Christmas is almost upon us! And this often means business downtime. Therefore, it’s important that customers are still looked after during this period.

There are a few things you may need to think about!

While you’re business closes its doors over the festive period, it’s not abnormal to have a few stragglers – who have missed those ‘Christmas opening times’ social media posts – calling up the office. Ultimately, they will be disappointed.

Missed calls can be frustrating for the person making the call and can mean lost opportunities for the business unable to answer. But did you know that our call management system can help improve your performance?

How, you might ask?

At Equations, we work with cloud-based telephone systems (like VoIP) and we’ve seen first-hand the efficiency and improvement they offer.

It’s simple to set up a personalised and/or professional voicemail message, after which you will be able to access the voicemail via your email account for added convenience. You can also take advantage of professional hold music, so if you have to keep the customer waiting while you pop them through to somebody who can help them while you’re away, at least they won’t be sat on the line in awkward silence!

Key benefits of cloud-based telephone systems:

1. Set automated messages – for example a short message to say that your business is closed over the festive period and what date you will be reopen in the new year
2. Update receptionist greetings before Christmas to remind callers of your Christmas hours
3. Set up call diverts for employees who will be working from home answering calls

For those still flexibly working:

1. Divert calls to your home or your employees
2. Divert to mobiles if you are travelling over Christmas or going on holiday
3. Keep call costs low as those working from home can still communicate with the office
4. Video conferencing from home

The key here is that a VoIP telephone system is extremely flexible. No matter what hours you are open over Christmas, or where in the world your employees are, a VoIP phone system can be configured to work for you and you customers/clients.

You aren’t just limited to one forwarding destination either, the system allows you to forward an incoming call to multiple destinations – either one after the other or simultaneously. And it’s all easily configured in your online account with changes taking just minutes to come into effect. Not bad, right?

Think of VoIP like a full-time staff member who can hold the fort, divert people to the right place during the Christmas period, and keep things ticking smoothly along until you’re back in the office!

So, how do I get started?

If you’re interested in setting up your own VoIP system, contact the Equations team on 01237 420010 and we’ll happily chat things through.