How Cloud Telephony Can Aid the Social Service Sector

Acefone Editor

Author

Cloud Telephony

April 27, 2021

5 mins read eye

Table of content

There’s a good chance that you will roll your eyes if we say organizations active in the social service industry need just as rigorous tech support and streamlined communications systems as their counterparts in corporate sectors do.

A lot of us often imagine not-for-profit organizations functioning with threadbare operational systems in their offices. News flash: Institutions and companies within the social service sector in the modern-day work with the same go-getter professionalism and result-driven approach that you often associate with other fields. How else are they expected to reach a wider customer base and nudge prospective customers into turning clients?

Communicating well is vital to creating and expanding a consumer base across industries—more so for organizations that depend solely on funding and investors. The cloud telephony, a no-fuss system, helps those in the social service sector not only achieve this but also save on other potential costs.

Here’s how it simplifies operational issues and maximizes potential.

Helps spend way less money on outbound calls

In the social sector, organizations have to constantly be in touch with funders, prospective partners and charities. Without the solutions provided by cloud telephony, costs could go through the roof very quickly, especially in the work-from-home era.

Need we tell you that blown-up costs are, no matter what the situation, the absolute opposite of what a social service organization is looking to do?

Calling via the Internet is a lot cheaper than traditional communication systems. All cost concerns are eliminated—make all the calls that you have to. Moreover, cloud communication ensures that you don’t miss out on leads if you happen to miss any calls. The system sends out missed call notifications in real-time so that you can track and connect with such clients.

In fact, the technology allows you to give customers missed calls and create a whole campaign to track responses. Or simply deploy a click-to-call button on your website and maximize leads by offering potential clients the ease of not having to dial a number.

Scale up. Or down. Without hassle

Another important feature of cloud telephony systems is scalability, with the help of which organizations can spend in the right areas for better ROI and targeted amplification of features.

For instance, if you’re looking to ramp up the features suite based on a client’s requirements, cloud telephony has you covered. You could add or remove extensions, add an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system, artificial intelligence-based support, voice or keyword analysis, and lots more.

Scaling their business as soon as possible helps social service organizations attract funding. You may need to expand or downsize operations as and when required, and cloud telephony can help you do it in a matter of a few hours.

Cloud telephony also makes internal communication a breeze

Honestly, great communication with clients and partners won’t mean much with chinks in your internal channels of collaboration, especially since the latter are critical for social service sector organizations. The cloud offers solutions precisely for these perennial pain points.

For instance, if you simply want to connect with a colleague, just dial an extension. Don’t want your team to undergo intensive training to familiarize themselves with some alien technological force? Don’t fret over it—just pick a service provider that offers an easy-to-use dashboard for real-time analytics and agent monitoring.

Tired of all the lags and stops causing constant delays and gaps in communication? Well, with the power of the Internet, you can put your worries to rest.

The pandemic has shown us the power of remote work, and the rather underappreciated feature of conference calling has really come into its own with cloud communications. Through this feature, not only can you have teams communicate without a hitch among themselves, but also enable collaboration between volunteers, clients and funders.

The system has great applicability for NGOs and NPOs also because of the group calling feature. For instance, if a team member needs to discuss a problem with not a colleague but an entire department, cloud telephony offers an innovative solution: just call the concerned group without setting up a conference call.

Improves time management, ergo higher productivity

With cloud telephony, you are optimizing time every step of the way, but let us throw more light on a feature that you will particularly love.

Often, administrative work like simply inputting information into a database eats into the larger part of employees’ valuable time. With cloud telephony, which has access to your CRM, you can stop devoting the majority of your time to this process by automating it and start putting it into responsibilities suited to your domain expertise.

This feature also eliminates the human errors (often omission of important details) that come with inputting information into the CRM manually.

Travelling staff? Not a worry

Being able to work in transit doesn’t make the desirable skills list on resumes anymore—it makes the essentials column. Even before the pandemic, telecommuting and flexibility with working hours on an as-needed basis had emerged as hot demands. Round-the-clock operations are imperative for organizations that service clients and stakeholders that are part of the global market.

If yours is a nonprofit, you will often have staff deputed to meet prospective and existing funders. They could also be at an event, networking; or might simply need access to important customer data while they’re on the move.

All of this is made possible by cloud telephony. The data, be it forms, documents, brochures or the like, is stored on a centralized repository which can be accessed from anywhere, anytime––all your staff needs is a smart device and a stable Internet connection.

Seamless collaboration on client servicing

Always wanted a way to easily manage and track your office phone system? Often, your cloud telephony service provider will give you the convenience of an online portal. Using this, you can not only manage call costs, but your employees can also store customer information that other authorized team members can access.

This helps iron out any gaps in customer servicing when accounts shift between employees, since in-depth information on client preferences, support and previous correspondence is available and accessible easily.

Summing it up

By tapping into cloud communication solutions, one can combine a digital-first approach with the much-required personal touch—a combination that is key to tailoring communications to local audiences and real contexts, as suggested by The Guardian.

The technology is of exceptional importance, especially for the work-from-home era when information-sharing might not be as regular or in as much detail. And if you, too, are looking at fine-tuning your communication and client servicing systems with a host of features, Acefone is here to help.

If you're interested in improving your business communication solution

Give us a call on

1888-859-0450

Write an email to

[email protected]

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Acefone Editor

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Acefone provides a broad range of cloud communication services to businesses of all sizes, which includes Hosted Phone Systems, Free Phone Numbers, and Cloud Contact Center Solutions. Being the UK's leading provider of VoIP service provider, we always strive to provide excellent customer service and high-quality custom solutions to our customers.

Hosting A GIG Isn’t What It Used To Be. It’s Online Now!

Ratnam Sinha

Author

Interaction Hub

April 26, 2021

5 mins read eye

Table of content

The show must go on! We’ve all heard that statement at least once in our lives. However, when CoVID-19 hit the world, it seemed to no longer hold true––after all, everything came to a complete standstill.

This was especially true for the entertainment industry. Shows and events that were scheduled way in advance were cancelled in an instant. Public gatherings became prohibited and not only were performers locked in along with everyone else, they suddenly had no means of earning a living.

Despite all the roadblocks though, the show did go on.

Cloud communications, powered by the Internet, enabled artists across the globe to take their gigs online and entertain their fans without leaving the safety and comfort of their homes. Considering the Internet is already a huge part of our daily lives, this solution seemed natural.

Cloud technology offers not only a great way to connect with people but helps artists communicate with the audience better.

Let’s take a look at some features that make online gigs possible and are guiding the industry through this situation.

1. Audio and video conferencing

One of the most popular features of cloud communication is conferencing, both audio and video. With audio conferencing, the artist can initiate a group call with the selected audience and deliver performances such as stand-up comedy shows even without a video.

Video conferencing takes these capabilities a step further. Audiences can enjoy musical performances, dance shows, comedy acts, and even virtual parties with unique games and magic shows. The possibilities are endless.

Cloud conferencing was one of the first features to come to artists’ aid. Even when they couldn’t get on a stage, they could still perform for a live audience.

These gigs emerged like saviours, raising everyone’s morale. There was a way to connect and communicate seamlessly again. Not only could people see and talk to each other in an almost lifelike manner, but they could also hold one-on-one conversations via in-meeting chat during ongoing events without disturbing others.

2. Secure virtual waiting rooms

Suppose you want to host a gig for a special audience––an exclusive event. You obviously wouldn’t want someone uninvited to join your show. The cloud has you covered. You can share invite links with the people you want to include and keep everyone else out.

And if they invite someone you don’t wish to include, there’s a solution for that too.

