlessly. Streamlining the entire call process by training and equipping your staff allows them to get through calls and move onto the next customer more efficiently.

Ultimately, a high call abandonment rate is a sign that your customers aren’t receiving the level of service they expect. Bad customer service can lead to dissatisfied customers and a loss of business. By integrating some of the tips above, more customers can connect with your agents and enjoy an efficient and effective experience.

The post Reducing Call Abandonment: Tips & Techniques appeared first on CallHarbor.

VoIP enhances security through secure servers, commonly used by providers like CallHarbor. These servers, situated in protected data centers, are managed by skilled professionals, offering defense against cyber threats. Beyond encryption and secure servers, VoIP provides additional security features like call forwarding, voicemail, and caller ID blocking, enhancing protection against unwanted calls and safeguarding employee privacy. CallHarbor takes further measures, including three privately operated geo-redundant servers, two-factor authentication, and a commitment to reliable products, setting it apart from competitors in ensuring customer information security.

Geo-Redundant Points of Presence

With CallHarbor’s three points of presence, our servers and networks stay up and running. Even in the event of an outage, you can be sure your system continues to function as normal, keeping you and your customers secure and connected. Our three points of presence are located in Detroit, MI, Atlanta, GA, and Phoenix, AZ. They are fully active sites – not just failover sites. All of your information and features are still fully accessible, no matter which point of presence your phone system is being hosted out of. Since we’ve switched to the model of hosting from three points of presence, we haven’t had any full service outages, running over 10 years!

Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a security system that requires two distinct forms of identification in order to access something. 2FA can be used to strengthen the security of an online account, a smartphone, or even a door. It does this by requiring two types of information from the user—a password or personal identification number (PIN), a code sent to the user’s smartphone (called a message authentication code)

Using Two Factor Authentication to access your CallHarbor system will add peace of mind and provide stronger protection against unauthorized access to your system and your data. By having your users set up on Two Factor Authentication, we’re able to mitigate threats and add another layer of security.

DDoS Protection

Another extra source of protection that CallHarbor is utilizing is DDoS Protection with Cloudflare Magic Transit, an industry-leading DDoS mitigation solution. Using Cloudflare, we are provided with a range of third-party measures to protect against DDoS attacks. Some of the techniques that Cloudflare supply us include rate limiting, traffic filtering and others. In the event of an attack, Cloudflare ensures your system and data stay up and running and protected.

STIR/SHAKEN

The STIR/SHAKEN framework is an industry-standard technology for authenticating caller ID. It’s a set of rules and protocols designed to ensure the accuracy of caller information for calls transmitted over IP networks. As this implementation continues to advance, it aims to instill greater confidence among Americans that the caller ID details they see are reliable. Additionally, it empowers voice service providers to offer valuable information to consumers, aiding them in deciding which calls to answer.

STIR/SHAKEN, which stands for Secure Telephone Identity Revisited (STIR) and Signature-based Handling of Asserted Information Using toKENs (SHAKEN), comprises a connected set of standards. This system allows calls traversing interconnected phone networks to be “signed” as legitimate by the originating carriers. These signed calls can then be verified to confirm the legitimacy of phone calls as they move through the intricate network of communication channels. This process enables the consumer’s phone company to verify that the displayed caller ID number corresponds to the actual origin of the call.

Sources: Vipvoip, Cisco, Forbes, Investopedia

The post Fortified Security Measures: Secure Communication with VoIP Systems appeared first on CallHarbor.

The Power of Scalable VoIP Solutions

VoIP and UCaaS technology have transformed the way businesses communicate. Unlike legacy phone systems that require costly hardware upgrades and complex installations, CallHarbor’s VoIP platform is built to grow alongside your organization.

Whether you’re onboarding new employees, opening additional locations, or expanding into new markets, CallHarbor allows you to add users, numbers, and features with ease. This flexibility makes it possible to scale your business quickly—without disrupting operations or overhauling your phone system.

Supporting Growth Without Complexity

As your business grows, communication should enable progress—not slow it down. CallHarbor’s intuitive management portal allows administrators to make changes in real time, ensuring your phone system keeps up with your expansion.

Adding new users, assigning extensions, adjusting call routing, and managing features can all be handled seamlessly. This means your team can focus on serving customers and driving growth, rather than troubleshooting communication challenges.

Enhanced Collaboration for Expanding Teams

Scaling often means adding remote employees, hybrid teams, or satellite offices. CallHarbor’s unified communications tools are designed to support modern work environments by keeping teams connected from anywhere.

