Is your company fielding a lot of calls at all hours of the day? If you’re constantly taking questions but want to make sure everything is going in the right direction, it may be time to unify your phone lines under one shared line. A shared phone line allows you to connect up to eight lines and sixteen phones per group, with as many connected groups as you need in the office.
This is ideal in situations where different branches might receive calls meant for a different location. It’s a lot easier when you need to transfer someone without having to make a call on your own. This eliminates the need for time-consuming call transfers and results in a more intuitive system. Here are all the basics of shared lines you should know before opting for this solution.
How Does a Shared Phone Line Work?
Shared phone lines are typically backed by a technology called Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP. This system uses broadband internet to connect people without the need for a traditional phone line or cellular data. Not only is it typically cheaper, but it’s more reliable for large businesses. It comes with shared lines features that aren’t seen in traditional phone lines and keeps all your communications on a centralized platform. Not only will your shared line be connected to your business’ internet connection, but you’ll be able to take calls anywhere you have access to the system.
Benefits of Shared Phone Lines
- Faster Customer Service
Time is of the essence when dealing with a customer service call. How many times have you tried to connect with someone on the other end only for them to put you on hold at length—or worse, disconnect you when you’re trying to get transferred to the right person?
These problems are largely eliminated with shared phone lines, as there will always be someone on the other end of a customer’s call. No more calling the wrong number and having to jump through hoops to get connected, and no more missed calls due to miscommunications or technical hiccups.
- Route Calls Based on Teams
Even with a well-organized phone tree, a traditional phone system is at the mercy of the customer finding the right number and extension when they place their call through. This can lead to customer service hiccups when people get put on hold or have to transfer through multiple people to get where they want to go.
Cloud-based phone systems are more effective because they make routing calls to the relevant teams easy. Instead of routing things manually to the right extension, everyone is in the same system. All it takes is a quick notification to the person in the right division, and a customer’s call can be in the right hands in seconds.
- Inexpensive to Set Up
Setting up or upgrading a new cellular system for a company can be expensive, especially if your company fields many calls and needs unlimited cellular data. If you’re using a landline, maintaining it can be a challenge due to the aging networks. The same doesn’t apply to VoIP systems since you might already have most of the infrastructure.
The hardware used to run shared lines over the cloud is usually the same used to run your office broadband. Individual calls and messages aren’t billed against you. While you might want to upgrade your sound system before converting your system, the cost of upgrades is usually much lower than the alternative.
- Scalable and Flexible
Every company has its own communication needs, and some will be doing much more intra-team communication, while others will be fielding many calls from customers and clients. One of the biggest advantages of VoIP shared lines is that they’re easy to adapt as your company’s needs change over time with growth.
Because the system is cloud-hosted and relies on a virtual phone number, it’s not fixed in a hard location. This is ideal for remote work or if a key team member is on vacation. If your data needs change, it’s easy to contact your provider and develop a short-term or long-term plan for the future of your shared line.
- Improve Communication
The future of office communications and customer service is in the cloud, where you won’t have to worry about contact hiccups. This system makes it easier than ever to stay in touch. You can upgrade your systems and improve communication across your company easily.