An important question if you’re aiming to enhance and simplify your business communication infrastructure.    

Based on the Voice over IP (VoIP) technology, these systems have become the new standard for communication everywhere. 

With a drastic jump from 6.2 million to 41.6 million VoIP users over the last few years, more people join every day to leverage VoIP technology.  

What led to this rapid increase? 

Let’s break it down for you.

What is VoIP?

Voice over IP phone system technology allows you to make phone calls over your broadband Internet connection instead of traditional phone system.

Voice over IP is the new global standard for setting up calls online. Unlike traditional phone systems that use copper wires to transmit signals, VoIP converts your voice into digital data and sends it over the Internet to the recipient.

VoIP Phone System Definition & How It Works

A VoIP phone system is an Internet-based software enabling you to communicate seamlessly with customers and colleagues from anywhere.

Through this virtual ecosystem, providers deliver reliable services without requiring you to set up or manage traditional phone lines.

A hosted VoIP system not only supports high-quality voice calls but also offers instant messaging, video conferencing, and more. When used effectively, these hosted VoIP phones outperform traditional phone systems any day.

Check it out: VoIP Phone System vs Traditional Phone Systems

How do VoIP business phones work?

VoIP technology converts your voice into digital signals, breaks it down into smaller bits (packets), and transmits them over the Internet. 

Here is how it works when coupled with a business phone:

Step 1. Voice to Digital: When you make a call using a hosted VoIP system, it converts your voice into a digital signal. 

Step 2. Compression and Packet Creation: The digital signal is then compressed to reduce its size for efficient transmission. The compressed signal is broken into smaller packets of data. 

Step 3. Internet Transmission: After the bifurcation of the signal, these packets are sent over the Internet to the recipient’s phone. Here the data packets are reassembled and decoded into an analog voice signal. 

Step 4. Voice Output: The decoded voice signal is played through the recipient’s phone. 

Types of VoIP Phone Systems

Now that you are familiar with the basic functioning of VoIP systems, let’s dive deeper and understand more about their types and benefits: 

Cloud-Based VoIP Systems

Hosted VoIP phone service, also known as cloud-based telephony systems, are hosted and managed by third-party cloud providers. You simply subscribe to a cloud-based service that is compatible with your business setup and is accessible via the Internet. This way, you don’t have to incur any hefty VoIP installation and maintenance charges like that of on-premises systems. 

Hosted Voice based IP phone system are ideal for your business if you lack resource management, need hardware independence, business flexibility, and service reliability. Your team can access the VoIP service from anywhere with Internet connectivity, making it ideal for remote or hybrid work.  

Given their virtual nature, hosted VoIP systems are also highly scalable. They let you easily adjust the number of users to match your fluctuating needs. Many providers also offer disaster recovery features, enabling continuity in case you face disruptions. 

Cloud Call Center Solutions – Visit Now!

On-Premises VoIP Systems

On-premises business phone systems, popularly known as landlines or on-site PBX systems, are installed and managed within your company’s premises. This means that you are solely responsible for purchasing, maintaining, and supporting all necessary equipment. 

One benefit of on-site PBX is the high level of control they provide. You can manage the PBX directly, potentially avoiding any unnecessary downtime.  

However, these systems typically have higher upfront and maintenance costs than Internet phone system. This is because you must cover all the hardware, software, and infrastructure expenses. You might also need to set up in-house IT support for ongoing maintenance and management, adding to the long-term operational costs. 

VoIP vs Traditional Phone Systems (Comparison Table)

VoIP phones and landlines differ in several ways. VoIP operates over the Internet, while landlines use analog technology. With VoIP, you can connect multiple devices—including your mobile phone and laptops—to your phone line, unlike a landline that supports only one physical device. 

Here are the key VoIP phone and landline differences in a glimpse: 

Top Benefits of VoIP Phone Systems

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, offers a variety of benefits for both businesses and individuals. Here are some of the key advantages:

Cost Effectiveness 

VoIP phones offer a clear advantage in terms of cost savings for an inbound call center. By routing calls over the Internet, you can drastically reduce monthly expenses, especially on long-distance or international calls.  

Unlike conventional Internet phone system, these phones use existing Internet connections and devices. This eliminates many associated setup and maintenance costs.  

Since many providers offer subscription-based pricing with inclusive packages, predicting further expenses and controlling costs becomes easier. According to a recent study, using a VoIP-based Internet phone system can help you save 75% more compared to traditional landline services.

Scalability

Another significant benefit of VoIP phone service is their inherent scalability. Traditional phone systems require complex infrastructure setup even for a single additional line. You also tend to incur higher costs, making it challenging to accommodate changing demands.  

With a VoIP hosted system, you can add or remove users, lines, or features without installing any physical phone lines. This flexibility makes it an ideal solution for seasonal fluctuation in call volumes. It also means you only pay for what you need, allowing for controlled, strategic growth.

Advanced Features

Beyond just making and receiving calls, VoIP phones come packed with advanced communication and management features. You get functionalities like multi-level IVR, omnichannel communication workflows, call recording, voicemail-to-email, and CRM integrations.

These features help you streamline processes, enhance team collaboration, and provide customers with seamless, high-quality service.

Customizability

VoIP Telephony solutions allow you a great level of customization. You can easily tailor your communication systems to fit unique operational requirements. Whether it’s configuring specific call or messaging flows, setting up tailored IVR (Interactive Voice Response) menus, or creating unique rules for different departments, VoIP cloud phone system adapt to your specific needs.  

This helps you maintain brand consistency, optimize customer service, and ensure your communication tools align closely with the business processes.

Remote Accessibility

With VoIP phones, your team members can stay connected no matter where they are, as long as they have Internet access. This flexibility is particularly valuable in today’s hybrid work environments. Agents can make and receive calls, join virtual meetings, and access  all communication features from their laptops or mobile devices.

Enhanced Security

While any Internet-based system has security considerations, VoIP solutions come equipped with robust protocols to protect data. Security features like end-to-end encryption, multi-factor authentication, CLI routing,
help safeguard sensitive business and customer information.

Some advanced VoIP providers also offer built-in safeguards, such as firewalls, anti-fraud measures, and regular security updates. These help you ensure that all communications are secure from cyber threats.

You can thus feel confident that your data is protected, and every interaction is compliant with key international regulations like GDPR and HIPAA.

Detailed Analytics

Every interaction your team has with the customers contributes to how they will perceive your company. From a call’s duration to its quality, each metric contributes to enhancing customer satisfaction levels. But how do you measure both qualitative and quantitative aspects of communication? 

This is where you will need detailed call analytics.  

VoIP systems offer powerful datapoints that allow you to monitor and evaluate communication patterns. You can track call volume, average call duration, hold times, and peak hours to determine quantity. For quality, you get more nuanced features like call disposition, call recording, first time resolution rate, and live monitoring. 

These insights empower you to assess individual and team performance, identify trends, and optimize interactions, leading to better satisfaction.

Disaster Recovery

A crucial advantage of VoIP technology is its built-in disaster recovery capabilities. VoIP telephony operates through the Cloud. This means, unlike traditional phone systems that can fail during power outages or physical disasters, it remains operational. Calls can be rerouted, and data remains accessible even if there’s an on-site disruption.  

