The transition from onsite office hardware to cloud-based software products has many advantages for modern business operations. Online tools are cheaper to operate than their on-site counterparts and offer companies more flexibility in terms of work schedules and staffing. Luckily, these benefits aren’t limited to for-profit businesses looking to stage fast and furious IPOs. Because […]
Remote work is on the rise. Whether your employees work from another country, from a co-working space, or from home, there’s a good chance work happens outside of the office. But despite how sweet working remotely may seem for the uninitiated, remote work carries its own unique challenges. To do our part in navigating this […]
(Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2017 and has recently been updated for accuracy and clarity) Switching to a virtual phone system has many advantages for your business. Many forward-thinking companies choose cloud-based phone systems because they are simpler, more efficient, more cost effective, and more secure than legacy voice-communication providers, such […]
(Editor’s note: This post was originally published in 2016 and has recently been updated for accuracy and relevance) Choosing between an onsite and cloud-based phone solution is a big decision in terms of price, flexibility, and company growth. In this post, we’ll discuss the merits and downsides of both on-premise phone systems and their virtual […]
I lead the Sales Development team for Aircall in North America, and I love the energy that comes with working in a team environment. Collaboration, camaraderie, and competition are inherent to the process. But like most sales leaders, the current global health circumstances related to Covid-19 mean that my team has needed to adapt and […]
(Editor’s note: This post was originally published in 2017 and has recently been updated to reflect more accurate and up-to-date information) A virtual call center is a contact center whose customer support agents or sales reps work remotely. Instead of working from an on-site business location, virtual agents help customers from a different third-party location, […]
Customer service metrics are like puzzle pieces. A customer satisfaction survey (CSAT) surfaces opinions about individual interactions with your support team. Net promoter score (NPS) reveals customer sentiment—and satisfaction—around your company and product on the whole. Both metrics are valuable, but they don’t form the full picture. They may even get too much credit. According […]
Working from home is no longer a luxury for the modern business. Whether by choice (to attract talent) or necessity (responding to a global pandemic), businesses across the globe are quickly adopting flexible remote work policies for their employees. For companies that have already embraced collaborative technology to connect their employees and customers, shifting to […]
(Editor’s note: This post was originally published in May 2018. It has been updated with relevant information and additional context) In today’s world of indirect, text-based communication, many conversational skills are underdeveloped. However, the telephone is still a vital business tool, critical to both sales and customer service professionals. To truly excel in these careers, […]
Working in customer service is usually seen as straightforward and repetitive: Customers ask questions, get answers, and say goodbye—that is, until something else comes up. Many customer service scenarios are routine, but on an average day, customer service reps also deal with challenging and often unexpected situations. To bridge the gap, some managers give their […]
What makes us shy away from sharing feedback with our bosses? Do we avoid it because we fear it will fall on deaf ears? Or is it because we worry it will make us seem unhappy in our roles? According to HBR, it’s a bit of both. In a study of nearly 200 individuals from […]
Phone, e-mail or chat bots: Today’s modern companies offer their customers numerous ways to communicate. But to be effective, it’s crucial that you use these technologies to your advantage. For companies with dedicated sales and support teams, call center software has become a very popular means to communicate for good reason. Call centers are the […]
Is your sales pipeline not converting? Are prospects ghosting your AEs? Are deals falling just short of the finish line? It’s easy to point fingers and say that one team or individual is to blame when a prospective customer leaves the sales funnel, but the reality is everyone in your sales organization has a role […]
You’re ready to take your customer relationships to the next level, connecting faster and more seamlessly than ever before. The problem is, your contact center isn’t quite keeping pace with your vision. Maybe you’re still researching software options that can provide the streamlined customer service your customers expect. Or maybe your in-house software is overdue […]
As a manager, it’s easy to get complacent. You give your team flexibility around where to work. You aim to be as transparent as possible about upcoming business shifts and team pivots. You even got your boss to sign off on paying agents above market rate. What more could they want? As it turns out, […]
Anyone who’s worked in customer service knows high attrition rates are the norm. But the conversations around turnover usually center on one thing: how hard it is to talk to people all day, to inherit negativity and complaints, to turn the other cheek. What’s not discussed is the lack of professional development that accompanies these […]
The phone system for modern business
