Acefone's Startups Blogs Tue, 14 Oct 2025 09:33:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://www.acefone.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/favicon.png Acefone's Startups Blogs 32 32 What Is an Omnichannel Contact Center? [2025 Guide] https://www.acefone.com/blog/omnichannel-contact-center-guide/ https://www.acefone.com/blog/omnichannel-contact-center-guide/#respond Tue, 01 Apr 2025 05:34:00 +0000 https://www.acefone.com/blog/?p=4214 Customer expectations continue to increase beyond the speed of technological development. Making exceptional customer experiences non-negotiable for businesses today.   To meet these expectations, we assessed customer behavior and concluded that an omnichannel communication strategy is a must. Since the end customer uses multiple channels to engage with any business, it only makes sense to offer […]

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Customer expectations continue to increase beyond the speed of technological development. Making exceptional customer experiences non-negotiable for businesses today.  

To meet these expectations, we assessed customer behavior and concluded that an omnichannel communication strategy is a must. Since the end customer uses multiple channels to engage with any business, it only makes sense to offer them the same. 

In other words, setting up an omnichannel contact center for your business is critical. 

Your customers might want to connect with you via chat, voice call, email, or any other channel. To manage interactions seamlessly, you need a unified approach. 

What is an omnichannel contact center?

An Omnichannel contact center is a modern contact center software solution where customers can interact with the business across multiple channels. The most common interaction channels are voice calls (VoIP or PSTN), chats, SMSs, video conferencing, emails, and social media platforms as well. 

To understand how it differs from earlier models, see our post on what is a call center.

Omnichannel contact centers offer superior customer service that allows you to successfully capture more leads and retain more customers. They also make work easier for sales reps, making it easier to deliver seamless customer experiences from any channel. 

Want to know more about Acefone omnichannel contact center?

Why Use Omnichannel Contact Center? 

Implementing an omnichannel contact center software enables you to deliver unified, seamless customer experiences across various touchpoints. Here’s why: 

Why use an omnichannel contact center

  • Enhanced Customer Satisfaction 

Omnichannel solutions ensure agents are able to conduct smooth and consistent interactions that reduce customer frustration and increase satisfaction. 

  • Greater Agent Productivity  

Centralized platforms allow agents quick access to customer histories, reducing the time spent switching between tools and improving response times. 

  • Improved Customer Insights 

Placing consolidated data from multiple channels into one place enables you to better understand customer behavior. Further allowing enabling you to create tailored marketing strategies and service improvements. 

  • Competitive Advantage 

Omnichannel contact centers offer comprehensive, integrated customer experiences that differentiate your brand from the rest. 

Benefits of an Omnichannel Contact Center

In the era of smart technology, businesses cannot fail at delivering smart and seamless customer experiences. An omnichannel customer service platform is a sure-shot way to do so. Not only are you able to reach clients via platforms of their choice, you’re also able to service them through channels that they prefer.  

So, if you have a customer reach out to you via email, then follow up on social media, and then ask for a resolution via WhatsApp? No problem! Your agents will always be aware of previous interactions with other agents, and the conversation will flow smoothly. 

You will be known for your professionalism, your consideration towards your customers, and your reliability. 

Curious how inbound vs outbound call center models fit into omnichannel strategies? Let’s discuss some of the best ways in which an omnichannel platform provides better customer service to businesses.

1. Gather customer data and insights

Whether it’s small or large, every business knows the importance of customer data and insights. Using the omnichannel approach, you can have a better understanding of your customers’ demands and behavior.  This understanding will help you to deliver the best customer service to your customers. 

Being a unified system, an omnichannel contact center software can gather customer data on one dashboard. You can set 10+ KPIs and monitor various metrics. For instance, if you’re wondering which service or product on your website gets the greatest number of clicks, you’ll easily be able to identify the same via detailed and visually appealing reports. 

When you have all the customer insights in one place, you can create better and more effective business strategies. Needless to say, when you’re deciding on marketing strategies, these insights play an influential role. 

Omnichannel solutions follow client interactions across all channels and collect vital data. This data helps identify trends and patterns, eventually enabling proactive discovery of issues and effective resolution. This results in effortless communication and a better customer rating and brand reputation. 

2. Intelligent routing

The omnichannel approach integrates your cloud-backed phone system with CRM integration tools. These tools collect all customer data and information from all the previous interactions. This data helps businesses set intelligent routing strategies that ensure clients are connected to the right agents in a quick and efficient manner.  

