Business phone features worth switching on

Most business phone systems can do far more than ring a handset. The features below are usually included already. They just need setting up, and each one makes life easier for the person calling you.

1. Auto attendant

“Press 1 for accounts, 2 for bookings.” A short menu sends callers to the right person first time, so they do not have to explain themselves twice. Keep it to three or four options and put the most common reason first.

2. Find me, follow me

Calls to someone’s number ring their desk phone, then their mobile or laptop app. Customers have one number to remember, and staff working from home or out on site still get their calls.

3. Ring groups

A group of phones ring together, and whoever is free answers. Good for reception, accounts or a support line, where it does not matter who picks up as long as someone does.

4. Messages on hold

Silence on hold makes callers think they have been cut off. Short messages or music tell them they are still connected, and the message can do some work: opening hours, a website address, or a reminder about something seasonal.

5. Voicemail to email

Voicemails arrive in your inbox as an audio file, often with a written transcript. You can scan five messages in a minute and call back the urgent one first, instead of listening to each in turn.

6. Call reporting

Reports show when calls come in, how many are missed and how long people wait. They answer questions like “do we need someone on the phones at 8am?” with numbers instead of guesses.

Before you change anything

• Write down your current call flow (who answers what, and when) before changing it.
• Test every change from a mobile as if you were a customer.
• Keep emergency and after-hours messages up to date, especially around public holidays.

If your phone system is doing less than it should, book a meeting or see our business phones page.