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Call Routing Starter Guide: Learn the Basics

Nextiva delivers advanced call routing services for small businesses, helping customers’ calls reach the right person faster. New Nextiva customers can receive a 30% discount on call routing and other services.

Inbound calling customers need to connect with the proper person in your business as quickly as possible to keep them engaged and satisfied. The best call routing software can use a set of custom rules to automatically send calls to various people or departments in your company. Years ago, call routing was only available to huge companies, but cloud software opens this capability up to almost any size company.

The 4 Best Business Phone Services for Call Routing

Cloud-based business phone services provide call routing capabilities that can help your company. The best business phone services offer high-end call routing capabilities, giving you the specific routing features you need.

  • Nextiva — Best for most
  • RingCentral — Best for hybrid or remote work
  • GoTo Connect — Best for getting a wealth of features in a basic plan
  • Ooma — Best for small businesses needing an easy setup
Best Business Phone Services for Call Routing

How Call Routing Works

You can set up call routing features when you use business phone service software. The call routing software answers incoming calls to your business. It then sends the calls to a particular person or department in your company based on specific criteria and rules you set up in the software.

Call routing is different from call forwarding. The call routing system uses rules and artificial intelligence to try to send calls to the best possible person in your company to handle that particular call. Call forwarding simply sends the call to a specific person when the first person is unavailable. 

Nextiva call routing landing page
Call routing is a feature in business phone service software that automates the process of determining which person or department should take the call.

Call routing, also called automated call distribution (ACD) or auto attendant, can work in tandem with other aspects of your business phone service software. 

One simple way call routing may work is by having several different phone numbers for customers who call your company. With one number, the call routing software can send the caller to the tech support team. With another phone number, the call router knows to send the call to the sales team.

Another option is to use an auto attendant menu when customers call your general phone number. When the customer selects an option from the phone menu, the system routes the customer to the proper department.

You also can create a call routing system that relies on rules instead of menu selections or unique phone numbers. The call routing system could route the call to a certain person or department depending on things like:

  • Time of the day
  • Day of the week
  • Location of the caller
  • Repeat or new caller

You can set up the rules by which the call routing system will work through the software settings.

Types of Call Routing Systems for Departments

Example of a call routing flow chart showing how a call can move through a company
One of the types of call routing systems can involve creating a flow chart that shows how the call will move through your company.

Beyond sending calls to the right department, the call routing system can manage who within the department will answer each call.

When creating a call routing system, start by deciding what base call routing system you want to use. You then can adjust the rules for that type of system to ensure that it will fit the department’s needs perfectly. The primary types of call routing systems include the following.

  • Idle time: The system would measure which call center team member has been idle the longest. It then would send the call to that team member. Once that team member takes a call, that team member moves to the back of the list.
  • One preferred agent: The system can send the call to one person in the department. If that person is unavailable, the system finds the second person on the department’s list. The process continues until the system finds an available agent.
  • Weighted preferred agent: You can also set up the system to route a certain percentage of calls to a particular person. Other calls would go to others in the department, and you can assign each person to receive a portion of those other calls. This is an excellent way to send more calls to your best-performing team member or give a trainee a smaller number of calls during the learning process.
  • Simultaneous: With simultaneous call routing, the system will ring the phones of everyone in the department at the same time for an incoming call. Anyone can answer it. When you want a sales team to compete for incoming leads, the simultaneous system can encourage team members to answer the phone fast.
  • Circular: When calls come into a particular department in your company, the system passes the calls to team members in a specific order. The system uses an ordered list of team members and sends the call to the person next in line. Once someone receives a call, that person goes to the back of the line. This works nicely for a sales team, so everyone has an equal chance of making a sale on an inbound call.
  • Relationship: When an incoming caller has called in the past, the call routing software can automatically send the caller to the last team member with whom the caller spoke. 

Benefits of Using Call Routing

Animated Nextiva diagram showing a person wearing a a headset routing a call to two other people
Call routing provides benefits for both call center team members in your company and for customers.

Using call routing, even in a small business, can give the impression to customers that you have a far larger organization. When your auto attendant automatically routes the calls to the right person or department, it impresses customers. 

A call routing system can provide several other benefits, too, including:

  • Better customer experience: When customers are able to speak to the proper person or department on the first try most of the time, they have a greater level of satisfaction. 
  • Fewer dropped calls: Even when using the best phone system, the chances of losing a customer call increase when manually forwarding calls. Successful call routing systems should reduce the need to forward calls because the call will be in the right place the first time.
  • Better productivity: Your team members should be more productive because they receive calls appropriate to their skills. Through routing, team members receive fewer calls that don’t fit their skills. They then don’t have to waste time figuring out what the customer needs and which team member should handle it.
  • Fairer treatment: For a sales team, using call routing can create the fairest way to distribute potential leads through inbound calls. For call center team members, the call routing software can ensure all team members receive a similar number of calls throughout the day.
  • Automatic forwarding: With a call routing system in place, you can reduce the number of voicemails a customer must leave. You can set up the system to automatically forward calls to the next person on the list if the first person is busy or out of the office.

Ultimately, the primary advantage of a call routing system is to reduce the cost per incoming customer call for your company. When your team members handle calls more efficiently and customers spend less time on the phone per call, your cost goes down.

Advanced Call Routing Features

Nextiva diagram showing how a call moves through the IVR system
When deploying an IVR as part of your advanced call routing system, customers can use voice commands to self-route their calls.

Although basic call routing systems can improve the customer experience significantly, other options exist. Your company may need advanced call routing features to better handle the types of incoming calls you receive.

One of the most popular options for advanced call routing is an interactive voice response (IVR) system. The IVR uses an automated phone attendant that greets callers to your business and then presents the caller with a list of menu options.