With mobile and desktop apps, call forwarding, messaging, and collaboration features, employees can work efficiently regardless of location. This flexibility allows businesses to scale your business beyond geographical limitations while maintaining strong internal communication and collaboration.

A Cost-Effective Path to Growth

Traditional scaling often comes with high costs—new hardware, installation fees, and ongoing maintenance expenses. CallHarbor’s cloud-based VoIP and UCaaS solutions eliminate many of these barriers.

By leveraging the internet instead of physical infrastructure, businesses can reduce upfront costs and avoid expensive upgrades as they grow. This cost-effective approach enables organizations to reinvest resources into sales, marketing, staffing, and other initiatives that help scale your business sustainably.

Future-Proofing Your Communication Strategy

Growth doesn’t stop, and neither should your technology. CallHarbor’s VoIP platform is designed to evolve alongside your business. Regular updates, new features, and advanced capabilities ensure your communication system remains modern, secure, and competitive.

As customer expectations change and technology advances, CallHarbor helps future-proof your operations—so your communication infrastructure never becomes a limiting factor as you continue to scale your business.

Built to Scale With You

Scaling your business is a journey filled with opportunity—and having the right communication system is essential to sustaining that momentum. CallHarbor’s scalable VoIP and UCaaS solutions provide the flexibility, reliability, and advanced features growing organizations need to succeed.

By removing communication barriers and simplifying expansion, CallHarbor empowers businesses to focus on what matters most: growth, customer experience, and long-term success. If you’re ready to scale your business with confidence, CallHarbor delivers the foundation to support your next stage of growth.

The post Scale Your Business With CallHarbor appeared first on CallHarbor.

One of the primary ways in which VoIP is secure is through the use of encryption. When a VoIP call is made, the audio is converted into digital data and then transmitted over the internet. This data is encrypted to ensure that it cannot be intercepted or accessed by unauthorized parties. This means that if someone were to try to hack into the call, they would not be able to understand the content of the conversation.

Another way in which VoIP is secure is through the use of secure servers. Many VoIP providers, CallHarbor included, use secure servers to store and transmit data, which helps to protect against cyber attacks. These servers are typically located in secure data centers and are managed by skilled professionals who are trained to protect against threats.

In addition to encryption and secure servers, VoIP also offers other security features that can help businesses protect their sensitive information. For example, CallHarbor includes features such as call forwarding, voicemail, and caller ID blocking, which can help to protect against unwanted calls and protect the privacy of employees. Some other steps that CallHarbor is taking to protect our customers and their information include our three privately operated geo-redundant servers, two factor authentication and providing reliable and trustworthy products our customers can count on. In addition we also utilize two proven methods of extra security that a lot of our competition isn’t.

Geo-Redundant Points of Presence

With CallHarbor’s three points of presence, our servers and networks stay up and running. Even in the event of an outage, you can be sure you system continues to function as normal, keeping you and your customers secure and connected. Our three points of presence are in Detroit, Atlanta, and Phoenix, and are fully active sites – not just failover sites. All of your information and features are still fully accessible, no matter which point of presence your phone system is being hosted out of. Since we’ve switched to the model of hosting from three pointes of presence, we haven’t had any full service outages, running on 8 years!

Two Factor Authentication

Using Two Factor Authentication to access your CallHarbor system will add peace of mind and provide stronger protection against unauthorized access to your system and your data. By having your users set up on Two Factor Authentication, we’re able to mitigate threats and add another layer of security.

Honeypotting

This security method is known as Honeypotting. By setting up decoy systems or network elements, we can distract and lure attackers away from their main systems and gather intelligence about the tools and techniques being used by the attackers. This information can then be used to improve the security of the main systems and protect against future attacks. Honeypotting can also help monitor and track the activities of attackers, potentially enabling them to identify the source of an attack and take appropriate action to defend against it.

DDoS Protection

Another extra source of protection that CallHarbor is utilizing is DDoS Protection with Cloudflare. Using Cloudflare, we are provided with a range of third party measures to protect against DDoS Attacks. Some of the techniques that Cloudflare supply us include rate limiting, traffic filtering and others. In the event of an attack, Cloudflare also offers an industry leading DDoS mitigation solution so you can insure your system and data stay up and running and protected.

Overall, CallHarbor is and will continue to provide a secure solution for businesses looking to protect their sensitive information. With many different security features, CallHarbor makes sure your business keeps conversations and data private and secure. If you are considering using CallHarbor for your business, you can be sure you are choosing a reputable and reliable provider and ensure we can offer the security features that you need to keep your information safe into the future. 

