Answering business calls on your personal phone number can be annoying, but this is a minor concern compared to the risks to your business. What happens when you’re talking with an important client and another client interrupts several times with texts? Either client could be frustrated with your inability to focus on their immediate concerns. When business and personal calls are answered on the same phone, it’s hard to tell when you must answer the phone and when it’s best to let calls go to voicemail. Today, the ability to use a business phone collaboration system can solve these and other issues.
Draw From the Talents of Each Team Member
When you choose a business number with phone linking, you bring the talents and resources of everyone on the team to each call. As customers or potential clients reach out, the phone call is directed to several members of the team. If you can’t answer the call, someone else will. You don’t have to risk missing important conversations or leads. Another advantage of linked phones is the ability to add team members as needed. Responses are seamless, so there’s no disruption to existing conversations as members join in.
Direct Customer Concerns to Specific Team Members
Just about any member of a business team has experienced the frustration of trying to address a client issue that should have been addressed to a different member of the team. With a linked phone system, it’s easy and convenient to direct calls and conversations to specific team members. When a client needs an answer to an IT problem, the CEO may answer, but the IT expert can be brought into the conversation without delay. This is a great way to show that you value each client and keep your customers happy.
Monitor Activity and Flag Priority Contacts
One popular and important feature of a linked service is the ability to monitor the activity of your team members. You can tell if a voicemail has received a reply and whether any missed calls have been answered. If a serious inquiry was made during a text conversation, you can monitor the replies until you’re satisfied that your client understands the answer. You can flag certain phone calls, texts, or voicemail messages, so you can quickly identify priority calls.
Use Auto-Reply to Filter Unhelpful Conversations
Unfortunately, there are a lot of phone calls that just aren’t going to help your business. You may get numerous “offers” to help with insurance policies or computer repair. These pesky advertising or spam calls aren’t just annoying; they can get in the way of actual client calls. Happily, a business ninja number with linking capabilities comes with an auto-reply feature. This helps you sift through the calls that aren’t helpful, so you can focus on the texts, responses, calls, and messages that are good for your business. When a new client or unfamiliar number comes through, you can switch to live texting without causing a blip in your conversation.
Scale Your Service as Your Business Grows
Whether you own a large business, or you just have a few partners sharing the load, your team will naturally fluctuate as your business does. Look for a phone linking service that allows you to add phones or cut back as you need. It’s important that you aren’t prevented from scaling your business team to suit lean times and those times when business is booming. This is generally easier to do when you’re in charge of the linked team members. Make sure your chosen service allows you to monitor and adjust the linked services as necessary.
Reduce Risks With a Business Phone Collaboration System
If you are currently using your own smartphone to answer both business and personal calls, it’s probably time for you to bring your phone service up to date. Set up a business number to make sure you aren’t losing out on important leads. Choose a service that provides linking capabilities to take advantage of the talents of each team member no matter who initially responds to texts and calls. Focus on features that help you respond to clients and customers in a way that makes them feel valued. With a separate business number that you can answer from your smartphone, you can be as available as possible without sacrificing either your business or your personal time.