The Benefits of VoIP Integrations for Your Call Center

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VoIP technology is a modern and reliable way to run a business phone system. However, VoIP integrations is what really sets apart the essential business tools from traditional services.

VoIP stands for voice over internet protocol. Essentially, VoIP communication makes it possible to transmit voice communication over the internet.

A VoIP phone system is primarily a cloud-based subscription service made possible through a VoIP service provider. VoIP phone systems offer significant savings, especially if your company uses toll-free or international phone numbers.

Flexibility, scalability, portability, and reliability are the hallmarks of a VoIP infrastructure. The ability to integrate your VoIP phone system with other important communication and business tools greatly expands the phone’s capabilities and functionalities.

What Is a VoIP Integration?

To understand VoIP integrations, you first have to understand how VoIP technology functions. With VoIP technology, all you need is an Internet connection, and it helps to have a headset. You have the option of using a computer, mobile phone, or tablet to connect to your voice phone system.

Since VoIP technology hosts data securely in the cloud, it can easily integrate with other software applications. When you use a cloud-based phone system along with CRM tools, sales trackers, helpdesk platforms, and chat features, you get a comprehensive software ecosystem that has every tool you need to run a fully functional call center.

Analog phones, or PTSN phone systems, limit your ability to expand on the number of available phone system features. They also lack the ability to work with software applications. Traditional phone systems are essentially stand-alone communication systems. Each part of your communication stack is an independent system that you have to log into separately. This creates the need to manually transfer notes and other information between platforms — it’s not the most efficient way to do business.

The introduction of VoIP integrations changed all that. The technology is such that you can access your phone system features and other software programs using a single source. With VoIP integrations, users don’t need to switch between tools to access data instantaneously and sync information between systems.

Manual processes are not only time consuming and inefficient. They also pose more risks due to human errors than a system with VoIP integrations where users can access all their tools in one place.

Here’s a shortlist of the types of VoIP integrations available.

• AI & Transcription

• CRM

• Data & Reporting

• eCommerce

• Help Desk

• HR & Recruiting

• Live Chat

• Productivity

• Payments & Billing

• Quality Assurance

• Sales Automation

• Surveys

• SMS

A full list can be found here.

Why Use a VoIP Integration?

Today’s marketplace is highly competitive. Companies are not only competing with the quality of their products and services. Customers are evaluating your business based on the quality of their buying experience. Today’s customers don’t want to wait on hold, and in most cases, they don’t want to have to wait for a call back. Today’s customers want answers to their questions right away or an option to quickly find someone who can help them. No one wants to have to repeat themselves three times for three different company representatives.

When you can deliver the type of customer experience that your customers expect every time, they become brand advocates. They are your best and most cost-effective resource for creating brand loyalty.

Here are some other ways that VoIP integrations can help you deliver a good customer experience:

• Automated surveys help you measure the customer experience objectively.

• Analytics help you understand where there may be breakdowns in your workflows.

• Feedback from customers around their interest in new features or products.

• Analytics help you to better understand customer support ticket trends.

• Move customers through the sales funnel faster and convert more sales.

• Analytics provide you with insight into customer churn.

• Gives you visibility of your call center to improve performance and productivity.

• Enables you to set up a virtual call center or set up remote teams or distributed teams.

What’s more, VoIP integrations are easy to set up and they’re intuitive for users. From the standpoint of the user, VoIP integrations can be so seamless it appears that they’re using just one system. A cloud phone system and VoIP integrations give your staff the maximum number of features and capabilities to deliver a good customer experience.

By virtue of having key account data in front of them, call center agents offer personalized interactions with customers. These are the modern tools that open the door to a wealth of new possibilities for businesses.

VoIP Integrations & Your Call Center Software

VoIP integrations are the foundation of any good call center software. They work together seamlessly and give you all the tools you need to serve customers in ways that ensure a good customer experience. These modern technologies consolidate all your communication workflows into a single source. There’s no need to log into separate systems to access email, CRM, surveys, or analytics.