Many VoIP providers offer N+1-redundant servers, ensuring continuous communication during unexpected events. This level of resilience helps you avoid costly downtime and keep communication flowing smoothly, regardless of external conditions.

CRM Integration

Many VoIP solutions integrate seamlessly with CRM, ERP, and other solutions, allowing your agents to access vital caller information and interaction history in real time.  

For your sales teams, CRM integration enhances lead management, making it easier to track customer journeys and improve conversion rates by aligning communication efforts with their strategies. 

Do You Need a VoIP Business Phone?

By now, it is quite evident that VoIP systems are highly advanced technology for streamlining communication. It also offers numerous benefits in terms of cost savings, efficiency, and productivity.  

But does your company need it? 

Let’s find out: 

Business Size and Needs

The first step of finding out whether your company needs a VoIP phone is assessing your needs. Start by analyzing your workload, team bandwidth and future scaling needs.   

If you have a distributed workforce, manage multiple locations, or need a unified platform for remote teams, VoIP phones can be useful. Seamless connectivity and reliable communication across various devices and locations. 

Small businesses can benefit from VoIP’s affordable entry-level plans, while larger organizations can utilize the advanced features and scalability to support more complex communication needs. 

Budget Constraints

If you are looking to control communication costs, VoIP is the ideal choice. Traditional phone systems come with high setup costs, ongoing maintenance, and sometimes prohibitive long-distance charges.   

In contrast, VoIP systems typically involve a lower upfront investment, minimal hardware requirements, and competitive subscription pricing. They also include features often considered premium with traditional systems.   

So, if your budget is tight but you need reliable and flexible communication, a VoIP system could be right for you.

IT Infrastructure and Expertise

VoIP business phones require a stable Internet connection and a certain level of IT infrastructure to ensure call quality. If your company already has a strong Internet setup and access to basic IT support, integrating VoIP is usually straightforward. Additionally, most VoIP providers offer customer support to handle technical issues.  

However, if your IT resources are limited or your Internet connection is unreliable, you may need to assess whether additional investments are necessary to fully support a VoIP solution.

Desired Features and Functionalities

If you need advanced functionalities for enhanced customer service, VoIP offers a comprehensive platform that traditional phones can’t match.  

These systems come equipped with features beyond basic calling, such as smart IVR, voicemail-to-email, HD video conferencing, and CRM/ERP integrations.  

Reviewing your communication needs—whether it’s improved internal collaboration, enhanced customer service, or more efficient call handling—can clarify if a VoIP office phone system’s capabilities align with your goals.

Scalability Requirements

If you experience seasonal demand fluctuations or anticipate growth, you may benefit from the scalability of VoIP systems. Traditional phone setups require physical adjustments and are costly to expand. In contrast, VoIP phones allow you to add or remove lines with ease.   

This flexibility means you can adjust your communication infrastructure in real time, paying only for the capacity you need at any given moment.

How to Choose the Best VoIP Provider

Made up your mind about needing a business VoIP systems?  

Now let’s understand how you can find a provider that fits your needs:

Planning & Preparation

Start by identifying your specific communication needs. Consider the number of employees, call volume, required features (e.g., call forwarding, voicemail-to-email, video conferencing), and any integrations with existing software or CRMs. 

Assess your current bandwidth and network setup. If necessary, upgrade your Internet plan to ensure sufficient bandwidth for both your business operations and VoIP calls.

Analyze Customer Reviews

Customer reviews provide valuable insights into the reliability, user experience, and quality of service offered by a VoIP provider. 

Check for consistent positive reviews regarding call quality, ease of integration, uptime, and customer support. Be wary of providers with a high number of negative reviews, especially those concerning dropped calls, billing issues, or poor customer service.

Rating & Review Source

Ensure Security Measures and Data Privacy

Security should be a top priority when choosing a provider because VoIP calls carry sensitive business and customer data. 

Ensure the provider offers end-to-end encryption for voice and data communications to prevent unauthorized access. The provider should also follow industry-standard security protocols such as TLS (Transport Layer Security), and SRTP (Secure Real-time Transport Protocol).  

Also check if the system complies with data privacy regulations like GDPR, HIPAA or CCPA.

Look for Scalability Options and Futureproofing

As your business grows, your VoIP system should be able to scale with you. 

Evaluate whether the provider offers flexible scalability. You should easily be able to add or remove users, lines, and features without requiring additional hardware investments.  

Also look for the ability to integrate with other business tools (like CRM, ERP, and other software) and the flexibility to adopt new communication technologies (e.g., video conferencing, AI-powered chatbots) for long-term viability.

Check out the Customer Support

Product-related issues can arise at any time. Having reliable support available when needed is crucial to minimizing downtime and maintaining business continuity.  

Look for providers that offer 24/7 support, especially if your business operates in different time zones or runs outside traditional working hours.  

Check if you can contact the provider’s support team through phone, email, live chat, and ticketing systems.   

Also, assess the provider’s reputation for technical assistance—do they provide detailed troubleshooting resources, knowledge bases, and self-help guides? A provider with proactive support can help identify potential issues before they become problems.

VoIP Setup Guide (Step-by-Step)

Now that you know about selecting a Reliable VoIP Provider: Here is a step-by-step guide for VoIP installation:

Setup the Software:

1. Sign Up with a VoIP Provider – Configure your account with user details, call plans, and any other necessary settings (e.g., voicemail, auto-attendant, call forwarding). This includes assigning phone numbers (whether local or toll-free), configuring your main business line, setting up extensions for different departments or users, and configuring voicemail, call forwarding, and other essential features.  

Some providers like Acefone assist you with the entire setup process until you are ready to make calls. 

2. Integrate with Existing Tools – Set up the necessary integrations during the software setup stage.

Configuration:

1. Network Configuration – Ensure that your network is optimized for VoIP traffic. Set up Quality of Service (QoS) on your routers and switches to prioritize voice traffic over other types of data. This helps prevent poor call quality during peak usage times.  

2. User Configuration – Assign phone extensions, configure individual user profiles, and set preferences like voicemail greetings, call forwarding rules, and call handling behaviors (e.g., do not disturb or call queuing).

3. Feature Customization – Customize advanced features such as auto-attendant, IVR (Interactive Voice Response), call forwarding rules, and call routing. For businesses with high call volumes, set up call queues and configure call distribution rules to ensure customer calls are answered promptly.

4. Security Settings – Configure security protocols to protect your VoIP system from potential threats. This may include enabling encryption for calls and ensuring the use of strong passwords for user accounts and access control to the system. Consider setting up firewalls or utilizing VPNs for remote employees to further secure communication.

Testing & Quality Assurance:

1. Test the Interaction Quality – Before going live, conduct extensive testing of the VoIP system to ensure everything is working as expected. Test call quality, including voice clarity, latency, and any other features like call forwarding, voicemail, and hold music. Ensure that the audio is clear, without interruptions, and there is no noticeable delay or echo during calls. 

Setting up VoIP Phone System is easy – Read Now!

