Communication is critical to the success of any business. In this time of rapid digital advances, the traditional telephone system is fast becoming obsolete. So what does a business plan to replace it? VoIP (voice over internet protocol) is your one stop shop communications solution fit for all sizes of business: modern, flexible and cost effective.
However, as business is only becoming increasingly complex and competitive, it is doubtful that prepackaged VoIP systems will provide the flexibility and functionality which businesses need.
Custom VoIP Solutions provide cutting edge functionality and options to businesses. With a custom VoIP solution you will improve not only the quality of audio, but be able to implement your telephone system with existing business process workflow, improve customer outcomes when they call the business, and grow with the company.
Here are the 10 reasons your business will need a custom VoIP solution and how that custom solution will revolutionize your business.
1. Custom to Fit Your Business Needs
No two businesses are alike and, therefore, there is no reason their communications systems should be the same. When using a custom VoIP solution, every element within the telephone system can be specifically designed to fit your exact needs, including:
- Size of the team and structure of the team
- Number of departments
- Call routing features
- Hours of operation and holiday calls
- CRM integrations
You will receive exactly what you need for a custom VoIP solution. Unlike pre packaged solutions, you will not find a solution that has too many functions that you do not require or misses functions that would be beneficial.
Regardless if you are an outpatient healthcare clinic with mandated compliance issues, or a growing eCommerce store that connects with customers worldwide with an international customer support team, VoIP solutions can fit your business needs.
2. Easily Scalable for Future Growth
Having growth is a goal for all businesses, and your communications needs should be able to grow with your business. Custom VoIP solutions should be designed with scalability in mind. If you have to add 5 new staff or 500, need to support new locations, or need to add a customer support team for your growing clientele, a VoIP solution gives the user complete customizable options to build their solutions, and allows the user to easily add or delete users or extensions.
The system function as it pertains to scalability is very advantageous; there is no interruption to business operation, the system supports your remote worker appropriately and removes any communications bottlenecks while you grow.
3. Cost Effective and ROI
To improve your communications capability while saving money is the obvious number one reason for considering a VoIP solution after customized. Traditional PBX phone systems have expensive installation fees, long term maintenance, and are costly when calling outside of North America. With a custom VoIP solution, you can expect:
- Lower monthly bills.
- A pay as you go pricing model while the new hire gets settled in.
- Lower hardware costs and installation fees.
- Eliminate long distance and international calling.
The productivity improving features, like auto-attendants, voicemail-to-email, and smart call routing, all will likely allow you to grow or add employees with a lower than anticipated hiring rate which provides significant ROI for a custom VoIP solution.
4. Enhanced Call Quality and Reliability
VoIP systems have come a long way, and a custom solution can assure the call quality is of the highest possible and likely higher than the traditional landline quality. A custom VoIP solution can have:
- Reserved bandwidth.
- HD Voice optimized codecs.
- QoS (Quality of Service).
- Redundant server architecture and failover systems.
All of the four above items will create better audio call quality, lessen call drops, and significantly more uptime within the VoIP system which is all very important for customer service and intra company business communication.
5. Improved Security and Compliance
One of the biggest targets of a cyber attack is your communications system. A stock VoIP system could leave you vulnerable, especially for those who may deal with sensitive data. By implementing a custom VoIP solution, you can obtain:- End-to-end encryption
- Custom firewall and VPN configuration
- Intrusion detection and prevention (IDS/IPS) systems
- Role-based access control
- Logging and auditing trails.
6. Unified Communication and Integrations
Custom VoIP solutions do more than facilitate voice; they establish a unified communications environment that is integrated with:
- CRM systems (Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho)
- Help desk solutions (Zendesk, Freshdesk)
- Email and chat applications (Slack, Microsoft Teams, Outlook)
- Business tools (Google Workspace, Office 365)
Unified communications and integrations simplify workflows, and can provide features such as:
- Click-to-call from within CRM dashboards
- Automatic call logging
- Real-time data into the caller during incoming calls
Transcribing the voice into emails or notes Using a customized system will guarantee cross-platform seamless communications that will drive collaboration or customer experience.
