When selecting a call center or contact center platform, there may be certain terms or features of which you are unsure. Many platforms display these details in feature lists but do not explain them in detail. First, let's talk about call centers vs contact centers. A call center is a facility that offers customer service via phone calls, managed by personnel known as call center agents. A contact center is a department that offers customer service across multiple communication channels.   Various industries, including healthcare, financial services, e-commerce, retail, technology, business process consulting, and business services use call center phone systems. Providing your...

Out With the Old A cloud-based telephone system provides numerous benefits over a premise-based phone system. Cost savings is the first and most notable benefit. A cloud-based phone system eliminates the need for on-premise hardware, as all communication takes place over the internet. This results in substantial savings on upfront costs as well as ongoing maintenance expenses. But that's not all. A cloud-based system - often referred to as VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol - provides added flexibility, scalability, and features compared to premise-based phone systems that simply can't keep up with the pace of business today. With a cloud-based phone...

Digital faxing (a.k.a. e-faxing and cloud faxing) is not just alive and well, but it is growing in popularity — particularly in the healthcare, legal, government, telecommunication, and education fields where hand-written initials and signatures are still the norm.  What is behind the surge in digital faxing? These  10 key benefits:   1. Affordability Digital faxing is much more affordable than conventional faxing. Getting rid of an old copper line reduces costs by $20-$30 a month (and in some cases more). Plus, purchasing a business-grade fax machine can easily cost around $300, and on top of this, there are ongoing toner/inkjet, maintenance,...

It is no surprise that small and medium-sized businesses across the globe have suffered due to the global coronavirus pandemic. What is becoming evident, based on research, is that the companies that are surviving and prospering are making a concerted push toward upgrading their digital technologies to survive. This means survival of small business depends on digital. What the Experts say 2020 Small Business Digital Maturity study According to a new 2020 Small Business Digital Maturity study from IDC, 70 percent of small businesses are speeding up their push to switch to digital in the face of hurdles coming from the COVID-19 crisis....

Recently, we highlighted that during the coronavirus pandemic many businesses with legacy (on-premise) contact centers are struggling to pivot to a remote working setup. As a result, they are being inundated with unhappy customers who, instead of speaking to a human being, are being put on hold and told that “their call is very important” over, and over, and over again. Fortunately, the solution to this anti-customer bottleneck is simple and proven: switch to a cloud contact center. Here are the five key advantages: Instant ScalabilityBusiness ContinuityBoost Employee PerformanceIncrease Customer SatisfactionStrengthen Security 1. Instant Scalability Adding new customer service agents to the roster...

We’ve all heard that we are living in “The New Normal.” It’s a term tossed about by the news media and anyone else trying to wrap their heads around how much the world has changed seemingly overnight thanks to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic and, not too long ago, the recession of 2007-2009 - often referred to as “The Great Recession.”The dictionary defines the word normal as “conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; average.” As a business owner, do you want the label of average? Being average doesn’t make much of an impact nor does it drive innovation...

One of the most important — and also the most loved — features of a cloud-based phone system is Auto-Attendant. Much more than an answering machine, Auto-Attendant is an automated, sophisticated, customizable, and VERY easy-to-use virtual receptionist.Key Benefits Here are some benefits of Auto-Attendant that will make your team wonder how they managed without it:Answer calls with a professional and customized company greeting. You’ll never miss a call again, even during busy times and after hours.Route incoming calls based on business hours, date, date range, or specific caller ID. For example, you can automatically direct calls from a key supplier...

When you’re hosting a party, the acronym that fills your heart with joy is “BYOB,” which stands for “Bring Your Own Beer” (or other preferred adult beverage). But if your company is planning on upgrading to a cloud phone system, there’s a different acronym that is even more worthy of your love: BYOD.BYOD stands for “bring your own device,” and it allows your company to enjoy three massive advantages:1. If you have pre-existing compatible phones, routers, and POE switches, then you can integrate these into the cloud phone system. This will save you a significant amount of money and time,...

Since the beginning of recorded history, communication has been an essential part of everyday life. From individuals to major corporations, hospitals, and schools, being able to share information is critical. But we’ve come a long way since cave drawings, the adaption of the modern alphabet, and smoke signals.A communications revolution began with the invention of the telegraph in the 1840s and the telephone around 1876. It wasn’t until well into the 20th century that we began to move away from the analog telephone. With the creation of ARPANET in 1969 and the internet in the 1970s, a new communications era...

Cloud migrations have been increasing rapidly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, companies have been moving more data, services, and applications to the cloud as a means to become more streamlined and productive. Businesses migrating information to the cloud is not a new trend. The move toward cloud adoption, however, has been picking up steam during the worldwide lockdown with some interesting results:A major shift to remote workingReduction in capital investmentInnovative business models adapting to a major shift in consumer habitsWelcome to the CloudWorldwide demand for cloud services is swelling as more people have shifted to telework and...