Convenient Calling Features That Can Boost Productivity
Employees tend to have many responsibilities, especially in small businesses. To handle these responsibilities, they need to manage their time wisely. One way you can help your employees be more productive is by providing convenient calling features designed with usability in mind.
Here are seven convenient calling features that you might want to look for in a phone system:
1. Sequential Ringing
Employees who are on the move will find sequential ringing helpful. When this feature is enabled, an unanswered call is automatically forwarded to a preset list of phone numbers, but the person calling only has to dial one number. Employees specify the phones to forward their calls to and the number of rings before the call is forwarded. They often set up sequential ringing so that calls go to their desk phone, then their cell phone, and finally voicemail. The possibilities are endless, though. For example, if employees are unable to answer their phone, they can have their calls go to another member of their department, followed by a third department member, and finally the office receptionist.
2. Simultaneous Ringing
With simultaneous ringing, all the phones specified in a list will ring at once when a call comes in. As soon as the call is answered, the ringing stops. Employees often set up simultaneous ringing so that both their desk phone and cell phone ring at the same time. Businesses can even have all the phones in a department set to ring when someone calls that department.
3. Conference Calling
Traveling to a meeting can make an employee’s productivity plummet. With conference calling, employees can attend meetings without wasting time getting there. Plus, businesses can save money because they do not have to pay for travel expenses. Conference calling provides a virtual meeting room, which employees enter by using a dial-in number and personal identification number.
4. Three-Way Calling
Three-way calling lets employees participate in impromptu conference calls. During a call, an employee can add another person to the conversation. All the employee needs to do is press the switch hook or flash button, call the third person, and then press the switch hook or flash button again.
5. Enhanced Voicemail
With enhanced voicemail, employees can listen to their voicemails from any phone or through a web application. They can even receive them as MP3 files attached to emails.
6. Voicemail Transcription
Rather than having to listen to and write down information in a voicemail, employees can have an automated system transcribe the message so that they can simply read it. Most often, these automated systems send the transcribed messages to employees via email. In some cases, employees can receive them via a text messaging service.
7. Telemarketer Blocking
Telemarketing calls can waste employees’ time. Fortunately, there are features that can detect and block these calls. One such feature works by detecting when telemarketers use a machine that automatically dials every number in a phone directory. Another works by that display “Anonymous,” “Unknown,” “Unavailable,” or “Restricted” instead of the phone number on caller IDs.
Hungerford Technologies provides IT support for businesses throughout West Michigan and the Midwest. Get in touch with our West Michigan managed service provider at (616) 949-4020 to make the way your team collaborates more efficient. We look forward to working with you!
