Being a small business owner means that on any given day, you have to deal with invoicing, IT issues, operations and a whole host of other responsibilities. With so much going on, it can be difficult to focus on growth and set long-term goals. Fortunately, today’s best communication tools can help simplify your life and allow you to better support your employees and serve your customers. 

While these systems might have been cost prohibitive in the past, today’s Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provide an affordable cloud-based solution that will transform your phone into a centralized communication hub. With that in mind, here are the best hosted phone service tools that will help propel your business to the next level.

1. Personal Dashboard for Each Employee

The modern workplace is no longer exists within the confines of a central building. Employees are working remotely and spending time out in the field. While this could make it challenging to stay on top of calls, with a personal dashboard, users can easily view all voicemails and missed calls, place a call with one click on their screen and access their dashboard from any internet connected device. Employees don’t have to be anchored to their desks to stay on top of important communications.

2. Reliable Conference Calls

If you have ever been on a conference call, there is a good chance you ran into at least one technical difficulty. This type of collaboration can be productive, but it rarely seems to go smoothly. With a host phone service, all that can be a thing of the past. Users can easily set up calls with participants all over the world, instantly share files and enjoy cutting-edge collaboration tools.

3. Voicemail Transcription

There is no need to spend time listening to voicemails and trying to jot down important information. Visual voicemail services mean that every voicemail is transcribed and sent to your email along with the audio file. You can quickly scan the text and prioritize call backs and tasks without having to listen to dozens of hard to understand voicemails.

4. Status Updates

With the right VoIP system, you can provide a status update about your availability and 

whereabouts so that employees know how to contact you. For example, you can let everyone know that you are in a meeting and to leave a voicemail or stop by later. Best of all, your status updates can be synced with your calendar and your phone so that it automatically changes if you are on a call or in a scheduled meeting.

5. Call Move

With VoIP tools, you can also move calls between devices. Let’s say that you are on a conference call in your office, but you need to be out in the field in ten minutes. With call move, you can switch the call to your mobile device and continue to talk even while you are enroute to your next appointment. 

6. Designated Group Pick-Up Lines

If you want customers to always be able to reach a person in your office, you can set up a group extension that several people can be in charge of answering. When an employee isn’t available, someone else can answer and provide immediate customer service rather than having callers routed to a voicemail.

7. Instant Messaging

Sometimes a text is simply more efficient and direct than a phone call or an email. While there are a variety of third party instant messaging services for businesses on the market, these aren’t fully integrated and can actually end up complicating communication. Today’s VoIP systems allow you to send a message without having to open another app.

8. Virtual Control Center

Because VoIP systems are cloud-based, they are highly scalable and don’t require you to invest in new hardware as more employees are added. New users can easily be onboarded and connect to the system from any location for a solution that grows with your business.

9. Customized Call Routing

With fully customizable call routing options, you can set parameters for call forwarding. For example, you can send specific numbers to your mobile phone, a different extension or your voicemail. Call routing can even be customized based on day of the week or time of day. The possibilities are practically limitless and it is all up to you. 

Ready to upgrade your communication system, take full advantage of VoIP technology and start growing your small business? Contact Network South today to learn more about available tools and take advantage of hosted phone services.