3. Improves customer experience

As the world moves towards new and advanced innovations every day, customer expectations are also increasing accordingly. Businesses should focus on understanding customers’ needs and expectations in depth. Once you have the data, you need to convert these insights into actions.  

Your business strategies should meet both your business objectives and customer expectations. Through omnichannel contact center solutions that offer actionable insights, it’s easier to achieve the same while proactively eliminating bottlenecks.  

These insights will help you determine customer behavior so that you can tailor your offerings accordingly and provide your audience with the best customer experience. 

Omnichannel contact center platform allows your customers to engage using any device. In this way, you can focus on retention and enhance the emotional connection between the company and the customers. 

Explore how understanding inbound call center vs outbound strategies can shape your customer engagement.

4. Engage with customers in real-time

Customers expect their queries to be answered as soon as possible. And you must ensure first-call resolution. If you fail to provide real-time answers to their queries, your customers may be inclined to switch to a competitor.  

Via omnichannel contact centers, you can engage with your customers in real time through chats, videos, co-browsing, and screen-sharing as well. Not just that, you can interact with them irrespective of their and your device.   

Providing real-time solutions to your customers creates a good impression not just on your existing audience base but also on potential clients. This is one of the best ways to enhance your organic word-of-mouth marketing efforts. 

Tips for implementing an omnichannel strategy 

Implementing an omnichannel strategy requires thoughtful planning and execution. From mapping the first touchpoint to gathering customer feedback. To ensure your contact center is performing well on all ends, you can break down the implementation process into the following bits: 

  1. Map the complete customer journey to identify areas of friction and improvement. 
  2. Choose a platform that offers seamless integration with your desired communication channels. 
  3. Train agents with vital insights, ensuring they understand how to manage interactions smoothly across channels. 
  4. Start with a small setup that is easier to manage and eventually scale up by adding one channel at a time. 
  5. Regularly gather customer feedback and agents to refine and improve your omnichannel strategy. 

Considerations When Setting Up an Omnichannel Contact Center 

Putting together an omnichannel contact center for your business is a huge step toward enhancing customer engagement, operational efficiency, and stronger customer relationships. To ensure you’re on the right path, you must practice careful planning and strategic considerations. Here are some key considerations to keep in mind while setting up the omnichannel contact center. 

  • Customer Needs 

Before you get down to jotting down your requirements, you must first take note of your customers’ needs and priorities. All the way from the channels they prefer to communicate through, to their time zone. 

  • Budget allocation 

Your budget is the second in the list of factors you must consider. Take an estimation of the overall running expenses of an omnichannel contact center, from training agents to scaling options. 

  • Setup & Onboarding 

Contact center providers with quick setup and assisted onboarding should take priority. Given how critical every minute is in the world of operations, contact center solutions that are easy and quick to implement give you the upper hand over your competition. 

  • Security & Compliance 

Prioritize contact center solutions with robust security measures, including data encryption, secure storage, and user-based access controls. Ensure your chosen platform complies with industry-specific regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and other relevant standards. 

  • Customization & Flexibility 

Make sure the contact center solution allows you ample customization to meet your specific business needs and preferences. Flexible workflow configurations, dynamic agent scripting, and automated responses can greatly enhance your overall operational efficiency. 

  • Vendor Support & Reliability 

The contact center provider you choose to go with must provide ongoing support and agent training, ensuring a smooth transition. They must also be aligned with your business hours and be easy to reach when needed. 

Essential Elements of an Omnichannel Contact Center 

A well-functioning omnichannel contact center is built on several key components: 

1. Cloud-based platform with a unified interface 

Cloud-powered contact centers simplify complex interactions. By streamlining customer service tools, businesses can enhance efficiency and agent productivity. 

2. Seamless channel integration 

An omnichannel approach is effective when employees can switch between communication channels effortlessly while retaining customer history and context. 

3. Data-driven personalization 

Customer expectations evolve quickly. While chatbots were once rarely used, today, they are a preferred choice for quick responses. Leveraging customer insights enables more personalized interactions. 

4. Smart inbound request routing 

As communication channels expand, efficient routing becomes essential. Delivering a seamless experience means ensuring customers are connected to the right agent on the first attempt. 

Read our blog “Omnichannel Marketing Statistics” here.

