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Recording calls is good for business — here’s whyIs your customer service department lagging in terms of quality? If so, it may be time to review the call quality of your customer service representatives. One of the best ways to do that is to use your Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system’s call recording feature. By listening to recorded calls, you can find […]

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Recording calls is good for business — here’s why

Is your customer service department lagging in terms of quality? If so, it may be time to review the call quality of your customer service representatives. One of the best ways to do that is to use your Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system’s call recording feature. By listening to recorded calls, you can find out what can be improved, reduce your team's errors, and gain several other benefits, including the following.

1. Upgrade employee performance

According to Edgar Dale’s Cone of Learning, people only remember 10% of what they read, 50% of what they see and hear, and 90% of what they do. By providing your agents with actual recordings of good and bad calling examples during training sessions and having them simulate calls afterwards, they’ll be able to learn better and provide high-quality customer service faster.

2. Improve customer service

One of the most important reasons why businesses should always record their calls is to ensure high-quality customer service. By reviewing calls, managers can understand how their agents have been dealing with customers, find out whether or not they’ve followed company protocol, and pinpoint any aspects that can be improved on.

Without call recording, managers would have to listen to each call in real time, which is time-consuming. By recording each call, not only will your managers save time, but your employees will also be motivated to perform at their best, since they know their calls can always be reviewed.

3. Retrieve missed details and prevent potential lawsuits

Your employees handle hundreds of phone calls daily, so it's understandable if they don't catch every single detail. And for companies that require their agents to manually input information during calls, there’s always a possibility that they’ll forget or miss certain information, which could then lead to disgruntled customers. If not properly handled, this can harm your reputation, reduce work opportunities, and if things escalate, proceed to litigation.

VoIP’s call recording feature lets you replay saved audio files to make sure you haven’t missed any details, ensuring that all customer demands are met. And if you ever get into a dispute with your clients regarding who said what, you can always retrieve the exact audio file and have both sides listen to it, saving you thousands of dollars in legal fees.

4. Understand customer preferences

Have you ever received an inquiry about a product or service that’s not included in your offerings? While your agents usually jot these requests down and pass them on to the relevant personnel, they may overlook some of these if numerous calls are being made that day. Tiny issues like this can lead to potentially huge losses.

With call recording, you can review all your calls at the end of the day. You’ll have a better picture of what certain customers are looking for so you can address their needs better.

VoIP allows businesses to make on-demand calls affordably, and its call recording feature helps companies improve their customer service and prevent litigation. If you think business VoIP is right for you, or if you have any questions, give us a call today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post Recording calls is good for business — here’s why appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

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How AI can shape the future of VoIPArtificial intelligence (AI) can significantly complement Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Here’s how AI-enhanced VoIP can introduce remarkable efficiencies to your business communications. Interactive voice response (IVR) systems with conversational AI An IVR system is designed to automatically respond to customer queries with AI agents. These agents allow businesses to take on more customer calls […]

The post How AI can shape the future of VoIP appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

How AI can shape the future of VoIP

Artificial intelligence (AI) can significantly complement Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Here’s how AI-enhanced VoIP can introduce remarkable efficiencies to your business communications.

Interactive voice response (IVR) systems with conversational AI

An IVR system is designed to automatically respond to customer queries with AI agents. These agents allow businesses to take on more customer calls without having to hire more human agents. Among AI assistants’ most powerful features are the following:

  • Text and speech recognition – the ability to understand and respond to written and spoken messages
  • Intent recognition – the ability to discern what the person communicating with the AI tool wants to happen based on what that person is saying
  • Contextual guidance – the ability to “keep in mind” what was stated earlier so that the AI tool can understand references to those past statements
  • Multilingualism – the ability to communicate in many different languages

While in a call, AI assistants can concurrently gather and assess all relevant customer data such as personal information and recent transactions to resolve a query. In this manner, this makes them more efficient than human agents who have to put a caller on hold in order to access that caller’s records.

Thanks to machine learning and natural language processing, these AI-powered IVR systems will only get better at communicating with customers over time. However, for more nuanced queries, AI agents still transfer calls to human business representatives, who are better equipped to serve customers.

Chatbot functions

Chatbots are useful programs that receive instructions via textual or auditory means to perform automated tasks.

Like IVR systems, bots are used by businesses to automate customer interactions. AI-powered chatbots go beyond regular bot duties by performing more complex tasks like setting up meetings, inviting attendees, managing schedules, and much more.

AI-powered call recording analysis

AI tools can parse through call recordings to identify issues such as poor customer service. These tools can also identify trends (e.g., increasing customer satisfaction) and the challenges your agents encounter when they provide customer support or try to keep customers from closing their accounts.

AI-enabled web conferencing

Web conferencing has improved over the years with internet speeds and telecom technology constantly developing. AI advances it even further with real-time language translation and speech recognition technology, which greatly benefits businesses with offices in multiple geographic locations and whose stakeholders come from diverse backgrounds.

AI-enabled web conferencing can even provide intelligent prompts and relevant data to guide your conversations and ensure a fruitful meeting.

