1) Develop and Train Phone Policies
Whether you have a single “shop” phone with a small team to field calls, or a large system with hundreds of users, each person who answers or makes calls should be trained on your company’s usage policies. Policies to consider include:
- Incoming call identification: Is this a potential client, a customer in need of support, a potential referral source?
- Standardized greetings for answering and making calls, such as: “Thank you for calling COMPANY, my name is JOE, how can I direct your call?”
- Conflict management and how to stay calm with potentially unhappy customers.
- Returning missed calls: How long can a voicemail message remain unanswered?
- Identifying the caller: Is this a call for sales, marketing, support, etc.?
- Directing calls: It may be wise for everyone in the company to be comfortable with how to transfer calls, put calls on hold, etc.
2) You Phone Number Should Be Accessible
If your phone is often the first contact your potential customers and clients have with your business, then it should be easily accessible. Make sure your customers can find your number on Google, social media, and your website. Advertising, business cards, and establishing a memorable phone number are additional tools for getting your number in front of your audience.
3) Utilize Your Phone Systems for Sales and Marketing
Modern phone systems like StarContact™ and StarPaas, which we proudly offer through Star2Star Systems, help track calls and prospects, improving inbound and outbound marketing and sales for your team. StarContact’s™ features include:
- Enhanced customer/prospect tracking that helps improve retention rates
- Functionality for both inbound and outbound calls
- 'Screen Pops' display past interactions with customers for incoming calls
- Empowers managers by helping them identify gaps in performance
StarPaas improves productivity by collecting key points of data and connecting a range of systems. It integrates with a number of sales, social, and productivity platforms such as OneDrive, Amazon, Salesforce, and Facebook. For more information, contact ISS Technologies
4) Improve Your Internal Communications
Is your team unified? Does your sales department regularly communicate with marketing? Make sure your phones are being utilized internally to protect the vision and advance the mission of your company. Utilize your smartphone with tools like Start2Star’s Mobile StarPhone to check in with your team even while you are on the road.
5) Employ an Advanced Call Center
Optimize your company’s customer experience with a digital call center. A system like Star2Star’s Advanced Call Center – StarCenter®3 is a web-based will help route calls, report data, and work well and intricately across multiple locations. Some of the features include:
- Agent login/logout
- Skill-based ring strategies
- Flexible queuing configurations
- Agent barge, monitor, and whisper functionality
- Real-time displays (optional)
- In-depth reporting (optional)
- Optional cloud-based recordings of agents' inbound calls for quality assurance or archival purposes
- Implement to any existing Star2Star system without additional hardware
6) Utilize Internal Instant Messaging
Sometimes, communicating with your team is best done through an instant text message. Internal chat applications like Star2Star’s star chat help you and your employees communicate via text across desktop, tablet, and smartphone devices. Furthermore, there is no need to frantically search for a pen to jot down key information. Conversations are stored and searchable.
Your phone systems can work powerfully to improve every aspect of your company’s internal and external communication. If you want to know more about, contact ISS Technologies in Asheville, NC.