Sources: Vipvoip, Cisco, Forbes

The post VoIP: Protecting You and Your Data 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.

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.

Why patients prefer voice-only telehealth

Some patients prefer to interact with providers without feeling compelled to be on screen. This is especially true if the patient has a condition that impacts their physical appearance or abilities. Furthermore, it’s easier for a bed-ridden patient to talk on the phone than to appear on video or in person. (1)

On top of that, patients dealing with chronic health problems may find that it’s not always easy to leave the house and drive to in-person appointments. Many people have also admitted to putting off care to avoid the hassle of in-person appointments. (4)

The voice-only appointment option eliminates the hardship of leaving the house and driving to an appointment. This is especially true if the patient is not feeling well and is prone to get more stressed from a trip to the doctor’s office.

Fewer issues with missed appointments

One of the biggest inconveniences to health providers is missed appointments and last-minute cancellations or rescheduling. With voice-only telehealth, missed appointments are much less likely to happen because the patient does not have to drive to the physical location. They don’t even have to leave the comfort of their home!

With telehealth, the limitations of not being physically well enough to travel or having a condition with restrictions are not an issue. Providers can gain efficiency when interacting with patients if there are fewer missed appointments.

Other positive outcomes with telehealth

The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) recommends telehealth for chronic health mediation due to reduced risk factors that typically come along with chronic diseases. (1) Based on its reviews of telehealth systems, the CPSTF identified the following key positive outcomes:

• More patient adherence to medication and treatment programs: Patients are more accountable to providers for following care instructions when appointments occur more frequently.
• More focused one-on-one conversations: A telemedicine encounter eliminates all of the distractions of a busy medical office environment. The patient and the provider can focus on the present concern. (5) The option of voice-only visits makes it easier for the provider and patient to craft a comprehensive treatment plan that may address needs not always met in an office setting.
• Better health outcomes: The use of telehealth for both routine and intervention appointments reduces health risks associated with chronic conditions and increases patient health outcomes. Moreover, during a voice-only visit, a contagious person can be assessed without exposing other patients or office staff to the ailment. Patients who don’t have a communicable condition benefit by being seen remotely because they don’t come in contact with contagious people who must be seen in the office.

UCaaS systems provide quality healthcare

Today’s health providers need to be able to operate faster than ever, with access to specialist support on a range of channels. The only way to ensure business continuity and efficiency is with a unified approach. UC keeps specialists, institutions, and experts aligned on the same network to collaborate efficiently on complex health issues. This allows for faster diagnosis, treatment, and care management.

With a unified communications solution, you can more efficiently manage phone calls with patients, take and organize notes during the calls, and send follow-up instructions. (1) A unified communications solution also enhances opportunities for collaboration between primary doctors and specialists. Patients can visit with specialists who might not be in their area, who can then interact with the primary doctor to discuss care plans.

Professionals in the healthcare landscape spend a lot of time on their feet while rushing between patients. With the workforce now more distributed than ever, mobile clinics, in-home care specialists and telehealth providers need to extend the workplace. The traditional office must expand to merge with a new era of care – one driven by unified communications. 

Trust the data

The data shows that telehealth can not only be as effective as in-person care, but that it actually contributes to better patient outcomes when compared to the traditional approach. Since the pandemic began, telehealth has offered a bridge to care, and now offers a chance to reinvent virtual care models. The main goal is that of improved healthcare access, outcomes, and affordability.

Around 40 percent of surveyed consumers stated that they believe they will continue to use telehealth going forward—up from 11 percent of consumers using telehealth prior to COVID-19. On the provider side, 58 percent of physicians continue to view telehealth more favorably now than they did before COVID-19. With innovators focusing on creating value through personalized virtual care experiences and need fulfillment, it’s clear there is a promising path forward for telemedicine.

Sources

(1) Ring Central

(2) McKinsey

(3) Rock Health

(4) mHealth Intelligence

(5) Chiron Health

The post The Rise of Voice-Only Telehealth: What Providers Need to Know appeared first on CallHarbor.

How Can Financial Institutions Benefit from Using VoIP?

More Flexibility

CallHarbor’s VoIP phone systems are flexible and secure. Financial institutions receive a lot of calls involving sensitive financial information, which is why using a secure phone service like VoIP makes perfect business sense. With VoIP, you can access your company phone line from any device, giving you the flexibility to attend to multiple customers and not miss any important calls. It also allows you to check messages while on the move.

