Running hotel entails a lot of responsibilities, you have to ensure that your guest experience superb relaxation, luxury and comfort throughout their stay. One solution that can help you improve your customer’s experience as well as attracting more customers to your business is by streamlining your communication system.

An office telephone system plays a pivotal role in making sure that internal and external communication is up to speed and is available when you need it. With that said, here is a quick overview on how hotel rooms can maximize office telephone systems whilst still cutting down cost.

Unlimited extension capabilities – It is important for hotel rooms to have their own extensions, so it is just a must to seek an office telephone system that offers the ability to add an unlimited number for extensions without paying for any extra cost.

Unlimited outgoing lines – You cannot predict when a guest will place a call. There will be quiet periods wherein no one is actually using the phone whilst there may be a time when everyone is trying to call out. So it is also a must to acquire a business phone system that will offer unlimited calling lines at absolutely no additional cost. This will ensure that your guest will always be able to pick up the phone and call out.

Line sharing – Although it is not very often that your guests will receive incoming phones calls It is still a must for you to have enough lines just in case the phones get a little busy. By sharing incoming lines across the reception and the hotel rooms you are guaranteed that lines will be pulled where it is needed the most during busy time whilst saving money from line rentals.

Smart call transfer options – It is a common scenario in hotels that callers get in touch with reception rather than directly dialing the extension allocated to the person they are looking for. So, it is a must for your receptionist to be able to transfer the call in a manner called the attendant transfer wherein she calls the guest first and ask whether they wish to receive the call or not before transferring it to them.

Automated booking system – Whilst the internet is the main avenue for booking a hotel these days it still pays to have an automated phone booking system in place. This will cater to individuals who are not fond of the internet.

CRM Integrated – Centralization is the key in running a hospitality business. You need to have all information spot when the guest request for it so it is only a must to have a CRM integrated with your phones. A CRM does all the storing and sorting files and the phone does all the communication – a perfect combination.

We all know that communication is important in any business and restaurants are no exemption to the rule. Apart from remarkable marketing strategy, good menu and courteous staff a good and reliable office telephone system is to conveniently take delivery orders, accept reservations and possibly book birthdays parties and other functions.

Ideally here’s how a Restaurant’s office telephone system should be set up:

Professional greeting message – greet your customer with a professionally designed greeting message, so even if your receptionist is busy assistant walk in customers, callers will still receive high quality service. Additionally, a greeting message can help improve customer impression. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes, where are you likely to order your dinner, a restaurant that greets you when you call them up or a restaurant that immediately tries to grab your order?

Menu system – connect your customers to right person instantly with a menu system. Ideally at least 3 or 4 options are enough to accommodate all the departments of a restaurant.  It is ideal that you allocate an option for, orders, information, corporate and at times the kitchen. This will ensure that all possible queries of a customer will be serviced by your departments accordingly without having to transfer the call.

On hold messages – as part of an up sell strategy it is important that you integrate your products and services with your on hold messages. A caller might be trying to book a dinner but is looking for a function for next week’s business conference may not realize you have one. With the help of on hold messages you can open the door for bigger sales opportunity without having to lift a finger.

Automated booking system – Well, this feature is optional but if you have always dreamt of having a sophisticated office telephone system that will do most of the work for you then this feature is what you have been waiting for.

Cloud recording capabilities – To ensure the quality of service your staff is providing it is also a must to record all phone call conversation and be able to retrieve anywhere you are. The Cloud call recording feature will let you download or listen to the recordings from any computer and at times even from your smart phones. On top of that, the recordings can also be used to verify orders, bookings and function details.

IP phones are basically the only hardware you need to purchase to use a VoIP office telephone system thus it is a must for business owners to be extra cautious in buying one to avoid costly mistakes and to maximize the capabilities of cloud systems. Today there are various make and models and the market that is somewhat beneficial and a disadvantage in different aspects. Beneficial in terms of price point because the more competitive the market is the better the prices will be. Disadvantage because the sheer number of options may lead to confusion.

To keep you guided are here some of points you need to consider when purchasing an IP phone for your VoIP office telephone system:

Price point – different suppliers will have different price ranges however it is always advisable to make purchases on trusted suppliers and well established companies. More often small or unknown suppliers will have cheaper prices but at a difference of $10 will you risk your investment?