7. Better Customer Experience and Support
Today, customer experience impacts customer devotion and loyalty. Having a custom VoIP solution can genuinely benefit your brand or business.
Features that can improve customer support are:
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR) customized for your business or organization’s needs
- Call queuing and prompt on average hold times
- Intelligent call routing directed at specific departments or agents
- Call recordings and live monitoring
- Post call surveys and feedback systems
By personalizing the communications flow, you can limit their frustrations while improving satisfaction by ensuring every interaction is meaningful.
8. Supports Remote and Hybrid Workforces
The transition to remote & hybrid work has made flexibility in communication systems more important than ever before.
Custom VoIP can support:
- Softphone mobile and desktop applications
- Remote provisioning of IP phones
- Cloud-based admin dashboards
- Extension to phones regardless of location >
- Global DID numbers and virtual offices
Your employees can use their cellphones to place or receive business calls while maintaining their company’s professional image. This improves workforce productivity, ensures a better work-life balance, and will aid in attracting top talent regardless of the workforce’s location.
9. Advanced Analytics and Reporting
Data-driven decision is the foundation of business optimization and VoIP systems can provide organizations with information that can open up improvement areas that may have been overlooked previously. Tailored VoIP solutions enable users to track and analyze:
- Call volume and call length
- Call volume time of day trends
- Agent Performance
- Call Abandonment / Dropped Calls
- Customer Sentiment Analysis (by leveraging voice transcription tools)
Build custom reports and dashboards, integrate and leverage business intelligence tools, and support your organization in decision making to improve growth, service and operations.
10. Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
Nothing disrupts operations more than downtime. A tailored VoIP system will provide robust disaster recovery and business continuity options.
Possible features include:
- Automatic failover to alternate line or cloud servers
- Call rerouting to mobile phones or other lines
- Geo-redundancy
- Offline voicemail and call audio recording
- SMS/email alerts for system events
In a time of crisis such as natural disaster or outage, you will be reachable and customer trust in your brand will remain intact.
Gain a Competitive Advantage: Companies that transition to new, flexible, modern communications systems have an added competitive advantage. They respond quicker to customers, onboard teams faster, and are positioned to respond to any market conditions or changes faster and easier. Custom VoIP solutions are a competitive asset now and no longer an option.
Real Examples of Custom VoIP
For some real examples of organizations leveraging custom VoIP, consider:
Healthcare Providers: HIPAA-compliant VoIP system with patient call routing, appointment reminder and secure voicemail.
eCommerce Brands: Integrates VoIP in a CRM and can take/manage customer calls and emails related to questions, return requests and ordering status.
Law Firms: Can capture calls and stamp time for secure storage and case work.
Tech Startups: Scalable systems to support developers and remote customer support team members outside of the country.Custom VoIP is a way to maximize value, regardless of industry!
Choosing the Right Custom VoIP Provider
Developing and implementation of a custom VoIP system starts with choosing the right partner who understands your technical needs and goals for business.When looking for providers, consider:
- Proven experience working with your industry
- Customization capabilities
- Security and compliance standards
- Uptime Guaranteed and SLAs
- Support and onboarding
- Integration flexibility and considerations
Ultimately, it is critical to understand and explore a provider that does not solely sell software, but provide ongoing strategic consultancy and support.
Final Thoughts
The time has clearly passed for using a one-size-fits-all approach to business communication most certainly. As the world becomes more complex and customer businesses communicating with customers becomes more complex, and as customers demand more and more service they will be your customers because you have selected custom VoIP systems to provide you the flexibility, performance, and control over the communications themselves.
If you are a growing small business and want to maximize your growth, or a mid-sized business that is optimizing your operation, or a large global enterprise with a project teams of writer and editors a custom VoIP systems as a conversation changes and can change the way you want to work, and can change the way you will want to grow!
Are you ready to futureproof your communication?
Investing in custom VoIP systems may be some of the best financial investments you make this year. Assess your current system, assess your business needs, and invest in a smarter way to communicate.
Do You Need Support Developing and Implementing a VoIP System?
At Sheerbit, we work with clients to develop custom VoIP solution. From consulting, to development, to integration and ongoing support. we will ensure your transition to a powerful, secure, and scalable communication platform is seamless.