With virtual waiting rooms, every participant will join a waiting channel or room at first, and only after the host’s approval will they gain access to the real event. This eliminates the chances of anyone misusing the link. Even if someone unwanted joins, you can filter them out with just a click of a button and the show remains unaffected.

3. Screenshare

It is not uncommon for artists to include a presentation in their events. They often present some photos and videos or even add a light show (which is very cool honestly) to their gig. However, CoVID-19 seems to have made all this cool stuff impossible.

Although light shows still have to wait a little longer, with screen sharing performers can present visual media during their gig. Additionally, with unlimited meeting duration, even if the gig doesn’t conclude in the allotted time, artists can stretch their shows a little longer to entertain their audience without any interruptions.

4. Reminders for upcoming gigs with SMSes and voice broadcasts

Cloud technology offers various ways to make sure your audience never misses out on any of your virtual shows. Schedule reminders, block calendars, and send notifications via emails, texts, or even missed calls, in a jiffy.

Voice broadcasting allows you to connect with a large number of people at once. You can personally record an exciting message and automate the delivery process to save time and labour.

Also, out of sight does not have to mean out of mind. Stay connected with your audience online to deliver timely updates and keep the connection going. This is especially helpful for people who anticipate a gig but never get to know the when and where.

Use voice broadcasting or SMSes, quick and easy ways, to communicate and ensure your audience never feels left out or ignored.

5. Easy transactions and identification with OTPs

Providing your customers with a safe portal for transactions is crucial for the success of any event and, eventually, the business. If people don’t trust your payment mediums, they will hesitate to take any monetary action.

Cloud offers various security features, such as end-to-end encryption and Bcrypt hashing that enable safe transactions. Also, a part of this list is One-Time Passwords (OTPs) that help with identity authentication. Coupled with 24×7 availability and 99.99% uptime, these features make your portal trustworthy and customer queries can be handled like a breeze.

Another easy way to safely communicate with your audience is via email. Provide them with a booking link within the email or instructions to guide your customers straight to the payment gateway. This will help avoid any possible frauds.

Not to forget, emails are a more professional and organised way to communicate that can help make events look more white-collared and well-curated.

Wrapping up

The global pandemic has been a phase of suffering for artists and audiences alike. Going online was the only option left for many to even survive in the industry. However, cloud technology came in like a ray of hope in dark times, offering a plethora of features that enabled seamless communication and helped keep spirits high.

People like to watch gigs on their laptops and mobiles now more than ever. That would explain all the specials Netflix is churning out and the number of concerts being held online. Even magicians have found ways to virtually entertain people with their tricks and games.

This just shows the power of the cloud and how it has redefined our world.

If you also wish to take your business online and remain connected with your customers even through the toughest times, look no further than Acefone. We provide the best-in-class cloud solutions, customisable plans, and features that are unique to your needs at unbeatable prices.

Connect with our experts today at 1888-859-0450 and explore the realm of possibilities on the cloud.

If you're interested in improving your business communication solution

Give us a call on

1888-859-0450

Write an email to

[email protected]

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Ratnam Sinha

Author

Ratnam is an SEO enthusiast and content writer working as a Digital Marketer with Acefone. He is fond of traveling and new experiences. He is a huge Marvel fan and is always open to learning.

Why Your HR Department Can’t Do without Cloud Tools?

Acefone Editor

Author

Unified Communication

April 23, 2021

6 mins read eye

Table of content

For every organisation, the HR department is like the heart of the business. Undoubtedly, the human resources sector is an integral part of companies.

This particular department impacts the minutest aspect of businesses. From managing people, hiring and onboarding employees to employee exit processes. Needless to say, HR plays a cardinal role in the seamless functioning of business processes.

Despite its significance, HR departments are not fully modernised or equipped with smart tools to automate processes.

They are usually provided with a portal that demands manual entry of employee information. This system is, of course, highly prone to errors. Moreover, these portals do not support centralised access and nurture the habit of working in silos.

So, how can companies overcome these challenges and make it easy for the HR department to function?

Undoubtedly, cloud tools are the lifeboat for businesses aiming to offer centralised access to data and automating business processes. They break through silos and motivate an independent work culture.

Let us see in detail how HR departments can’t do without cloud tools.

1. Streamlines recruitment processes

One major role of the HR department is hiring and onboarding employees. This involves tedious processes like shortlisting resumes, contacting candidates, registering their responses, and sending interview invites and many more.

Previously, these processes were carried out manually. However, by adopting cloud-based processes, employee hiring and onboarding can be fully automated. Data can be fed into a centralised cloud-based system from anywhere across the globe.

Furthermore, this system allows simultaneous access by multiple people which means several people can work on the same document remotely. This ability to access business-critical information boosts productivity for the HR department especially in times like the ongoing pandemic where we are forced to work remotely.

2. Helps in training, learning, and development of employees

Implementation of TLD (training, learning, and development) has become a prerequisite for the growth and development of employees. In the current competitive scenario, individual training methods have become a passe. Instead, cloud-based HR systems include training material to equip employees with the knowledge about latest technological skills.

This way your employees can simply log into a centralised cloud-based system and access video presentations, audio files, VR videos, recorded sessions, and other training material.

This particular approach of maintaining a centralised repository of training materials has several advantages.

It drastically cuts costs that go into individual employee training and all you need to do is ensure that all employees participate in the training. With cloud-based systems, your employees have unlimited access to training material. They can use this material as and when required. This will motivate employees to make the most of training material, thereby boosting their existing skills.

3. They are secure

Yet another important aspect of maintaining cloud-based systems is data security. When you involve a third party to streamline business operations, you should keep in mind the risk to business-critical information. Therefore, you should ensure that data security is maintained at all costs.

With a cloud service provider in place, all your data security concerns are taken care of. Your service provider will implement data security measures to step up protection and prevent cyber risks.

4. Strict password protection policy

Your cloud service provider will implement a stringent password protection policy wherein employees are educated about maintaining strong passwords that aren’t easily tracked. They are also trained to change passwords periodically. Reports reveal that 44% of users change their passwords only once or twice a year; cloud providers ensure that isn’t the case.

Multi-factor authentication is an additional layer of security. Usually, you need a password and username to access an account. However, these are highly prone to theft and data leakage, therefore security is amped up by incorporating another layer in the form of a thumbprint or facial recognition. This improves security and safeguards critical information.

5. Installation of firewalls

Software firewalls can be installed on devices or hardware firewalls can be installed on network entry points. Firewalls monitor incoming network traffic and block access to unauthorised and corrupted content. They also help identify suspicious malware and restrict access. This protects the system and the network as a whole from cybersecurity risks.

6. Incorporation of anti-virus and anti-malware software

Your cloud service providers will protect your system by installing appropriate anti-virus and anti-malware software. These will check the entry of malicious entities like malware and trojans into the system, thereby preventing it from getting corrupted.

7. Capability to scale-up

Cloud-based systems come with an in-built capability to scale up and down your resources. This will help you meet your emerging business requirements and facilitate unhindered productivity.

For example, consider a scenario where your cloud-based HR system is designed in a way that allows 10 users to access the system simultaneously. Due to a seasonal spike in hiring, you will need to scale up the number of users. With a cloud provider in place, you simply need to inform them and they will comply instantly.

The best part is that this is a pay-as-you-use model. This means you will need to pay extra only for the additional resources utilized for the stipulated period. You may scale back to the original number of users once your demand is met.

This capability of cloud-based systems will help you meet sudden spikes in demand. When you have the freedom to scale up and down, SenseHR and factoHR will help in the process & will function uninterruptedly thereby positively impacting your entire business ecosystem.