Build quality – Examine the handset physically and just try gauge the build quality, the materials used and the overall physical quality of the unit. It should not squeak, rattle nor feel like it is made from the cheapest and thinnest plastic there is, otherwise you cannot expect it to last for years and it will likely crack and even totally break to pieces especially with the continuous slamming that it will go through.

Compatibility – before heading out and sourcing office telephone handsets it is best that you double check with your soon to be VoIP provider whether the make and model that you eyeing on is compatible with their systems and if all the features that they will work perfectly with the firmware that is used for that make and model.

Ease of use – Nobody wants a complicated phone, so before paying up for the unit be sure to at least try how to use it. Are there dedicated buttons for the features? Or do you have to go through a set of menu options before you can transfer a call?  Take this into consideration to ensure that you and your staff will not have a hard time dealing with the handset.

Specific need – Another factor that you need to consider is the need of the actual user. Your receptionist will need a reception style desk phone to transfer the call easily, whilst your back end staff may just need a simple desk phone without anything fancy on it.

More often than not small business owners think that because they are small they can no longer acquire a good office telephone system for their business primarily because of the costs involved. However, that is not always the case especially with the rise of VoIP communication solution today. For a fraction of a cost you can acquire a reliable and feature rich phone system just like what the big companies have.

VoIP office telephone systems will effectively give small businesses the capability of streamlining business processes by phone whilst saving money on monthly charges and only use a small fraction of start up funds as VoIP office telephone system require no hardware and no IT personnel to set it up.

Here are some of the benefits that await small businesses:

Features – You can now improve the way you communicate with your customers through smart fully customizable features like professional greeting messages, menu system, on hold messages, queue system, multiple locations, multiple businesses integration and many more.

Up to 70% savings per month – VoIP is known for cheaper call rates compared to traditional telecommunication solutions. True enough users of the system can enjoy savings reaching by as much as 70%. Generally the savings comes from cheaper dial rates to landlines, mobiles and even international calls. However, little did we know that more savings are also coming from lower line rental cost and minimal to no maintenance at all? This two will push savings to the roof thus return on investment can be expected in just 3 to 6 months.

Flexible provisioning – Need two handsets today? Then just pay for two handsets. No need to purchase bundles and pay for stuff that you don’t need yet. The system is very flexible and you can scale it up or down depending on your needs so only need to pay for what actually need today not next month and not 6 months from now.

Better capacity – It is a common sight for VoIP providers to provide unlimited calling lines that it completely separate from incoming lines. This means that regardless of how many outbound calls you make customers can you still phone you up without getting the engaged tone.

Everybody is aiming to become like one of the top 500 fortune companies, who wouldn’t right? Profit wise they are making the largest revenue worldwide. Everybody have a shot of becoming like these companies but hard work, perseverance and the right attitude is needed. That may be years from but if always remember that success is best savored if you work hard for it.

However, not everything about the 500 fortune companies takes time. You can actually take enjoy what their office telephone system is giving them at a fraction of the cost. With the help of VoIP technologies you too can have your long desired sophisticated office telephone system whilst still sticking to your budget.

Here are just some of the many features you can fully customize to suit your every requirement and will help you carry out your business processes just like the top 500 fortune companies.

Professional greeting message – Don’t have an attendant? No worries, with VoIP office telephone systems you can record your own greeting message or hire a voice actor to do it for you coupled with professional sounding background music you’ll surely entice and impress all your callers.

Menu system – Have different departments? Save you staff’s time and your customer’s time by directing them to the concerned department straight away with a menu system. Integrate it with your office phone system and see what difference it can make.

On hold messages – it is sometime inevitable to put a caller on hold or in queue. Entertain your callers with a customized on hold messages and open a door for an up sell opportunity by introducing your other products and services in the on hold messages.

Ring group or line hunt – Make sure that all your callers are serviced by your staff in the least waiting time as possible. With a ring group or the so called line called all your calls are directed in a queue system that will automatically transfer to a representative as soon as one becomes available.

Recorded help messages – Help your customers and save your staff’s time by recording simple instructions about your products and services. Integrate with your menu system so your customers can easily access it when needed.

These are just some of the features you can enjoy with VoIP – and the best part is all are readily accessible despite running a budget on your office telephone system.

Pre paid business phone plans are now becoming a hit in the business world mainly because of the many benefits that it brings when compared to post paid plans. Business owners find it more convenient than the latter making it a common thing in enterprise PBXs these days similar to mobile phones.

Below is a list of the benefits of pre paid business phone plans that will help you determine whether this type of billing system is for you.

