VoIP or voice-over internet protocol comes with a variety of business phone features that help entrepreneurs, business managers, and other professionals stay connected.
With an increasing number of businesses implementing cloud-based phone services, the market size is likely to reach $97 billion by 2027. However, companies find it hard to determine which VoIP feature they should be looking for to streamline their communication.
To make things easier, we’ve come up with a list of the top 7 VoIP features you must consider when buying a VoIP service provider.
Top 7 VoIP features you must use for your business
To use VoIP, you need a reliable internet connection. After that, you need to sign up for a subscription through a reliable VoIP service provider.
While service providers like Callplicity don’t require some sort of hardware, you need a phone or headset to get started with a cloud-based phone system. Here are the top 7 features you can get when switching to a virtual phone system.
1. Auto attendant
Auto attendant is probably the most valuable and essential feature of any VoIP business phone. As a business owner, you can’t pick up every call that comes your way. So, there must be an automated system to help you out with this problem.
An automated attendant will help you transfer incoming calls to the correct extensions without the involvement of a phone receptionist. Your customers or clients will be able to quickly reach their desired department without a middleman, saving them time and frustration.
We understand that when a business keeps customers waiting, it turns out to be a poor overall experience. Therefore, a VoIP service with an automated attendant feature can solve this problem.
2. Conference calling
Callplicity is one of the best VoIP phone systems that enable users to have video or audio conference calls. This feature really helps when you have to communicate with your remote employees.
Many employees are returning to the office but businesses are unlocking hybrid functions to facilitate in-person and remote team members. This is where having a cloud-based phone system simplifies ongoing communication.
With conference calling, you can communicate with remote and in-person workers on the go. However, make sure to sign up for a VoIP phone provider that fits your needs.
3. Caller ID
If we take Callplicity as an example, all you need to do is install an app on your mobile phone and start receiving or making calls from your virtual phone number.
Since the app offers a caller ID feature, you’ll be able to know who is calling ahead of time and prepare your response. In other words, you can have a few seconds to get relevant documents ready for the conversations ahead.
A phone system without a caller ID feature sounds obsolete. doesn’t it? Not to mention, it’s hard to deal with robocalls without caller ID. With Callplicity, you don’t have to waste your precious time taking spam calls.
4. Call holding
Call holding is a common feature when it comes to smartphones. A dependable VoIP service should offer the call holding feature so you could park a caller temporarily until you or your receptionist is ready to resume the call.
However, from a customer experience standpoint, it might not be a good idea to hold calls for a long period. Research tells us that 60% of customers hang up after a minute or less.
Still, you need this feature for certain types of communications. For example, your workers might need to finish up a task or conversation with other customers before getting back to the person on hold. The call-hold feature coupled with functions like on-hold messaging will make things even easier.
5. Call recording
When it comes to business-related conversations and meetings, the call recording feature can play a helpful role. So, when choosing the best VoIP provider for your business, be sure to take this into account as well.
With call recording capabilities, you’ll be able to make important inferences from the calls. Never miss anything important from your previous conversations with your customers and clients.
6. Visual voicemail
Visual voicemail is another amazing VoIP feature that you can benefit from. You surely want to receive and see a list of people who left you a message.
You also want to play your voicemail in any order to make the task more efficient. With visual voicemail, you get the freedom to choose what to listen to and which messages to delete, save, or mark as unread. At the same time, visual voicemail enables you to easily call people back.
Callplicity also offers visual voicemail features to help its users streamline calling and messaging.
7. Call routing
VoIP call routing allows you to dial into one central line and route calls to the available agent, no matter the location of that person.
Let’s take an example to understand this. Have you ever called a bank to inquire about something? If yes, you probably have realized the representative answering your call while sitting in a cubicle. With VoIP call routing, your team members can answer a call from anywhere in the world.
How to choose the best VoIP business phone for your business
We’ve identified 7 features that a good VoIP system should have. Whether you’re a small business or a large company, these small tools can resolve your longstanding calling and messaging challenges.
Before you make a decision, take your time and do the research to ensure you choose the right service and features that are ideal for your business communication. Here are some considerations to help you select the right service, plans, and add-ons:
- How many of your team members will have access to VoIP service?
- Are the plan and add-ons you’re signing up for good value for the money?
- How do you envision a VoIP service making communication and collaboration easier?
- Does the VoIP phone service improve efficiency and productivity?
- What kind of features would work best for your staff or clients?
Answering these questions will help you decide which features and add-ons to invest in. Here are some features Callplicity offers :