Getting a 900 phone line is advantageous for medium and large companies

Some banks, clinics, industries and insurance companies have toll-free lines for public attention. The reason for this is that hiring a 900 line can generate commercial and advertising benefits. Another aspect that improves from its hiring is the way in which customers see the company.

The 900 lines are part of the intelligent network numbers. These are different from the rest because they have special rates fixed according to the activities and functions of those who contract them. The 900 line is characterized for being free for the user who makes the call to one of its telephone numbers.

What do companies gain by contracting a 900 line?

Many will wonder what leads a company to assume the costs of incoming calls. To tell the truth, contracting a 900 line is more than an expense, it is an investment. Companies that contract toll-free hotlines ensure greater communication with their customers.

But its appeal goes far beyond understanding that when we call a 900 line it is free. Nowadays it is known that companies with this type of numbers have a better corporate image and are better remembered. The use of this prefix and its repetition in advertisements allows even non-customers to memorize it.

Contracting a 900 line also allows the integration of all incoming calls from a single number. The whole system is integrated through the call center software, from which the communication is managed and quantified. The best thing is that it makes little difference whether the customer is calling from another region or country. The latter also favors the company’s image and makes it look like a very receptive entity.

How to contract a 900 line?

If you are wondering how to contract a 900 line, the answer is very simple. Companies like Neotel offer this service at a very low cost. Of course, it is important to analyze the rates established by each company when contracting.

In Neotel, the basic contracting of the service costs only 5€ and from this point on, costs per minute of call are established. The rates paid by the contracting party are very competitive and are oriented to the profitability of the companies.

Contracting a 900 line does not require additional investments in facilities or equipment. Everything is managed from the virtual pbx or software, with the equipment that the customer usually has. The telephone company takes care of the rest.

Who can contract a 900 line?

Any company or freelancer can request a 900 line to serve their users. Of course, it is usually a much more optimal solution for medium and large companies. This is because their volume of revenue makes it very profitable to contract this type of service. This is an investment that will bring new customers and expand the opportunities to capture better revenues. Undoubtedly, a service that should be considered by expanding entrepreneurs.

Inbound call statistics tell a lot to the company

In all call center rooms, the importance of inbound call statistics is confirmed. These are usually central to each operator. However, reading them at a general level can show how the company manages customer service. Their analysis can even take the company’s image to another level.

The statistical modules of the call center software tell a lot about the company. For sure, the amount of extractable variables and data is quite wide. Some statistics are more important than others, but all of them together allow estimating the productivity of a contact center.

What can be known from inbound call statistics?

Everything that happens during, after and even before the call is in this data. Some of the most important are free time between contacts, call duration and daily, weekly and monthly flow. This is the most basic, but when you drill down into the numbers you can see a lot more.

For example, with an analysis of daily inbound contacts you can learn some customer habits. This is how call centers in large companies can forecast how many customers will be contacted on Wednesdays and compare with Fridays. It is also feasible to understand what are the times when they receive more calls.

The call center software should also allow you to break down calls by department. Two fundamental and interrelated data are the abandonment rate and the response time. Improving the latter should lower the former, which is a negative number if it is too high. The fact that many customers abandon calls implies that communication is difficult and this projects a bad image of the company.

Organizing the work of the call center

Many times we think that a call center is just about placing a group of employees and answering calls. To be sure, productivity in this type of department is only achieved through planning and strategy. Coordinators can have a more or less stable organization and create contingencies when necessary. The department has daily patterns, but also situations that can occur suddenly.

It is essential to have a virtual pbx whose statistical module is efficient and easy to read. Some programs present too little data or too much in a way that is difficult to understand. Therefore, it is key that the incoming call statistics are presented in a consistent, friendly and easy-to-approach graphical manner. The interface is often another important aspect when reading data.

Innovative companies like Neotel understand the importance of statistics. This module together with monitoring are the essential elements to improve the quality of service. It should be noted that customer satisfaction can also be measured as an objective variable. Organizing the call center so that the service is effective, fast and covers a large number of customers will be part of the good reputation of a brand.

