Current Times Get to Phone Systems
Back in the old times of business, one had dedicated phone lines to ring dedicated phones. For instance, if one had access to the number of the head accountant at a corporation, they could always call that number and reach that accountant directly. Nowadays business is done a little differently. Instead of dedicated numbers for dedicated phones, businesses use a virtual phone number in order to save cost and money. This system revolves around just one number, and once the user dials that number a multitude of options lets them reach their desired destination. But before we begin into the technical portion, let us look at the reasons for having a virtual phone system in the first place.
In modern times, business aren’t centrally located anymore. For instance, a business may have a manufacturing plant in Kentucky, while their technical support lines are located in California, and their payroll department is located in Australia. If a consumer had to figure out which phone line to call when they wanted a specific department, it would be an endless nightmare of long phone lists, transferring calls, and consumer frustration. The last thing a company wants is for a consumer to become frustrated too, as everyone knows this translates to lost sales.
Through a virtual PBX a company is able to centralize all of their phone numbers through a simple to use 1-800 number (or sometimes 1-888 or others). This enables consumers to call one number, listen to the options, and then direct the call themselves. The cost benefits behind this are enormous. If a company didn’t have a virtual phone system and still employed the same system they would have to employ an army of phone operators to redirect calls and who would certainly cause a few calls to be mis-transferred by human error. Or in another situation a consumer would have to sort through a mass list of numbers and extensions to find the person they wanted. This might result in wasted company time by other members of the company transferring this call, or by trying to help the consumer with a problem they are untrained with.
Also when it comes to ordering there needs to be a system to call so that a consumer can order their product without having to deal with customer support or technical services. With a virtual phone system a consumer can call one number and quickly be redirected to sales and order their product swiftly. This promotes a positive benefit for both parties, and when both parties are happy everyone wins.
So what are the disadvantages for this system? For one, not everyone uses a touch-tone phone (although they should, it is way past time to upgrade). This is usually solved by a prompt on the virtual system to let users of rotary phones speak with an operator. Another disadvantage is the new “speech to text” system that many companies are employing. These systems convert what the user says into their option, however it is not accurate and can cause frustration for many people. Another disadvantage is the complicated menus and options users may have to wait through in order to hear their choice. This is often avoided by companies posting a “phone map” on their website so that users can dial through their choices quickly.
Overall this system is a brilliant one, and is the future of how any company will manage their broad divisions. As the world becomes more globalized it is no wonder that so will phone systems.