8. Offers centralised access to information

HR department bridges between the several other departments in the organisation. Your HR system must have centralised access along with the ability to communicate with other departments seamlessly.

Let us understand this with an example. Consider a couple of new hires joining your company. You will need to onboard them, provide them with a suitable seat, laptops, ID cards etc. Now, each of these processes is interlinked. While the allocation of the seat is done by the administrative department, laptops are provided by the IT department. So, when each of these duties is interlinked, centralised access to information comes into the picture.

It may not be possible for a siloed environment to succeed in this scenario. What if the IT person is on leave? Will the complete onboarding process come to a halt?

Organisations usually adopt the Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS) model to break through this siloed structure.

UCaaS facilitates the seamless flow of information within different departments in the organisation. This eliminates the chances of individual dependency and offers centralised access to information. With this kind of holistic view of critical data, stakeholders can function effortlessly with unhindered processes.

In the scenario mentioned above, with a UCaaS implemented, none of the departments are dependent on the other. They will function irrespective of other departments doing their job. Tasks that are pending will be put on hold but will not impact the functioning of other business processes.

Therefore, HR systems that are implemented in organisations should be necessarily based on the cloud. Implementation of Unified Communication as a Service becomes mandatory due to its capability to initiate the uninterrupted and secure flow of information across various departments.

Wrap up

A competent HR system is the backbone of every organisation. In a siloed structure, HR systems may not be able to function independently, reducing the department’s efficiency.

With a cloud-based HR system and incorporation of the UCaaS, you can provide a holistic view of employee data thereby unifying the whole organisational setup.

Call us up at 1888-859-0450 or drop an email at [email protected] to know more.

If you're interested in improving your business communication solution

Give us a call on

1888-859-0450

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Here is What Smart Offices Will Look Like with IoT and VoIP

Yukti Verma

Author

Voice - VoIP

April 22, 2021

8 mins read eye

Table of content

To say that technology is advancing at a terrifyingly rapid pace would be an understatement.

It seems like yesterday when we would need data top-ups to be able to chat with our friends online.

Now we can talk to them via a video call in real-time even when we’re in different continents.

This has been enabled by something that the tech gurus like to abbreviate as VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol.

Also, remember all those frustrating times when we would get into bed and pull up the covers only to realise that we left the lights on? Now, we’re equipped with the sheer brilliance of our favourite ‘Alexa’ or ‘Siri’, which can be configured to control the lights at the sound of our voice. This is an example of IoT or the Internet of Things.

So, what are these technologies exactly? We shall dissect these terms below and answer some of your questions about them.

We shall also discuss the future of these technologies, which lies in their integration and their impact on our lifestyle, whether in our homes or our offices.

Let’s get started.

What is VoIP?

Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP refers to the collection of hardware components as well as software parts that allow data packets to travel over a network. In layman’s terms, VoIP enables voice, images and other data to travel from the transmitter to the receiver via the Internet. The technology replaces the heavy telephone lines that existed for legacy systems.

Since the development of VoIP and its foray into public usage in the early 2000s, VoIP has had a massive impact in terms of the advantages it offers:

Cost savings as the technology runs via the Internet and one only incurs ISP (Internet Service Provider) charges as opposed to the infrastructural and maintenance costs of the multiple phone lines in a traditional phone system
Remote access to VoIP phone services that allow employees to communicate and collaborate with their colleagues and counterparts from anywhere around the world, instead of only from within their boardrooms
Extensive features offered by VoIP services in addition to the basic requirement of voice transmission over an IP network. These include caller ID, virtual numbers, contact lists, voicemail, etc.
Ease of usage whether in terms of installation, configuration, integration, or maintenance of the IP network without the need to install any other infrastructure to the existing system

And this is only the beginning. If one were to go into detail, there are plenty of beneficial features and overall advantages of this technology.

What is IoT?

The term IoT or ‘Internet of Things’ refers to everything that is connected to the Internet and each other. This mutual connection helps these things ‘talk’ to each other. Currently, the scope of IoT has extended from just laptops connected via Intranet to the connection between additional devices such as sensors, smartphones, and wearables.

The scope of IoT now extends to connected cars, smart homes and smart office spaces, and even smart cities. Hewlett Packard predicted that the number of connected devices would grow from 9 billion in 2013 to at least 1 trillion in 2025.

The ramifications of a digital ecosystem capable of collating, analysing, and acting upon huge data loads are immense.

Following are some of the real-world ramifications of IoT :

Smart homes encompassing connected lights, air conditioners, washing machines, smartphones and much more to make your life simpler and comfortable
Connected cars that enhance the in-car experience for the passengers through temperature sensors, in-car support center, and more
Smart office spaces to improve the productivity and efficiency of employees with an increase in the ease of work
Industrial internet to empower industrial manufacturing and engineering through cutting edge analytics and innovative software
IoT in healthcare includes connected healthcare systems and smart medical devices for better diagnosis and prognosis

IoT presents a rather diversified portfolio, and if researchers are to be asked, we’ve barely begun to scratch the surface.

The need for IoT-VoIP integration

VoIP systems have been a staple in smart office spaces for quite some time now, replacing the legacy analogue PGX systems. With the advent of IoT, there is an exciting opportunity to emboss VoIP phone systems with a layer (of IoT) and improve workspaces and employees’ lifestyle.

But what prompts this integration now?

It could be attributed to various factors that have made this time and this scenario ‘ripe’ for the integration to gain its foothold in present-day offices.

Firstly, it is attributed to the success of Industry 4.0, or what we called Industrial Internet. Industry 4.0 has revolutionised how industrial giants go about their business––incorporating big data analytics into everyday processes of manufacturing and production.

This use case wasn’t too far away from the confines of the office space, and these technological improvements are slowly finding their own niche in smart offices.

Secondly, both technologies are dependent on a common requirement for effective functioning––the IP-enabled core network. This natural synergy allows us to combine VoIP and IoT quite easily and effectively.

Very simply speaking, my calendar could be connected to my alarm over the same IP network, thus automating the activation of the alarm functionality whenever an important meeting or event is around the corner.

Thirdly and lastly, the pandemic has left the ‘normal’ office practices in shambles. As we gear up to go through the second wave, most of the companies worldwide are adopting a hybrid WFH policy for their entire employee base.

As per industry reports, over 75% of employees could end up working remotely by the end of this decade. This scenario demands innovative ways to ensure effective and real-time collaboration between employees, irrespective of whether they are at home or in the office.

Check it out our blog : VOIP for Remote Workers

Smart offices

Now that we have established the need for smart office spaces, we shall discuss the role played by IoT and VoIP integration in these set-ups and how they have a clear-cut advantage over the existing configuration.

Efficiency and performance

Integrating IoT with VoIP has a direct impact on those innumerable manual tasks that are important and, yet, quite redundant in themselves. Like, keeping your eye on the clock at all times so that you don’t miss that important meeting with the boss which is not even confirmed yet. Ring any bells?

Now, all you need to do is connect your email to your phone alarm system so that the required email from the relevant stakeholder sends a beep to your phone, and the alarm rings off to bring the meeting to your attention. No longer do you need to keep a constant watch on your watch, and you can focus on the more important things at hand––your work for the day.

The automation of such tasks shall reduce all that time you spend on manual interventions to nil, and your productivity shall be amplified automatically without any significant effort.

Connectivity and collaboration

VoIP had already created an ecosystem of collaboration between teams sitting miles away from each other by enabling voice transmission as well as video conferencing. The introduction of IoT shall maximise this ability by introducing more multi-faceted tools into the foray.