Customers can choose from the menu by pressing a phone button or by verbally describing what information they need. If the caller presses a button on the phone, the IVR system routes the call based on a flow chart you create in the software.

If the caller issues a verbal command, the IVR uses artificial intelligence to decipher the caller’s intent. It then routes the call to the appropriate person or department based on what the IVR believes to be the caller’s need. 

When the IVR system cannot decipher the caller’s verbal commands, it takes steps to reduce routing errors. Typically, it moves the caller from verbal commands to phone button menu options. This forces the caller to make a precise command selection that the system understands.

IVR can even give callers answers to common questions, such as your operating hours, without involving a human team member.

Best Practices for Creating a Call Routing System

Example of a call routing flow chart
To create an efficient call routing system, you may want to develop a flow chart that shows all the possibilities customers may encounter.

Although the right call routing software package can do a lot of the work for you, the system may not be perfect out of the box. Most small businesses will want to customize the call routing system to ensure that it fits their needs and their customers’ needs perfectly.

When customizing the system, you will want to follow some basic steps that represent best practices. These steps can lead to the best possible chance at success with the system.

  • Create a flow chart: A flow chart is a perfect way to visually represent how the call routing system will work. Using a flow chart helps you see areas where problems may exist. Nextiva, for example, offers a Call Flow Builder feature that helps you build the call routing and IVR system visually.
  • Understand the types of call routing: As you plan your call routing system, figure out which type of routing fits your business best. You may find that you need different types of routing for various departments in your company.
  • Use fewer choices: Avoid having several menu choices that customers must listen to in the initial call routing system selection. Customers will experience frustration if you have too many menu choices. Instead, use menus and submenus to have fewer choices at each step. 
  • Seek feedback: After deploying your call routing system, create an option where customers can provide feedback about the system after the call completes. Such feedback may point out areas where customers are experiencing problems.
  • Measure performance: You can use business phone software to measure your call center’s performance. Areas showing improvement can give you confidence that your call routing system is working properly.

Mistakes to Avoid When Creating a Call Routing System

Call routing system problems can lead to frustrated customers and frustrated members of your company. When you are creating a call routing system, use these tips to avoid making common errors.

  • Creating long hold times: When you don’t have enough call routing options, customers may end up on hold for long periods of time. Customers dislike sitting on hold, which means your call abandonment rate could climb. Try to use the call routing system to give customers the ability to connect with a team member as quickly as possible.
  • Ignoring personal information: Many companies use an IVR system to collect personal information about the caller before connecting the call to a human. If you do this as part of your call routing system, make sure your team member can see the information when answering the call. No customer wants to have to repeat giving personal information.
  • Treating it like call forwarding: A successful call routing system is not simply sending calls to a different team member when the first team member is busy. Although it can use elements of call forwarding, your call routing system should go beyond basic call forwarding. It should use the caller’s information to route the call to the proper person intelligently.
  • Refusing to make changes: It would be rare for a call routing system to be perfect the first time you create and deploy it. Even if you do a lot of testing before deployment, you still may have unclear areas for customers. Don’t be afraid to make changes if your customer feedback, performance measurements, or further testing show issues.
  • Not focusing on the customer’s point of view: Any call routing system you create must work well for the customer making the call. As you plan and develop the system, always focus on how the customer will use the system. Make things as easy as possible for the customer, and you’ll have a better chance at success.

Final Thoughts About Call Routing

If your call center employees are constantly manually passing customer calls from person to person, your call center’s efficiency is lacking. Additionally, those people calling your company have a greater chance of becoming frustrated when they don’t receive a quick answer to the problem from the first team member.

Your customer support resources can benefit tremendously from using call routing features inside business phone services software. More efficient routing gives your team members a better working experience and saves you money.

In our Nextiva review, we pointed out its strong call routing features. Other cloud software packages that are part of our best business phone services list also perform well in call routing. Using call routing capabilities should provide a better experience for customers and employees.

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7 Best Business Voicemail Transcription Services (Text and Email)

Are you looking for a service to transcribe your voicemails?

Voicemail transcription helps convert your voicemails to text, so you can read them later on your phone or computer. It saves time, as you don’t have to listen to recordings and quickly view the message in text form.

In this article, we’ll show you the best business voicemail transcription services.

Best business voicemail transcription services

Why Use a Business Voicemail Transcription Service?

Voicemail transcription means converting your audio messages into text format. However, manually transcribing each voicemail is a time-consuming task. Instead, you can use a business voicemail transcription service.

There are a lot of software available that will automatically convert voicemail speech to text. The transcriptions can be sent to you by email or text.

This is more convenient especially when you can’t listen to voicemails. You can quickly read the message anywhere instead of listening to the voice recording.

It also helps streamline your customer support process. Your support staff can search for voicemails from a user and look at previous messages, so they can provide a better customer experience. You can also keep records of your voicemails and connect them to customer relationship management (CRM) software.

That being said, let’s look at the best business voicemail transcription services.

1. Nextiva

The Nextiva coupon code has been automatically applied

Nextiva is the best virtual phone service in the market that offers powerful features, including voicemail transcriptions. The cloud phone system is easy to use and set up.

It brings multiple communication channels under one roof. For example, you can make HD video calls, send text messages, live chat, voicemails, phone calls, and more from a single place.

Nextiva offers a voicemail to email and text option, where you can receive voicemails inside your inbox. This allows you to respond to customers quickly, even when calls are missed. Once this feature is active, it will automatically transcribe the voicemail.

Besides that, you also get other features like call recording, unlimited calls and texts in North America, toll-free numbers, team chat, auto attendant, call transfer and forwarding, and more.