Common VoIP Issues & Solutions

While VoIP systems streamline your workflows, they might encounter a few minor problems from time to time. Here are the most common VoIP issues, along with the ways to troubleshoot them:

Poor Voice Quality:

Cisco recommends the following standards for high-quality VoIP calling

1. Check Network Connectivity and Bandwidth – Make sure your Internet connection is stable and fast enough to support VoIP calls. VoIP requires less than 0.5 M bps download speed per call in both directions and ideally more for higher-quality calls (HD audio). You can test your network speed with online tools like Speed Test.  

2. Adjust QoS Settings – Clear VoIP calls need minimal packet loss, low delay, and low jitter. To achieve this, configure your routers to prioritize voice traffic over other types of data on your network. This will ensure that voice data is transmitted with the necessary priority, especially during high-traffic periods.  

3. Update Codecs and Firmware – VoIP codecs (like G.711, G.729, or Opus) compress voice data for transmission. Ensure that the appropriate codec is used for optimal voice quality.  

Dropped Calls:

1.  Verify Network Stability and Reliability – If your network frequently drops out or fluctuates, an unstable network could be the root cause. Ensure a stable connection, and if possible, use a wired Ethernet connection for VoIP devices rather than relying on WiFi. 

2. Optimize Router Settings – Check for any settings that could be affecting VoIP, such as NAT (Network Address Translation) or port forwarding. Ensure the router is correctly configured to allow VoIP traffic to pass through without interference. 

3. Consider Using a Dedicated VoIP Gateway – For larger businesses, using a dedicated VoIP gateway can help offload VoIP traffic from your main network.  

Echo and Noise:

1. Check Audio Settings on Devices – Sometimes, the issue lies with the audio settings on the device itself. Ensure that microphones and speakers are configured correctly.  

2. Adjust Acoustic Treatment in the Room – Echo during calls can occur due to poor room acoustics. Large, empty rooms with hard surfaces (like tile or glass) can cause sound reflections that create echoes. Adding acoustic treatment (e.g., carpets, curtains, or soundproof panels) can improve the environment for clearer calls.  

3. Use Noise-Canceling Headsets – Background noise can also be mitigated by using noise-canceling headsets. These headsets block out ambient noise and improve sound clarity for both the user and the recipient. 

One-Way Audio

1. Ensure Proper Network Configuration – One-way audio issues usually happen when there’s a problem with NAT (Network Address Translation) or firewall settings. Ensure your network devices are correctly configured to allow VoIP traffic in both directions.  

Check the SIP ALG (Session Initiation Protocol Application Layer Gateway) setting in your router, as it can sometimes cause issues with one-way audio.  

2. Update Device Drivers and Software – Ensure that all device drivers (especially audio drivers) are up to date. This includes updates for sound cards, network adapters, and VoIP software. Thess updates can fix bugs that affect audio quality.  

3. Troubleshoot Firewall Settings – A misconfigured firewall can block incoming or outgoing VoIP traffic, leading to one-way audio. Make sure the firewall is configured to allow the necessary ports for your VoIP system. For SIP-based VoIP, this includes UDP ports 5060 and 5061, but it may vary based on the provider.

Future of VoIP Technology

By now, you might have become familiar with how VoIP technology can help you revolutionize your communication workflows. However, the current tech framework is only the beginning. 

The future holds even greater potential with AI, 5G, and advanced security measures on the horizon. Let’s look at these trends in detail: 

AI-Powered Features 

AI will be instrumental in enhancing the functionalities of business phone systems. For starters, it will be able to analyze caller data to direct calls to the most suitable agents. It will also be able to transcribe calls in real time and assess speech patterns to gauge customer emotions. 

Other than that, AI-based call volume forecasting will help you ensure that the right number of agents are available during peak times. 

Impact of 5G 

With increased data capacity, 5G will allow for clearer voice calls and better video conferencing capabilities. This will remove the delays in communication and ensure seamless interactions.  

5G networks will also be able to support a higher number of simultaneous connections, making it easier to scale your communication needs as you grow. 

Security & Privacy Enhancements

As VoIP technology evolves, so do the security measures necessary to protect sensitive communications.  AI-powered systems will be able to verify caller identities through voice biometrics. You will also get a framework that monitors call patterns to identify suspicious activities, or potential fraud attempts in real-time. 

Final Words 

In today’s day and age, if you want a seamless communication workflow, best VoIP phone system is a necessity. Through this guide, we helped you understand the intricacies of VoIP, its benefits, and how you can implement it in your organization.  

We also offered a checklist of factors you should consider before selecting the right solution. All this information should get you started and headed on the right track.  

If you are looking to discuss your VoIP needs with an expert, we have a team that will be happy to get on a call.  

Frequently Asked Questions About VoIP

The post What is a VoIP Phone System? Complete 2025 Guide appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

One powerful tool to improve CX is call recording. These recordings can help you analyze each interaction and formulate steps for betterment.  

With the advent of VoIP technology, recording customer calls and extracting the necessary insights from them has become significantly easier. Most good quality VoIP phone service provider offer call recording as a part of their plans. 

However, with so many solutions available in the industry, which are the most effective? Moreover, which call recording functionalities will fulfill your operational requirements? 

Let’s answer a few popular questions about VoIP call recording.

What is VoIP Call Recording and How Does it Work?  

Call recording is a prominent feature of modern VoIP phone systems that enables users to record incoming or outgoing business calls. Your employees can record their interactions with customers automatically or manually. After the call ends, the recordings are saved and can be accessed from a searchable cloud storage database.  

Here is how VoIP calls are recorded and stored: 

Step 1: VoIP phones use the analog-digital-analog framework and make calls by breaking the voice data into digital packets to transmit them via the internet.   

Step 2: The call recording feature captures these specific data packets from the VoIP network traffic. It then filters out any unrelated data, ensuring only the conversation is saved.   

Step 3: The extracted audio data is stored in a digital file format like MP3 or WAV on a designated storage system.  

Step 4: After that, you can easily access and manage the audio files from a single dashboard.  

Call recording is available as a part of a four-feature suite in most quality VoIP phone services. The complete package also contains call monitoring, call barging, and call whispering. 

Check it out: What is a VoIP Phone System?

Why Record VoIP Calls?

Recording customer interactions can unlock a treasure trove of benefits for your business. From boosting customer service to streamlining training, here’s how leveraging your call recordings can help you enhance efficiency: 

1. Quality Assurance and Coaching

 As a supervisor, you can leverage call recording to objectively assess your teams’ performance. With these assessments, you can create targeted coaching and development plans, ensuring your team consistently delivers exceptional customer experiences. The recordings can also help you identify areas where the agents excel, allowing you to share best practices across the team. 

2. Onboarding New Hires 

Immersing new hires in real-world scenarios can help make their onboarding more efficient. Through call recordings of past customer interactions, you can showcase best practices in communication and enhance their product knowledge. Additionally, new agents taking over existing customer accounts can use the recordings to quickly catch up with the details. 