WebRTC line: goodbye to telephone companies

Companies spend vast sums of money to large telephone emporiums to ensure communication. Business plans are expensive and quality is not always assured. The truth is that communications have changed and that old scheme is being overcome. The WebRTC line is here to stay and several entrepreneurs are already migrating.

The WebRTC line concept seems to be a complex matter handled only by computer engineers. To tell the truth, all people are unconsciously handling this technology on our Smartphones. For example, when you enter a virtual classroom or videoconference through Apps, you are using this system. Now, every company can have its own communication system based on VoID telephony.

What is WebRTC?

The WebRTC line is a structure that allows the creation of online communication systems from web pages. The applications that allow video calls and videoconferences are currently based on this technology created by Google. This has allowed the creation of innovative softphones for call centers and internal business communication.

This system has allowed the creation of communication tools by companies such as Neotel. The important issue of this technological evolution is that it allows quality communication, more fluid and very cheap. The latter is due to the fact that now calls do not depend on telephone lines and corporations. Today, all video and non-video calls can be supported by a broadband Internet connection.

The WebRTC line can be installed in the virtual PBX. Employees simply open an application where the softphone is located and call anywhere in the world. They can do this from the office, but they can also access the system using their personal devices. More advanced services such as Neotel’s do not require complex installations because everything is managed from the Internet.

Outperforming traditional telephone companies

With the WebRTC line, communication can be guaranteed on the company’s private network through the use of PBX. From this point on, a company’s employees can use the softphone anywhere in the world. What they need in any case is a program profile, a device and an Internet connection.

The best thing is that the new communication companies offer their own plans in minutes and data. This opens up a world of possibilities as each company offers its own call center software, modules and plans at different costs. The entrepreneur only has to look for the proposal that best suits the needs of his company. This is a competitive market with many options for the contractor.

The vital thing is to understand how important it is to adapt the business work to the benefits of the WebRTC line. Later the company can invest in IP telephony devices, but this is not entirely necessary. Having an Internet connection is all that is needed to reduce costs and revolutionize customer service.

The quality of the service oriented to the client. Experience of a call center

In most cases, the first contacts that take place between companies and customers are made through the virtual switchboard of an external call center. In addition to its integration – in the case of sales orientation – with a technological CRM program; The staff and software of a call center, has to be oriented to a satisfactory attention to the final client.

As a result, this type of industry has developed a working methodology absolutely focused on offering the highest quality.

Customer service: a main source of losses or profits of the company.

Service guidelines or how they serve their customers.

It is useless for your virtual switchboard to pass thousands of calls or for the data to be coldly entered into a CRM program or any other call center software. There are 4 aspects in which a call center must pay maximum attention to satisfy a total commitment to quality.

In the first place, it is obvious that they have to know the profile, what the client needs and their needs. Only then will they be able to evaluate the correct answer to the need. Orienting any type of company to the satisfaction of the client is the first step towards success. Without this magic wand, no company can achieve success.

Although as a consumer you can have your own opinion about it, there is no doubt that another of the traditional activities of a call center, conducting satisfaction surveys, are a great source of information. They give rise to high-value information and not only for the detection of dissatisfied customers, but also to know what is done well and can be applied successfully in the future.

The permanent supervision of processes, on the other hand, is important to continuously verify that it operates according to the established service protocols. A random supervision of the cases attended, such as that used in call centers, can be an ideal complement to check the quality of the service offered by the corresponding service in other industries.

The last aspect, especially taken into account by the call centers, is not to be obvious, it is fulfilled in 100% of the cases: the adequate treatment of the client. Being nice, offering a personalized and educated attention is an aspect neglected by many that should be the norm of each house.

The impact of the first call on customer satisfaction

It is possible that when talking with a customer service center, we ask ourselves what is the way that companies have to evaluate the attention and work of the operators. It seems logical that after investing in sophisticated CRM, call center software or a virtual switchboard, it is necessary that a company dedicated to massive call traffic, consider some indicators when evaluating their work and that of employees. So. How do they do that?

The resolution of the first call.

Numerous investigations related to the call center market reveal that no other indicator has a greater impact on customer satisfaction than this so-called «first call resolution» or «FCR.» And it is precisely thanks to these call center software, CRM or to its virtual switchboard, as it is possible to collect enough data for its evaluation.

