Configuring your Business Phone System

Choosing how incoming calls are answered using your phone system

The Birchills Telecom hosted PBX business phone system, can be configured to work with ease to handle your business's calls efficiently. Effective communication is about getting the incoming calls to the proper person or department or even getting information, like hours or addresses directly to the caller quickly. Your customers and business prospects will be presented by your professional company image that will help drive additional business and revenues.

Usually, Birchills Telecom extension business phones are multi caller aware - so one user can handle multiple calls at once - for example, putting calls on hold. They are also usually hands free to make response easier.

Flexible

The Birchills Telecom Connect business phone system is controlled using the web based control panel which means that you can change how your system works easily. You don't have to get it right first time you can change things as you go.

Because the phone system has comprehensive reporting tools you can monitor how quickly your organisation is answering calls and look at the overall statistics. You can then use these figures to drive a part of your continuous improvement programme.

You can also configure the phone system for short term aims. For example you may have an advertising campaign and you could use a dedicated response number associated with that campaign. You could use the Birchills Telecom phone system reporting tools to show you how your response is stacking up, which in turn will allow you to improve your campaign.

Rules

The Birchills Telecom business phone system allows you to define a very flexible set of rules to be applied based on time or even caller-id. So any of the modes below can be used and switched on or off depending upon the rules that you want defined for the system.

For example, a company receptionist or operator might work Monday to Friday 9.00 till 5.00pm and outside those times a ring group might be used or calls might be answered using a voice mailbox. This allows you to respond properly to the incoming caller.

Again for example if you were running an advertising campaign aimed at say, people from Birmingham, then any one ringing in from a Birmingham based number could be automatically transferred to a message recorded in a Birmingham accent.

Music or Voice Recordings on Hold

Whenever a caller is on hold the Birchills Telecom business phone system allows you to play either music or messages. The messages can tell the caller about features that they may not be aware of or publicise upcoming events. You can choose what messages or music you want to play, subject of course to the usual copyright restrictions.

One way to handle inbound calls efficiently and professionally is to use a call queue. A queue is a place where calls reside on hold until someone is available to take them instead of having a customer get an engaged tone or go to voicemail. The Birchills Telecom Call Queueing system has built in greetings that can give wait time, preset update messages, and music on hold. It also can give information about the queue like how long someone has been on hold.

So for example you can record a message such as "Thank you for calling XYZ. Please hold whilst we connect your call". The queue can then ring a group of extensions which is described in more detail below ring group.

Using a call queue to answer incoming calls means that all calls are immediately, automatically, answered with no engaged tones. Using the Birchills Telecom Connect business phone system built in reporting systems you can see how quickly calls are responded to - which can be a useful tool to improve your customer response. You can for example measure how long the average wait is before the caller is answered and also the maximum time.

Answering Using Company Receptionist or Operator

The idea is that one extension is dedicated as a receptionist (also known as an operator) telephone. The receptionist answers all inbound calls and then transfers calls either by :

A) announcing the call to the recipient - the receptionist rings the recipient and asks for example "Hi I have John on the line will you take the call?". The recipient can choose to accept the call or not This is useful when an executive chooses which calls to answer.

Or B ) by blind transfer - the receptionist rings the recipient and without speaking transfers the call. The caller may not get through or be transferred to voicemail. This allows a receptionist to handle calls more rapidly.

The idea can be expanded to allow a group of people work as receptionists.

The benefit of this method is that all callers are answered by a live person who can be the friendly face of the company. The difficulty is that the receptionist has to transfer calls away rapidly in order to respond to new incoming calls and this can be difficult where the receptionist is seeking someone to take the incoming call. Allowing a group of people to function as receptionists can alleviate this problem.

Answering Using A Ring Group

A single incoming call can ring a group of extensions which ring in unison. This is known as a ring group or a blast group. When the call is answered all extensions cease to ring for that call.

This works well in a small group of people where any one of the team can answer the caller - for example in a sales group. It is the simplest solution that avoids a dedicated receptionist or operator.

You should bear in mind that since this is a hosted system, extensions can be anywhere on the planet. So if you are unable to take a call you can have it transfer seamlessly to a live answering service, where the call is answered by a live person. The caller connects to a person who has a computer screen for your company and answers in your name, to your instructions. This is the Birchills Telecom live answering service in action.

Or if you have an office in New York they can take calls in their time zone and your London office can take over when they come on line.

Answering Using Call Cascade - Hunt Group

An incoming call is directed towards a specific extension and then depending on the state of that extension is either answered by the user or transferred to another extension, queue or IVR. The re-routing possibilities are easy to configure with unlimited combinations.

So for example if incoming calls are normally received by the sales coordinator but she is unavailable then the calls might automatically be transferred to the sales manager and if she is unavailable the voicemail system responds. The system can transfer calls to the Birchills Telecom live answering.

This system means that callers are answered by a real person although that person may not have the same knowledge as others in the intended department.

An IVR, or auto attendant, can help improve efficiency by getting the call to the correct person the first time, rather than have to go to one employee and then be handed over to another. Or worse still, having the call placed off hook with the receiver on a desk while the employee hunts for the proper recipient. It can direct calls to different departments, employee's extensions or to different voicemail boxes.

For example you could configure an IVR so that:

If callers press "1" they will ring the technical support ring group.
If they press "2" they will ring the sales support ring group.
If they press "3" they will ring the sales accounts ring group
or if they continue to hold they will be transferred to the operator

You may wish to configure your IVR with best practices in mind so that:

• Setting up your call treatments should be thought of as a "this then this" scenario.

• IVR choices are quick, so the caller can get to their choice in a reasonable amount of time.

• Avoid redundant choices.

• Consider an option that would go to a recording giving a caller certain company details, such as address, fax number, hours of operations and/or directions.

This system means that all incoming calls are answered rapidly and without an engaged tone. It makes you look like a large company since this feature used to be the sole preserve of large companies. However, callers generally do not like interacting with automated systems.

Answering Using Voicemail

An incoming call is directed immediately to voice mail. People like being able to leave messages in specific situations without talking to a person. For example if you are requesting a leaflet then it is a lot easier to simply leave a request rather than have to go through a discussion. This is easily set up with a dedicated number which can either be a free phone (0800) number or a local number and is very useful for advertising campaigns.

Answering Using "Follow Me"

An incoming call rings at an extension and also at your mobile phone. You answer at whichever handset you like. Both phones stop ringing when the call is answered. This system means that you can always answer your call whether you are in or out of the office.

It means that you don't have to stay in the office for that important call to come through - you can be anywhere on the globe. The caller is not aware that you are not in the office - there are no divert announcements. This means that your business can be managed from anywhere increasing your efficiency and productivity of your business. Unanswered calls can be directed to the voicemail system, where the callers can leave voice messages. You should note that call charges apply for the section of the call from your office.

Conclusion

However you want to handle your incoming calls the Birchills Telecom Connect business phone system delivers. Your customers can always be presented with your professional company image.

Birchills Telecom telephone systems are business phone systems designed for commerce and industry. You get:

• Ultra competitive handsets
• Free calls within our network and branch to branch
• All the most advanced business features at no cost
• Low subscription charges
• Low, low call charges
• And a friendly team

This is the phone system that transforms the way that businesses talk.