Owning a company means wearing a wide assortment of hats. Not only do you need to balance a budget, keep inventory stocked, and ensure your employees have what they need to be successful, you also have to keep tabs on your communication system. Proper business communication is the bloodline of your company. It’s what keeps your employees happy and your customers well taken care of.
If you’ve been using the same system for years, chances are you’re due for an upgrade. Continuing to use an outdated and legacy communication system impacts your company internally and externally.
Here are 6 signs that you need a new business communication system.
1. Existing System is Outdated
Today’s phone systems have evolved into very complex products that bring new features to communicating.
By not upgrading your communication system, you won’t be able to utilize the modern options and features that are available, such as pre-recorded greetings, automatic routing, and even video conferencing. Some even have items to tie in your website and plugins for lead generation, so you are always on top of your communications.
Using updated technology is a must if you want to stay ahead of your competition. Otherwise you risk falling behind and losing the top spot.
2. System Can’t Handle Increased Call Volume
When you first started your company years ago, chances are you weren’t thinking about the fine details of your communication system. Back then you knew that having a phone line was important so you likely went with the most convenient option available.
Fast forward to today. Your business has grown. You’re selling more products than ever. Orders are coming in on a regular basis. While these are all positive signs that business is booming, they can also show just how ineffective your existing communication system is.
An increase in orders and customers means an increase in call volume. In turn, you like need more phone lines or more ports to keep up with growing demand.
If your current system is unable to handle these new demands, it’s time to make the switch to high quality business VOIP systems. These cloud based symptoms are scalable, reliable, and even cheaper than traditional communication systems.
3. Customers Are Complaining
Have you ever called a business’ customer service line, only to be stuck in the never ending “your call is very important to us” loop? To meet your customer’s expectations, you need a communication system that doesn’t waste time. When a customer calls your company, they expect to speak to a human, not a robot that’s offering useless menu options and messages.
After enough failed attempts to contact your company, customers are bound to complain. Once customers start to explain their frustrations, it’s time to update to a more mobile and scalable system.
Maybe it’s even gone so far as people complaining about the security of your website, from missing an SSL to not using a security plugin for WordPress.
4. There’s No Integration
A problem that many growing businesses run into is maintaining communication systems at various locations. Running many facilities is a sign that your business is growing, but when set up improperly, your business communication system can become a bottleneck.
Does each of your locations have their own phone system? If so, consider the irony of the fact that your own business can’t communicate with itself!
A properly designed business communication system should be fully integrated. So no matter if you have 2 locations or 20, each of these systems should be able to seamlessly integrate.
5. Downtime is a Reality
No company should have downtime during normal business hours. If your business goes dark when a customer service rep is out to lunch or walks away from their desk, this is a clear sign that your system is highly outdated.
Today’s cloud based solutions allow your communication systems to be fully operational from anywhere at any time. This means a customer service rep can pick up the phone at their desk, in the hallway, or even from home.
6. Busy Signals
Busy signals are a thing of the past; that is unless of course you’re using a legacy business communication system. In today’s high tech world, you should never subject a customer to having to listen to a busy signal tone. What this shows is that your company is too busy for their phone call and that you’ve yet to bring your communication systems up to speed.
If busy signals are a reality in your business’ communications, this is a huge sign that it’s time for a new system.
Conclusion
Time in business demands upgrades. If you’re still hanging onto your outdated business communication system, now’s the time to make the switch to VOIP service. By switching, you can enjoy the perks of this modern technology that are sure to improve your company’s productivity and efficiency, especially in the communication realm.
