It doesn’t matter if you run a law office, a medical practice, or a toy store, having office phones go down is a major problem for any business. Sometimes it takes time to realize that the phones have stopped ringing because calls within the building are still working. Other times, you may find out very quickly when someone tries to dial out. Regardless of how long the phones have been down, there’s always a bit of panic to get them back up as quickly as possible.

If you have VoIP, check that you have internet connectivity.  If the internet is not working, the phones will not work.  If the internet is working normally but you can’t call out or receive calls, resetting your router(s) or integrated access device may solve the problem.  If that isn’t feasible, or doesn’t work, it’s time to call your VoIP provider via a personal cell phone.

While there are many “DIY” VoIP office phones on the market, the support for such an installation may be almost non-existent.  BCS Voice & Data is a local company based in Virginia Beach with a fleet of vehicles and trained technicians that can be onsite anywhere from Richmond to Suffolk to Virginia Beach in short order (depending on Hampton Roads traffic of course).

If you find yourself in a situation where your office phones are down and you’re unable to resolve the problem, call us at 757-497-3100 and we’ll see if we can help your reach a solution.

Good telephone etiquette should be common sense, but with so many options available for communication–email, text messages, the ubiquity of cell phone usage, etc.–the landscape of business communications has changed.   Here are some interesting statistics to keep in mind when planning how your business handles inbound calls:

• While people are used to automated phone systems, it doesn’t mean they like them.  A recent study by a branch of the Pew Charitable Trust found that 94% of Americans find recorded voice greetings to be “very frustrating.”

Another recent study commissioned by The Telephone Doctor (a sales training company) found the following:

• 85% of consumers indicated that telephone courtesy makes a difference when choosing which company they will patronize.
• 65% prefer doing business with companies who have real people answering calls versus those that use an automated attendant.
• 65% stated they are frustrated when placed on hold immediately after calling a company.

Of course it’s not always possible to avoid the use of an automated attendant, and putting callers on hold is sometimes unavoidable, but it’s best to minimize those occurrences. To ease the annoyance of the person being placed on hold, it’s important to always ask their permission first and wait for their acknowledgement.  Depending on the company, it may be best to implement a practice of returning calls promptly rather than leaving customers on hold.  This only works though if the customer service rep/tech/or sales person follows through with a call back that same day.

However your company handles inbound calls, BCS has the business phone system technology to streamline your process.  If you have questions about how your phones can work better for you, call us at 757-497-3100.