Technology, some people fear it, some resist it, and others
embrace it. As a small business owner, it could be the best thing that
ever happened to your company. With the technology available today,
small businesses are increasingly leveling the playing field between
themselves and big companies. With toll free virtual PBX (Private Branch
Exchange) telephone systems, small businesses are combining today's
technology with traditional customer service to take their business to
the next level.
Only
Fortune 500 companies with hundreds of employees and 10- story office
buildings can afford and maintain a traditional PBX telephone system.
Now, with toll free virtual PBX services, anyone with a telephone can
reap the benefits of this powerful communications tool. A virtual PBX
has all the advantages of a traditional PBX and more without the hassle,
hardware and expense.
A virtual PBX allows small businesses to:
- Project a professional, more established company image
- Have one unified number for office phone, cell phone, and fax
- Make information available to their customers 24/7
- Automate order taking and pre-qualifying processes
- Have web-based, real time access to their system
Small and home-based businesses are using all of these
features of their toll free virtual PBX systems to sound and operate
like a Fortune 500 company everyday.
Project a Professional, More Established Company Image
Right
or wrong, consumers assume a company with a toll free number is a more
established and secure company. When a toll free number is attached to a
virtual PBX with an automated attendant, that powerful image is
perpetuated. An automated attendant will answer all incoming calls with
the same professional and courteous message every time, day or night.
Professional greetings can be recorded by the business owner themselves,
or even by a voice talent, and customized for the needs of the
business. It doesn't matter if the business is operated out of a home
office or the Oval Office. The caller hears a professional greeting each
and every time they call.
Unified Voice and Messaging System
With
a toll free virtual PBX system, small businesses only need one
telephone number. This number can be an office phone, cell phone, fax,
and pager all in one. Gone are the days of having to put 3 or 4
different numbers on business cards. Now the virtual PBX toll free
number replaces them all. When a call comes into the toll free number,
it can be routed to any local number. It can even be programmed to route
to different numbers at different times of the day or even different
days of the week. A call never has to be missed again. That kind of
flexibility is unheard of with a traditional toll free number or a
hardwired PBX. If the call is not answered, or is sent to voicemail, the
virtual PBX system can even notify the user know that there is a
message waiting for them. The toll free number also acts as the fax
number. When a fax is sent, the system recognizes it as a fax and can
store it in the fax mailbox for later retrieval, forward the faxed
document to a local fax machine, or even send the fax to an email
address as an attachment. The unified messaging feature unchains small
business owners from the home or small office and allows them the
flexibility to get out and build their business while still being
available to their customers.
Powerful Automation
No
matter how efficient a small or home-based business is, they simply
cannot be available to their customers all the time - unless they have a
toll free virtual PBX system. If a caller has questions they want the
answers now. If they don't get those answers when they call, chances are
they'll look some place else. Making sure information is available,
even when a live person isn't, can be the difference between someone
becoming a customer or moving on to the competition. A toll free virtual
PBX allows the storage of an unlimited amount of information for
callers to retrieve 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Menus broken down
into what kinds of information a caller might need, make it easy for
them to navigate the system and get what they are looking for. Faxes can
even be attached so the caller can request an automated fax back. For a
business that needs to pre-qualify their callers, or would just like to
get some information about them, can take advantage of question and
answer voice mailboxes. A set of pre-recorded questions can be asked of
the caller and the voice responses then saved in the system and emailed
as a sound file. These automated processes not only save time, but they
also make sure callers can get the information they need when no one is
available.
Web Based System Access
A toll free
virtual PBX is just that, virtual. What that means for a small business
owner is that one, there is no hardware to maintain or software to buy,
and two, that they can access their system from anywhere they can get
online. Online system access is one of the most popular features of a
virtual PBX system. Web-based system access allows users to check their
voice and fax messages over the internet or have the messages delivered
directly to an email address. Of course, messages can still be checked
from any touch-tone phone, anywhere.
A small business owner has
administrative access to check the call logs of all incoming calls to
their toll free number and use the call capture feature to not only
capture the phone number of the person calling, but also their name and
address. It also allows a user to run reports based on different
criteria chosen. For example, reports could be run to show when the
busiest time of the week is for customer service or if the call volume
increased after a specific ad campaign was released. The applications
are endless.
With all these powerful features, and most times
more, it's amazing that toll free virtual PBX systems can be found at a
reasonable price. Most systems offered are between $10.00 and $50.00
depending on the capabilities and size of the system. Many will offer a
varying number of voice mail boxes, features, and minute plans. A good
toll free virtual PBX service provider can also customize systems if
needed.