With AI-powered systems vastly improving contact center operations, businesses are understandably eager to adopt them. There’s so much more that VoIP systems can do for your business, and we’ve got the expertise to handle all your VoIP-related concerns. Just call us today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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VoIP for SMBs: Hardphones or softphones?Your company has decided to avail of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and has given you the task of choosing between its two types: traditional desk phones (hardphones) or software-based phones (softphones). Worry not — we’re here to help you understand the benefits of each type. What’s a hardphone? A hardphone functions like a normal […]

The post VoIP for SMBs: Hardphones or softphones? appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

VoIP for SMBs: Hardphones or softphones?

Your company has decided to avail of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and has given you the task of choosing between its two types: traditional desk phones (hardphones) or software-based phones (softphones). Worry not — we’re here to help you understand the benefits of each type.

What’s a hardphone?

A hardphone functions like a normal phone, but it's connected to your business's IP network instead of a telephone line. There’s no learning curve associated with VoIP hardphones and they allow your staff to call anyone worldwide at an affordable price. More advanced hardphones have built-in video displays and touch screens for video calls, eliminating the need for separate equipment for video conferencing.

What’s a softphone?

A softphone is any electronic device that uses a software application that allows users to turn their PCs, laptops, and tablets into phones that can make and receive local and international calls. Softphones let you dial a number on your computer or mobile device and speak through its embedded speakers and microphone or through a headset with a microphone, so you can make and take calls wherever you are.

Which VoIP phone is for you?

When choosing between hardphones and smartphones, consider the following questions:

Are your employees always moving around?
Do they require 24/7 connectivity?
Does your company take pride in offering top-notch customer service?
What’s your IT budget?

Your answers to these questions will determine the type of equipment you need.

Why choose hardphones?

Nothing beats the voice clarity and noise cancellation features of hardphones since they are designed specifically for voice calls, unlike softphones that share power with other programs on a device. They also let you make and receive calls without being disrupted by poor PC performance or malware.

Because you have to purchase actual phones, the initial setup costs for hardphones are greater than those for softphones, but the monthly phone bills are more affordable. Not only that, softphones may be more costly in the long run, as they require separate headphones and microphones that may need to be replaced or maintained frequently.

Why choose softphones?

If your company has a mobile workforce, adopting a softphone solution may be the way to go. Softphones feature call routing, which allows you to divert calls to one or several specified internet-enabled devices, ensuring your clients have 24/7 access to your company. This is most useful in a contact center environment. Transcribed voicemail messages are another helpful feature, as this enables you to receive messages promptly, even if you’re in a meeting or on the road.

Our experts are available 24/7/365 to answer any questions you may have pertaining to VoIP and especially about whether hardphones or softphones are right for you. If you’re interested in upgrading your telephony infrastructure, give us a call today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post VoIP for SMBs: Hardphones or softphones? appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

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Advantages of call recordingCustomer service representatives are prone to errors; after all, they're only human. However, if your business is using a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system, human errors can be minimized by using call recording. Discover how this VoIP feature can enhance your employees' productivity. #1. Improve customer service One of the most important reasons why […]

The post Advantages of call recording appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Advantages of call recording

Customer service representatives are prone to errors; after all, they're only human. However, if your business is using a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system, human errors can be minimized by using call recording. Discover how this VoIP feature can enhance your employees' productivity.

#1. Improve customer service

One of the most important reasons why businesses should always record their calls, no matter its significance, is to ensure high-quality customer service. By reviewing calls, managers can understand how their agents have been dealing with customers, find out whether or not they’ve followed company protocol, and pinpoint any aspects that can be improved on.

Without call recording, managers would have to listen to each call in real time, which is a time-consuming process. By recording each call, not only will your managers save time, but your employees will also be motivated to perform at their best every time they’re on the phone because they know their calls can always be reviewed.

#2. Upgrade employee performance

According to Edgar Dale’s Cone of Learning, people only remember 10% of what they’ve read, 50% of what they’ve seen and heard, and 90% of what they’ve done. By providing your agents with actual recordings of good and bad calling examples during training sessions, and have them simulate calls afterwards, they’ll be able to learn better and provide high-quality customer service faster.

#3. Retrieve missed details and prevent litigation

With hundreds of phone calls daily, it’s understandable if your employees don’t catch every single detail. And for companies that require their agents to manually input information during calls, there’s always a possibility that they’ll forget or miss certain information. Needless to say, this could lead to disgruntled customers. If not properly handled, this can harm your reputation, reduce work opportunities, and if things escalate, proceed to litigation.

VoIP’s call recording feature lets you replay saved audio files to make sure you haven’t missed any details, ensuring that all customer demands are met. And if you ever get into a dispute with your clients regarding who said what, you can always retrieve the exact audio file and have both sides listen to it, saving you thousands of dollars in legal fees.

#4. Understand customer preferences

Have you ever received an inquiry about a product or service that’s not included in your offerings? While your agents usually jot these requests down and pass them on to the relevant personnel, they may end up forgetting some if numerous calls are being made that day. Tiny issues like this can lead to potentially huge losses.

With call recording, you can review all your calls at the end of the day. You’ll have a better picture of what certain customers are looking for so you can address them better.

VoIP allows businesses to make on-demand calls affordably, and its call recording feature helps companies improve their customer service and prevent litigation. If you think business VoIP is right for you, or if you have any questions, give us a call today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post Advantages of call recording appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Read More