Most financial industries have multiple locations across the globe. VoIP phone systems help the internal teams and management stay easily connected with the teams of other branches using advanced features like video conferencing, audio calls, texting, and more that are highly flexible for scheduling meetings, sharing the data, and recording the meetings. These, and other VoIP features, allow you to get in touch, stay in touch, and keep current with customer demands, whether you’re working from home, on the road, or in the office.

Improved Customer Service

With VoIP, you and your team can connect and collaborate more easily and effectively. Hosted VoIP systems enhance client interactions by allowing your team to be more accessible and responsive. When customers call needing financial help, they don’t have time to be passed around from department to department until they reach the right person. A great VoIP feature is customizable auto-attendants that ensure customers are automatically routed to the right department. CallHarbor includes unlimited auto-attendants for free, so you can build out auto-attendants for business hours, afterhours, holidays, and more!

CallHarbor also includes unlimited call queues to distribute calls to all available team members. This reduces hold time and improves overall customer service satisfaction. Our onboarding team will assist you in creating call queues, and give you suggestions on call routing to better your financial institution’s phone system.

Data Integration

CallHarbor’s VoIP phone systems can also help you save time and facilitate daily activities. Integration with systems like CRM will give your employees the ability to collect information and deliver even more personal services to each of your clients – all thanks to the online system that automatically pulls up the customer’s information on your screen when a customer calls, allowing you to solve customer issues much quicker. Agents can also take notes for the next time the customer calls, creating a more personalized customer experience.

Thanks to API integration, VoIP allows you joint access with your partners to certain data. This will enable you to make exchanges, sales, and share business information securely with your partners. You can also inform your partners about upcoming products and their charges, policy changes, and regulations.

Cut Costs

Most finance companies and banks operate globally. VoIP softphone systems help offices in different parts of the world stay connected at minimal costs. Financial service workers know better than anyone else that every penny counts. Telephony systems are a major cost for financial services that frequently make long-distance calls. VoIP systems actually eliminate traditional telecom charges like costly long-distance fees and hardware maintenance contracts.

In conclusion, customers want support that is fast, easy, and accurate, which is why it has become even more important for financial institutions to have the best unified communications services. CallHarbor’s VoIP service system can provide a seamless omnichannel experience for both customers and employees. 

Sources: 

1. https://www.vitelglobal.in/blog/tag/voip-for-financial-services-industry/
2. https://www.velantro.com/blogs/voip/voip-for-financial-services-stay-100-compliant 
3. https://blog.votacall.com/voip-for-financial-institutions 

The post Industry Article: VoIP for Financial Services appeared first on CallHarbor.

Let’s take a look at how VoIP services allow you to administer your investment into your communications without losing any functionality.

Reduced Hardware Expenditures

Not only can connecting traditional phone systems be challenging work, it can be very time-consuming and expensive to set up and maintain. A VoIP solution only requires a connection to a Wi-Fi network, making it far easier to add and remove users as needed.

Furthermore, the biggest expense of the traditional business telephone setup, the PBX system, is actually no longer needed with hosted VoIP. This could potentially save your company thousands of dollars for each user. By switching from the capital expense of your own PBX system to the operational expenses associated with VoIP, the impact of such spending has less of an impact.

CallHarbor offers hardware as cheap as $6 per month, and our innovative VoIP platform which includes all of the features that you need to get business done for just $20 per month.

Advanced Features

VoIP can match traditional calling features like holding, transferring, call forwarding, caller ID and more. Further, with VoIP, features like call recording are much easier. The call is already digitized, so adding a feature to record the digital file is extremely easy.

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 even organize communication by party and time. This allows you to seamlessly review a conversation that took place across multiple media.

CallHarbor also offers features that will have you completely forgetting about landlines, like: 

• Call center functionality
• Unlimited calling
• Full unified communications
• Detailed analytics
• Email reports
• Unlimited domestic and long distance calling
• Mobile app
• Web-softphone
• Video calling
• SMS & MMS

Mobility

VoIP increases the value that businesses get out of their phone service by adding mobile capabilities via applications. One of the biggest advantages is that it allows employees to bring their business phone line with them anywhere they go. This is especially helpful for businesses with employees who work remotely or in multiple locations.

Most VoIP systems have associated mobile apps available for download on Google Play or the App Store (click here to download the CallHarbor mobile app). This makes them much more flexible than the traditional desk phone without requiring investment in company-owned mobile devices. Furthermore, because these applications can work over Wi-Fi or a virtual private network, other investments can be avoided as a business puts a mobile strategy in place.