Key Features of an Omnichannel Contact Center

Now that we’ve explored what makes an omnichannel contact center platform ideal, let’s dive into the key features you should consider when selecting the right solution. 

These include: 

  • Omnichannel routing 
  • Customer sentiment analysis 
  • Business software integration 
  • Analytics and reporting 
  • Workforce management 

1. Omnichannel Routing 

Omnichannel routing functions similarly to call routing, enabling administrators to define rules for directing customer inquiries to the most suitable agent—regardless of the communication channel used. 

For instance, if a customer initiates a web chat about a specific product, they would be instantly connected with an available product specialist in the sales team, rather than an IT representative who may not have the relevant expertise. 

The interaction would seamlessly appear on the agent’s dashboard, allowing them to respond within the omnichannel customer service platform without navigating away from their workspace. 

Routing can be configured based on agent skills, round-robin distribution, idle time, and other factors. 

Beyond routing, administrators can implement automated responses that acknowledge receipt of messages, share self-help resources, or provide estimated wait times. AI-driven chatbots can also assist customers in these initial interactions. For voice calls, inbound callers are directed to an IVR system that efficiently guides them to the right agent or enables self-service via voice commands. 

2. Customer Sentiment Analysis 

Customer sentiment analysis leverages AI-driven technology to identify speech patterns, words, and phrases that reflect customer emotions during interactions. 

This feature enhances employee training and enables agents and managers to gain deeper insights into customer behavior. 

For voice interactions, AI-powered Natural Language Processing (NLP) detects customer service keywords such as “billing,” “order delay,” or “refund,” helping managers recognize recurring issues and refine customer support strategies. 

In text-based conversations like chat and messaging, sentiment analysis identifies key phrases and can even provide agents with relevant knowledge base articles for faster resolution. 

3. Business Software Integration 

A robust omnichannel customer service platform should seamlessly integrate with third-party business applications, ensuring smooth transitions between communication and operational tools. 

Your cloud contact center platform should support integration with: 

  • CRM systems 
  • Project management tools  
  • Marketing and outreach platforms 
  • Collaboration tools 
  • Productivity suites  

4. Analytics and Reporting 

Comprehensive analytics empower administrators to track key performance indicators (KPIs), monitor agent productivity, and identify trends across different communication channels. 

An effective omnichannel platform should offer both pre-configured and customizable reports, allowing businesses to focus on the metrics that matter most. 

Key analytics include: 

  • First-contact resolution rate 
  • Average call and chat duration 
  • Interaction volume across channels 
  • Daily, weekly, and monthly inbound/outbound engagement rates 
  • Cost per contact 
  • Call handling metrics (hold time, transfer rate, speed of response) 
  • Contact abandonment rate 
  • Customer satisfaction scores (CSAT) 
  • Customer engagement levels 

5. Workforce Management 

A well-structured workforce management system within an omnichannel contact center platform enhances team efficiency and ensures a balanced workload distribution. 

By combining workforce management with analytics, businesses can: 

  • Optimize shift scheduling and allow agents to select shifts 
  • Distribute workloads evenly among team members 
  • Forecast future trends and demand spikes 
  • Monitor agent availability and real-time activity 
  • Assign tasks based on agent skills to maintain service continuity 

While many cloud contact center platforms include workforce management as an add-on, having it integrated into the system streamlines operations and improves overall performance. 

Read our blog “bpo contact center” here.

Omnichannel vs Multichannel Contact Center

Omnichannel vs Multichannel Contact Center

A multichannel contact center is a customer services approach that includes multiple communication channels such as text, voice, website, and social media and enables communication where customers spend most of their time. 

Au contraire, in the case of an omnichannel contact center software, all customer interactions across various channels are integrated into one platform. 

Let’s understand the key difference between omnichannel and multichannel platforms: 

Features  Omnichannel Contact Center Multichannel Contact Center 
Definition  Unified, seamless communication across channels.  Multiple channels operate separately. 
Customer Experience  Consistent, context-aware interactions.  Customers may need to repeat information. 
Channel Integration  Fully integrated channels.  Channels function independently. 
Data Sharing  Centralized customer data across channels.  Data is siloed in separate systems. 
Agent Efficiency  Single interface with full context.  Agents switch between multiple tools. 
Customer Routing  Smart routing across all channels.  Channel-specific routing. 
AI & Automation  Works across channels (chatbots, sentiment analysis).  Limited to specific channels. 
Journey Tracking  Tracks interactions across all touchpoints.  Hard to monitor customer journeys. 
Personalization  Data-driven, tailored experiences.  Limited personalization. 
Best For  Businesses prioritizing seamless CX.  Companies offering basic multi-channel support. 

