How to Build and Develop Your Company’s IP Telephony – Part 1
Effective internal communication among employees and with clients is a key component in building a modern company’s organization. As a company grows, communication problems with clients and within the organization can increase, thus choosing the right telecommunications system is extremely crucial. The system chosen by the company should be scalable and sufficiently flexible, providing a wide range of added services (virtual PBX, queuing, call recording, IVR voice announcements). This article presents the benefits and possibilities of using modern IP telephony based on cloud solutions available in EasyCall, along with a broad array of additional services that streamline company operations.
A barrier to enterprise development often becomes the impossible or difficult and costly expansion of outdated telecommunications systems. Problems with the telecommunications system usually arise when a company plans a new location, a new branch, including abroad, hires new employees, expands customer service and corporate hotlines, introduces new services or products.
Many companies of virtually every size and industry at every stage of development encounter problems related to communication with clients and within the organization. IP telephony for businesses based on VoIP (Voice over IP) and cloud solutions available over the internet does not have the disadvantages and limitations of traditional analog (PSTN) and digital (ISDN) landline telephony. It also has many advantages of mobile telephony, for example, it can be used mobilely through smartphones with an appropriate softphone app, from any location with internet access, including abroad. Business VoIP telephony is not limited by the high cost of infrastructure expansion and dedicated telecommunications links, nor by necessary changes associated with the company’s ongoing development.
Call management in a company is handled by a telecommunications exchange, which is essential for the efficient handling of a large number of simultaneous calls and directing them to the appropriate people in the company. A virtual exchange along with a voice announcement system (IVR) is a basic service provided by EasyCall within business tariff plans. It has many functions needed by the company, such as queuing, speech synthesis in voice announcements, voice mail and sending SMSs confirming conversation or data.
A basic convenience for a potential client of a company with a virtual exchange is the provision of one easy-to-remember telephone number that directs calls directly to the virtual exchange. After dialing the number, the client hears a voice announcement (IVR) and can choose, using tone or voice menu, the person they want to ultimately talk to or leave a voice message if the target person is unavailable. To ensure this number is never busy, a call queuing service for waiting calls should be activated.
1. How to configure a virtual exchange (voice announcements and call routing) using EasyCall IP telephony as an example.
Configuring voice announcements (IVR) and call routing in a company is extremely simple with the virtual exchange of EasyCall and proceeds via a drag-and-drop method. After logging into the EasyCall virtual exchange panel accessible online, selecting and setting the main IVR number, we can specify the hours and days when clients can dial into our defined exchange schema. If contact to the office occurs after declared working hours, we can set a special voice announcement activated after office hours – with dedicated information about working hours, as well as set up redirection or allow taking a voice message, which will be sent to a defined email address. Voice announcements will be read by speech synthesis available in many languages.
A client calling the company’s office during working hours, after dialing the main number, will be greeted by a voice announcement and their call will be directed according to the schema defined in the virtual exchange. Appropriate internal numbers directing to the target department or person will be chosen tone from the IVR menu.
EasyCall offers three forms of preparing a voice announcement:
- Uploading a ready mp3 file with a recorded announcement (e.g., by a narrator);
- Recording from a microphone through the provided platform ivr.easycall.pl;
- Online speech synthesis – by entering ready announcement text and choosing one of four available narrators and language, the text will be immediately changed into speech synthesis in many available languages.
In the voice announcement after office hours, we can define an internal number, after selecting which, the Client can leave us a voice message. Then an mp3 file with the recorded message will be sent to our email address, allowing later contact with the client.
Other important features built into the virtual exchange, which facilitate the company’s work, include adding after the voice announcement the function “send email” or “send SMS.” Depending on the function chosen, an email or SMS with the telephone number will be sent to the specified email address or phone number. This functionality is used by salespeople who, after obtaining a contact number, can directly and quickly call back a potential client.
After selecting the appropriate internal number, the client will be directed to the correct phone number, where our employees or consultants will receive incoming calls from the main IVR number. If we have a small company and a limited number of employees, for the “Connection” function, we can set up a queuing function. If an employee is already talking to one person, the next calling client will hear a message with information about their place in the queue to the consultant.
If we have a medium-sized company with several consultants, to receive calls in the queue, we can assign several numbers. For numbers in the queue, we can also assign values, i.e., whether calls should be directed to all free consultants in the same way or for example sequentially. Assigning priorities in the queue will streamline the service of calling customers and save waiting time.