The resolution of the first call is neither more nor less than the ability to resolve any concern, doubt or any result assimilable to that in the first telephone contact, the final customer has achieved what he was looking for.

The same studies show that each percentage point of success in this first call directly represents a percentage point in the perception of customer satisfaction.

Additional advantages

The increase in satisfaction is not the only benefit of a call center focused on the first call resolution. In addition to this, call centers with a high success rate in this task undoubtedly achieve much lower operating costs. Since not solve initially will generate a certain number of repetitions of calls, companies will be doubling or tripling the number of operators, use of their virtual switchboard and VoIP costs or they will be losing additional customer service opportunities.

But this successful first call will also have benefits for the company’s own workers. We all know how annoying it can be to work with a dissatisfied client. By avoiding frequent calls from frustrated clients due to the initial non-resolution of their need, job satisfaction rates increase significantly, resulting in an exponential success of agents, supervisors and the entire operation.

How satisfaction is valued: adopting the right approach.

Although we have already seen that it should be taken into account to consider a call resolved, it should be noted that not all companies adopt a similar approach. Some of them program their CRMs or establish their indicators considering that the simple need of transferring that first call or subsequent follow-up work can be considered a success.

However, although it may seem like a solid approach to measuring quality, it may be incomplete by not taking into account something essential: the customer’s own satisfaction.

Post-call surveys, by phone call or email should be the icing on the cake in these situations. At the end of the day, in these technological times, it is still applicable that the customer always -or almost- is right.

Multichannel communication – what does it mean?

One of the major changes that has led to the expansion of the Internet, recently assisted by the boom in mobile telephony, is the expansion of multichannel communications. This technology has been a revolution in communication with the customer and the mass call centers, achieving a fundamental change in their structures. So the call center software, the modern CRM programs or the virtual switchboard with which many of these centers operate, have had to adapt to these demands.

Many companies were realizing that they could not rely solely on voice communications to interact with customers. They needed to do it, how and when the client chose.

The multichannel. Just a fad?

Although many might think so, from the moment that this «fashion» began in the early 2000s with the emergence of mass videos and chat, it has proven to be a very long-term trend and a revolution in the conception of marketing and customer relations.

The traditional call centers have had to evolve forced by this situation. Currently a CRM, the call center software or the virtual switchboard must be able to serve customers, not only by voice. The electronic mail, the SMS, chats, social networks or interaction with web pages have become part of an industry traditionally focused on telephone communications.

The movement towards the multichannel is not only an indicator that clients need to be cared for at an individualized level. They also expect quick action. Thirty years ago, companies had at least one day to respond and customers felt that their expectations were being met, however, today these same clients are barely willing to wait a few seconds for their questions to be answered and for any means by which they decide to interact.

Thus, for many marketing experts, the multichannel movement is a new phase in the world of Internet Marketing. In the first place, we started by creating websites in a customer’s conscience, secondly, by allowing «self-service» in stores and Internet sales. the third evolution, it was assumed by mobile devices and smartphones. In this fourth phase, which is still underway, customers are allowed to communicate in the way they prefer from their mobile device, or computer through web, social network, or run with companies. This requires a real-time interaction that must be met by the companies.

Thus, it is no longer necessary just a large call center equipped with a virtual switchboard or a CRM. All this call center software and the philosophy of it, must be capable of evolving towards the new demands of customers and companies.

Any industry that continues to think that it can relate to its customers in a conventional way, should think twice before downplaying the multichannel movement. The market evolves and who does not do it with it will be condemned to its extinction. It will not be because of lack of precedents.

The five key technologies in customer service

Long before the invention of the virtual switchboard, the Internet, the CRM or the modern call center software, there were other technologies that made the massive call service market reach its current status.

Some of them are in retreat, while others, invented 60 years ago are still topical. Let’s know them.

The tone dialing

Many still remember dial telephones, those in which a wheel had to be rotated to make them operate, however the technology that allows the operation of a virtual switchboard – tone dialing – was introduced in 1963 by Bell. A year later the Western Electric 1500 was the first phone on the market, which allowed to dial by buttons. Of course, they did not include the symbol of the pillow or star.