They also business phone apps for iOS and Android smartphones, so it lets you stay connected with customers anywhere in the world.

At WPBeginner, we use Nextiva for all our business phone needs. We’re huge fans of their platform and the features it offers.

Pricing: You will need the Nextiva Enterprise plan to use the voicemail transcription features, which will cost you $32.95 per user per month.

2. RingCentral

RingCentral

RingCentral is another top business voicemail transcription service. Their business VoIP phone service offers lots of powerful features and is a perfect solution for remote teams.

With its Voicemail for Business feature, you get to choose how to receive voicemails. For instance, you can access voice messages from the RingCentral online account, desktop app, mobile device, email, and desk phone.

RingCentral offers an option to send voicemails to your email address. You’ll receive an audio attachment and transcription, so you can quickly scan through the message without listening to the voicemail.

Other than that, RingCentral offers features like video conference calls, unlimited calling in the US and Canada, voice-to-text features, toll-free numbers, and other call-handling features.

Pricing: The voicemail-to-text feature is available in the Essentials plan and will cost you $19.99 per user per month.

3. Ooma

Ooma

Ooma is a popular VoIP phone service for businesses of all sizes. It is loaded with features, including voicemail transcription and voicemail-to-email options.

You can configure your voicemails to be automatically sent to an email address when they’re left in your Ooma Office app. You will get an audio recording as an attachment and transcribed text in the body of the email.

Ooma is also easy to use and works out of the box. You get more features like a virtual receptionist, hold music, extension dialing, video conferencing, 1-800 phone numbers, a call center, and more. There are also desktop and mobile apps, so you can call and receive voicemails from anywhere in the world.

Pricing: Ooma prices start from $19.95 per month per user. However, the voicemail transcription feature is available in the Ooma Office Pro and Pro Plus pricing plans.

4. FreshDesk Contact Center

FreshDesk

FreshDesk Contact Center is the next business voicemail transcription service on our list. It was previously known as Freshcaller and is a user-friendly virtual business phone provider.

FreshDesk Contact Center offers an AI-power voicemail transcription feature. Its artificial intelligence engine, called Freddy AI, automatically transcribes voicemails.

You can easily access the transcriptions from the FreshDesk phone system and view key metrics like queue time and IVR time. It also lets you enable voicemail transcription for selected phone numbers and set up voicemail greetings.

Other features offered by FreshDesk Contact Center include a call waiting option, vanity numbers, mobile apps, shared lines, route calls to voicemail, block spam calls, call recording, and more.

Pricing: You will need the Growth plan or higher to use the voicemail transcription feature in FreshDesk Contact Center. This will cost you $15 per agent per month (billed annually). There is also a free version of the software you use to get started, but it doesn’t include voicemail transcriptions.

5. Grasshopper

Grasshopper

Grasshopper is one of the best business phone services, and it is perfect for small businesses and startups. The service offers a voicemail transcription feature and allows you to receive the transcriptions in your email inbox.

It is very easy to set up, and you can add email addresses where you’d like the forwarded messages to go. Then using the Grasshopper desktop app or mobile apps, you can read the voicemail messages.

Aside from voicemail transcription, Grasshopper is filled with robust features. For instance, you get simultaneous call handling, call forwarding, extensions, call transfers, VoIP calling, virtual fax, reporting, and more.

Pricing: Grasshopper pricing plans start from $28 per month (billed annually), and all plans include the voicemail feature. Do note that it is only available in the US and Canada.

6. Google Voice

Google voice

Google Voice is another business voicemail transcription service you can use for your WordPress website. It is part of Google Workspace and easily integrates with other tools like Google Meet and Calendar.

The service uses Google’s AI to turn voicemails into text automatically. The AI is powerful and converts complex words into easy-to-read text.

Besides that, it is very easy to use and offers free calling to US and Canada, spam call blocking, unlimited text messaging in the US, call forwarding, mobile apps, and more.

Pricing: Google Voice prices start from $10 per user per month and includes a voicemail transcription feature.

7. Phone.com

Phone.com

Phone.com is a popular cloud-based virtual phone service offering a voicemail feature. You can listen to audio messages from your online account and set up a voicemail-to-email feature.

Phone.com will automatically transcribe your voicemails and send them to you as email or text messages. This way, you can read the message instead of listening to the voice note or forward the transcription to other team members.

With Phone.com, you also enjoy other powerful features. It is a complete virtual phone solution and offers call forwarding, call transfer, analytics, number porting, audio conferences, fax from phone, text messaging, and more.

Pricing: The voicemail transcription feature is included in the Plus users or higher plan, and its prices start from $15.99 per user per month.

Which is the Best Business Voicemail Transcription Service?

In our expert opinion, the best business voicemail transcription service is Nextiva, and after careful research we chose to use it for our own business.

Nextiva is user-friendly and offers lots of features to help you connect with your customers and team members from anywhere. You can easily receive voicemail transcriptions in your email, handle calls, conduct virtual meetings, create workflows, and more.

Plus, Nextiva has desktop and mobile apps, so you are always connected on the go. It also easily integrates multiple communication channels into a single platform.

If you’re looking for other solutions, then we recommend RingCentral and Ooma as alternatives to Nextiva for voicemail transcriptions.

We hope this article helped you pick the best business voicemail transcription service. You may also want to see our comparison of the best email marketing services and best live chat software for small business.

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Softphone Starter Guide: Learn the Basics

Nextiva is our top pick for the best cloud-based phone systems because of its enhanced ability to manage high-call volumes and incredible UCaaS offerings. Give Nextiva a try today.

If you’re considering switching to VoIP, chances are you’ve heard of softphones or software telephones. But you may not fully understand what they are or how they work. And that’s totally okay—it’s why we’ve created this guide.