We also discuss the construction of the call routing schema of the virtual exchange in a video available on our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY8ifehi9v8
2. IP telephony allows the use of traditional analog phones as well as dedicated IP phones, and also applications on smartphones.
Modern IP telephony also offers a rich choice of hardware and devices, thanks to which our employees can receive calls from clients contacting us through the exchange. Traditional phones must be connected to a VoIP gateway, while IP phones can be connected directly to the internet.
Another solution for receiving calls from your hotline is the increasingly popular VoIP applications for mobile devices. We are currently mainly working with Zoiper, which offers mobile apps for Android, iOS and Mac systems and applications for Windows computers. After installing the app on a mobile phone, we gain greater freedom and mobility. Receiving phones will also be possible outside the office, which will facilitate contact and work in the field or at home. Dedicated instructional videos for configuring the Zoiper account on the Android system have also been prepared on our YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdrj7mT5aCM&t and for the Windows system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AkMmt1PGBs&t
3. Benefits of implementing IP telephony, scalability and flexibility in choosing services tailored to the size of the company.
The implementation of IP telephony and having a virtual exchange managing call routing in a company solves basic communication problems in the company. IP telephony is scalable and will not be burdened with problems and barriers to further development of the company’s telecommunications system related to development and scale of operation. Thanks to additional functionalities of the VPBX exchange, you can communicate more easily and quickly both with clients and colleagues. Additional services are purchased as the company develops, adjusting them to the current structure and needs, as shown in the following table:
Matching the range of internet telephony services to the size of the company.
| MICRO COMPANY | MEDIUM COMPANY | LARGE COMPANY | |
| Example industries | Transport, Trade, Insurance Agencies, Services | Online stores, Internet auctions, Construction companies, Wholesalers, Developers, Tourism, Law firms, Language schools | Manufacturing companies, Large retail chains, Retail, Software, IT Services, Hotels, Operators, Marketing, Publishing, Finance/Banking, Insurance – including those with their own Contact Center |
| Number of telephone lines | from 3 to 7 | over 8 | over 50 |
| Virtual fax | +
Sending and receiving faxes via email |
||
| Call Recording | +
Storing and playing back customer and employee conversations |
||
| VPBX – virtual number | +
One number for all customers. Low implementation and maintenance costs. All the benefits of a stationary PBX offered as a cloud service |
||
| Automatic receptionist and voice announcements (IVR) | +
Available 24/7. Optimizes the reporting and service process for customers and contractors. Automatically provides a series of company information. |
||
| Call forwarding and queuing | +
Constant contact with the client for employees who work outside the company’s headquarters. Ensures a high rate of customer reachability |
||
| SIP TRUNK | – | +
Enables multi-channel distribution of calls from the main number to individual internal numbers. Outgoing calls can be presented with one common number of a particular employee group |
|
| Toll-free hotline 80x | – | +
Builds trust and a professional company image. A hotline with a free 0800 number allows clients easy communication. |
|
| Automatic debt collection | – | +
Enables the implementation of automated multi-stage debt collection processes, anticipating voicemail detection, customer authentication, data exchange with external systems, acceptance and confirmation of repayment declarations, providing the amount of debt and payment due date. |
|
| easyCONTACT – callback widget | – | +
Clients can order a callback through a widget placed on the website. Stimulates direct contact from website visitors, generates leads |
|
| SMS/VMS campaigns | – | – | +
An effective method of reaching a wide audience through text messages SMS or voice messages VMS |
| Mass VMS INTERACTIVE campaigns (with IVR) | – | – | +
Enables two-way communication with the Client, without the need to engage Consultants in the company (VoiceBOT, virtual contact center agent) |
| Foreign numbering | – | – | +
Facilitates contact and reduces the cost of connection for foreign clients |
| Mobile numbering | – | – | +
Ensures VoIP calls are presented with a mobile number. |
| CRM integration | – | – | +
Integration of voice services and Virtual Central with any CRM system used by the company |
| Enterprise Package – individual negotiated scope of service and price | – | – | +
Possibility of negotiating prices, ensuring point-to-point data transmission, encryption |
If you still do not have a virtual exchange, we encourage you to contact us and choose a range of services tailored to the size of your company. Every client can count on our help and support in building a call routing schema and activating a virtual fax service. We invite you to contact us: 22-427-50-50 or by email: pomoc@easycall.pl
If you are still not convinced and want to familiarize yourself with the full functionality of the EasyCall virtual exchange, take advantage of a 14-day free trial of our exchange without long-term commitments, more information about the test can be found on the Virtual Exchange page.
More about the expansion of corporate telephony in the next (2nd) part of the article.