The toll-free numbers

In Spain known as 900 lines, without which more than one virtual switchboard would be without work, were invented in 1967 by a scientist from the company AT & T as an excellent formula to market the products. The airlines and American florists of the 1980s came to add more than 3 billion free calls annually. Soon this hit became international.

Private exchange exchanges

Nowadays, the PBX-type virtual switchboard, the private exchange exchanges -the PBXs «were one of the first computerized evolutions of the conventional switchboard. Essentially they were mini-switches that allowed to route calls to the companies in two ways: manual, which still required an operator for the exchange or automated, which already allowed the switchboard to route the call by itself without having to request the operator the connection with an extension. This latest technology became one of the secret sauces of the first call centers.

Interactive voice responses (IVR)

Perhaps, the most essential technology in the software and the operation of the modern call center, were used for the first time in the banking machines of 1970 to verify the balances of the clients. Soon they became really popular as a means to route customer service calls. Nowadays, they are able to recognize what a customer says on the phone and act according to their request. If you have ever talked to a speaker who asked you what you wanted to do when calling a customer service center, it was an IVR working in conjunction with the virtual switchboard.

Short Message Services (SMS)

Invented in 1992 to operate with the first mobile phones based on GSM technologies, they had to spend more than two decades compared to the previous technologies listed for their introduction. However, its appearance meant a before and after in mass call and communication systems, allowing very fast transmission of information and facilitating public attention. They also produced a fundamental change in the philosophy of customer service, from being reactive -the company communicated with the client at the request of the same- to predictive -the company requests an action from the customer-. This small big change may have gone unnoticed by many, and you may think it is not very important. The marketing experts and the business figures associated with this change between reaction and prediction say the opposite: it has exponentially increased the turnover of the companies that use this technology.

The Neotel virtual switchboard

At present, there are already many companies that work with our switchboard. They are aware not only of the money they save, but also of all the other benefits that the PBX provides for their day to day.

Thanks to IP Telephony, it is no longer necessary to be a large corporate macro to use Neotel’s virtual switchboard. SMEs also enter the group of companies that are highly recommended to migrate their Telephony system with Neotel. Our switchboard is affordable for businesses of all sizes.

Many users do not know what a virtual switchboard is, although they have probably used one before. If you have ever called a company, and you have heard a phrase where you are asked to check the correct option, depending on which department you need to talk to, that is a virtual switchboard that that company uses.

Are you still losing sales opportunities because of unattended calls?

The price of a virtual switchboard varies from one company to another. At Neotel we offer you the best virtual switchboard in the market, and we have the best rates. Why do not you call us right now so we can give you all the details about our switchboard rates?

Virtual switchboard at the best price

A company that does not answer your calls is a company that loses sales. This is as it is. But you do not need to keep losing sales opportunities within your company anymore. With Neotel’s virtual switchboard, no incoming calls are left unattended. Here are some alternatives to losing a call from a potential client:

Distribute the calls according to the reason of the call. Through a menu of options that is presented to the person who calls us, his call is transferred to the department. corresponding to deal with your case.
Waiting queue with music. The client listens to background music to liven up his wait in what an agent remains available. As soon as this happens, the call is automatically transferred to the agent.
Distribute calls between workers. Unlike as happens with the physical switchboard, with the virtual yes we can when a person calls, transfer this to a worker 1, and if this is busy serving another person, we transfer it to a worker 2, or worker 3, etc. .

The virtual switchboard allows several simultaneous incoming calls, unlike what happens with the physical switchboard. Your customers will no longer hear busy ringtones when they call your company.

The virtual switchboard solves the busy line problem when a customer calls

The virtual switchboards work thanks to the normal Internet connection in our home or company. And it is thanks to this, that they allow us to work with several simultaneous calls. Face to the user, there is no depreciation in the quality of the call when it is done through a virtual switchboard or a physical one. But there are big differences in terms of money: the virtual switchboard always comes out cheaper as an option than the physical telephone switchboard.

Working with the Neotel switchboard is as simple as contacting us now. And before you imagine, you’ll be working with our virtual switchboard. And you already know that with Neotel, there is no permanence, neither initial investment nor installation on your part.