3. Dispute Resolution 

Call recordings provide an impartial record of customer interactions, proving invaluable in resolving disputes. Hence, they can help de-escalate situations and provide a clear picture of what was discussed. Especially in industries with specific regulations regarding customer interactions, call recordings can serve as proof of your compliance with those regulations. 

4. Legal Compliance 

As a Voip healthcare professional, complying with HIPAA guidelines when interacting with patients can be a challenge. VoIP call recording functionalities can help you ensure legal compliance and mitigate risk within your healthcare practice. 

Firstly, you can configure auto-announcement about the call recording in your VoIP phone systems. This way, you can get informed consent from the patient at the outset. Secondly, these systems offer secure cloud storage with encryption, safeguarding Protected Health Information (PHI) in accordance with HIPAA regulations. This comprehensive approach simplifies compliance and protects both your patients’ privacy and your practice’s legal standing. 

What Makes a Good Quality VoIP Phone Service? 

Now you understand more about the nitty-gritty of VoIP call recording and how it can improve customer interactions. However, there are many quality VoIP phone service providers with different offerings, Quality of Service (QoS), and pricing plans.   

So, how do you find a provider that suits your business needs?      

Let’s look at a few basic attributes you must keep in mind while selecting your next service provider:

1. Extensive features:

To start with, we recommend choosing a solution with state-of-the-art recording, management, and storage. Here are some features to look for: 

• Flexible configurations: A significant functionality to look for in your VoIP communication solution is adjustable configurations. Your employees should be able to record calls on-demand or automatically based on the requirement. They should also be able to start, pause, and stop recording while on the call, without any hassle.  
  
  
• Live monitoring: As a manager or supervisor, you might need to monitor customer calls for quality assurance or training. Hence, your VoIP communication solution should offer call barge and call whisper functionalities to ease collaboration.
  
  
• Call disposition: With call disposition, you can categorize your calls with keywords like sales inquiries and support issues. This simplifies call review, improves agent performance tracking, and lets you identify customer trends – all leading to better decision-making. 
  
  
• HD voice: Your VoIP communication solution should offer crystal-clear call recordings with HD Voice. This way you can capture every detail of your conversations. With all the details, it gets easier to review calls, identify areas for improvement, and provide better customer service.
  
  
• Data security: A secure call recording storage is your conversation archive. It lets you access past interactions whenever needed, facilitating smoother dispute resolution, improved customer service through informed follow-up, and even training based on real call experiences.
  
  Most VoIP providers allow free storage for a certain period (6-13 months). After that, you can either download them or pay extra to keep them longer. Make sure you choose a provider offering maximum security and storage duration at an economical price. 
  
  

2. Higher Uptime:

Reliable uptime is mission-critical for any business. A VoIP provider with a near 100% uptime (like Acefone) can help you ensure minimal service disruptions. This way, you minimize the risk of missed calls and potential revenue loss. Ultimately, fewer missed calls lead to a more productive workflow for your team and a better customer experience.

3. Excellent customer support:

To ensure peace of mind for yourself and your team choose a reliable VoIP provider offering 24/7 support. This is because with support-oriented solutions like Acefone, you have experts ready to troubleshoot and solve your problems. All you have to do is to reach out to them via call, chat, or email.  

With instant resolution available 24/7, you can prevent unnecessary delays and downtime, and keep your customers happier.

4. Affordability:

While a feature-rich service might be tempting, it’s crucial to ensure its cost aligns with your resource budget. Make sure the providers you are considering offer a range of plans with varying features and pricing structures. By matching your needs to your budget, you will be able to optimize efficiency without carving a hole in the company’s pocket.

Ready to enhance customer trust and retention? Explore how a strong customer experience strategy paired with advanced call recording can transform every customer interaction.

Top 5 Quality VoIP Phone Services for Call Recording

1. Acefone 

Acefone is a leading cloud communications solution provider with over 5,000 happy customers worldwide. With Acefone’s comprehensive solutions, you get high-quality VoIP phone services along with advanced call functionalities like call barge, whisper, live monitoring, and an easy-to-use recording system.  

Popular Features

1. Automatic recording  
2. Call announcement 
3. HD voice 
4. Call whisper 
5. Call barge 
6. Voicemail to email  
7. Recording management on a single dashboard 
8. Detailed reports

Pricing 

1. Business: $14.99 per user, per month + $5 per user, per month add-on charge for call recording (3-users minimum)  
2. Premium: $16.99 per user, per month (3 users minimum) Compare plans 
   

Free Trial 

Available on all plans (Get yours now) 

Best for

Acefone’s cloud telephony solutions are the right fit for startups, small businesses and enterprises looking for a comprehensive and economical cloud-based business communication solution.   

2. Nextiva 

Nextiva is an all-in-one business communication platform that offers a suite of tools designed to streamline operations and enhance customer engagement.     

Popular Features 

1. On-demand and automatic call recording options  
2. Call barge-in 
3. Free storage for 6 months 
4. Call analytics 
   

Pricing 

1. Essential: $18.95 
2. Professional: $22.95 
3. Enterprise: $32.95

Call recording is included only in the Enterprise plan.  

Free Trial

Not Available 

Best for  

The Enterprise plan (only one inclusive of the recording feature) is ideal for companies with larger teams and higher budgets.   

3. RingCentral 

RingCentral offers a cloud-based UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) solution that scales with businesses of all sizes.  

Popular Features

1. On-demand and automatic call recording options 
2. Default or custom call recording announcements
3. Call monitoring  
4. Call recording  
5. Call forwarding 
   

Pricing (Phone System) 

1. Core: $20 per user, per month 
2. Advanced: $25 per user, per month 
3. Ultra: $35 per user, per month 

The Core plan includes only on-demand call recording, where the admin with phone system permissions must manually start and stop the recording. The Advanced and Ultra plans include both automatic and on-demand recording functionalities. 

Free Trial 

Available for 14 days  

Best for 

Medium and large businesses looking for a comprehensive communication solution. 

4. Vonage 

Vonage offers a scalable cloud-based phone system for businesses. You can choose from over 50 built-in features and add on extras like call recording to create a tailored solution for your company’s needs. 

Popular Features 

1. Automatic and on-demand call recording 
2. Call tagging 
3. Call monitoring 
4. Password protected recordings
5. Detailed call logs on demand 
   

Pricing (Unified Communications Solution) 

1. Mobile: $13.99 per month, per line 
2. Premium: $20.99 per month, per line 
3. Advanced: $27.99 per month, per line (+ $4.99 per month for on-demand call recording) 

Vonage offers call recording in 2 plans. For small team requirements, you can get it as an add-on with the Advanced plan. Alternatively, for higher volume recording needs, you can opt for their VBC Company Call Recording suite at $ 49.99 per month.  

Free Trial 

Not Available 

Best for 

Enterprises with large teams.

5. Dialpad 

Dialpad is a cloud-based communication solution that offers call, text, and video meeting functionalities on a unified hub. The platform leverages AI to provide features like real-time call transcription and coaching to help improve customer interactions. 