In many instances, you can install your call center software and VoIP integrations in a matter of minutes with a few clicks. These technologies are intuitive and easy to use, and they should require less training than traditional phone systems. A faster onboarding process means you can focus on the finer points of selling or providing customer service.

Call center software offers out-of-the-box features. You can set up a personalized system without the help of an IT department. The ability to purchase toll free numbers or local numbers with a variety of area codes lets your team have a “local” presence anywhere in the world.

Benefits of VoIP Integrations for Your Call Center

Think back to the last time you contacted a company about a product you purchased or a service you received. Consider the following questions in hindsight.

• Did the phone ring a long time before someone picked it up?

• Were you bounced around from one person to the next?

• Did you have to repeat your story over and over again?

• Were you able to get the help you needed on the first call?

• Was the call put on hold at any point in the conversation?

• Did you get a follow-up text after the call?

• Was a survey conducted immediately after the call to gauge your customer satisfaction?

VoIP phone systems have been streamlined with these questions in mind. If the company you contacted  was using modern technology, your call would likely have been picked up within the first ring or two. The call agent would probably have been able to resolve your concerns without transferring you to another person. You wouldn’t have to repeat your issue one or more times, and you would’ve likely been given the option of a post call survey or text.

While call center software and VoIP integrations vastly improved the customer experience, the combination of these two technologies offers some valuable benefits for call center agents and managers as well.

Here’s a look at the benefits of call center software and VoIP integrations for call centers:

• Call agents can use multiple tools at one time and work efficiently.

• Call center software and VoIP integrations allow call center agents to collaborate and share data.

• Businesses can operate their call centers remotely making it easy to develop remote teams and distributed teams.

• Call center managers get live visibility into call center activity so they can act quickly and make informed decisions.

• Modern software is flexible so you can innovate easily as your needs change.

• There is no limit to the number of VoIP integrations you can add.

• Call volume can vary significantly, and modern software solutions allow you to scale your call center as needed.

Enhancing the Performance of Your Call Center

Nearly every call center stands to benefit from implementing VoIP integrations in modern call center software. The challenge is how to optimize your call center by choosing the right cloud-based phone system and the right VoIP integrations.

First, consider the purpose of your call center. In the Aircall App Marketplace, VoIP integrations are categorized according to the functions for sales, customer service, and customer support. You can also check out apps according to the functions you need for your call center.

This is how call center software works with VoIP integrations for each type of call center:

Sales Call Centers

• CRM – Salesforce streamlines and increases productivity by giving full insight to call activity across teams. It also has omnichannel capability and guides customers to the right team with IVR.

• Sales automation – Outreach logs and tags calls and enables one-click dialing.

• Productivity – Zapier connects your apps to automate workflows and create efficiency.

• AI & Transcription – Avoma uses artificial intelligence to record and transcribe calls.

Customer Service Call Centers

• CRM – PieSync syncs contacts with your CRM, email marketing software, and eCommerce functions.

• Helpdesk – Front handles inbound and outbound calls directly in the app. Call agents have a single conversation with customers no matter who answers the call.

• Automated surveys – Diduenjoy triggers automated surveys immediately after calls.

• Coaching and training – EvaluAgent allows you to evaluate calls and get detailed reports on call agent performance. Randomly assigns calls for review to prevent bias.

Customer Support Call Centers

• CRM – Hubspot gives you the customer history at a glance for richer insights and the scope of the customer’s journey.

• Helpdesk – Zendesk lets call center agents make calls directly from their helpdesk software.

• Automated surveys – Postcall.io sends out surveys and syncs their responses to the customer account.

• Coaching and training – Nicereply automatically triggers standardized surveys after each call and see feedback and ratings in your call software screen.

When your customers enjoy a smooth customer journey, you’ll reap the benefits of growth and increased revenue. With Aircall, you get a strong set of VoIP phone system features to enhance the VoIP integrations that you choose for your call center. Overall, it couldn’t be easier to implement Aircall and the apps in the Aircall App Marketplace to set up a call center that’s cohesive, comprehensive, and productive.

Published on November 27, 2020.