It is widely understood — frankly, it is axiomatic by this point — that good customer service is important. However, the enormous impact and influence of customer service on today’s business landscape is truly eye-opening. Consider the following: 52% of customers have made an additional purchase from a company after a positive customer service experience. (Source: Dimensional Research) 86% of consumers are willing to spend up to 25% extra for better customer service. (Source: Squaretalk) 61% of customers have switched brands due to poor customer service. And nearly 50% have done so within the last year. (Source: Microsoft)   The moral to this statistical story...

Dear IT Professionals: Let’s start with this: there has been a lot of talk about “essential workers” during the pandemic — and for good reason. But you, Mr. or Ms. IT Professional, are essential ALWAYS. In fact, if you weren't on the job, end-users would experience chaos and customers would get irate. Basically, the entire organization would grind to a halt. Things would get ugly in a hurry.And speaking of ugly…Let’s talk about your other job. You know, the one that you never applied for: serving as the organization’s “Phone System Guru.".You are the go-to person for phone system moves, adds,...

Let’s face it, COVID-19 has changed our daily routine a lot, this includes our communications strategy. We have adapted rapidly and generally with good results. Cloud-based communications have become an integral part of how we do business. While switching to a work from home setup brings many challenges, like finding a suitable workspace and juggling home-schooled kids and pets, one area we tend to ignore is security.The proliferation of phishing schemes and Zoombombing has increased seemingly overnight. For companies both large and small, learning how to implement security needs to be a primary concern for companies needing to change remote...

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....

A survey by Consumer Reports found that a whopping 70 percent of customers become highly upset — and some outright hate it — when they hear the following phrase (or a variation): “I need to transfer your call.” - People hate having their call transferred.  What’s behind this dread and loathing? Surely, it can’t be the simple act of transferring a call. After all, customers don’t have to lift a finger, and transfers are instant. There must be something else that infuriates customers. It’s not that customers inherently hate having their call transferred, it’s that they hate what usually happens after their...

In the business world, there too are many acronyms to try to remember them all. The same goes for electronics. But there are a few that will make your workday so much easier. One is “BLF” which stands for Busy Lamp Field on your IP business telephone. While it doesn’t sound very sexy, the BLF indicator just might be your new BFF (Best Friend Forever). The BLF has been around for quite some time but is more useful now than ever on cloud-based phones.On most modern telephones, the BLF is usually a small Light Emitting Diode (LED). Great, another acronym!...

First things first: we all know that customers don’t like being placed on hold, and some of them downright hate it. But what you may not know is WHY customers find this experience so dreadful. As with many things in life, this reaction has less to do with reality and more to do with perception.It’s All in the MindResearch has revealed that what rankles people so much about waiting on hold isn’t actually waiting: it’s that they have nothing to do, which makes them feel that they’re waiting much longer than they truly are. For example, a customer who is...

While there have been advances in the telephone industry over the years, the basic concept has not changed much for over a hundred years. However, in the 21st Century, a major shakeup in the business phone industry means you should seriously consider updating your business phone system....

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...

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...