Who has not happened to call a company and gives a busy tone? Maybe, and just maybe, if you really have interest in contacting that company, try again after 5 minutes. If after this time you call again and keep giving a busy tone, the chances of you trying again are already very low. What is most likely to happen? Well, you are going to contact another similar company.

And here goes another missed sale opportunity.

When a person calls a company, and this does not have a virtual switchboard like ours, there is this risk that the company has its operators busy and can not answer that call, and the customer simply hears the tone that the line is busy.

Are you going to risk losing further sales opportunities for your company while your competition takes advantage of your potential customers?

How to choose the best virtual switchboard and what is this

If you have ever wondered how Customer Service companies may be making bulk calls to users from a single telephone number, the answer is thanks to the virtual switchboard.

The virtual switchboard means big savings in calls, and this is the reason why the PBX is established, no longer as the Telephony technology of the future, but today.

In addition to the aforementioned economic savings, it is also worth mentioning the savings in space provided by the PBX.

The control unit consists of different modules that increase the initial functionality of this system. Some of the modules for Neotel virtual switchboard are Click to call me back, Virtual fax, Telemarketing surveys, Incoming call statistics, Dynamic signaling, Meeting room, Queuing, Selective signaling, Verification by third parties, Integrated phones, Spy & whisper and Call recording.

With the PBX are all advantages

The abbreviations of PBX correspond to Private Brand Exchange.

Clearly, when choosing a switchboard supplier it is important to stop and think before and analyze what your needs are and your company’s and, according to these, ask if the switchboard that is offered meets these needs.

Does your switchboard meet your needs?

Before deciding on a company or another of switchboards, we recommend that you do a previous study in Google and look for references on the services provided by each of them.

A switchboard serves to offer a better telephone service to the customer while helping us to manage all the control of calls that occur in the company.

The most basic thing that a PBX allows us and that every company with more than 2 employees requires is:

Answer multiple calls simultaneously. With the virtual switchboard the limitations in the number of simultaneous calls in a company can be broken. No matter the number of agents in your company.
One extension per user. As if they were independent lines. Only using always the same number.

With the virtual switchboard we make sure we do not miss any calls. The caller never listens to communicating tones or voicemails. The call always enters the agent that is free at that moment.

The following features of the PBX are used to save the company time and improve customer satisfaction:

Welcome message. When the company is called, a locution is heard that tells us what company we are calling and any information that is relevant.
Option menu. This option saves the company time by transferring calls from one department to another. With this mode, the calling user has to dial an option on his dial (a special number or symbol) to be automatically transferred to the corresponding area to deal with his matter.
Waiting lines What happens when someone calls your company and all operators are busy talking? Well, that’s where the waiting line comes into play. With this option, those calls that momentarily can not be answered, are placed in a waiting queue, to be addressed as soon as possible, that is, at the moment when an operator remains free. Meanwhile, the customers who are in this queue, their call is enlivened with music waiting to be chosen by the company that is called.
Phone service hours. What happens when someone calls the company and it is closed (after hours)? With this option we can inform the customers who call the business hours of the company, and then the option is given to leave a message in the voicemail. So there are no more calls that are lost or unattended.
Transfer calls With a virtual switchboard a call is transferred very easily, from one extension to another, that is, from a department. to another.
Use the company telephone outside the company. As the switchboard works through the Internet, we can continue making and answering calls with our mobile phone when we are on the street, and it continues to function as the company’s own telephone.

In addition to these benefits, there are many more: create rules for incoming calls, steal calls, advanced call reports, use numbering from other provinces or countries, divert calls to mobiles, etc.

Not all PBX’s are of the same characteristics. Not all telecommunications companies provide the same service. If you are looking for a virtual switchboard system for your company, contact Neotel.

If you have any questions about the use of Neotel PBX virtual PBX, call us now and we will solve all of them.

There is no case that Neotel is not able to sustain.

The possibilities of switchboard configuration are many and each company is different.

Each company needs its own configuration and features. And that’s what Neotel is for. Call us and start enjoying the Neotel switchboard today.

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