Omnichannel Contact Center Best Practices

Best Practices of Omnichannel Contact Center 

To ensure your team is achieving optimal results, you must carefully manage your operations. Follow these best practices for smooth running: 

1. Maintain Consistency 

Ensure brand voice, messaging, and service quality remain consistent across all channels. 

2. Personalize Interactions 

Use customer data to personalize experiences, making customers feel valued and understood. 

3. Leverage Automation Thoughtfully 

Employ AI-powered tools like chatbots for routine inquiries, freeing agents to focus on complex customer interactions. 

4. Prioritize First-Contact Resolution 

Empower agents with training and resources to resolve customer issues on the first interaction, enhancing customer satisfaction and reducing operational costs. 

5. Monitor and Optimize Continuously 

Regularly analyze performance metrics and adjust strategies based on actionable insights to ensure ongoing improvement. 

Read our blog “Contact Center vs Call Center” here.

Summing it up

In the customer service sector, omnichannel contact center pricing will be a trend in the upcoming decades. It reduces the workload of the contact center agent, and improves first-call resolution, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction with complete efficiency. In this approach, all communication channels are kept open until the customer’s issues are resolved.  

Omnichannel has been proven to be the faster, simpler, and more customer-friendly approach in providing better customer service to businesses of all sizes.  

Omnichannel Contact Center FAQs

A: Measuring costs in an omnichannel contact center involves evaluating multiple factors, such as: 

  1. License and Subscription Fees: Regular payments for cloud-based platforms. 
  2. Setup & Channel Costs: Expenses related to integrating new channels or tools. 
  3. Training and Onboarding: Costs associated with training agents on new software and processes. 
  4. Operational Expenses: Ongoing expenditures such as maintenance, updates, and support services. 


A: Yes, Omnichannel contact centers can easily be integrated with your existing systems, including CRMs, marketing automation tools, ERP platforms, and productivity suites. This integration ensures that all customer interactions are synchronized, providing agents with real-time, comprehensive customer insights, thus enabling more personalized and efficient interactions. 


A: The cost of an omnichannel contact center solution varies based on the features, active user count, and customization needs. Cloud-based models offer flexible omnichannel contact center pricing, typically on a subscription basis. Investing in a scalable omnichannel contact center solution ensures cost-effectiveness while meeting dynamic business requirements. 

A: An omnichannel contact center offers cohesive and personalized interactions across all channels. It enables your customers to communicate through their preferred mediums without losing context or needing to repeat information. This seamless experience improves first-contact resolution rates (FCR), reduces customer effort, and boosts overall satisfaction. 


A: Yes, a scalable omnichannel platform like Acefone allows you to add communication channels as needed. With our flexible cloud contact center platform, you get effortless integration of new channels without disrupting existing workflows, enhancing overall customer engagement. 

A: The best omnichannel contact center platform offers seamless channel integration, workflow automation, smart routing, real-time analytics, CRM compatibility, and a unified interface. Acefone delivers all these features, ensuring effortless customer interactions, enhanced agent productivity, and superior customer experience, making it the ideal choice for businesses seeking excellence in communication. 

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What are the Top 5 cloud telephony benefits for SaaS startups https://www.acefone.com/blog/top-5-cloud-telephony-benefits-for-saas-startups/ https://www.acefone.com/blog/top-5-cloud-telephony-benefits-for-saas-startups/#respond Fri, 15 Sep 2023 07:59:21 +0000 https://www.acefone.com/blog/?p=12711 Hey there, curious reader!    Are you a SaaS startup looking to kickstart your cloud communications solution?    We’re here to give you a lasting solution to end your search.   Say goodbye to communication woes and hello to seamless connections!   Businesses experiencing the communication conundrum  So, you’re a SaaS startup on the rise but struggling […]

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Hey there, curious reader!   

Are you a SaaS startup looking to kickstart your cloud communications solution 

We’re here to give you a lasting solution to end your search.  

Say goodbye to communication woes and hello to seamless connections!  

