Do you already have a virtual phone system in place? Or maybe you are considering moving to a business virtual phone system? If this is the case, you need to know the features to look out for.
Ensuring you have the right business phone system is the key to success. This blog will offer an insight into the top virtual business phone system features.
- What Is a Virtual Phone System?
- How Virtual Phone Systems Work
- Why Use Virtual Phone Systems For Your Business?
- 13 Top Business Phone Systems Features
What is a Virtual Phone System?
A virtual phone system is an internet-based phone solution. Truly virtual systems are cloud based phone systems.
Essentially, it’s a business phone system. The difference is that it works over an internet connection. Cloud systems work with desk phones, computers or mobile devices.
Cloud-based phone systems are more affordable for businesses as there’s no expensive hardware (PBX) or lines (and line rental).
Nowadays, there are many business phone system options. But, if you ask us, virtual business phone systems lead the way.
Cloud phone features support hybrid working and cuts costs through affordable call plans. Business efficiency also improves, boosting your bottom line.
How do Virtual Phone Systems Work?
So how do cloud PBXs work? In short, pretty easily.
As mentioned, phone calls are made over internet connections, with VoIP technology powering the entire virtual phone system. Whether it’s a small business phone system or large enterprise deployment – one solution suits any size.
The clue is in the name! Virtual means there are no physical lines. As a result, you can have any number for your business phone. You can even keep your current number.
The Difference: A Traditional Phone and a Virtual Phone System
Cloud phone systems offer a way to future-proof your business. Time is running out for old phone lines. PSTN shutdown will signal the end of copper lines and on-site PBX systems.
Additionally, a virtual business phone system offers you more features, reliability and team efficiency.
Why Use Virtual Phone Systems For Your Business?
So, the real question is why should a business consider a virtual business phone? And, why is it the top business phone system option out there?
The benefits are clear.
Research shows that businesses who use a cloud phone make big savings. While productivity and remote working capabilities add to its popularity, virtual phone systems offer many benefits to businesses:
- Lower Costs
- Team Productivity
- Business Efficiency
- Hybrid Working Empowerment
- More Features
- Simple User Scaling
13 Important Features Every Business Virtual Phone System Should Have
Now that we know how they are vital to a business’s success, it is also important to be aware of the important features that a business virtual phone systems should possess:
- VoIP Calling
- Call Reporting
- Call Recording
- Call Routing
- Call Waiting/Forwarding
- Call Barring
- Instant Messaging (IM)
- IVR/Auto Attendant
- On-Hold Music
- Unified Voicemail
- Multi-device Accessibility
- Business Cloud Phone Number
- Integrations with CRMs and Other Business Applications
Let’s delve deeper into the real selling points of a cloud phone system.
VoIP Calling
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) allows users to make and receive calls through the internet. VoIP’s demand is attributed to several factors: easy setup, quality, future-proofing and business efficiency.
A business’s average VoIP savings are between 30% and 50%. -tech.co
Voiceover IP is key to the workings of a Virtual Phone System.
Internet speeds are always improving and can now deliver HD voice call quality. Stronger internet connections can also host more HD voice calls at once.
No more call delays. No more voice judder. VoIP is now the gold standard for telephone calls.
Call Reporting
Every industry is growing more competitive. As a result, data is a key competitive advantage! What could be more important than your calling and communication data?
Call reporting is vital. It allows businesses to get an oversight of their customers’ calling patterns. Real-time reports include call times, busy periods and much more.
So, how can these metrics impact your business?
60% of respondents believe that one minute is too long to be on hold. – Velaro
Understanding call times and busier periods is vital for excellent customer experience. Through Blueface’s call reporting and call history features, you can oversee every team and location remotely.
Call Recording
Always forgetting key call information? Or trying to read back over your messy notes? Call Recording is a way of ensuring no conversation is forgotten. Call recording benefits business and creates more opportunities, like:
- Compliance and legal necessities
- Training new staff
- Recordkeeping
- Employee productivity
Blueface’s virtual phone system offers call recording as standard and is an in-built and easy-to-manage feature. Turn the recording option on and off in just one click through our UC Portal. You can also enable call recording using your desk phone or Softphone and record across all your devices.
You can then review and download recordings from the Blueface UC Portal.
Call Routing
Put simply, call routing is a call management tool. It allows you to direct incoming calls to teams, locations and devices. A predetermined set of rules allow you to choose which calls go where! That way, it all happens automatically.
There are many different call routing options. Depending on your team size and industry, different routing options will suit.
- Time of Day: Calls come through a certain line at a dedicated time.
- Simultaneous: Phones ring in sync. It goes to the first to answer and continues to ring until someone picks up.
- Sequential: A predetermined list. If number one can’t answer, the call moves down the list.
- Loop: A set list and destination ring times.
- Random: Calls ring through to each destination in random order.
Overall, your speed to answer and customer satisfaction are boosted. Not to mention, business efficiency and productivity! Blueface has years of expertise with call routing, with several call routing options to pick from.
Call Forwarding
VoIP systems are not complete without call forwarding. An employee can forward incoming calls to another device or user. This way, businesses can catch every call.
Forwarding calls enhances customer experience and acts as a handy call management tool. Another benefit is the redirect option. This gives businesses always-on-accessibility.
For call centres, this feature is very powerful. Perhaps you are a distributed team, working in a hybrid model. Blueface Call Forwarding can direct calls from a local number to the external numbers needed. In addition, teams can forward calls to their Softphone App, ensuring remote workers can take calls from any location.
Call Barring
Call barring is a simple feature that adds control. You can stop any incoming or outgoing calls you desire. Businesses can block various numbers. For instance, block calls based on domain, digits and destination.