Popular Features 

1. Automatic call recording  
2. Call and voicemail logs 
3. Real-time voice transcription and sentiment analysis 
4. Call parking 
5. Call barging, whisper and takeover 
   

Pricing 

1. Standard: $15 per user, per month 
2. Pro: $25 per user, per month 
3. Enterprise: Contact for quote 
   

Free Trial 

Available for 14 days  

Best for 

Small, medium, and large enterprises. 

Conclusion 

VoIP Call recording can help you gain key insights into interactions, improve agent performance, and build a happy customer base. With the list of 5 good quality VoIP phone service providers mentioned above, you can maximize the benefits of call recording, storage, and management. Want to learn more about the benefits of VoIP call recording for your business? Talk to the experts at Acefone today!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The post Top 5 Quality VoIP Phone Services with Latest Call Recording Features appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

Many technological enhancements have been made to achieve this objective, and VoIP is the latest on the list. VoIP has deeply grown into the global market, assisting businesses from every industry.  

Thousands of companies today have invested in VoIP phone services for high-quality communication within their teams and with customers. Yet many still lack familiarity with VoIP technology.  

To those wondering “What is a VoIP Phone Service and how does it work?”, this blog is for you.  

What is VoIP Phone Service? 

VoIP Phone services are internet-based communication services that allow you to make and receive phone calls without using traditional phone lines. Based on the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, they offer five times the features, flexibility, and scalability at a fractional cost of traditional phone services.  

It’s not surprising to find that industries all around the world are switching over to VoIP. It uses a wider frequency range for data transmission, giving VoIP calls superior quality than traditional calls. You can make calls from any device (desktops, laptops, and tablets) as long as it has an internet connection.   

Check it out: What is a VoIP Phone System?

How do VoIP phone systems work?

To get a strong understanding of how VoIP phone system work, let’s look at an example.  

Imagine calling your mother using a VoIP application. In that process, your voice goes through the following phases:  

Step 1: The Microphone captures your voice  

Step 2: ADC chops it into small data packets.  

Step 3: The data packets are compressed for faster travel.  

Step 4: The data packets travel over the Internet using IP.  

Step 5: The DAC at your mother’s end deciphers the data packets back into electrical signals.  

Step 6: Your mother’s phone speaker converts those signals into your voice.  

We’re now going to dissect this process further to ensure you are fully aware of the intricacies of VoIP phone systems.  

Step 1: Voice Capturing  

Your voice acts as an analogue wave, moving from your mic to the speaker on the other end. Before it reaches the other end, the VoIP phone’s mic converts them into electrical signals.  

Step 2: Breaking Your Voice  

The electrical signals are long linear waves, which the Analog-to-digital converter (ADC) chops into data packets. Each packet consists of a chunk of your voice information.  

Step 3: Compressing Data Packets  

In the third stage, VoIP shrinks the data packets, making them tiny and fast to travel across the Internet at a higher speed.  

Step 4: Transmitting Data  

Using Internet protocol, tiny data packets containing your voice signals travel the Internet alongside emails and other data. These data packets travel at high speed, reaching the recipient faster than regular phone signals.  

Step 5: Decoding the Message  

Once the packets reach the receiving end, the ADC converts them back to electrical signals. The speaker then converts these signals back into sound signals, playing your voice for the recipient.  

Bonus Fact  

Throughout their journey, the data packets containing your voice signals undergo a quality control check. If they are found lost or damaged, the error correction codes rectify them to ensure you get high-quality voice signals.  

VoIP Phone vs Landlines- Which is better for your business?

In the modern world, VoIP phone systems are a better business option than traditional landline systems. From setting up to making calls, VoIP phone services are easier to maintain and operate. We have laid out the distinctions between the two for your clarity: 

Common VoIP Challenges Businesses Might Face  

Despite providing its users with several advantages and comforts, VoIP can occasionally encounter challenges. If you’re planning to get a VoIP phone system for your business, you must familiarize yourself with the common challenges and learn how to fix them.  

Call Quality Issues  

The call quality of any VoIP call relies on your broadband and internet service provider. To experience high-quality conversations, you must have a stable and high-speed internet connection. Low bandwidth and unstable internet connections can lead to poor call quality, dropped calls, noise and latency issues.  

Security Concerns  

VoIP phone systems are often victims of cyber threats such as eavesdropping, toll fraud, and denial-of-service attacks. Therefore, fortifying your VoIP services becomes a crucial step to safeguard your business information. To achieve this, look for VoIP providers with multi-layered network firewalls and data encryption to filter the VoIP traffic.  

Dropped calls  

A call drop during a critical business call can be devastating for anyone. Dropped calls are one of the most common challenges VoIP users face. Enterprises with large call volumes are prone to experiencing such issues quite often. To avoid this, Unitedworld Telecom recommends ensuring that your VoIP phone system and all the hardware involved are up to date with the current version.  

Echo/feedback  

Feedback or an echo during a VoIP call is yet another common VoIP phone system issue that is caused by network latency or bandwidth issues. Any network instability can cause the voice on an active call to echo over the other person’s end. Avoid using wireless or multiple speakerphones to prevent your voice from travelling through additional disruptions. Test the headset and internet connection being used for VoIP calling.  

Phone Not Ringing on Call  

Are you missing calls from customers and team members because your VoIP phone doesn’t ring? It is straightforward: Your calls are forwarded to voicemail instead of ringing the assigned user. This VoIP problem has an easy fix. You must ensure your devices are registered on your VoIP phone system and by the VoIP service provider. Lastly, remember to check whether the devices are on DND and follow the defined call forwarding settings.  

Learn more about Common VoIP Problems & How to Fix Them here.  

Takeaway

Today, we celebrate World Telecommunication and Information Society Day and the advancements bringing our world closer together. VoIP phone services are a key example of technological advancement, offering global businesses a powerful alternative to traditional landlines. VoIP’s cost-effective, feature-rich, and flexible nature allows calls from anywhere with an internet connection.   

With this blog, we aim to teach you how VoIP works and address some common challenges that businesses might face. Our goal is to empower you to embrace the future of communication with VoIP. 

The post What are VoIP Phone Services? How Does VoIP Work and It’s Common Problems appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

On the other hand, Voice over IP (VoIP) phone systems are transforming enterprise communication by using the internet to make calls, offering several advantages over traditional calling. Here is a detailed comparison between VoIP vs Landline to help you understand which one can be the best for your business. 

What is a VoIP Phone System? 

A best voip systems enables voice calls over the internet instead of physical phone lines.  It’s ideal for your work setup if you have employees working remotely. With Voice over IP, you get greater cost savings, flexibility, and advanced features like call forwarding and voicemail to email. 

Check it out: What is a VoIP Phone System?

What are Landlines? 

A landline, also known as a traditional phone system, uses physical copper wires or fiber-optic cables to transmit voice signals. These systems ensure reliable, high-quality calls with minimal latency. Traditional phone systems are ideal if you need stable communication; however, they lack the flexibility and advanced features of Voice over IP. 

VoIP vs Landline: How Does Each System Work? 

Hosted VoIP phone system work vastly differently from traditional phone systems. When you make a call using a VoIP, your voice is converted into long wave-like electrical signals. Once converted, the ADC chops the signals into small data packets to transmit using VoIP technology. 