Businesses experiencing the communication conundrum 

So, you’re a SaaS startup on the rise but struggling to keep up with customer and employee queries. You have the best products & services and provide top-notch support, but your cloud phone system keeps failing. The traditional phone lines and outdated systems just aren’t cutting it anymore. It’s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole!  

This communication bottleneck not only slows you down, but also leaves your customers frustrated and employees dissatisfied. It’s a problem faced by many businesses like yours, and it’s high time for a change—with modern call center software features, you can overcome these challenges and streamline communication.

How Cloud Telephony safeguards SaaS?

Cloud telephony is like a superhero sidekick for the SaaS industry, providing powerful tools and benefits that significantly impact business operations. 

It has helped several businesses, especially startups, revolutionize their business communication. This technology has enabled them to communicate with customers from anywhere, on their preferred channels, and at any time possible. Moreover, it has allowed employees to collaborate seamlessly without switching between multiple applications. 

Many businesses, like yours, have experienced a remarkable transformation in their communication. It’s like discovering a secret treasure chest of features and capabilities that enhance accessibility, boost productivity, and ultimately lead to happier, and more satisfied customers (internal and external).  

With cloud telephony, you can find your voice and forge more robust, lasting connections in this ever-evolving world. 

Cloud telephony benefits for your SaaS startup 

Cloud Telephony safeguards SaaS

Now, let’s talk about the incredible benefits you’ll reap with cloud telephony:  

Supercharged Productivity 

Cloud telephony automates communication processes and reduces time-consuming tasks that slow you down. For instance, when a customer calls, the system can automatically route their call to the right department or team member, ensuring they get prompt assistance.  

Such a route eliminates the need for customers to be transferred multiple times, saving both their time and yours. Plus, implementing voip voicemail-to-email features, you can quickly prioritize and respond to messages without checking a separate voicemail box. 

Cloud contact center service also enhances internal collaboration. With features like conference calling and mobile accessibility, team members can easily connect, collaborate, and make decisions from miles away. This productivity boost means your startup can accomplish more in less time, allowing you to focus on bigger concerns such as employee and customer satisfaction. 

Real-time Insights for Smarter Decisions 

Cloud telephony records and stores data from every customer interaction like calls, messages, and voicemails. It has the potential to turn this data into actionable insights that help you and your agents make informed decisions.  

For example, you can identify common customer questions or concerns and create targeted solutions. You can also track call volume during specific times, allowing you to allocate resources more effectively. 

Cloud telephony’s key benefit is that it provides real-time information. With these real time insights, your startup can adapt quickly to customer demands and needs, giving you a competitive edge in the dynamic SaaS industry. 

Scalability for Growth 

The beauty of cloud telephony lies in its ability to grow with your startup. Whether you’re adding more team members or expanding into new markets, the system is designed to be effortlessly scalable. You needn’t worry about the hassle and expense of purchasing new equipment or installing additional phone lines.  

Instead, you can simply adjust your subscription plan or add new features to accommodate your evolving needs. This flexibility allows startups to seize new opportunities and take their business to new heights without being hindered by communication limitations. 

Furthermore, cloud telephony enables you to test new strategies and enter new markets with confidence. Since it’s easy to scale up or down, you can experiment with different approaches to customer outreach without making long-term commitments. This adaptability empowers you to be agile and responsive with your customers. Whether you’re launching a new product or exploring new demographics, cloud telephony provides the flexibility needed to navigate the exciting journey of startup growth. 

 Enhanced Accessibility and Mobility 

Cloud telephony liberates you from the constraints of traditional phone systems. Instead of being tied down to a physical office location, entrepreneurs and team members can access their communication tools from any device with an internet connection.  

In other words, you can take important calls, join virtual meetings, and respond to messages even while on the move. Whether you’re attending industry conferences, meeting potential clients, or simply working from a coffee shop, cloud telephony keeps you connected, enhancing your productivity and responsiveness. 

Moreover, the mobility offered by cloud telephony promotes a healthy work-life balance. It allows you to build distributed teams or offer remote work options, enabling access to a broader talent pool. This flexibility can be a major attraction for potential hires and can lead to a more satisfied and motivated workforce. 

Cost-Efficiency 

By adopting cloud telephony, you can bid farewell to the days of expensive phone lines and equipment. It operates on a subscription-based model, allowing you to pay only for the services you use. Moreover, software updates and maintenance are handled by the service provider, eliminating the need for in-house IT support. As a result, you get more cost savings in the long run, allowing you to allocate resources towards crucial aspects like product development, marketing, and customer acquisition. 