One such example would be the incorporation of augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) tools into the office space. Consider businesses with offsite client meetings.

In a standard scenario, an employee would need to carry all their resources for a meeting at a client location, However, with the integration of AR tools, any employee could access their office desk from any location via their phone and save the hassle of carrying those resources.

While this might sound a bit far-fetched, the possibilities are endless, and it is only a matter of time before holograms replace the old desktops gathering dust on our desks.

Maintenance and upkeep

Office maintenance is one of those underrated aspects of efficient smart office spaces which often tends to be overlooked by most of us. However, it is an essential requirement that needs proper implementation.

No one would like to work in an office where the thermostat constantly malfunctions, the printers are always running out of ink, and the water coolers can’t be trusted for a clean water supply.

This is where IoT and VoIP can play a significant role. Imagine leaving for the office and setting the thermostat to the required temperature on the way via your phone so that when you reach, the internal temperature settings are perfect for you to start your work––neither too hot nor too cold!

Similarly, printers and water coolers can be configured to send an alert to the correct person in case of repairs or refills. Cleanliness is Godliness, and rightly so.

Running out of necessary office supplies shall become a nightmare of the past as all the required repairs and refills shall be scheduled well ahead of time.

Summing it up

While VoIP and IoT are important technological advancements in themselves, their integration presents unparalleled opportunities to improve the lives of everyone who utilises them.

A smart workspace is such an avenue wherein the efficiencies of each employee can be multiplied without impacting their original work style. In fact, the cloud telephony integration allows them to function as effectively from the comfort of their homes as they did while sitting in the offices.

Our wish: to kill two birds with one stone!

To know more, get on-call with our cloud experts at 1888-859-0450 or drop an email at [email protected].

If you're interested in improving your business communication solution

Give us a call on

1888-859-0450

Write an email to

[email protected]

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Yukti Verma

Author

Yukti is a content marketing enthusiast with a soft spot for Saas. She loves weaving complicated concepts into simple stories. When not at work, she is found reading books or watching movies.

5 Features to Look Forward to While Choosing Your UCaaS Providers

Yukti Verma

Author

Contact Center

April 19, 2021

7 mins read eye

Table of content

Technology keeps evolving and so do the requirements to stay on par with it. At times, you may outgrow your technological capabilities and need more resources.

For example, your small business may have functioned exemplarily on a traditional communication system. However, the need for a unified communication platform arises as your workforce grows along with your business.

An article by Cision PRNewswire estimates that unified communication as a solution (UCaaS) market will be worth $79.9 billion by the year 2024.

Furthermore, the current day scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic has left a deep mark on the way businesses function in the future. You will need to make sure your remote working environment is ready at all times to address emergencies. The business ecosystem should be able to continue its operations even in a distributed environment. This connectedness within the team and organisation is induced by a unified communication solution in place.

However, there are several providers of the unified communication system and it is important that you thoroughly analyse the pros and cons of each provider before finalising.

So, what are the features that should be looked out for in a Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS) provider? Let’s check them out right away!

1. Check for scalability

Your unified communication system should be able to accommodate the growing needs of your organisation. You may need to meet sudden infrastructural requirements for short-term projects. The unified communication system provider should be able to handle them effortlessly. Even if you need to scale down for any reason, they should always offer the flexibility to do so.

For example, consider that you get an immediate requirement to migrate a particular tool to a completely new technological platform. Your in-house facility does not have the infrastructure suitable for this technology. It may be difficult for you to purchase equipment spontaneously.

Moreover, you should keep in mind that the risk of underperformance also exists. Furthermore, the purchase of additional hardware or software may be expensive.

Therefore, your unified communication services provider should be able to take charge of this situation. Your provider should be able to equip your enterprise with the required resources to meet this project need. As UCaaS is cloud-based, the provider should work on a pay-as-you-use model. Here, you will be billed additionally only for the extra resources you will use for the particular period.

This billing pattern will not only save cost but also help you to meet emerging technology requirements.

2. Confirm round-the-clock support availability

Enterprise systems are prone to technical flaws and your communication landscape is no exception to this. Glitches in the system may be due to a manual error or technical malfunction. Whatever be the reason, it should be addressed spontaneously.

You should check if your unified communication provider maintains a 24x7x365 helpdesk to address technical issues during untimely emergencies. If your problem is not looked into immediately, it may result in a company-wide downtime, interruption in services, thereby hurting your reputation.

Furthermore, you may check if your provider has a local presence. This is because a few technical concerns are best resolved after a detailed assessment of the facility. You should check if your provider accommodates on-site visits if required.

3. Ensure a compliant and secure system

With an increasing number of data breaches, regulatory agencies have begun to impose severe penalties on non-compliant businesses. Non-adherence to compliance regulations will leave your communication system exposed to cyber threats.

Ensure that the UCaaS provider you select always stays updated on the compliance regulations. These regulations differ by industry and the geographical region of your business. Most UCaaS providers are equipped with detailed knowledge on the type of compliance regulations your enterprise will require. Make sure that the provider updates and maintains a compliant communication system.

Enforcing stringent security practices is cardinal. Cyberattacks are on the rise and one major reason for their occurrence is a compromised and unprotected network. Therefore, your communication provider should make sure to employ a few security best practices like the following.

Has secure encryption to communication like end-to-end encryption and secures your passwords and data with a reliable method like bcrypt hashing.
Appropriate firewalls, anti-virus, and anti-malware should be installed in your system. This will help guard confidential information and neutralise vulnerabilities.
A strict password policy should be employed. Employees should be educated about the need to maintain strong passwords. Password secrecy must be highlighted and they should be changed frequently too.
Role-based access to confidential information should be provided. That is access to only the information required to accomplish tasks should be granted. Managers need to be able to decide the level of permission to be granted to each employee. This limits exposure to cyber risks.
Employees should be trained in techniques to identify phishing attempts. Also, they should be educated about avoiding unnecessary downloads and clicking on unknown links from unauthorised sources.

4. Check for features and the ability to customise

A unified communication system should be able to provide a holistic view of the different business processes. It should include several capabilities to facilitate the free flow of communication across your organisation.

For example, you should check if your provider offers audio and video conferencing. The communication system should include collaborative tools like instant messaging apps and text messaging. It should also accommodate simultaneous access to business-critical information securely.

In addition to these capabilities, your unified communication system should be unique and based on your organisation setup. For example, if your enterprise has a completely remote workforce, your provider should pay more attention to collaborative tools and work towards improving centralised access to data from anywhere across the globe.

It may not be useful if the provider focuses on providing state-of-the-art devices for your employees. Though high-end equipment is important, remote workforce primarily depends on their own devices. Therefore, your service provider should keep a check on those aspects to streamline communication between remote employees.

This way, you should check if your communication system provider can flex based on your individual needs or simply delivers general requirements without understanding specific demands.

5. Evaluate the ability to integrate

The success of a unified communication system lies in its ability to integrate seamlessly with different tools across the organisation. This capability enables you to obtain intuitive insights and information to solve a problem at the earliest possible. Most importantly, it bridges any kind of communication gap between the various teams of the organisation.

For example, consider that one of your customers has applied for a product refund. The customer has also provided feedback about the malfunctioning of the product. To address this situation, the intervention of the sales, finance, and product teams is required. Let us see how the integration of tools will help.

The first step is to verify the identity of the customer and whether the purchase has been made, done by the sales team. They will then check their standard refund policies for eligibility of terms and conditions. If the customer is eligible for a refund, the details are forwarded to the finance team.

This team will check for the amount and also evaluate if the customer should be provided with a full refund of the amount. As the customer reported a defect in the product, this issue is forwarded to the product and manufacturing team to note discrepancies and take further steps to correct the issue.