Whether you‘re an SMB owner or an IT manager looking to implement a softphone into your business, we’ll tell you everything you need to know to get started, including how it works, its advantages, and potential drawbacks.

The 15 Best Cloud-Based Phone Systems

If you’re looking for a reliable softphone provider, check out our best cloud-based phone system guide to make the right choice.

  • Nextiva — Best All-Around Cloud-Based Phone System
  • RingCentral — Best for Hybrid or Remote Work
  • Ooma — Easiest Setup for Small Businesses
  • Zoom — Affordable Call Monitoring
  • Dialpad — Most Flexible
  • GoTo Connect — Easiest Call Flow Manager
  • 8×8 — Best for Global Companies
  • Avaya — Best for Toll-Free Phone Calls
  • Google Voice — Best for Solopreneurs
  • Grasshopper — Best for the Basics
  • OpenPhone — Best for Multiple Numbers
  • Aircall — Most Unique Call Management Features
  • 11Sight — Best for Sales and Marketing Teams
  • Net2Phone — Best for Reception Management
  • Webex — Best for Hardware Integration

What is a Softphone?

A softphone is an installable desktop and mobile phone app that lets you communicate over the internet. It functions much the same way as a regular phone app.

Users can dial numbers to make calls and access their VoIP features (do not disturb, voicemail, and auto-attendant) and other traditional features, such as mute, hold, and transfer.

A softphone is similar to a traditional phone in terms of functionality but has a more flexible setup and greater accessibility. Depending on the softphone provider you select, you can have an entirely cloud-based solution that gives you anytime-anywhere access, as long as you have a stable internet connection.

Softphone vs. Hardphone

Softphones and hard phones are the two types of VoIP devices. A hard phone is a physical, dedicated device that resembles old-school telephones but works through VoIP.

Here’s a quick comparison between the two:

Interface

Hard phones have physical buttons to serve as a dial pad, but they may also have a touchscreen with a full GUI. Softphones are software-based and have GUI elements.

Ease of Use

This depends on your personal preference.

If you’re familiar with traditional phone systems, you’ll find hard phones easier to use. If you’re familiar with software programs, softphones will feel more user-friendly. However, the latter typically involves some level of onboarding or training as opposed to a hard phone.

Call Quality

Both hard phones and softphones need a stable internet connection to work. But the former may have a slight edge over the latter when it comes to calling quality, being a dedicated device for handling calls. A softphone may suffer from sharing system resources with other software.

Deployment

Hard phones are slower to implement when done on a company-wide scale. Plus, you’ll have to purchase new physical hardware. Contrarily, softphone deployment and maintenance is quicker and easier, and it doesn’t involve purchasing additional equipment.

Costs

Hard phones are more expensive than softphones. They require physical hardware (for instance, a handset receiver and a base with a display, buttons, and a camera). On the other hand, the fact that no new hardware has to be purchased, except maybe a headset if needed, makes softphones less expensive.

How Does a Softphone Work?

To use a softphone, you’ll need a desktop computer/smartphone/tablet and a VoIP headset or microphone and speaker on your device for superior audio quality.

Generally speaking, a softphone works like any other phone. You open the app, dial a phone number, wait to be connected to the person you want to call, and that’s it. The only difference is that instead of dialing a physical keyboard, you’ll dial on a virtual one provided on the app on your cell phone or computer.

RingCentral webpage for how to use a softphone
Companies like RingCentral make it easy to record calls using your softphone.

Companies like RingCentral make it easy to record calls using your softphone.

During a VoIP call, your voice is converted into digital data through a codec. This data, known as “packets,” is then transmitted as a binary code between devices. The packets are then “decoded” back into the original voice at the receiving end, which the recipient can hear. 

Another technicality to keep in mind includes the endpoints of both your and the recipient’s devices supporting the same VoIP protocol and each having at least one common codec. Otherwise, the softphone won’t be able to communicate.

What are the Benefits of a Softphone?

If you are still wondering whether a softphone would make the right choice for your business, consider the following benefits to understand why they are growing so rapidly:

Cost-effective

For small businesses, making VoIP calls on a softphone is typically (much) cheaper as you don’t have to pay for expensive hardware. You can make international calls at a fraction of the cost of the general fees associated with making an international call.

Versatile

Being a software-based tool, a softphone runs on many types of devices, including iOS and Android smartphones, as well as Mac and Windows desktops. As long as you have a data connection, there’s no place you can’t stay connected with your team. This makes softphones ideal for businesses with multiple office locations, frequent travelers, and telecommuters.

Offers Multiple Integrations

Softphones offer multiple integrations with various business tools, expanding the capabilities of your teams. 

Because they do not require hardware, you have the option to enhance their functionality through integrations. For instance, integrating the softphone with messaging software allows your employees to send instant messages, and integrating with a CRM can provide access to important customer information like contact details and email addresses.

Private

With a softphone, you can answer calls from a mobile device without having to sync your personal contacts and information. Any calls you make on the app will show your business number and not your phone number.

So if you have a BYOD policy (bring your own device) for your organization, you won’t have to worry about compromising staff privacy.

Portable

Softphone apps allow you to take your communication with you, enabling 24/7 employee connectivity.

You and your team can take on calls from any device without being confined to your desk. Further, you can keep tabs on all communications and respond to colleagues quickly through text or video call where ever you go.

What are the Drawbacks of a Softphone?

Like two sides of a coin, you must also deal with certain drawbacks to using a softphone. Here’s a quick list:

Internet Connectivity Mandate

Softphones need an internet connection to function. If your internet connection is weak or drops out, you may experience disruptions in your phone service.

Compatibility Issues

Though versatile, softphones are not compatible with all devices and operating systems. 