Additionally, cloud telephony streamlines operations by consolidating communication tools into one unified platform. This eliminates the need for multiple service contracts and the associated costs.  

You can choose from flexible pricing plans that suit your specific needs, giving you the most ROI. With reduced expenses and enhanced operational efficiency, cloud telephony provides your SaaS startup with a solid financial foundation to thrive and compete with competitors. 

Acefone’s Cloud Phone System: Your Perfect Companion 

Introducing Acefone’s hosted Phone System, the ultimate solution to all your communication needs. This innovative technology allows you to experience seamless and efficient communication without disruptions. Get rid of dropped calls, poor connectivity, and missed opportunities. Acefone’s Cloud Phone System ensures that you never miss a call again.  

Try it out now and experience the magic for yourself. 

It’s like having a powerful communication wizard at your disposal, ready to work its magic. With over 65 features tailored to meet your needs, Acefone ensures you’re always connected with your teams and customers. Plus, it’s mobile-friendly! No more tech headaches or lengthy setups. 

Acefone free trial

Embrace the Future of Communication  

There you have it! Acefone’s Cloud based Phone System is the key to unlocking seamless communication for your SaaS startup. Bid farewell to outdated phone systems and say hello to a brighter, more connected future. 

So, what are you waiting for? Take the leap and let Acefone revolutionize how you connect with your customers and employees. Your business deserves nothing but the best!  

PS: Remember, the sky’s the limit when you’re powered by Acefone’s Cloud Telephony! 

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How SMS APIs Help Startups Enhance Their Customer Experience? https://www.acefone.com/blog/sms-api-enhance-customer-experience/ https://www.acefone.com/blog/sms-api-enhance-customer-experience/#respond Wed, 11 Nov 2020 09:30:10 +0000 https://www.acefone.com/blog/?p=3347 In the present-day world, ways to reach out to a customer are aplenty. They’re also over-exploited. With the mass of marketing information being exchanged every day, emails have begun to lose their impact. Traditional routes such as calls, too, don’t always help smaller startups reach their target audience. What is one to do, then? Integrate […]

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In the present-day world, ways to reach out to a customer are aplenty. They’re also over-exploited.

With the mass of marketing information being exchanged every day, emails have begun to lose their impact. Traditional routes such as calls, too, dont always help smaller startups reach their target audience.

What is one to do, then?

Integrate SMS into their cloud phone system through an API.

SMS APIs reach customers directly on their mobile phones, cutting through the noise of other marketing emails and advertising.

They also allow you to update customers communication preferences and store responses and other information in your phone system’s online portal.

How does this help?

With all the information stored in one place, you can provide a truly personalised experience for your customers, to keep them coming back again and again.

To know more about how SMS APIs can help startups enhance their customer experience, and the importance of integrating the service with your hosted phone system, read on.

1. Use SMS to send highly targeted, personal messages

As a startup, you need to go above and beyond to give customers a great experience.

Integrate your messaging service API with a cloud phone system to make detailed notes on your customers’ areas of interest. You can also find out what they have previously purchased from you.

Send targeted SMSes based on these interests to impress them with personalised experiences even in early days. Follow it up with spot-on service, to make up for the lack of online reviews.

With SMS marketing, the opportunities to make the customer feel valued and let them know you will only send them useful and relevant messages are plenty.

Bigger corporations may be unable to get to know each customer personally in this way, so startups should leverage this advantage to really drive customer experience forward.

2. Deliver customer service wrapped inconvenience

Your customers are busy. 

An easy contact channel will be a great selling point for your business. By offering SMS customer support, you make it easier for the customers to contact your business. You also save their money and time. 

A customised communication channel will improve customer experience and create new opportunities to open up a dialogue with your clients. This will lead to more resolutions for customer queries and more opportunities for you to sell your product or service to new clients.

A Global Mobile Messaging Report (2016) showed that 9 out of 10 consumers globally want to text with businesses, but only 48% of businesses are equipped with SMS. This shows that there is a massive amount of potential for SMS customer support becoming a part of your customer service strategy, and not many businesses are taking advantage of this.

3. Improve customer engagement with SMS messaging

When used appropriately, SMS support services can improve engagement for startup businesses.

