Every Impression Matters
Having an effective office communication system is vital to the success of any business. Regardless of whether it's the first interaction with a potential customer or a long-time client seeking support, the impression they leave with shapes all their future actions. And as clients continue to expect an exceptional experience with every interaction, it is important for your communication system to be superb.
In an age where customers can reach out digitally with a request but choose to talk to a live person instead, it’s a sure sign that they want their needs addressed quickly and efficiently or that they feel their issue is too complex for a chat or email exchange. Long hold times, confusing auto-attendant systems, poor sound quality, or dropped calls - a business phone system lacking in features can set up even a knowledgeable support team for failure and plays a significant role in whether the customer will remain a customer when they hang up the phone.
Digital Burnout is Causing a Resurgence in Phone Support
McKinsey recently reported that survey respondents across all age groups prefer phone conversations when contacting a company for support. It may seem surprising that younger generations still prefer to make a phone call for help, but this age segment is also getting burned out on digital self-service, with some industries seeing equal phone usage between Gen Z and baby boomers. And premium-tier customers, regardless of age, continue to prefer phone calls, feeling that live support is a perk they are paying for. Support leaders expect call volumes to increase by 20 percent in the next year or two, as phone calls are still the most direct and efficient route for immediate issue resolution.
Employees are also experiencing digital burnout. Constant online activities can cause weariness, anxiety, and general fatigue. It is becoming increasingly more important to support a positive balance between work and personal time, or for employees to have the option to work remotely, and today’s workforce wants to know their employers are understanding of this trend.
Office Communication Systems Impact How Your Business and Brand is Perceived
Traditional phone systems and landline services are limited in the features and flexibility that contribute to a modern, positive customer experience or favorable employee outlook. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication strengthens a brand’s reputation with features like call routing to available support staffagents to minimize or eliminate hold times and foster an image of professionalism, accessibility, and responsiveness to callers. Advanced features like workspace sharing, call histories, and sentiment analysis empower support teams by providing them with essential information and insights. This connectivity enables them to proactively address calls, enhancing customer care and boosting productivity.
And efficient, easy-to-use office communication systems don’t just strengthen the customer’s view of your brand; they enhance the employee experience as well. Having smooth communications and easy access to information, resources, supervisors, and other departments helps to create a positive, productive, and efficient work environment, reducing friction with frustrated customers and agent burnout and increasing employee satisfaction and retention. VoIP business phone systems allow you to give your entire staff the same level of connectivity, regardless of where they are working from. With tailored functionalities based on user roles, each person has the tools and access they need without searching or waiting to be granted access.
Change Is Inevitable
Keeping up with the evolution of business communications is necessary for growth. Older copper-wire or Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) lines are being phased out worldwide and replaced with fiber optic cable, enabling VoIP systems that carry both voice and data traffic. This changeover heavily impacts many small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), as the sunsetting of POTS lines also affects faxing, analog alarm systems, and emergency call boxes. Transitioning to digital office communications systems will take different paths for SMBs. Some will opt for a hybrid model, moving a few services to be hosted by a VoIP provider while maintaining their in-house PBX for the time being. On the other hand, many others are converting fully, integrating with CRMs and leveraging next-generation features like Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Virtual Faxing, SMS, and softphones. This change will elevate their CX to be proactive, comprehensive, and intuitive, resulting in streamlined communications, one-call resolutions, and satisfied customers.
A recent forecast from Allied Market Research estimates the growth of the VoIP market – kickstarted by remote workers during the pandemic and bolstered by the sunsetting of POTS lines – to continue increasing from over $112 billion in 2023 to over $260 billion by 2032.
VoIP Systems Save Time and Money
VoIP office communication systems don’t require an investment in physical PBX hardware or on-site IT maintenance since voice and data travel over an internet connection. This results in dramatic savings on installation, maintenance, and call charges. These savings, in addition to predictable monthly fees, allow for more accurate forecasting and funds in budgeting.
Another benefit is the savings seen in levels of productivity. Some business owners have estimated that their employees lose multiple hours per week due to internal communication issues. This can cost the company thousands per person annually and essentially creates a four-day work week.
Effective Communication Helps Your Business Grow
Corporate leaders know that effective and efficient communication is the backbone of their business. New industrial opportunities, improved customer satisfaction, and enhanced brand recognition are just a few of the advantages gained when upgrading office communication systems.
VoIP and Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) solutions streamline communications, seamlessly connecting those in the office, remote staff, and workers in the field with flexible options customizable for each business’s unique needs and locations. VoIP offers greater functionality, advanced features, and mobile connectivity, and makes scaling easy, with no IT skillsets required to add or change users and call flows. Seasonal businesses that have periods of heavy call volume can add or remove new lines as needed to meet demand, eliminating unnecessary charges during their off-season.
Based in Richmond, VA, Simplicity VoIP provides hosted PBX, VoIP, and comprehensive, award-winning unified communications solutions to small, medium, and enterprise-level businesses and partners across the country.
Simplicity VoIP’s key to success is its project management, on-site service, installation, and training, all backed by world-class customer service. Our Class 5 VoIP platform is geo-redundant to ensure maximum network uptime. We offer phones and equipment, managed services, video conferencing, call center, wireless back-up, VFAX, and more, all backed by our US-based support, 24/7/365.
We make transitioning to VoIP simple through collaboration with our experienced team of project managers, provisioning specialists, engineers, and technicians. They will design a customized system that fits your business needs now and in the future while making the process as fast and easy as possible.
Have an existing on-premises PBX system? No problem. Using Simplicity SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) trunking, you can still benefit from VoIP solutions, with no new CapEx costs required.
With over 125 years of experience and over 150 feature-rich options, you'll get world-class service, guidance, training, and support every step of the way.
That’s why Simplicity VoIP’s retention rate is 98 percent.
Don’t let an outdated phone system keep your success on hold – reach out to one of our experts about our award-winning solutions today and let us help you get started!