Security Concerns

As with any software transmitting data over the internet, a softphone poses a risk of security vulnerabilities. You must ensure to use a reputable softphone provider and regularly update your software to protect your business and team members against potential security threats.

Large Upfront Costs

Softphones are a cost-effective solution for businesses, but they may require substantial upfront costs for purchasing or subscribing to the software. Let’s not forget to account for the ongoing costs of internet service and maintenance.

Overall, while softphones offer many benefits, you should also consider the potential drawbacks against your business needs and budget before deciding if a softphone app is suitable for you.

What are the Key Features of a Softphone?

Softphones provide a variety of features that can be tailored to your needs. Ideally, you will want a mix of basic and advanced features. Some key features to consider in a softphone include:

Instant Messaging

Softphones offer instant team chat messaging to facilitate real-time communication and collaboration, eliminating the need for email. Users can create private and public channels for different teams, departments, or projects and easily transition from chat to audio or video calls with a single click.

File sharing, real-time notifications, and whiteboarding are other collaborative features to improve team communication and productivity.

Call Waiting and Call Holding

Call waiting alerts agents when they have an incoming call while they are already on a call. This can help them prioritize more important calls. If an agent needs to take a second call, they can put the current caller on hold and transfer the call to another available agent. To avoid keeping callers on hold for extended periods, consider additional features like call queuing or customer callbacks.

Audio Conferencing and Call Bridge

Softphone users can participate in conference calls. Typically, 10-40 users can join a single session by clicking a link or dialing a phone number. A call bridge (a phone line that connects all participants) is another way for multiple people to join a conference call, regardless of their location. 

Call Forwarding

Call forwarding allows softphone systems to auto-forward calls to multiple phone numbers if the initial call goes unanswered. This increases the flexibility of the phone system.

For instance, you can get calls forwarded from an agent’s desk phone to their personal cell phone or through their home phone number and then to the department queue to connect them with an available agent.

Call Routing

Call routing directs inbound calls to the ideal agent based on predetermined criteria and calls flow path.

This way, the caller is immediately connected to an agent most suitable to help them out, cutting down on caller wait time. This system also prevents individual agents from being overloaded with calls while other agents hardly attend calls, ensuring an equal division of calls.

Voicemail

Admittedly, voicemail is a standard telephone feature. But modern voicemail offers several amazing features to boost functionality.

For instance, softphones facilitate voicemail audio files, pushing them directly to user emails or as push notifications. You can even request transcriptions, so it’s easier for your team to review and understand content in case making a call isn’t possible.

Contact Sharing

Softphone app users can subscribe to company contact lists and share their own contacts with coworkers. This is a particularly handy feature to boost productivity by allowing employees to find client contact details faster.

Auto-attendant and IVR

IVR (interactive voice response) is a type of interactive call menu that directs calls to the correct agent based on the caller’s answers to pre-recorded questions. Think of “Press 1 to learn more about your current account status. Press 2 to speak to our customer support agent.”

Callers can respond to auto-attendant or IVR prompts via the touchtone dialpad or by simply speaking.

Final Thoughts About Softphones

Softphones are a convenient and cost-effective way for businesses to manage their phone communication. 

By using these apps to make and receive calls, you can save on the cost of traditional hardware-based phones and enjoy advanced features, such as call forwarding and voicemail. That said, don’t forget to consider the potential drawbacks before deciding if it’s the right solution for your business. 

In case you need more help choosing a softphone provider, look at our guides for the best business phone services and the best office phone systems.

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Interactive Voice Response Starter Guide: Learn the Basics

Through our research, we selected Nextiva as the best business phone service for most companies in the area of interactive voice response. Nextiva offers savings of up to 30% for new customers.

When you want to serve your customers more efficiently through your call center, using interactive voice response (IVR) technology is a proven option. IVR delivers automation, allowing customers to fix some problems on their own. However, your automated phone system must run smoothly, or customer frustration levels will rise quickly. We’ll discuss the key components of using IVR.

The 13 Best Business Phone Services for Interactive Voice Response

We studied the best business phone services when seeking models that offer interactive voice response capabilities. Your business phone service can help with IVR setup while managing your calls and offering communications services like texting, faxing, and video conferencing.

  • Nextiva — Best for most
  • RingCentral — Best for hybrid or remote work
  • Ooma — Best for small businesses needing an easy setup 
  • 8×8 — Best for affordable, high-security calling services
  • Aircall — Best for brands with a consistently high call volume
  • Avaya — Best for using toll-free numbers
  • Dialpad — Best for gathering real-time analytics
  • Google Voice — Best for brands already using Google products
  • GoTo Connect — Best for getting a wealth of features in a basic plan
  • Grasshopper — Best for solopreneurs and microbusinesses
  • Net2Phone — Best for international business calls
  • Talkroute — Best for small teams on-the-go
  • Webex Calling — Best for SMBs who need enterprise features

How Basic Interactive Voice Response Works

Screenshot of Nextiva's Interaction Voice Response web page.
An IVR system answers calls for the company and automatically routes them to the appropriate department based on customer responses.

Interactive voice response is a call routing system that allows callers to enter responses to automated questions. The system uses the responses to determine which department should field the call or whether a self-service option would help the customer. 

IVR is the technology used to route the calls to the proper destination. Interactive voice response can involve using spoken word responses from the callers, who answer automated questions from the IVR system. It also can involve having callers press buttons on the phone to select menu options. The steps the interactive voice response system follows can include the following.