As a business owner or marketer, ensure that your messages are sent at the appropriate time (not too early, not too late) and that you don’t spam customers with SMSes. Include a click to buy link or allow customers to get in touch by enabling the reply to the message feature.

When you achieve the right balance, your SMS will reach the customer directly, as most people have their phones on them at all times. It will encourage customers to take action, and enhance customer engagement and experience.

4. Connect with customers of all ages

Customers of all ages want to communicate via SMSes with a business. SendGrid’s 2019 Email Benchmark study showed that SMS messaging is ranked highly by customers across a broad age range, and that they want appropriate messaging from businesses.

Data from the study suggests that an omnichannel communication strategy helps gain the attention of customers of almost all ages and that you should be available on multiple platforms so customers can choose how they want to connect. If you aren’t using SMS support for your startup, you may lose out to a competitor who is using it, as customers are always looking for quick ways to contact you.

The study also suggested that customers want alerts, reminders, and more through SMSes, a service that you can provide with ease through your hosted phone system.

5. Improve customer insights through analytics

Startups can use SMS messaging through their hosted phone systems and gain an array of insights through the online portal.

Based on the customer’s interaction with your SMS, you can learn about optimal send times, whether they clicked a link or completed your desired call to action, the number of times they opened it, and any further interactions––all in a few clicks.

These analytics can help you know more about your customers and the types of SMSes they respond well to.

A campaign by Silverstone, timed just after the Grand Prix aired, gained them a 608% return on the investment just by timing a message correctly and including a clear call to action.

This shows just how effective SMS marketing can be and how, by using the analytics available through your hosted phone system, you can send out messages to your customers at an appropriate time and gain the best possible return on investment. 

To find out more about SMS marketing and how you can deliver amazing SMS campaigns from your cloud phone system, call us today on 1888-859-0450.

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Running A Startup From Home? Here’s Why You Need A Cloud-based Phone System https://www.acefone.com/blog/run-startup-from-home-with-cloud-phone-system/ https://www.acefone.com/blog/run-startup-from-home-with-cloud-phone-system/#respond Mon, 12 Oct 2020 05:40:37 +0000 https://www.acefone.com/blog/?p=3163 COVID-19 has forced work-from-home upon the unlikeliest of candidates. Organisations of all sizes, scales, and specifications have adopted completely alien strategies and mediums in a bid to continue running their businesses.  In this scenario, one of the most affected players have been startups, and it is they who’d benefit the most from adopting cloud phone […]

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COVID-19 has forced work-from-home upon the unlikeliest of candidates. Organisations of all sizes, scales, and specifications have adopted completely alien strategies and mediums in a bid to continue running their businesses. 

In this scenario, one of the most affected players have been startups, and it is they who’d benefit the most from adopting cloud phone system. Let’s take a look at how.

What are Cloud Phone Systems?

A cloud-based phone system can be thought of like a hosted website. It is hosted on the cloud, meaning there is no need for premise-based legacy systems. The hosting and maintenance are also done by a third-party which means that this is not something you need IT teams to look after. 

Instead of you having to set up complex phone communication systems for your business, you can set up a cloud phone system which will forward all calls directly to a line of your choice. 

For example, many startups choose to route calls directly to their smartphones. This is a brilliant option for those who have a dispersed setup or don’t have a fixed office space as yet. 

Organisations, both large and small, are going through digital transformations, moving away from legacy technologies and shifting to cutting edge cloud phone systems. As teams move into the digital world, they can quickly become overwhelmed with the sheer number of options of not only vendors but also different cloud solutions.

These days, even service providers have come to recognise that an increasing number of applications and platforms—from Cloud PBX tools to CRM to data analytics and so on—have become difficult to integrate, harmonise and manage. 

This is especially so when they’re installed and operated by different vendors. If businesses leverage a cloud phone system, then by combining all of these processes and functionalities into a single platform, organisations and businesses can very easily manage their communications, contacts, and all related information. 

Plus, this can happen on the same application, provided by the same vendor, under the same terms of the contract, and charged on the same invoice as well.

Startups by their very nature are businesses with a very distinct set of needs and demands. Same goes for their consumers as well, given their fickle nature. These need to be factored in before any service decisions are made.”

