How VoIP Makes Your Small Business Function Like a Sophisticated Enterprise

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Image is everything,” said tennis great Andre Agassi in a series of camera commercials back in the 1990s. But is this true in business? Business success ultimately comes down to the quality of products and services, but presenting an image of professionalism and sophistication is also important—especially for small businesses. So ask yourself this: What kind of image does your business telephony system present to those who call your company? One of the best ways small businesses can improve their image is by switching to a voice over Internet protocol, or VoIP, phone system. VoIP can help any size business project an image of professionalism and appear larger than it really is, which can help overcome any qualms customers may have about working with smaller, less established companies. Stefan Horbonis, who owns APA Financials, a company that buys restaurants, says that caller perception is critical for his business. “For us, it’s not just about looking big—it’s also about looking professional, because very sophisticated business people and investors are calling into our phone system. We can’t afford to look small and unsophisticated.” VoIP phone calls are made and received via an Internet connection instead of an analog landline. This provides access to more features at a lower cost, such as auto attendant, call routing and voicemail and fax-to-email. “With business VoIP, small businesses have access to sophisticated telephone features that, in the past, only big businesses could afford,” says Yaniv Masjadi, the vice president of marketing for Nextiva, a cloud-based unified communications provider. Auto Attendant Answers and Transfers Incoming Calls, 24/7 The auto attendant and intelligent call routing features work by automatically answering calls with a recorded greeting and directing them to the appropriate contact within the company, regardless of whether or not they’re in the office. For some small businesses, this can eliminate the need for a separate receptionist, which makes it both an efficient and cost effective solution. This feature is especially beneficial for small firms, says Jeff Palmer, a lead management specialist with Jive Communications, a provider of enterprise-grade hosted VoIP and unified communications. “Even a one-person business can route calls to different ‘departments’ like billing, customer service or sales, which creates the impression of being larger and more sophisticated,” he explains. “It gives customers the best experience when they call in—they are automatically routed to the person who can best help them.” Horbonis’ business VoIP telephone system handles all incoming calls to his investment company as well as his West Palm Beach restaurant, the Gourmet Deli House, on separate lines and routes them appropriately. Calls from vendors, for example, are transferred to management, while calls from customers for take-out orders are directed to another service provider that relays these orders to the restaurant. With many VoIP systems, incoming calls can be directed to employees’ cell phones when they’re on-the-go. This can be an especially valuable feature for small companies where maintaining constant communication with all customers is absolutely essential, and a single missed call can mean lost revenue. Dr. Marc Kay, D.D.S., the owner of Phoenix-based 19th Avenue Dental Care, also cites the auto attendant as the most useful feature for his practice. Kay decided to switch to business VoIP after years of “being ripped off by the phone company,” and now pays 50 percent less for his phone service. “If all our receptionists are busy, the auto attendant automatically routes calls to my cell phone so I can talk directly to patients if there’s a dental emergency,” he explains. Voicemail to Email Conversion Prevents Gaps in Communication Tratt Properties, a Phoenix-based commercial real estate firm, switched to Nextiva’s business VoIP recently after what owner Jonathan Tratt called a “small business nightmare” with its old landline phone service provider. “I don’t have time to be put on hold by the phone company or passed from one person or machine to the next. It has been a pleasure to have a phone system that is state-of-the-art and offers the same sophisticated features large corporations use.” Tratt uses a number of his VoIP phone system’s features, but says one of his favorites is voicemail to email conversion. This feature is particularly helpful for companies with staff who take frequent business trips, particularly overseas. Given the inevitable lapses in communication that often accompany travel due to time zone differences and unreliable cell phone service, voicemail to email conversion helps ensure that important messages are promptly received and answered. “I have the opportunity to travel internationally and my voice messages are converted into emails and forwarded to me so I can listen to them on my iPhone wherever I am in the world,” says Tratt. “This enables me to be more responsive to my customers. Plus, I have an electronic copy of the message if it’s ever needed.” By helping smaller companies appear more reliable and accessible, this feature can be an essential tool for building a credible reputation that helps both retain and accrue new clients. Online Admin Tool Enables Quick and Easy Customization Many VoIP systems offer an online management platform that allows users to quickly change settings. This feature helps small businesses maintain an efficient, professional appearance despite periods of rapid growth or change, e.g. adding a number of employees or positions in short succession, expanding office space, having employees who are constantly traveling, etc. “I can log into my VoIP system on Jive’s website from anywhere and route calls and call forwards, create new lines and users, customize the auto-attendant—the sky’s the limit,” says Horbonis. “A traditional landline phone system doesn’t allow you to do any of this yourself.” Ely Alexander, the CEO of Los Angeles-based Retrospec Bicycles, also appreciates his business VoIP phone system’s admin capabilities. “It’s easy to customize the phone system’s settings and change extensions using the online admin tool,” he says. “For a growing business, VoIP is definitely what you need.” Don’t Neglect Your Telephone System With so much business communication today taking place via email, social media, texting and the like, it can be easy to neglect the business telephone. Daryl Reva, the director of channel marketing for Fonality, a developer and marketer of cloud-based business and unified communications solutions, stresses the importance of your business’ core telephone system. “A phone call is often the first interaction customers have with your company, setting the standard for the experience and quality of service they can expect going forward,” he says. “Therefore, it’s critical that small and mid-sized businesses make the right first phone impression. Implementing a business VoIP phone system enables you to do this while also presenting an image of professionalism and sophistication.” Don Sadler is a freelance writer and editor who specializes in the areas of business and finance, which he has covered for nearly three decades. Throughout his career, Don has worked with some of the nation’s largest financial institutions, investment companies and financial publishers in the creation of content for all mediums: print, online and broadcast. 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