Cloud phones or VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) have become increasingly popular with businesses of every size.

The reasons for this are quite simple: small businesses need to find cheaper ways to communicate without compromising efficiency and productivity of their phone lines. And cloud phones do just that!

There are so many features that appeal to businesses of all size, but the following features are particularly popular with SMEs.

Ring on multiple / Softphones

Everyone needs a bit of flexibility. Softphones allow you to make calls through your business telephone system using your tablet, computer or even a mobile phone! Set each device to call, and no matter where you are (in the office, at home, popping out for a coffee) you’ll never miss a call again.

Call menu - auto attendant

An auto attendant is one of the hidden gems of cloud phone features for small businesses to use. This feature allows your callers to interact with a menu. As the call, they’ll choose an appropriate extension (press 1 for Website enquiries, press 2 for Broadband enquiries etc.). Your business will suddenly seem more professional, impressive and like a larger corporation. It's like having a virtual receptionist!

Voicemail - emailed to you

You no longer need to worry about quickly scribbling down names, messages and numbers. All voicemails will automatically be transcribed to text and emailed to you. View your voicemails at your leisure, and organise/delete them as you wish. Another feature which is invaluable is the ability to search for a certain voicemail email.

Conference calling

Most people know about conferencing with cloud-based phone services, and it’s a powerful tool, especially for companies with multiple offices or employees working on-site or from home.

Call whispering

Shh... train your new staff through calls without the caller hearing. Also, take over the call if you need to.

Click-to-dial

Call it lazy, but I’m bored of dialling telephone numbers! Cloud phones allow you to click-to-dial telephone numbers in emails, browser or MS Office applications - and it’s quicker with less room for error!

Call escalation

Never miss a call again, even when a team or department is unavailable thanks to our advanced call answering functionality. Your incoming calls can be transferred to multiple departments. So for example, the website sales team are all busy, the call will be escalated to their manager, or even another department to help with the call.

Call recording

Record calls for training, security and customer service purposes are essential. Listen to your calls back and perfect your technique.

Final thoughts

With so many features, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by cloud phones. But it is these features that have made this phone system so popular amongst small businesses. If you want to discuss any of these features in more detail, bOnline are happy to help. The number to call is 020 3617 9950.

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If you have any questions or comments about this post, please fill in the comment box below. Or send me an email: shale@bonline.com. To find out more about bOnline, please visit our website.