  • Answering the call: When a customer calls your company’s general phone number, the IVR system answers the call rather than a member of your customer service team. The system generates an automated greeting.
  • Gathering basic information: The IVR system may then ask the customer for some basic information, like what language the system should use or the customer’s account number.
  • Reason for the call: The IVR system asks the caller a series of questions about the reason for the call. Depending on the setup of the system, callers can use oral responses or can touch phone buttons to select an answer from a menu.
  • Routing the call: Once the IVR system determines the reason for the call, it then routes the call. It may automatically forward the call to the correct department. It may also give the caller the ability to solve the problem with self-service options.
  • Automated solution: If the IVR system believes it can help the customer solve the problem, it gives the customer the desired information. This might include providing an account balance or reading a list of the business’s hours. 
  • Sending the call to a human: If the IVR system cannot help the customer solve the problem, it routes the call to the proper customer service department. A team member can then answer the call and speak to the customer.

The IVR system consists of software that manages automated interactions with customers. It merges your company’s actual phone system with technology to manage incoming calls. 

The software pulls information from your company’s database to be able to verify customer information. If the customer provides a date of birth as a means of identification, for example, the IVR must be able to verify that the DOB is accurate.

How Advanced Interactive Voice Response Systems Work

Screenshot of Nextiva's conversational AI web page.
Advanced IVR allows customers to speak to the system in a normal, conversational manner.

Advanced IVR technology can bring a host of benefits to your company’s customer service response team versus using a basic system.

With Nextiva, for example, the software can use Conversational AI to make the automated interaction with customers seem more natural. The idea is that customers may be able to receive answers to their questions faster when the interaction with the IVR system feels more like a natural human conversation.

To create an advanced IVR system, the process starts with deploying high-level voice recognition capabilities. If the IVR system cannot understand natural conversation from the caller, the artificial intelligence won’t work properly. 

With advanced voice recognition, the system can understand full sentences, allowing for open-ended questions. Such interactions may help the IVR system determine the reason for the call faster than using a series of menus. 

Rather than hiring call center team members who can speak multiple languages, consider including multi-language support in the advanced IVR. Perhaps you can solve the majority of multi-language customer issues through advanced IVR rather than through human interactions, saving money.

Advanced AI inside the interactive voice response system can deliver answers to common questions without needing to involve a human. It could even help customers schedule appointments. The advanced system could ensure the customer connects with the correct doctor for the appointment by recognizing the doctor names that the customer says.

Benefits of IVR Systems for Businesses

Screenshot of Nextiva's interactive voice response system home dashboard.
Making use of IVR systems saves time for both the customer and the company’s customer service team.

By automating many aspects of routing calls, IVR saves time for your customer service team. This is a significant benefit of deploying this technology.

Interactive voice response saves time by routing calls and by gathering some basic information from the customer before the customer service rep speaks to the customer. The customer service rep saves time by having information about the customer on the computer screen before the actual conversation begins.

Because the IVR system can handle many calls simultaneously, there’s never a worry of customers being unable to make contact. Instead of having a department of receptionists become overwhelmed with a sudden influx of calls, the IVR system routes them to various departments, spreading out the calls.

Even though an expense exists for implementing IVR, the system may be cheaper than hiring enough employees to handle all the calls. By siphoning off a large chunk of inbound calls to the IVR system, you can have fewer people on your customer service team. Ultimately, fewer calls require a human touch when deploying interactive voice responses.

Interactive voice response systems can provide benefits for nearly any type of company. Even for a B2B company, where consumers don’t call your business regularly, you may be able to have IVR help with routing sales calls from your business clients. IVR also could provide product explanations to people who don’t need to speak to a salesperson.

You may be able to set up the IVR to collect information on inbound calls, such as the caller’s phone number and name. This information could help you create a sales lead from the inbound caller, even if the caller simply seeks product information from the IVR.

Benefits of IVR Systems for Customers

Although customers might prefer to speak to a human over an automated attendant, this option doesn’t always deliver the best result. 

The IVR system answers the customer’s call and begins working on the problem immediately, which is better for customers than sitting on hold. It’s also better than having a call ring and ring and ring with no answer because all your customer service team members are already on calls.

Customers like the idea of being able to connect with your company at any time on any day of the week. With an IVR system handling the calls, you don’t need to have specific customer service hours. When customer service employees are not available, the IVR system can simply record a message from the customer. The customer doesn’t have to worry about calling back during normal business hours.

When connecting with an interactive voice response system that can provide answers to common questions, customers can resolve their problems faster. Rather than having to wait on hold to speak to a human to find out the business hours for your company, the IVR system answers this question within a few seconds.

Importantly, an interactive voice response system can give your business clear branding that your customers trust. The IVR always answers the phone in a professional manner, allowing your customers to feel comfortable about the interaction with you.

How To Set Up an Interactive Voice Response System

Screenshot from Nextiva's IVR system with a call flow visual builder feature on display.
Making use of business phone services software simplifies creating the framework for how the call flows through IVR.

Although the process of setting up interactive voice response with your phone system can be challenging, it’s easier when you rely on business phone services software.

A system like Nextiva would allow you to use a series of drop-down menus to set up the system and customize it to your business. For example, you could use the software to quickly create your initial menu of options for the inbound call. 

The software’s menus also provide the ability to set the flow of the calls as customers make selections. You should be able to do this through drag-and-drop actions in the software, making the process as easy as possible. Choose to route calls to a certain department, to a particular extension number on your phone system, or to a voicemail system.

As part of the setup process, you can decide whether you want to use a natural-language voice-enabled IVR or a telephone touch-tone IVR. (With some business phone services, you pay extra to use a speech-enabled system.)

Certainly, performing the setup process for your IVR system can take a lot of time and testing. It’s not a project that you want to try to rush through with little thought given to it. 

Think about the organizational structure that you want from your interactive voice response system. It may help to create a flow chart, allowing you to visualize the system’s flow before starting the software’s building process.