No lock in contracts – Pre paid business phone plans often do not have a contract on it because you will be reloading credits and you won’t owe your provider your bill every end of the month. This will allow you to switch from one provider to another easily without going over the trouble cancellation process of post paid plans.

No credit expiry date – Don’t need to make calls? Then don’t. his type of billing system do not have an expiration date on it so as long as you don’t use your credits it will be in your account always readily available for all your calling purposes.

Low balance alarm – Skeptical that your business calling stream will be halt by lack of credits? Worry not, this system often have a mechanism in place wherein you will know how much credits you have left on your account. You can even enroll your credit card in an auto debit system and set it to reload automatically when your balance reaches your specified amount.

No more monthly billing statement that often gets lost – Sick and tired of turning your office upside down just to find your billing statement? Then a pre paid business phone plan is for you. All you need to do is just log in to a web portal and check your call summary anywhere anytime regardless of whether you are using a desktop computer, a laptop or a smart phone.

Better control of expenditures – Since it is a pre paid service you can control the amount of your calling expenses not like in a post paid that will just give you a heart attack at the end of the month.

Safety for VoIP users – If you are using a cloud PBX you find it significantly important because this can mitigate any risk if in case your phone system was hacked.

If there is one thing that an answering service should prioritize above anything else that would have to be their office telephone system. Primarily answering service companies make money from their phones thus it is only a must to acquire a reliable, feature rich, cost effective and flexible communication system. An answering service company should generally at least have the following office telephone set up to accomplish their role and to efficiently manage all their customers.

Adequate channels – The worst nightmare of contact centers should have to be a busy line because it could mean losing their customers, after all the reason why they are paid for is to make sure no calls are missed. Your office telephone system should have adequate incoming channels to accommodate all calls even during peak hours.

Line pulling – It is a fact that not all your customers will have the same number of calls at any given time. Some may have more during lunch whilst some may have less or even none. It is also fact that you cannot acquire multiple phone channels for each of your customers otherwise you won’t be making anything out of your business. This is where line pulling will come to play. Line pulling allows you to pull phone lines or channels where it is needed or simply share it across your customers to accommodate their peak hours.

Multiple greeting message – As part of a holistic service you are offering your customers it is ideal to have a dedicated professional greeting message so callers won’t notice that their call are being diverted somewhere else. This also gives your customers a personal touch despite not answering the calls themselves.

Advance dual notification – An advance dual notification is also an ideal feature to have, this will allow you to pick up the call accordingly and say the correct spiel as per your customer’s specification. Dual meaning you’ll be able to see from your phone where the call is from and an IVR playback saying where the call is originating from. This will come handy especially if you have mobile call forwarding option enabled.

CRM integration – It is also ideal to integrate a CRM to your office telephone system. This will allow you to store vital information about the caller like, contact details, message, queries and as well as invoices so you can send a detailed report to your customer at the end of the day and not just feed them with the details scribbled on a paper.

VoIP phone systems are now becoming a number one trend in business communication today. With the countless of benefits that the system brings it is no surprise why more and more businesses are seeking to replace their traditional phone system with VoIP. The only question now is, is VoIP for you?

Here’s a little checklist to help you identify if VoIP phone system is right for you:

Can secure a good internet connection? – the system is dependent on the quality of your internet if you can secure a good and reliable connection then a VoIP phone system will work perfectly for you.

Are you open to possibly replacing your modem or router? – Apart from a good internet connection, another requirement of the system is a good router or modem that can prioritize VoIP traffic over other data. This ensures that enough bandwidth is allocated to your calls especially if you will be sharing the connection with data and computer usage.

Does your current PBX lack the features you need? – The system is equipped with tons of features that can be fully customized to suit all needs. Not like the one size fits all solution that traditional telecommunications company are offering.

Are you paying too much each month? – One average you could be saving 50% on your telecommunication bills each month with a return on investment of 3 to 6 months depending on the size of your PBX.

Tired of lock in contracts? Most VoIP providers do not have lock in contracts and often have pre paid plans so you’ll have full control of your calling expenses and never be forced again to stay with a provider if they are not delivering your needs.

Are you looking to expand overseas or work remotely? – With the feature called multiple locations you can literally have an extension in any part of the world and it will still work like you are all in once office space. Need to work from home? No worries, take your phone with plug it into your network and you are all set.

If the answer to the above question is yes then you are the best candidate to use the technology and savings, convenience and better communication system is waiting for you.