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For any kind of business, it’s essential to establish a consistent communication process in the workplace. To this end, the right business communications tools will reduce chaos, especially among startup businesses.
That’s why you should invest in reliable communication tools and systems. Such systems will help you connect with your employees and customers, grow your business, and reap higher profits.
In this post, you’ll learn about the best communication tools and systems around. Consider setting up one or more of these for your small business in 2020 to help you achieve your business goals.
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VoIP for Better Business Communications
Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP refers to a type of a business communications system that takes analog voice signals and transforms them into digital data transmittable via the Internet.
However, before you settle on a particular type or brand of VoIP business phone system, you have to consider your employees.
For example, will they need to work in a shared space or work remotely or in different branches or offices? Depending on the answer to this question, you might need a small business PBX (private-branch exchange) system. Be sure to choose one with an easy-to-use app and interface.
Also, another factor to consider with any business communications system is your budget. For example, are you ready to invest in an entirely new and modern business phone system for your business?
If yes, compare the services and prices of different companies and service providers. This will allow you to make a sound decision. Of course, always take into consideration the features and benefits.
Additionally, research the technical assistance the provider will offer. In that way, you can get the help and assistance you’ll need should you encounter problems later on.
Here are the extras and features you need to look for in a VoIP phone system for business communications:
Interactive Voice Response or IVR
Whether you have a small or big business, a professional greeting is essential. However, you don’t need to hire additional workforce to handle and switch calls. Instead, choose an IVR system.
This business communication feature provides an automated greeting whenever a customer dials your business phone number.
An IVR system will transfer phone calls to the right departments, receive messages, or put clients on hold. To put it mildly, this business communication tool can be a lifesaver for your business.
Call Queuing for Better Business Communications
A digitized call queue will help you provide excellent customer service. Moreover, once your business starts getting more calls, you can easily adjust. This is because you will already have this business communication feature in place.
Call Track Features
Some business communications systems for phones offer track features. For example, with call track features, you can find out about dropped calls, know the rate of phone calls, and learn which departments callers are contacting most.
Number Porting
This feature allows you to retain your old number whenever you switch providers. In this way, you won’t miss customer interactions whenever you need to adjust to technological changes.
Call Recording
With this business communication feature you will have access to improving your services and your marketing campaigns. You could even increase your sales by using this feature.
Mobile Tools for Business Communications
When it comes to modern business communications, it’s now essential to have a mobile app. This is because a lot of customers rely on their smartphones to search and shop.
Two of the most trusted small business communication tools and apps for mobile are Basecamp (a project management tool) and Slack (a messaging tool).
Here are the good-to-know facts about these mobile apps for business communications:
Basecamp
This app allows you to organize multiple projects in one application. Using this app, you can easily switch from one project to another. Additionally, you can view users who updated projects and files most recently, as well as read the comments and notifications.
Slack
Slack is a tool that’s chat-based. This will bring your entire team together in a single location to talk. Also, it’s a time-based feed that shows your most recent messages and previous messages.
Integrate Several Apps
Businesses can use several apps to maximize the functionality of their communications and enjoy more benefits. For example, you can integrate Basecamp with Slack, Trello, Google Calendar, Gmail, and more.
Business Internet Faxing
If you want to save time and money while keeping business communication channels open, include Internet faxing among the systems and tools you use every day. This is because the old faxing technology is out. The trend today is Internet faxing.
Internet faxing is also called online fax or e-fax, because it uses the Internet instead of a fax machine and a standard telephone connection. Moreover, there are a number of Internet fax tools available to help you receive faxes either as paper documents or in digital form.
SMS for Business Communications
Managing business communications can be quite challenging, confusing, and time-consuming. However, having a business SMS or SMS gateway can help you. Basically, it will give you a more direct, reliable, and universal way of communication.
With this communication channel, you can send and receive messages using a computer. Moreover, you can easily route messages into different mobile phone networks.
Here are some good reasons for considering SMS for business communications:
Fast
According to statistics, people read about 90 percent of text messages within three minutes after they receive them. Moreover, with an SMS software in place, you can create and send messages easily and quickly.
Cost-Effective
For only a few cents, you can send messages to your target audience within seconds. This increases engagement, generating a high return on your investment for this business communications tool.
Reliable
SMS is a reliable communication channel. Surprisingly, it has been in existence for more than 24 years. While mobile ads and email struggle against ad-blocking and spam filters, small businesses can greatly benefit from the reliability of SMS.
Cloud Computing for Business Communications
Cloud communications allow you to keep your business communication channels open via Internet-based voice and data business communications.
With cloud computing, a third-party company hosts your telecommunications applications. The company switches and stores data on the cloud, which can be made accessible on various devices and over the public Internet, and not solely through telephones and desktop computers. Cloud telephony services are suitable for e-commerce, advertising, human resources, and payment processing.
Boost Your Business Communications with These Top Tools
Small businesses can choose modern business communication tools and systems to reach more customers and run business operations smoothly. Just make sure to choose features that are flexible, reliable, and right for your business.
For more tips about the latest tools and technologies for business, be sure to browse our blog.