Even better, Nextiva uses a process called Call Flow Builder to help you direct the flow of calls with your IVR. This works similarly to creating a flow chart on your own, giving you a visual representation of how customers can interact with your IVR. 

With the Call Flow Builder, you create a number of actions for each menu selection the customer makes. You even can set up different call flow processes based on whether the call occurs during normal business hours or on the weekend. Through the Call Flow Builder, you can make the process as detailed or as basic as you like.

Always look at the system setup and the flow of the call from the customer’s perspective. You want the calling system menus to make sense to the customer and to be easy to follow. Adding unnecessary complexity to the system only causes confusion and unhappy customers. 

To help with visualizing your system from a customer’s point of view, go through your completed flow chart as if you are a customer calling in to the system. Look for missing menu options and areas that are overly complicated.

Common Errors to Avoid in an IVR System

Screenshot of Nextiva's IVR call flow setup process with various features to select from.
Extensive testing of any IVR system is vital to ensure customers receive a smooth experience that they can trust.

Errors in the IVR system could cause numerous problems, ranging from unhappy customers to outright fraud. Some of the downsides of deploying an interactive voice response system that has errors in it include the following.

  • Fraud: If a caller is trying to steal someone else’s personal information, that caller may enter fake information into the IVR system. If the fraud works, the system may automatically reveal information that it shouldn’t. The IVR system’s verification process must be foolproof.
  • Input errors: If the system is unable to understand oral commands from the caller, this could lead to a misrouted call. You may want to give callers the option of touching buttons to enter selections if the oral responses are not working.
  • Menu errors: In a large company, the number of potential combinations for menu choices could be in the thousands. It’s important to test all possibilities to ensure the system is working as expected. Customer frustration grows quickly when an automated system makes an error, as the customer feels helpless.
  • Reaching a human: If the caller is unable to eventually reach a human at the end of dealing with the IVR system, the caller would consider this a significant failure. The IVR system cannot drop the call or send the caller to a dead end. Try to set up the system so it always defaults to a human operator if the system runs into a snag.

You do not want errors to leave your customers frustrated and angry. Before beginning to use the interactive voice response system with your company, it’s important to test it thoroughly. Double-check every possibility, behaving as you would expect a customer to behave, before implementing the IVR system.

Final Thoughts About Interactive Voice Response

As you decide on which software to use for your IVR system, it’s important to consider the cost of the system versus its benefit. The IVR software must ease the burden on your customer support team to be considered successful. If it isn’t saving time for team members by routing customer calls efficiently, for example, it’s not really helping you.

Ideally, the interactive voice response system you select will fit in nicely with your other call center services. Rather than forcing your team members to learn how to use multiple systems, try to find a system that can handle all customer service needs.

Deploying an IVR system should eventually lead to better performance and lower costs for operating customer service. Better customer service and better business performance often go hand in hand, so the selection of your IVR system requires careful consideration.

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PBX Starter Guide: Learn the Basics

Nextiva is one of the most versatile and well-rounded options for using a cloud-based PBX system. New Nextiva customers can receive a 30% discount when signing up for the service.

PBX, or public branch exchange, is a private telephone system that uses hardware and software to route calls rather than forcing humans to route the calls manually. Although PBX traditionally consists of on-premise hardware and software, cloud PBX services are growing in popularity. These services provide you all the hardware and software, running through your current phone system.

The 4 Best Business Phone Services for PBX

Selecting a PBX system depends on the features that are most important for you. We put together a list of the best business phone services to help you determine which service fits your PBX needs most closely.

  • Nextiva — Best for most
  • RingCentral — Best for hybrid or remote work
  • GoTo Connect — Best for getting a wealth of features in a basic plan
  • Ooma — Best for small businesses needing an easy setup

How PBX Works

Screenshot from Nextiva's hosted vs on premise phone system blog.
When selecting a PBX system, you can choose an on-premises PBX or a cloud-based PBX.

Your PBX system is the internal telephone network for your company. It manages the routing of calls from external sources. It allows your employees to make calls to each other. It allows for outbound calls as well. 

The PBX system provides advanced calling features that make telephone communications as smooth as possible. In a simplistic manner, think of the PBX as the automated answer to the old days of having a human operator sit in front of a switchboard and move cables among the various ports to route calls.

The hardware required to run your PBX system depends on the type of PBX you want to use. 

  • On-premises PBX: When you select an on-premise PBX system, you need phone hardware for each user. You also need software to manage the system, a server to host the software, and PBX routing hardware. 
  • Cloud-based PBX: With a cloud-based PBX, also called a hosted PBX, you manage your own phone hardware for your users. The software, PBX routing hardware, and server hardware used to run the system exist with the cloud provider. You access the software through a high-speed internet connection.

The setup process for an on-prem PBX system can be quite complex. Your company probably would need to hire someone to set up the PBX hardware on-site with the communications features that you want to use. Some companies have system administrators who have the experience needed to set up and manage the system, but it is a challenge. 

Setting up your own PBX can be far easier if you use a cloud-based PBX system. 

Advantages of On-Premises PBX

With the PBX hardware and software on-site at your company, you always have full control of your phone system. You don’t have to worry about a cloud PBX provider suddenly having an outage or going out of business, leaving your phone system inoperable. 

With an on-prem PBX, your internet connection quality doesn’t control your telephone system. If your internet connection is shaky or intermittent, you could have very poor phone call quality with a cloud PBX, and you also could have frequent dropped calls.

If you like the idea of only allowing calls to go through the system, an on-prem PBX gives you this option. Employees cannot use the system when working remotely unless you add digital capabilities (using the Internet) to your on-prem PBX.