The Voice over IP-hosted PBX routes the data packets to the designated phone (recipient), where the data packets are converted back to your voice. The receiving VoIP phone/ regular phone rings or notifies the recipient of the incoming voice call, completing the call. 

Read in-depth “ What are VoIP Phone Services ” here. 

Landline phones rely on a closed network of physical phone lines to transmit voice calls from one location to another. They have been around for decades, completely unchanged, with the same features and difficulties since their launch. 

With each call, a landline converts your voice into analog signals, transmitting them over underground copper wires to a Private Branch Exchange (PBX). This PBX routes the analogue signals to the recipient’s landline phone, where the earpiece converts these signals back to your voice. 

Why VoIP Based Phone are suitable for Modern Enterprises? 

Now that you understand how both of the phone systems work, its time to understand which works best for your business.  There are several upsides and only a handful of downsides to using phone systems for modern enterprises. Here is a detailed comparison of VoIP vs landline, highlighting the important advantages of VoIP: 

Cost-effective: 

Voice over IP systems can be significantly less expensive than traditional phone systems. VoIP phones eliminate the need for expensive copper wiring and PBX hardware. Furthermore, the cost of transferring data across the internet is far less than transmitting signals over copper-wired lines. 

Scalable: 

Hosted Voice over IP is easily scalable to meet the needs of growing businesses. You can add or remove user extensions at a single click. On the contrary, traditional phone systems need to add new physical lines to add new users or vice versa. 

Flexible: 

VoIP business phones offer a wider range of telephony features than landlines which are especially beneficial for an inbound call center. Features such as voicemail, auto attendants, IVR, real-time monitoring, call conferencing, call forwarding, and more. These features can improve the efficiency of your enterprise’s communications. 

Mobility: 

Voice over IP allows employees to make and receive calls from anywhere with an internet connection. This gives businesses with remote or mobile workforces a major upper hand over those with landlines. 

Disadvantages of Landline Phone

Here are some limitations of traditional landline phone systems:

Scalability: 

Adding or removing phone lines requires handling physical copper wire, which can be expensive, complex, and time-consuming. 

Limited Features: 

Landlines offer basic functionalities like call waiting and voicemail and lack advanced features such as video conferencing and call forwarding, available in VoIP systems. 

Immobility: 

Landlines are restricted to the location of their installation. The chances of you missing out on business calls while on the move are close to 100%. 

Visit for more details: Contact center software

Are Phone Systems Right for Your Business? 

Business VoIP phone systems are a great solution for enterprises in most situations. Here are a few factors to consider before making the switch to VoIP: 

Network Infrastructure: 

Hosted VoIP systems require a strong and reliable internet connection to operate. Analyze your existing internet connection to ensure you get consistent connectivity for your calls. Go for business-grade internet connections to avoid call latency, call drops, jitter, and disrupted calls. 

Identify Your Needs: 

Make a list of the call functionalities, number of users, virtual numbers, and other features you currently need for your communication operations. Once you complete the list, begin prioritizing the ones you find most important and look for Voice over IP providers that offer the services and features you need. 

Security: 

Look for Voice over IP providers who offer strong data encryption and multi-layered network firewalls for their services. It is important to choose a Voice over IP provider that offers a secure system. 

Costs: 

Consider both upfront costs and ongoing monthly fees to see whether the VoIP phone service fits your budget or not. Check out the installation fees, license fees, maintenance fees, and other additional charges (if any). 

Future Scalability: 

Be sure to look for VoIP monthly plans that can accommodate the future growth of your business and evolving usage needs. Search for options like Pay-as-you-go plans and flexible contracts. 

If you are considering switching to a Hosted VoIP system, be sure to do your due diligence and choose a VoIP provider that can meet your enterprise’s needs. 

VoIP vs Landline: Which is the Best for Your Business? 

Traditional phones have served us well, but the future of communication is undeniably moving towards a digital front. Hosted VoIP business phone system offer us a powerful concoction of cost-effective plans, scalable solutions, flexible calling, and advanced telephony features that traditional phone systems simply can’t match. 

So, why wait? Leap into the future of communication and unlock the potential of Voice over IP for your enterprise. 

The post VoIP Vs Landline: The Best System for Modern Enterprises appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

Essentially, parallel ringing allows brands to respond to their customers and prospective callers at a much faster rate than usual.

This improves customer experience to a vast extent and is especially advantageous for businesses that do not have huge customer service teams to manage their communications.

In fact, the parallel ringing feature offers increased operational efficiency to businesses of all sizes and scales. It also boosts employee productivity and reduces stress by equally delegating calls among the team members.

Top 5 benefits of parallel ringing 

1. Never miss calls

Every business, regardless of its size or domain, never wants to miss a customer’s call. However, with increased traffic and workload, your agents may lose out on some potential or existing customers.

The good news?

Parallel ringing can help you take care of the issue. And you can retain existing customers and convert leads into clients.

More importantly, businesses that rely on lead conversions via phone conversations can control all potential incoming leads and take customer service delivery to the next level.

2. Don’t put customers on hold 

Did you know, according to Microsoft’s State of Global Customer Service Report, at least 61% of customers don’t do business after one poor service experience?

Therefore, it’s more crucial than ever for organizations to ensure that they have appropriate technology solutions for their customers.

Parallel ringing enables you to build lasting connections by proactively ringing all agents at the same time. You can also schedule call routing according to agents skills and work hours of different agents and leave no customer queries unresolved.

3. Enhance customer experience 

An important aspect of customer communication and customer support is to ensure call center agents are always available. After all, customer queries can crop up at any time of the day—or even night, for that matter.

Moreover, a large chunk of customers seek issue resolution over call. Parallel ringing can help customers get in touch with agents seamlessly, no matter the hour.

4. Respond within seconds 

Not receiving a response at all when a customer tries to contact a business during rush hours is a frightening but possible reality. It is bound to make them think you don’t value their time and they will simply move on to another brand.

Therefore, it is essential to offer seamless and quick assistance to all your customers. It will help you retain the existing clientele and stand out against the competition.

Parallel ringing can help you respond within seconds, making your customers feel important. It automatically delegates call to the numbers arranged ahead of time, allowing you to serve your customers without having to think twice.

5. Simplify communication 

In addition to reduced waiting times, parallel ringing simplifies communication for your agents and customers. It enables you to divide calls among different departments and reduce agent workload.

Equal distribution of tasks will promote a feeling of equality among your team members, ultimately enhancing job satisfaction.

Furthermore, it ensures all customer calls are catered to in the most immediate and orderly fashion without interruption or service issues.

Want to make every call count? Pair parallel ringing with proven customer experience strategies to delight callers and boost conversion.

Wrap up 

Businesses, irrespective of their size, scale and domain, can use parallel ringing to strengthen customer support teams and build a healthier work environment for their workforce.

In fact, brands that rely heavily on call communication for lead conversions can significantly benefit from this feature.

Sectors where parallel ringing can be a game-changer include emergency service agencies like fire stations, ambulance services, hospitals, etc.

They can use parallel ringing to guarantee quick response times and faster access to resolution.