VoIP is effectively what you get if you take the traditional business phone system, keeping all of its best features, and add mobile capabilities while removing any major downsides such as high costs, installation fees, and maintenance needs. If you’re looking into ways to decrease your costs, implementing a VoIP solution is your best bet.

Here to Stay

It’s easy to see that the benefits of VoIP are invaluable, especially when compared to traditional phone systems. With reduced costs, advanced functionality, and advantageous mobility features, VoIP is clearly the way to go. Check out our blog post, “Why Your Business Should Use VoIP” to learn about some of the other benefits of using a VoIP service, and switch to CallHarbor today!

The post The Value of Voice over Internet Protocol appeared first on CallHarbor.

UCaaS provides many benefits to businesses that adopt the technology. Some of these benefits include security, flexibility, reliability and cost effectiveness. 

Security

A significant concern for many companies, especially regarding remote work, is that a cloud environment may offer less security. UCaaS solutions can put that concern to ease. UCaaS consolidates your communication channels into one platform which makes their security aspects easier to manage. It also enables you to work with a vendor that has stringent security processes and technologies in place. Just as cloud vendors often have more time and resources to dedicate to keeping their equipment and services updates and reliable, they also have more time and resources to devote to security. UCaaS vendors can also offer additional security in the form of encryption and fraud prevention tools. There are various solutions out there tailor-made to suit the unique compliance requirements of specific locations, industries, and verticals too. 

Flexibility

UCaaS gives your business much more flexibility in how it communicates. UCaaS allows your team to work wherever and whenever by combining all of your communication needs to a single cloud-based platform. So if you have internet, then you have UCaaS support.

When you have a UCaaS platform, you can choose between multiple communications methods, including voice, video, email, social and text, and use a variety of features that exist within these channels. This variety gives employees the ability to communicate in the ways they prefer and to reach out to customers using the methods that those customers prefer.

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. Remote workers can operate as normal, without being chained to the desk, and enjoy the same functionality as they do while in the traditional workplace.

Reduced Costs

UCaaS eliminates the unnecessary cost of physical infrastructures and almost everything associated with them.  You don’t need to do the work of administering the system, which can take a considerable amount of time and IT expertise, as well as finding storage space. With cloud-based services, there are almost no upfront costs. Instead, the service provider absorbs the initial equipment costs, and you pay as you consume the service. This setup ensures that you only pay for what you need and reduces your costs both in the short-term and long-term.

With UCaaS, updates and maintenance are also the responsibility of the service provider, which gives you the benefit of reliability and continual updates without the effort of completing the updates yourself. It’s not unreasonable for businesses to see a 50% IT expense reduction when switching to UCaaS.  

Efficiency with UCaaS

UCaaS allows you to deploy and implement your communication infrastructure quicker, simpler and overall just easier. With cloud-based communication, there are no more manual updates. With cloud-based communication, all updates are automatic and delivered in small batches for faster deployment without any disruption to end-users. Now your end-users can stay up-to-date while your IT staff doesn’t need to worry about maintaining and upgrading your company’s communications technology; they’re free to focus on other projects that could have a more direct impact on your company’s growth.

No more application juggling, no more communication hang-ups, no more manual updates.   

Improved Analytics

With UCaaS, you can get detailed analytics across all communication channels. Having all your conversations and information in the same place is great for engagement and productivity. However, it could also be a powerful tool in enabling business growth. Through real-time analytics, companies can use their communications data to spot trends. For example, when contact center volumes are spiking. Or what times the use of certain software increases.

When communication channels connect through UCaaS, teams can easily identify bottlenecks and address potential problems. Using service management solutions and analytics, business leaders get better insight. They get insight into the steps they need to take to enable and empower the workforce. This insight is helpful, regardless if they’re remote or in-office.

Connected with UCaaS

UCaaS solutions are powerful communication systems designed to enhance the way that modern businesses work. The UCaaS implementation provides security, flexibility, reduced costs, efficiency and improved analytics to modern teams. However, this technology can also be a valuable solution for businesses taking their first steps towards a more hybrid workforce, which is a growing trend in todays workforce.

With UCaaS technology, today’s businesses can bridge the gap between their remote and in-office employees, ensuring better company culture, boosted engagement, enhanced productivity and an increase in general wellbeing. When staff members have an effective and aligned experience, the results come through in your customer satisfaction levels too.

Today, UCaaS isn’t just an option for the modern workforce, it’s a must-have. Check out CallHarbor’s website for more info on how you can implement this solution today.

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