A simple refund involves three different teams from your organisation. You must integrate knowledge bases and tools like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to facilitate seamless flow of information within the different departments of the company.

This will not just help in expediting resolutions but also eliminates the chances of data stagnation and the dependency on individual resources, thereby improving transparency across the organisation.

Wrap up

With remote work becoming the norm, many companies are adopting a unified communication solution. This helps break through a siloed working environment and offers centralised access to information. It also helps companies to work as a single entity. However, it is important to select the right UCaaS provider to reap maximum benefits.

We have provided a sneak peek at what you should be looking at while selecting the right UCaaS provider to overcome communication barriers across your enterprise.

Wish to know more? Call Acefone on 1888-859-0450 or send an email to [email protected].

If you're interested in improving your business communication solution

Give us a call on

1888-859-0450

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Yukti Verma

Author

Yukti is a content marketing enthusiast with a soft spot for Saas. She loves weaving complicated concepts into simple stories. When not at work, she is found reading books or watching movies.

Enhance Your Social Media Marketing with Cloud Tools

Yukti Verma

Author

Contact Center

April 16, 2021

6 mins read eye

Table of content

In today’s world, social media is an unavoidable medium of communication. People of all age groups use this platform for various purposes, from networking to reaching out to a brand of their choice. Due to its ubiquitous presence, marketers began to utilise its power for empowering their marketing initiatives.

Maintaining an active online presence helps marketers better understand the pulse of their target audience, interpret their needs, and improvise their products and services based on trends. Furthermore, social media marketing enables customers to provide feedback and share their experiences over a simplified platform.

Now let’s talk about cloud tools—this has become a buzzword among businesses. In fact, these days you can be pushed out of the competition if you stay away from cloud technologies. This is because business operations on the cloud provide you with a holistic view of your organisational performance. You can obtain intuitive insights and ease categorisation and supervision of business processes irrespective of their sizes.

Social media marketing and cloud tools, when clubbed together, can deliver seamless experiences to both customers and business owners alike.

Here’s how cloud-based social media marketing can help you differentiate your business in a tough competition space.

1. Easily reach the target audience

The most commendable competency of social media marketing is that it reaches the screen of the intended audience effortlessly. The first step here is to understand trends among your clientele and accordingly produce content.

For example, consider the scenario wherein you run a tablet service center and have an active vanity number in place. The advantage of vanity numbers is that it highlights the service or branding you wish to promote. So if you use the number 0800-TAB-SERV, the client will immediately register your number and purpose.

When you include this catchy number on your social media advertisement and post it on your account, you’re more likely to reach the right type of audience. Your customers need not make the effort to note down numbers but can simply remember this flashy code to contact you. This can do wonders for your customer acquisition strategy.

2. Showcase your brand

Listening to what your target audience discusses over online platforms is absolutely vital. This will enable you to understand their needs and trends in detail. You may participate in discussions on online platforms or even initiate them. Basically, you should be projecting your brand wherever possible.

Moreover, these discussions needn’t be necessarily a question-answer-like session wherein you deliberately promote your products and services. You can make them more informative and gain respect as a trustworthy, reliable and well-established business. and even encourage them to explore offerings like increasing social media followers & free likes on TikTok as they engage with your content.

For example, as an IT services provider, you may start a discussion on the different technologies businesses should focus on to remain competitive. Throw light on how these technologies can simplify processes for organisations and what role you can fulfil.

Your social media gives your business greater exposure, and these new leads can check out your company profile for more details. If you include an avenue of communication like a toll free number in the profile, it eases the process for customers to contact you. These points showcase your brand in a positive light.

3. Easy monitoring and tracking

Unified communications systems offer various advantages. They enable a comprehensive view of business processes across the organisation. Cloud-based communication systems help break through the siloed environment and enable the free flow of information across departments. They also enable the integration of communication tools required to deliver seamless customer experiences.

So how does this help social media marketing? When unified communication systems work in unison with social media, they enable a consistent customer experience across multiple channels. This is extremely important for businesses to strike the right chord among the customer base.

Your customers may use different communication channels to contact you. These may include your contact center number, social media pages, email, text messages or audio messages.

You should be able to deliver the right message across these channels. For example, say a customer contacts your contact center for a refund. Cloud based phone system are capable of communicating with internal tools like the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. When your representative gets this access, they can view the customer’s previous interactions with your brand. Suppose, the caller has already contacted your brand on the social media page for a refund and also emailed your business ID.

These repeated attempts may have made them agitated. If they’re asked to repeat their issue yet again, they’ll be annoyed even before the interaction really starts. Equipped with the competency of cloud and social media, you can obtain all the information about the problem presented from previous conversations.

This enables you to deal with the issue right from where it was left off, not start anew. What’s even better is that you can improve your first call resolution rate so that this issue doesn’t pop up again. This not just saves time but also leaves the customer happy.

Moreover, cloud tools facilitate unified access to information. So, if information about a product or service is updated on your knowledge base, you can get access to this data irrespective of your location. They also help you promote accurate and updated information on social media pages, thereby improving relevance.

4. Spread the positive word

Earning the right reputation plays an important role in any business. Consider this: a customer has posted a positive review on your social media. This is for public view and several other users may see this comment. It will have a positive impact on the reputation of your brand.

Of course, you face the risk of negative reviews as well. But if your representative is quick and competent in addressing the complaint, you can showcase your brand’s responsiveness and dedication.

Both these scenarios reflect the importance of social media in communicating and showcasing your brand. In this kind of word-of-mouth marketing, your customers become your strongest advocates. They speak for your brand and help in augmenting your customer base.

5. Supervise campaign performances

Marketing campaigns are an integral part of any business’ growth. They enable marketers to focus on specific business offers, target a particular set of audiences best-suited for these products and services, and begin marketing on this basis.

However, it isn’t enough to simply initiate campaigns. Every campaign should have a solid medium to track its performance. Cloud tools when dovetailed with social media can provide exemplary results.

Let us understand this with an example. You have triggered a campaign for a service line. When you use a cloud-based telephony number, it eases the process of customers contacting you. When it comes to a social media campaign, you can dedicate individual contact numbers for separate tracks. This way, you can easily gauge the responses of the audience to this campaign.

It also enables you to mark high-performing campaigns based on the location of the contact numbers. A reputable digital marketing agency can help refine this approach, ensuring your campaigns are optimised for maximum impact.

Overall, your cloud telephony number empowered by the reach of social media enables you to supervise campaign performances with the appropriate categorisation of locations and product and service sectors.

Thus, these insights help you focus more on poorly performing areas and understand the high-performers for your business. You may try finding glitches in the lesser pronounced areas of services and improve them.

Wrap up

Cloud tools and social media marketing are two powerful mediums. When coupled together, they can create unsurpassed customer experiences for brands. This post elaborates on a few of its many competencies that can help businesses improve their reach and customer acquisition.

If you have any more questions, feel free to contact our dedicated agents at 1888-859-0450 or send an email to [email protected].

If you're interested in improving your business communication solution

Give us a call on

1888-859-0450

Write an email to

[email protected]

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Yukti Verma

Author

Yukti is a content marketing enthusiast with a soft spot for Saas. She loves weaving complicated concepts into simple stories. When not at work, she is found reading books or watching movies.

How To Turn Customers Into Your Promoters?

Acefone Editor

Author

Operations

April 14, 2021

6 mins read eye

Table of content

Customers can make or break a business and are the true backbone of its success. Considering that they are the lifeblood of your brand, you do not want to leave any stone unturned in making them happy.