The unexpected challenges that cloud phone systems can help startups tackle:

COVID-19 has thrown open a can of worms, a completely new set of challenges, if you may, for businesses, especially smaller ones like startups operating out of homes. Following are the three primary obstacles they’re facing owing to the pandemic – 

1. Massive burden on communication pipelines – 

There’s been a rapid increase in digitisation and multiplication of use cases of the same, literally overnight. What this has done is, it has put tremendous amounts of strain on legacy, traditional, capacity-constrained phone systems. 

Call drops, delays in replies, poor communication quality, etc. have shot through the roof and a usual voice call seems like a burden on most days. This adversely impacts the productivity of the organisation and may drive away customers as well. This is why most people have frequently started to use cloud-based services. 

The Internet and the digital infrastructure more broadly have held up rather well, and this has only accelerated this trend and provided an impetus to an inevitability. This is a big reason why most businesses are finally making the complete switch to digital.

2. Uncertainties of operation – 

There is tremendous business uncertainty all around, no matter which industry your organisation might be dealing in. One of the most important things right now, for anyone running a business, is flexibility. 

The most vital part of it is the fact that they should have the ability to scale up and down at a moment’s notice. Plus, this should be done without too much investment being required, or it will go to waste in case of a scale down.

Businesses around the world pay huge amounts of money in buying new hardware while expanding. However, a cloud phone system is very, very flexible and it grows effortlessly as per a business’s needs without incurring any extravagant upgrade charges. Same is the case when scaling down business operations.

3. If a startup has international clients – 

A lot of present-day startups, especially in the services space, have a sizeable base of overseas clients and customers. And they need to be in constant touch with them for a number of reasons. Doing this on any premise-based legacy system would rack you up to massive bills, something out of bounds for startups especially. 

A cloud-based phone system allows you to get local free phone numbers of almost any country across the globe. Using these free phone numbers, businesses can make international calls at very minimal costs. All that a start-up needs then is a high-speed internet connection.

In what ways does a startup benefit by adopting a cloud phone system?

Sheer variety of services and possibilities. Do you need a feature like call forwarding? It lets you fix a phone number and then forwards your calls to that number. Startups find this useful because forwarding to a phone keeps them mobile. 

Call scheduling allows you to program the forwarding to reach separate numbers at varying times of the day and to forward via a series of numbers up till the time somebody answers. Then there are other features like custom greetings as well. 

Following are three specific ways in which cloud-based phone systems can be of immense utility to startups  – 

1. If you work on the go

Any startup working on its own domain of service, especially those at a relatively early stage of functioning, functions pretty much round the clock. 

More than that, these organisations often don’t have a fixed, traditional office space and their workforce is working from a wide variety of places and spaces as per their own convenience. 

Because cloud-based phone systems allow calls to be easily forwarded to your phone, you can answer them even on the go––whether you’re in the car, at home, or anywhere else.

2. If you have a remote team that is spread out

Another classic COVID-19 trait of working these days is that businesses have workforces that are dispersed and working remotely as well in fact. 

In such a scenario, having a cloud-based phone system becomes more than imperative in fact, given the nature and kind of communications that an organisation comes to need, both internal and external. 

Every employee can have their own extension that forwards calls to their personal lines. All employees can be clubbed under a single phone number but they can answer calls on their cellphones as well. This saves costs for the business and makes it rather simple for both customers and employees.

3. Reliability of services and access – 

The defining feature of cloud-based phone systems is, well, that they are hosted on the cloud. This is very distinct from legacy, premise-based setups of the yesteryear. 

What this leads to is massive gains as far as reliability of services and managing of downtimes is concerned. 

Because the different components of such a cloud-based phone system are not all hosted in the same location, the providers can ensure a low amount of service downtime and very few operational disruptions.

Another piece of this puzzle is the fact that such a system also has crucial redundancies built-in. What does that mean? That means that if you use a cloud-based phone system, there’s a high likelihood that your service provider has servers across multiple locations. What that leads to is the fact that if the data hosting on one server fails, the operations can be simply routed via some other server.

Having a cloud-based phone system is a question of when, and not if, for startups at this stage, especially in a post-COVID-19 era. Businesses can make the call, introduce massive efficiencies into their operations, save costs, and meanwhile upgrade their customer experience as well while at it. 

To find out more about our hosted phone system, call our expert team at 1888-859-0450 now! Come on board!

The post Running A Startup From Home? Here’s Why You Need A Cloud-based Phone System appeared first on Blog | Acefone.

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