The post Understanding Parallel Ringing: Definition, Benefits and Working appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

Before getting into such an alliance with another entity, the parties must carefully consider the fine prints. A successful symbiotic relationship is built not only on the basis of what both parties obtain out of it but also on how they contribute to each other’s growth. 

Thus, if you’re considering getting into a partnership with a cloud provider, you’ll have to go beyond the profit margins you’ll incur and look at how they enable you to perform better and earn a name for yourself.

Here are some factors you need to keep in mind before partnering with a cloud provider: 

Simplicity and efficiency

One of the first things you should look for is the simplicity of the product. Since you will partner to sell that product, it should be easy for you and your team to understand and explain its usage and advantages. If it is an Internet-based product, you should be able to fully access and use the features, even if you aren’t tech-savvy.

The product must also be easy-to-use and efficient for other users, only then will you find credible buyers for it. So, if the product is good, simple to understand and boosts user performance, you will have a beneficial partnership. 

Steady and persistent

To make sure you can maximise your profits with the partnership programme, you must ensure it offers a steady revenue model. If the company ensures a stable and consistent profit stream, then the partnership is a good idea. 

Always remember that partnerships are most beneficial if they are made for the long term. This ensures a constant revenue stream for your business and it also helps you grow in the process.

Broad target audience

You might want to make sure that the programme you are entering isn’t for a very niche market. The wider the target audience, the easier it becomes to sell.

If the product offers something for businesses of all sizes––small, medium and large—you will not struggle to find buyers for the product. Moreover, since the audience is broad, marketing strategies can be planned more efficiently. 

High-profit margins

This one doesn’t require much explaining. You must always look for a partnership where you can get the highest profit. The bigger the profit margin, the better it is for you. It is as simple as that!

Easy to onboard

Neither you nor your customers would want a lengthy and drawn-out onboarding process. A tedious set-up might end up in you losing customers and receiving bad reviews, rather than making a profit. 

Thus, you must get an understanding of the service and onboarding process beforehand. It should be quick and easy so you can induct new customers swiftly without having to invest a lot of your precious time.

Effortless

Look for a partnership programme where you have to put in the minimal effort for maximum returns. Believe us, these do exist! With the right businesses, you will be able to cut deals that offer high margins along with quality support and ask for the least time investment.

Engage and learn

It is okay to not know everything about the product from the beginning. What is not okay is for your partner to not lend you the support for learning. 

Thus, it is important to partner with someone who is willing to give you training sessions and a wide range of marketing collateral. They should never hesitate to engage in a productive conversation that helps you understand the nuances of the product better.

Dedicated support

No one will expect you to be a master of the product just as you start. A good partner will know that you will be needing assistance from time to time, and thus, shall offer you consistent and quick support. 

Ensuring that your partnership programme has dedicated 24x7x365 support is crucial for your success. Not only will this help you perform better, but it will also facilitate a smoother relationship between you and your partner. 

Conclusion

Think of it this way––like you prioritise your customers, your partner should make you their top priority. After all, you’re not just making a profit for yourself, you’re also giving your partner a boost in popularity and business.

This is why you should always be treated equally and given complete assistance. A great partnership programme is one where both parties benefit each other, without any complaints.

The post Things You Should Look for in a Partnership Programme [Infographic] appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

The omnichannel approach has set a new benchmark for offering exceptional customer service. 

Omnichannel support for popular platforms is one of the most efficient ways to hook your customers to your services. This allows customers to easily start a conversation on any communication channel. 

Omnichannel is on the rise also due to customer expectations. A report from Forrester revealed that 73% of the customers say a smooth customer experience is built on businesses “valuing their time”. Thus, an omnichannel approach can help upgrade your customer support experience. 

Sounds interesting? Read on for some mind-blowing statistics about omnichannel communications. 

An omnichannel approach has become the need of customers

Your customers will try to reach out to your brand through different platforms and channels. They require immediate action on queries, whether it is submitting a ticket on the website, writing a tweet, or mailing an agent. Thus, it really becomes necessary for your business to engage on different platforms. 

Omnichannel provides customer satisfaction

Offering an omnichannel customer experience is not just an option anymore, it is mandatory. Every brand should realise that today’s customer is browsing on different channels at all times. By including an omnichannel approach and providing a quick resolve, you will be able to establish a lasting relationship with your customers.

Shoppers engage with brands having a variety of channels

Omnichannel retail is a multichannel approach to sales that focuses on providing a smooth experience to customers wherever they may shop from—mobile, desktop, or brick and mortar stores. 

This revised approach not only increases sales but also improves your customer loyalty.

Read Our Blog: Omnichannel Contact center

It’s contagious

By understanding the growing customer satisfaction levels, many businesses are going the omnichannel way. Old ways—multichannel— are being replaced by a more centralised approach of communicating with customers and building relationships.

Conclusion

Businesses must be present on the channels their customer is most comfortable with. Since customers now use several channels, omnichannel communications help businesses succeed in reaching customers where they are. Finally, using an omnichannel approach provides your customers with a level of service that will set you apart from your competition.

If you want to learn more about the omnichannel approach to grow your business and improve customer experience, connect with our experts today at 1888-859-0450 for a consultation.

The post 18 Mind-Blowing Omnichannel Statistics That Every Business Should Know For 2021 appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS) and Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS) are cloud communication solutions that offer different benefits and services to enterprises of all kinds and sizes. 

Unified solutions are an ideal option as they integrate various modes of communication into a single platform to improve customer experience. UCaaS combines team messaging, video conferencing, chat, email, and cloud phone into a single application.

A communication platform is a cloud delivery model that integrates real-time communication (voice and video) into business applications by deploying APIs. Organisations can personalise their communication stack based on their business and security needs.

Acronyms related to cloud-based communication technology often feature “aaS” as a suffix. The term “aaS (as a service)” can be SaaS (Software as a Service), VCaaS (Video Conferencing as a Service), CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service). Businesses can opt for these services based on their requirements. 

Let’s learn a little more about UCaaS and CPaaS and how they differ from each other.

UCaaS and CPaaS are both flexible cloud communication systems. UCaaS allows unifying communication applications like voice, video, chat, and email into a single dashboard. On the other hand, CPaaS allows developers to make real-time communication applications without creating any back-end interface.

Difference between UCaaS and CPaaS

UCaaS and CPaaS enable cost-effective and user-friendly business communication. However, there are certain differences between both solutions. Let’s look at a few:    

Both UCaaS and CPaaS solutions have their benefits, but the answer to which is better depends on what your business is looking for from your communications. 

If you need a more flexible way to communicate with clients and customers and have the technical know-how to build apps to provide innovative ways to communicate with your customers, then a CPaaS would be for you. 

If you are looking to boost internal communications and are looking for a simple solution which provides feature-rich telephony at low costs, UCaaS is for you.

Benefits Of UCaas and CPaaS

Both CPaaS and UCaaS have revolutionised the way businesses operate over the cloud. Companies can avoid the stress of managing back-end infrastructure, and focus on growth and building customer relations.