The quality of services and customer care that you offer are vital to your growth. Customers will not blindly believe a brand is worth their loyalty.

Hence, you should take the necessary steps to attract and retain customers, working on both organic and inorganic mediums to reach your customer base. Make adequate investments and hire a dedicated team to achieve these objectives.

That said, we all know the best form of marketing is via word of mouth when happy customers share their experiences with friends and family.

Have you ever wondered if your customers could become your promoters? If yes, then how can you facilitate this transition?

Customers will become your promoters when you strive to go beyond satisfying their demands and exceed their expectations. When this happens, they will connect with other people and spread the word about your brand, thereby becoming your strongest promoters.

When do customers become your promoters?

In today’s competitive world, customers do not purchase your products to merely meet their needs. Considering your competitors offer similar products and services as you, you need to find your edge and give customers some reason(s) to choose you over everyone else.

It could be anything––hassle-free payment, seamless delivery, post-sale servicing, or unique discounts on purchases. These offerings will differentiate you from your competitors and attract more clients.

What are the different strategies you can adopt to transform your customers into your promoters? Let us take a look at a few points listed below.

Utilise the power of social media

Social media is a powerful platform used across age groups. On this medium, a positive reputation spreads like wildfire. You should begin with interacting with your customers over social media. This doesn’t need to be a marketing pitch that talks high about your brand or product.

Instead, you should focus on interacting with the target audience. Creating general awareness about the various aspects of your products, use-cases, etc. will help kindle their interest.

For example, if you aim to market a laptop, you may begin telling your target audience about the advantages of a laptop over a desktop, the different types of configurations available or how purchasing one will help your customers, etc.

Informative content serves as a good conversation starter, garnering views, likes, comments and queries. Leverage these interactions to showcase your brand as a reliable and knowledgeable entity that is focused on more than just sales.

Furthermore, you can find discussion trails about your product and its types across social media pages. Shortlist a few trending questions that people need answers to. You can even ask an expert from your industry to collaborate and answer these questions on behalf of your brand.

Overall, showcasing your brand on social media platforms will earn you a positive image among customers, thereby encouraging them to promote your business.

Ask for feedback from your customers

Asking for personalised feedback and responding to it positively is the best way to make your customers feel valued. Consider a situation—a customer has purchased your product. They are happy and register positive feedback. You must reply to this by thanking them.

On the contrary, if your customer has negative feedback for your product, you should connect with them at the earliest possible and delve into the reasons for this feedback. You should ensure the customer that the necessary steps will be taken at the earliest.

To add on, you can also send a personal note to the customer once the problem has been rectified. This shows that the customer’s feedback has been acknowledged, addressed, and resolved.

This kind of feedback mechanism can help you earn and retain customers while giving them compelling reasons to become your brand advocates.

Use testimonials as a marketing material

In several cases, your customers may be extremely satisfied with your services. Try and record this happiness and satisfaction as a testimonial. You can include it in your marketing collateral. Additionally, you can display them on your website and social media pages.

Testimonials are great for attracting customers. They are true experiences of common people and, hence, boost customer engagement and relatability with the brand. In these testimonials, the client may have had similar requirements as those of the prospect. Hence, when a customer is quoted to have a good experience, it motivates the viewer to join the bandwagon without second thoughts.

This connection with your audience through testimonials allows you to market the usage of a brand/product.

Keep in touch with your customers even after a purchase/sale

Customer relationships do not end once a sale is complete. Your after-sales engagement should not take a backseat just because the deal is over. In fact, a lasting relationship with the customer begins only after the sale.

If your product, let’s say an electronic appliance, needs servicing, you should send reminders via emails or messages to inform the customer about service dates. Feel free to ask for feedback regarding the product. If there are any defects or flaws reported, ensure that they are addressed at the earliest.

When you adhere to this proactive approach even after a sale is done, your customers will feel valued and become returning customers, or even promoters.

Host events

Another effective way to promote your brand and spread the positive word is by holding events. These events should be a gathering of like-minded people. Here, you should motivate your existing customers to speak about their experiences.

Conduct a detailed survey to find your best-suited target audience. This will help your brand reach a relevant audience. You may offer hampers and goodies to people who share their views in the event to encourage enhanced participation.

When a group of like-minded people come together, your customers automatically become your promoters.

Initiate referral and loyalty programs

Referral programs are a great medium to enhance your company’s reputation. You can gamify your campaign and present a freebie or discount to your customers on their next purchase. This can substantially increase engagement and motivate them to promote your brand.

On the other hand, loyalty programs involve rewarding returning customers with a gift or a special discount. For example, if you find a customer keeps coming back to you for a range of products, appreciate this loyalty by offering a freebie or special gift. You may also offer a free subscription for the product purchased or offer discounts that will keep your customer happy and encourage them to refer to your brand.

Offer best-in-class services

84% of companies believe that quality customer experiences report an increase in their revenue.

You should understand that negative reviews spread faster than positive ones. Therefore, handle customers with utmost care. Earning negative comments is not a problem. It is the way you address them that matters.

Add a personal touch to how you interact with your clients. Use their name and be empathetic when you interact with them across communication channels.

Make sure to resolve the issue or at least direct the customer to the right person. This ensures speedy resolution and convinces customers of your conviction to make them happy.

Wrapping up

Customers must be kept satisfied and their requirements should be met. This implies to businesses across industries. When customers become happy, it motivates them to spread the positive word about your brand via, both, social media and word of mouth.

We hope to have covered the various aspects that may help to transform a customer into a promoter.

Feel free to comment below—share your experiences and connect with us to know more.

For excellent customer service, opt for Acefone communications today. Call at 1888-859-0450 to get a free demo.

If you're interested in improving your business communication solution

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1888-859-0450

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Author

7 Benefits of Softphones

Yukti Verma

Author

Expert Opinion

April 12, 2021

6 mins read eye

Table of content

Consider this: a customer repeatedly tries to contact a business representative, only to find that they are unavailable. This customer, a UK resident, has been trying to reach an agent in Los Angeles. Owing to the difference in time zones, the representative is unable to attend to the customer.

Although the brand has maintained a distributed environment across the globe, it isn’t able to offer optimum customer services. And this can cost the business heavily, in terms of both reputation and profits, considering customers prefer one-on-one interaction. In fact, the global live chat software market is expected to reach $987M by 2023.

However, businesses can resolve such customer service gaps by deploying softphones.

So, what are softphones and how do they benefit companies? Read on to find out.

What Are Softphones?

A softphone is a downloadable application that is compatible across various devices and platforms. The application enables users to make calls over the Internet.

Softphones do not come as a standalone product but are coupled with business PBX solutions for a better communication experience. Their interface looks similar to that of a smartphone keypad. However, it includes additional information about the caller’s identity like name, their location, previous purchases, interaction history, etc.

Softphones, dovetailed with VoIP phone systems, come with features that include video conferencing, call recording, monitoring, and analytics among others.

A commendable advantage of the technology is that it ensures unfettered availability. Representatives need not be tied to their desks anymore––they can attend a call from anywhere. All they need is a reliable Internet connection and a smart device.

How do softphones work?

Like we said, you don’t need much to get your softphones going––an Internet connection, microphones, and headsets. Simply download the app, follow the setup instructions, and voila! You are ready to make and receive calls.

This also means that softphones do not need on-premise infrastructure. They work on Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) which initiates voice-over IP sessions, and converts analogue to digital signals through a reliable Internet connection.

It improves the capabilities of cloud-based VoIP systems and supports a unified communication environment. Softphones are especially beneficial in a distributed ecosystem as they support mobility and facilitate all the features of a state-of-the-art communication system.