There has been a significant rise in robot and spam calls. The solution is the ability to block unwanted numbers.
59.49 million US residents lost money from a phone scam in 2021. This is an increase of 22% in 2020. – Comparitech
In addition to incoming calls, block your team from calling premium or high-cost numbers and save costs.
Blueface’s Call Barring option delivers complete control. Mobile costs running high? You can bar mobile calls. Team member calling American radio shows from Ireland? Bar outgoing calls to America.
Customise your barring opinions per user or group in a few clicks with the Blueface UC Portal.
Video Conferencing
Video conferencing (VC) is just like call conferencing – but with video (obviously). Video calls take place over an internet connection and are very useful for remote working. It saves time and the expenses of business travel. More importantly, video meetings are good for culture.
According to Albert Mehrabian, 55% of communication is non-verbal. Video meetings prevent your message from being lost in translation.
Blueface WebRTC Video Conferencing goes a step further. Instant team messaging and screen sharing help you collaborate and even host webinars.
IVR/Auto Attendant
An Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is a self-service technology. It allows callers to navigate through an automated menu. This is done using a dial-pad or voice to answer.
Also known as auto attendant, an IVR can be extremely beneficial for a business with its automated call routing feature. Generally, callers are offered tailored options or information. This then answers their questions or sends them on to the correct agent or department.
IVR can be used across any industry. Let’s take a medical practice as an example:
- Press 1 for prescriptions
- Press 2 to make an appointment
- [Menu 2] Press 1 for Dr. Roche
- [Menu 2] Press 2 for Dr. McCabe
- [Menu 2] Press 3 for Dr. Giorno
- Press 3 for blood results
- Press 4 for business hours
You can add sub-menus to your main menu and even have your main-line route to other practices. On high call volume days, IVR can save significant time. It allows the patient to get what they need without going on hold.
Blueface offers an IVR with a simple click and drag option, routing calls to different numbers with self-navigation and custom IVR media (also known as custom music on hold).
Custom Music on Hold
Custom Music on Hold is a virtual phone system feature that plays an audio when a caller is placed on hold.
Music on hold can offer informative business information or even play seasonal music. Many providers offer default music on hold but custom music on hold gives you unlimited freedom.
60% of callers hang up if left on hold in silence. 30% of those callers won’t call back. – Spectrio
The research shows that callers who are left in silence hang up! Most importantly, unhappy customers lead to a loss in revenue.
Blueface Custom Music on Hold provides high quality, customisable music on hold options.
Use media on hold for promotions, opening hours or stop the silence with licence free music. You can even preview your music on hold directly from the Blueface UC Portal.
Moreover, you can brand your business by purchasing licensed music but make sure you own it!
Unified Voicemail
Gone are the days when 171 was the only way to listen to voicemails. Unified Voicemail or Voicemail to Email offer quick access without long reads.
This UCaaS feature means voice messages go straight to your email, making access available from any device as a result!
There are so many advantages to this voicemail service:
- Faster voicemail review saves you time
- Listen from your email inbox
- Download voicemails to your local computer
- Group voicemails options
- Quick replies and callbacks
Blueface’s Unified Voicemail makes it easy to catch every important call.
Group voicemail also means entire teams can have shared voicemail inboxes which can be very handy for sales teams.
Your voicemails are available to download and listen from your email inbox, UC Portal or Softphone App. And, of course, your reliable desk phone.
Multi-Device Accessibility
Providing your team with a standard desk phone isn’t enough anymore. With a virtual phone, you can offer connections from multiple devices.
This feature can solve many current workplace problems. Has your team been working remotely? Is your sales team on the road a lot? Are you sick of spending too much on hardware?
Blueface offers portable and flexible business phone options. The Softphone App is a business landline in your pocket. So, your teams can work on the go with our mobile app.
The Desktop Phone App backs hybrid workers. Not in the office? No problem. Answer calls straight from your Windows PC or Mac!
Device-based call routing means you can have calls flow from desk to mobile to laptop. Stop missing important calls!
Business Cloud Phone Number
A cloud phone number works over the internet. Unlike traditional (PSTN) lines, virtual phone numbers aren’t connected to any lines or geographical locations. Therefore, your numbering options are endless.
Check out some of Blueface’s Numbering Options:
- Local Geographic Number: Reduces call charges through local dialling. Builds trust through recognisable numbers.
- Global Number: A global reach with a phone number. Cost-effective international call plans too.
- Golden Number: Currently using a tricky, long number? An easy-to-remember number is possible with golden numbers.
- Premium Number: No customer location barriers. An official number with customer variable calling rates.
- Toll Free Number: Customers can call your business for free. Boosting customer service and sales.
Integrations with Other Business Applications
Integrating your virtual phone with other business applications has its advantages. Firstly, it saves your team from app overload, so, boosting productivity is one advantage
56% of workers say switching between different apps keeps them from being productive. – Medium
Another is combining familiar solutions into one!
Blueface’s Microsoft Teams Integration is a winning combination. Make calls directly to mobiles and landlines from MS Teams and enjoy internal collaboration and external call handling in a single pane. Blueface offers simple pricing so you don’t have to decipher Microsoft’s tricky call plans.
Upgrade Your Phone System to Blueface
A virtual phone system for small business or enterprise-level needs a few essential features. The right flexibility, pricing and functionalities to grow your business.
Blueface offers this and more. Features that mean your team can work from any location and tools to boost your customer service and connectivity.
Choosing the right phone system can be daunting. Blueface, A Comcast Business Company can take you through each step. From clear pricing to features, set-up and support.
If you want the best virtual phone system for your small business, or want a feature-pack enterprise business-grade phone system – get in touch with us today.
Discover how a virtual phone system can digitally transform your business.
