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...

Will your morning commute from home to the office be forever replaced with a bleary-eyed stroll from the bedroom to the kitchen in your fuzzy slippers? Maybe -- the COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses to rethink how to manage their employees and remain productive, and a physical office setting isn’t a necessity anymore.   Notable employers like Twitter and Facebook are giving notice to workers that they will be able to work from home permanently. Others, like Barclays and Nationwide, have announced intentions to reduce their office space. “We’ve been investing in our technological capabilities for years, and those investments really paid...

If you are a business owner or executive, then obviously you want to find ways to save money — especially these days with so much uncertainty about the future. Switching from a landline telephone system to a cloud telephone system will save your business anywhere from around 20%-50% per year (and possibly more). Plus, your staff — regardless of whether they are in a home office or workplace location — will have access to a full range of enterprise-grade calling features like voicemail-to-email and auto attendant that will help them be more productive and efficient. On top of this, your customers...

Now that it is integrated with G Suite, there is a lot of buzz these days about using Google Voice as a business telecommunications solution. Unfortunately, some businesses that have headed in that direction have found the experience frustrating, costly and regrettable. Here are 10 key reasons why: 1. No Business Caller ID Every business knows that caller ID is an absolute must have feature. In fact, it shouldn’t even be called a "feature" at all. It’s a basic staple that simply can't not be an option. This is not 1992 anymore. There are three major problems with Google Voice caller ID: The...

Whether you've recently launched a startup or you're the CEO of an established organization, these unprecedented times caused by COVID-19 have erected several unique obstacles. On a brighter note, though, it also creates the perfect landscape for opportunistic entrepreneurs that are willing to go the extra mile. With the right strategy in place, your business can thrive during these difficult times. Focus on the 10 pointers below, and you won't go far wrong. 1| Positive Communication “You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life.” – Zig Ziglar. Great communication sits at the heart of...

According to research by IBISWorld, the size of the auto repair industry in the U.S. has surged to $69 billion dollars a year, driven by more than 271,000 businesses — from single-location shops to large nationwide franchises — who collectively provide over 577,000 jobs in communities and cities from coast to coast. No Slowdown in Sight Market research firm Future Market Insights highlights that the U.S. auto repair industry is projected to expand at a 5.8% CAGR through 2027 due to a convergence of factors, such as: An increase in the average age of vehicles due to technological advancements. An increase in...

Cloud phone systems play an increasingly influential role in communications and customer engagement. With more and more businesses looking to benefit from modern hosted cloud services, it’s crucial to know what you’re looking for when shopping around for the best provider. If you’re on a mission to upgrade or update your telecommunications systems, here are 5 important considerations to bear in mind.Top considerations when choosing a cloud service providerEvery business owner wants to achieve the best outcomes, and this often depends on making the right decisions. There is an ever-growing number of cloud service providers out there, so how do...

Recently, we highlighted that the biggest missing piece of the Google Voice for business puzzle is a severe lack of technical support. Basically, there isn’t any. Businesses that run into problems or need guidance on how to use a calling feature have two undesirable options:Wade through pages and pages of online help, and hope that they find the answers they need (and further hope that they have the in-house technical expertise to understand and apply a bug fix, workaround, configuration change, etc.).Post their problem on a crowdsourcing platform, and (yet again) hope that someone can give them a hand…eventually. Unfortunately,...

The strongest and most successful businesses aren’t those that out-spend their competitors. Rather, they out-smart them by knowing when taking a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach makes strategic and financial sense — and when it’s a really bad idea.What does this have to do with cloud phone systems? It’s this: there are some mass market cloud phone system vendors in the marketplace that want businesses to think that a DIY cloud business phone system is easy, smart and cost-effective.However, if you ask an overwhelming number of businesses that have been misled by this hype, you’ll discover that the experience is tedious, disappointing...