What are the benefits of softphones for businesses?

Supports geographical flexibility

The technology’s Internet-enabled calling capabilities empower your employees to serve customers from anywhere around the world.

The CoVID-19 pandemic has pushed businesses to look for alternate ways to connect with their customers. Softphones allow your contact center representatives to establish these connections via their desktops and or any other communication tools used on-premise. This way, they can speak to customers and clarify their doubts straight from the comfort of their homes.

Furthermore, softphones have proved to be a boon to businesses with an augmented global reach. Customers may try reaching out to your contact center at any time, even during the off-hours or public holidays.

However, with softphones, your employees will be able to attend to calls and speak to customers irrespective of their geographical location and time zones. These capabilities ensure uninterrupted customer services, thereby showcasing your brand as a reliable one.

Enables integration with tools

Integration of softphones with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools helps in importing customer contacts into a single interface. Customers dread entering personal details and providing their query information repeatedly. And for an already aggrieved caller, having to repeat themselves often becomes the dealbreaker.

When softphones are coupled with CRM, the representatives get access to customer details like name, location, and history of interactions with your brand.

This practice allows the customer and your representative to resume the conversation from where it was left off rather than having to start all over again. This saves time and eliminates the chances of agitating the customer, thereby helping with customer retention and satisfaction.

Improves team collaboration

Team collaboration is cardinal to every business’ success. You should focus on maintaining a collaborative environment, even more so when working from distributed locations.

Softphones come with features like video conferencing, one-on-one calling, instant messaging, etc. All these capabilities allow your team members to reach out to each other in case of any urgency.

Video conferencing capabilities allow meetings and casual interactions such as icebreaking sessions within the team members. In a situation like the ongoing pandemic, these apps will help in engaging your staff and eliminate the chances of them feeling isolated.

Boosts team efficiency

Your team members may need assistance while clarifying customer queries and may wish to reach out to a supervisor instantaneously. Softphones have in-built messaging tools. These allow employees to message each other immediately and seek clarifications.

In case there is a need to escalate calls, softphones indicate the availability status of the supervisor or other colleagues. For example, if the status says “busy” or “do not disturb”, the representative can direct the customer accordingly.

Moreover, softphones provide better insights into queue monitoring for sales and support teams. In peak times, supervisors can monitor the caller queue and route calls only to agents who are free and available. This will eliminate unwanted waiting time, missed calls, and confusion over the availability of agents, resulting in a streamlined process.

Helps engage more contacts

33% of customers feel highly frustrated when asked to hold. Others feel agitated when asked to repeat themselves to multiple representatives.

Not all customers like speaking to agents on a call––they may have varying capacities to communicate. Therefore, text messaging services are just as important as voice calls.

In the case of text messages, customers can easily connect with a business without the need to speak to a live agent.

Yet another advantage of text messages is that you need not be instantly available to answer a text message. Customers will send SMSes that remain in your representative’s inbox; they can check them when they’re not occupied with calls.

These messages can be replied to in-between calls or during non-peak times. Therefore, softphones help in expediting resolutions.

Allows easy upgrades

Softphone software needs regular updates. You may simply opt for the latest version of the software within the application interface. This does not include additional charges and is readily available for use without adding equipment to the already existing devices.

To conclude…

Softphones are a quintessential asset for next-gen communication systems. Businesses can utilise these phones to connect over remote working ecosystems and avoid the need for employees to stay glued to their desks.

Integrations with high-end tools and improved team collaboration are other advantages of the technology. Therefore, softphones are just the solution you need for your communication system.

Get in touch with us at 1888-859-0450 or send an email to [email protected] anytime to get started with cloud solutions.

If you're interested in improving your business communication solution

Give us a call on

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Yukti Verma

Author

Yukti is a content marketing enthusiast with a soft spot for Saas. She loves weaving complicated concepts into simple stories. When not at work, she is found reading books or watching movies.

What is Co-Browsing? Is It Something You Need For Better Customer Interactions?

Ratnam Sinha

Author

Expert Opinion

April 9, 2021

7 mins read eye

Table of content

How easy would customer support be if you could be on the same page as the customer, literally? Imagine, you’d be able to guide them to a solution while seeing the exact problem.

What once seemed like a dream too good to be true is now absolutely possible.

So, what is co-browsing?

In the literal sense of the word, you’d conjure up an image of an agent sitting side-by-side with a client, surfing the same page together. However, that wouldn’t be quite accurate.

Co-browsing is actually short for collaborative browsing, which allows agents to navigate the same page as the customer––virtually. It is also a secure way of support as only the customer controls the navigation and the agent simply supervises. Moreover, clients can hide other applications on their devices by only sharing a specific tab or window.

How does co-browsing work?

Based on Web Real-time communication technology, or WebRTC for all you tech-savvy people, co-browsing requires no downloads, installation, or even plugins to work with its full potential. Unlike online streaming, it is actually a browser-based technology that transmits simple HTML codes to initiate a session between two browsers and deliver instant communication.

Since it is based on the cloud, the technology doesn’t require any on-premise hardware. It is the use of HTML, to pass data between customers and agents, that makes it instant. And a one-time install javascript that can render the customer’s browser HTML inside an iframe for the agent helps to do away with plug-ins.

We know what you’re thinking––if multiple people are using the same page at the same time, the website might slow down. But it doesn’t! This is because no data is transferred to the agent until the co-browse session is initiated.

Why should you be using co-browsing?

Undoubtedly, the COVID-19 pandemic made it hard for businesses to retain the same quality of customer service as before—even more so with the sudden shift to a remote working environment. Agents at home lacked the resources and proper equipment to accomplish tasks. This definitely made customer satisfaction suffer.

An article by Forbes states that co-browsing shoots up the customer satisfaction rate to up to 89.3%, which is six points higher than the average.

The reason? Quite apparent—agents are able to know exactly where the customer is stuck, which leads to an effortless conversation and quicker resolutions. With constant visual cues, agents can guide the customer to the solution with ease.

Another trouble businesses ran into during the pandemic is the crunch of funds. Many firms hit an all-time financial low, and yet needed superior technology to help perform better than their competitors.

A report by Aberdeen Group shows how co-browsing helped reduce support costs while also increasing the customer satisfaction rate. It can be a pivotal technology for any support center, being easy to use and quick to the solution.

How does co-browsing empower your agents?

Collaborative browsing is loaded with useful features to help agents in most situations. It gives your team full insights into customer problems, ensuring that the process is carried out smoothly. Let’s take a look at a few unique features that agents are entitled to.

Remote control: Customers can grant system control to agents anytime during the session. This lets them perform certain actions which the customer might not be able to, thereby reducing the time and effort involved in the task.
One-click request: It only takes a single click for the customer to send a co-browse request to an agent. This makes the process effortless and smooth for the customer and easy for the agent to explain. No downloads, no wait time, no lag.
Simultaneous browsing: While the agent and the user are in the co-browse mode, any URL that the customer accesses is also accessible by the agent. Thus, while co-browsing is limited to one tab, it is not bound to a single page. As long as the customer stays on the same tab, the agent is able to monitor every single activity, providing him with the information required to solve the problem.
Co-scrolling: With co-scroll, both parties move on the webpage, or scroll through it, in real-time. So, they can hover over different web elements for effective communication.
Live annotations: Agents also have the option to take notes or highlight certain elements while they are in the co-browse mode. They can even draw, like encircling or drawing an arrow to point something out, to lend clarity to the customer and handle the issue with ease.
Live chat: During the session, both parties can communicate via the chat option. This enables the agent to address any additional issues faced by the customer or explain the solution more thoroughly.