CPaaS and UCaaS offer similar benefits to an enterprise. They are as follows:

• Easy to use: The implementation is straightforward and users can access these solutions as easily as traditional tools.
• Scalable and cheap: You can access both technologies through the cloud, and scale up and down based on your needs. CPaaS adds new features while UCaas removes additional hardware.
• Growth: These solutions include unified communication apps, chatbots and more. These tools are also easy for businesses to leverage.
• Opportunity – In UCaaS, companies can work across a range of networks and devices for businesses. 

The post [infographic] Differences between UCaaS and CPaaS appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

Businesses worldwide have begun to realise the importance of customer service. Not only does it affect your reputation and position in the market, but your revenue and profits too. 

No matter which business leader inspires you, you’ll find that they’ve stressed the importance of putting clients first—time and again. 

Steve Jobs, CEO, and co-founder of Apple Inc., famously said, “Get closer than ever to your customers. So close that you tell them what they need, well before they realise it themselves.”

Or consider the words of Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon and one of the richest men in the world: “We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.”

What they’ll tell you is further proved by these 10 top customer experience statistics. Read on:

These stats give us three types of findings mainly:

First, companies with better customer experience, outperform their competitors. This means they see higher profits and better growth. This is aided by the fact that better customer relationships reduce the cost of operations as well.

Secondly, employees are better engaged with your firm when they are made to focus on customer experience. This could be explained by the reasoning that instead of dealing with arbitrary numbers, they’re developing meaningful relationships. As representatives of the brand, they tend to feel more connected with it while engaging with customers. 

Last, but not the least, we come to customer loyalty. If you offer exemplary services and support, customers will choose to buy from you over others. They’ll also come back to you for repeat purchases and refer their friends and family to your business. And what’s amazing is that customers are willing to even pay more for brands that have treated them well in the past.

Therefore, it’s quite clear that customer satisfaction is a necessity, and not just an ideal, in this business scape. In fact, leading brands target customer delight, which is when you not just meet, but also exceed consumer expectations. 

But the question that arises is, how do you get there? 

Here are some tips to follow for curating an effective customer experience strategy.

• Evaluate your current strategy

There’s no way to plan for the future when you’re unaware of how things are working in the present. It’s important to assess your current plans and identify what strong points to keep, what bottlenecks to fix, and find out the lacunae to fill. 

An effective way to do this is by asking yourself some questions. 

1. What do you want to achieve with your customer service?
2. What do your customers expect from you?
3. What do your competitors offer that you lack?
4. What actions would have the most impact on your customers?
5. How realistic and sustainable are your goals?

Hence, you can identify what steps you need to take and the goals you must realise. 

An important part of this assessment is sketching out buyer personas. You need to be cognizant of what demographic you’re targeting, their preferences, habits, needs, stages of their journey, and so on. 

A good buyer persona makes the exercise of customer service a lot easier for your representatives.

• Use the smarts of artificial intelligence

Automation is the leading player in this technological age. With handy cloud communication services, your agents can comfortably converse with clients while leaving the grunt work to AI. 

So you can deploy an IVR service to automatically greet and route callers to the best-suited agent or department. In the meantime, the system also collects relevant customer information to aid faster and provide more efficient support. 

Integrating CRM tools with your phone system also aids in customer service. You can access all client data right on the screen and therefore, provide more contextual and personalised services. 

Another great use of automation is for self-service. Clients don’t always have time to wait on call or have detailed conversations with agents. Sometimes, they know what’s wrong and they just need a quick fix. 

Self-service lets them do just that. They can input their query via a multi-level IVR and the system can retrieve the appropriate response from an FAQ repository. This leaves your agents free to deal with more complex issues and the client experiences quick resolution and hence, feel more empowered.

• Act on perception and feedback

You can’t just bury your head in the sand and keep doing what worked well for you at one point of time. Times are dynamic, and your modern customers can be even more volatile. 

It’s important to constantly assess how customers are perceiving you and work on things accordingly. 

The only way to understand what customers want is by listening to them. Encourage your clientele to leave feedback and stay in touch with you even beyond the purchase. 

You can send bulk SMSes or use IVR to collect this feedback and generate analytical reports based on them. Chatbots are also a good way to assess customer perceptions. Sentiment analysis uses keywords from the conversation to figure out client moods.

• Establish omnipresence

In order to make customers think highly of you, they first need to keep thinking of you. That’s what omnipresence ensures. 

Make sure you’re available wherever your clients want you to be. Allow communication via smartphones, laptops, tablets, or any other device of their choice. Apart from multi-device compatibility, your support solutions should accommodate different channels—call, email, chat, social media, chatbots, website content, and so on. 

The trick is to be proactive and constantly make posts, encouraging clients to reach out to you as well. So be it Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, or even Snapchat, make sure you have social media handles which regularly post relatable content. 

• Keep up with the trends

Like we mentioned earlier, your consumer base is completely dynamic. Staying trendy has become an acquired skill these days. 

You need to be aware of how preferences, moods, and societal perceptions keep changing over time. For example, since people started using mobile phones over telephone lines, it became important to adapt to this change and provide appropriate options. 

Similarly, with the advent of social media, a new kind of marketing came into being. The quicker you jump onto the bandwagon, the more exposure you can get with potential clients. 

Conclusion

As communication becomes more open, customer connections become even more important. Furthermore, that becomes evident if you look at reports and statistics that have studied customer experience. 

Therefore, it’s time to realise the importance of CX and work towards improving the avenues for client communication. It always helps to use advanced tools like cloud technologies to make your agents’ job easier and help them be more productive. 

The post 10 Customer Experience Stats To Learn From For 2021 appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

Why does your business need free phone numbers?

Here are some point that tells you why business need free phone numbers

1. Impart a professional edge to your firm

Showcase your professionalism by adopting a reliable and credible 0800 number. It offers you a sense of familiarity that makes you more approachable. With vanity and local numbers, you can reach out to your customers professionally and efficiently. 

Call forwarding options to let you redirect customer calls to the most suitable agent and department. 

2. Build a brand image

Make it easier for people to contact you by deploying vanity and local numbers. While the former is easy to remember (for example online cab booking services can deploy a vanity number like “0800-CAB-RIDE”), the latter creates a local presence that helps you gain trust. 

3. Efficient marketing tools

Free phone numbers can be used to create effective marketing campaigns and boost your sales. Billboards, print ads and online ads can all include a free phone number for reach. Thereby, you can increase the call volumes, sales and ROI. 

Want to know how free phone numbers can fuel your marketing ROI? Check out 6 Reasons Why You Need Free Phone Numbers For Marketing Campaigns to learn more!

4. Easily portable

One of the biggest advantages of using a free phone number for your business is that you can expand or relocate anytime without having to change your business number. This means, if you shift your base to even a totally remote location, your sales will not be affected and customers can continue contacting you on the same number. 

Read this blog “Are 0333 Numbers Free to Call?”

How to get a free phone number for your business?

Break down the barriers between your business and customers by using Acefone’s free phone numbers. Our 0800 numbers come embedded with all the necessary features that you will ever need to upscale your business. 

Let’s walk through the infographic to understand how to get free phone numbers for your business. 

The post How to Get A Free Phone Number Setup On Your Business Phone? appeared first on Blog | Acefone.