How does co-browsing empower the customer?

In addition to the agents, co-browsing offers many handy features at the customers’ end too. While the agent is able to see the customer’s screen, the customer is also capable of knowing what the agent is doing. This develops mutual trust, enabling the agents to perform better. Let’s look at some of these features:

Session control: The user can give the client complete control of the co-browse session. They can then decide to give the agent partial control or dictate when to give or restrict access anytime during the conversation. They can even restrict the agents from switching to other tabs.
Mask data: Many customers have cyber-security concerns. Co-browsing allows them to mask their data and hide confidential information that they don’t want the agent to see.
Multi-device compatibility: Another major advantage for customers is the ability to access co-browse mode across various devices. This ensures that the agent is able to provide support to the customer 24×7 irrespective of the device they are on.
Marking tools: Providing visual cues to the agent can be crucial when trying to explain a complicated problem. Customers can take advantage of various marking tools such as the highlighter pen, pointer, drawing brush, etc. to explain and highlight key elements on the webpage.

Can different industries use co-browsing?

No matter what industry you work in or how you tend to your customers, customer interaction is always going to be vital for your business. And hence, co-browse technology can be a huge advantage. Let’s take a look at a few industries and how they benefit from them.

Banking sector: One of the most common issues customers of the finance industry face is filling up forms. With co-browsing, however, the task is barely an inconvenience. With the help of a skilled agent, the user can be guided through the entire process in a jiffy. The agents can also help customers upload the right document and avoid minor mistakes that delay the process.
Retail industry: Not only can the agents help the user identify better products while browsing together, but they can also upsell and cross-sell to increase the revenue.
Medical industry: Patients and customers of the medical industry might not be very tech-savvy. So, when we introduce the co-browse facility to them, agents can guide them through the portal, helping them generate their reports or to fill forms before their medical exam.
Travel and hospitality industry: Providing your clients with too many options is a problem in itself. However, with an agent surfing by their side, clients can quickly choose the best suitable package. Additionally, agents can also help with the ticket booking and hotel reservation processes.

Final words

To conclude here would still leave a lot about co-browsing left to explore. Stay tuned for more updates on this amazing feature ahead.

As of now, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that providing an exceptional customer experience will lay the foundation of your brand. With so many people opting to go online for everything, including queries and support, adopting technology such as co-browsing will definitely elevate your customer interactions.

Needless to say, it will also put a long-lasting impression on your clientele while providing you with a good return on investment.

Call us up at 1888-859-0450 or drop an email at [email protected] to get started with the cloud right away.

If you're interested in improving your business communication solution

Give us a call on

1888-859-0450

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[email protected]

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Ratnam Sinha

Author

Ratnam is an SEO enthusiast and content writer working as a Digital Marketer with Acefone. He is fond of traveling and new experiences. He is a huge Marvel fan and is always open to learning.

5 Benefits of Hosted Contact Center For BFSI Businesses

Acefone Editor

Author

Contact Center

April 8, 2021

5 mins read eye

Table of content

The State of Global Customer Service Report by Microsoft has some interesting statistics on customer experience:

58% of consumers consider customer service as a leading factor affecting the choice of a brand.
61% of consumers stopped transacting with a brand after an unsatisfactory service experience.
59% of consumers expect better customer support than they did a year ago.

This applies to all domains, including banking and financial services. Businesses in this sector need to go the extra mile. Your call center operations are critical as they streamline sales and support, so you need to ensure quality and availability.

Since customers expect expertise, quick resolution, and convenience, you will require high-end cloud contact center software teamed with trained agents to match these expectations. Owing to the various advantages of cloud-based solutions, these are common for Contact Center For BFSI businesses today.

Let us begin with the basics and understand the value of cloud contact centers for the industry.

The value of contact centers for BFSI businesses

The BFSI sector is growing at a rapid pace. Even during the pandemic, this sector witnessed sustained growth. However, incidences of fraud and cybercrime have increased exponentially and emerged as a big challenge to customers’ security and trust.

Financial institutions realize the significance of customer experience and its importance in acquiring new customers and retaining existing ones. A powerful contact center lets banks and financial providers meet the expectations of the customers and stay a step ahead.

Here are some ways a call center solution can empower your BFSI business.

Call center agents can assist customers with simple transactions that may be overwhelming for some individuals. These include withdrawing money, making deposits, paying bills, and checking account balances.
Some complex transactions require expert assistance to ensure that customers can do them seamlessly. Hence, round the clock availability of call center agents can substantially boost CX.
Mortgage companies, insurance providers, and investment firms offer new products and services, with certain nuances that may be hard to understand for a layman. Experts at your contact center can explain these products and boost sales for your business.

Call centers have a crucial role in winning the trust of your customers and building the credibility of your business. It even shows your intentions to go the extra mile to serve your customers.

Why BFSI companies are moving from traditional set-ups to hosted contact centers?

A hosted contact center takes your operations on the cloud, which means that you need not be confined in terms of location and time zones. Moreover, unlike traditional setups, there is no need to maintain on-premises infrastructure.

Next, you don’t need an IT team to help with constant upgrades and maintenance. The cloud communication service provider takes care of everything, and you have a reliable system—up and running.

Further, cloud contact centers offer an Ivr service provider. This solution empowers your contact center with a self-service feature. This means callers can handle basic tasks on their own, and your agents have ample free time to address more complex issues that require human intervention.

Additionally, hosted contact centers offer a data repository that empowers agents with the requisite information even as they work remotely.

Let us understand some more benefits of hosted contact centers for BFSI businesses:

Customers may want to access and manage their funds at any point. Contact centers help them by addressing their queries and concerns round the clock—eliminating the constraints of normal business hours. You can even leverage the automation features like IVR to help customers serve themselves. Missed call solutions and call routing also make your call center agents accessible at all times.
Call center software eliminates the limitations associated with a single location. Your agents can connect with callers from anywhere and at any time. Cloud phone system lets them work remotely with a business number, which addresses the WFH concerns in the new normal.
Disruption in services is no longer a worry for large financial service companies with offices at multiple locations. If there is a technical glitch or natural disaster in one branch, you can easily route the callers to another call center. The callers wouldn’t even know, as you continue serving them seamlessly and as a result, retain their trust.
It is vital for agents to be well prepared to handle frustrated clients. The ability to fetch the required information quickly can make all the difference between an agitated and satisfied customer. Cloud contact centers empower agents with a helpful database and facilitate agent training as well. New recruits can access the old recordings of interactions and hone their skills with real-life training.
A cloud phone system can be integrated with software solutions like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to create a digital ecosystem. Your agents can fetch information from the CRM and offer personalized interactions to each caller, with solutions and offers tailored to their needs.
BFSI is a highly regulated industry with several compliance norms. Managers need to track each agent to ensure that they follow regulatory guidelines at all times. With a hosted solution, you can easily monitor call center activity and ensure the same.

Conclusion

The Contact Center For BFSI domain is complex, and players such as banks, mortgage companies, credit unions, insurance companies, and related businesses have to balance a good customer experience with the right processes.

A cloud phone system makes it possible to attain this delicate equilibrium while providing flexibility, scalability, security, and reliability. Moreover, you end up saving a fortune on infrastructure, maintenance, and upgrades—associated with traditional setups.

Everything boils down to finding the right cloud-hosted call center software that comes from a provider you can trust.

It is worth going the extra mile to find one you can rely on, and Acefone matches the expectations and needs of Contact Center For BFSI perfectly. We offer an innovative cloud telephony suite tailored to the needs of financial companies, ensuring competitive edge, sustainability and profitability goals.

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