Although the on-prem PBX system often has quite a bit of expense associated with it initially, its cost over the system’s lifespan often is lower than a cloud PBX. However, with an on-prem PBX system, you will also have hardware upgrade and maintenance costs that you must bear in the future. If you have regular hardware failures, the cost will increase quickly.

Ultimately, some companies simply prefer the on-premises PBX because it is proven to work. Although cloud-based PBX continues to grow in popularity and works well for many companies, the on-premises PBX has decades of success behind it.

Advantages of Cloud PBX

Screenshot from Nextiva's products cloud pbx page showing what is cloud PBX? with description answering the question.
A cloud PBX system provides telephone communications for your company across an internet connection.

When using a cloud-based PBX, your company will subscribe to a PBX service from a business phone service, as we explain in our Nextiva review. Some companies prefer the per-user, per-month subscription cost found with a cloud PBX because it’s a known, fixed amount. It’s easier to budget for the monthly cost versus the variable costs of purchasing the hardware and software for an on-premises system.

The cloud PBX offers a number of built-in features that are possible with the on-premises PBX but that may be more difficult to use. For example, the cloud PBX automatically provides support for mobile devices, automatic call recording, and built-in video conferencing.

When your company’s communications needs are constantly changing and evolving, the flexibility of a cloud PBX may fit your needs better. The on-premises PBX is nowhere near as flexible. 

You can request an increase in call capacity at any time with a cloud PBX, such as when you have extra phone traffic around the holidays. You can then go back to your original capacity once your busy time ends. Adding temporary capacity for inbound calls is far more complicated with the on-premises phone system.

Although you may worry about downtime with a cloud PBX system, the reality is that the best business phone services claim at least 99.999% uptime. A cloud-based PBX gives you nearly worry-free performance as long as you have a reliable, high-speed internet connection.

Automated Features in a Cloud PBX

Screenshot from Nextiva's features and voip admin portal web page showing a call flow graphic with short description of their service.
A cloud-based PBX can automate many aspects of your inbound phone system, including using IVR.

Beyond inbound and outbound call management, a PBX can provide a number of other features, should your business need them. Some of the best automated features available in a cloud-based PBX include auto attendant services and an IVR (interactive voice response).

Rather than dedicating your customer service team to answering the initial inbound call, you can use an auto attendant that’s built into the PBX. The auto attendant serves as a virtual receptionist for inbound calls. It answers the call and then directs the caller to press a button on the phone to route the call. 

To set up the auto attendant and IVR with Nextiva, you can take advantage of a tool called Call Flow Builder. The setup process works like building a flow chart, so you can see exactly how different commands from the caller will affect the routing of the call. By designing the call flow with this tool, you can be sure the IVR is sending calls to the correct location.

For a small company with only a few destinations for routing inbound calls, a basic auto attendant may serve your needs well. However, if you have more complex requirements for an auto attendant, you may want to consider activating an IVR with your cloud PBX.

The IVR system answers the call, like the auto attendant, but it offers more advanced features. With an IVR enabled, you can have callers press buttons on the phone to activate actions in a menu. You also have the ability to let callers give verbal commands to the IVR system to explain the purpose of the call.

If you activate the voice commands function in the IVR, the system can answer simple questions that callers may have. Rather than having a customer service team member provide your mailing address or store hours, the IVR system can provide this type of information upon request.

One final automated feature often found in a cloud PBX is call queuing. When all your customer service team members are engaged in phone calls, the PBX can place other calls on hold. It can play hold music and let them know estimated wait times.

Training Tools in a Cloud PBX

Screenshot of Nextiva's dashboard showing various call data.
Nextiva’s cloud-based PBX provides a number of statistics about call volume and the performance of your customer service team.

When you want to measure the performance of your customer service team and provide training, a cloud PBX system can help. 

With a cloud PBX like Nextiva, you have the option of automatically recording all incoming calls. Administrators can use the recordings to train team members on better ways to handle certain situations. They also can highlight recordings of extremely successful customer service calls.

If a dispute arises with a customer after a call to your team, use the automatic recording in the cloud PBX to determine exactly what happened. If the dispute could lead to a legal problem for your company, having the recording can be invaluable.

With Nextiva, the administrator can choose to have all calls recorded for a particular user, to have no calls recorded, or to allow the employee to turn on and turn off call recording.

Additionally, your cloud PBX system should provide detailed analytics about your customer service team’s performance on inbound calls. The PBX system can measure things like:

  • Time per call
  • Time until the call reached the correct person
  • Average number of team members who spoke to the customer on a single call
  • Calls answered per day
  • Calls lost per day
  • Average number of calls at different times of the day (which can help with having the correct number of team members on the phones)

You can see measurements for the team as a whole or for individual team members. 

From a training standpoint, if one team member is successfully completing calls faster than others, you may want to incorporate some of the techniques that that team member is using. The statistics also can point out areas where your IVR system may be struggling to route calls properly.

Managing Remote Workers in a Cloud PBX

A screenshot from Nextiva showing a mobile phone, hardline phone, and a laptop to communicate their mobile device service solutions.
When deploying a cloud PBX through Nextiva, you can easily manage remote workers who are accessing the network via a mobile device off-site.

With many companies allowing employees to work remotely on occasion, a PBX system needs to be able to support these users. With a cloud-based PBX like Nextiva, employees can use an internet connection to the PBX. They can connect to the network from a desktop computer at home or from a mobile phone while out of the office. 

The remote employee still has full access to the PBX’s features. They can participate in audio conferences. They can accept inbound calls and have the PBX system include their call numbers in the analytics.

If having remote team members use the cloud PBX is especially important to you, pay close attention to the app that the PBX system provides. Remote users should connect to the cloud PBX system through either a desktop or mobile app. A poorly designed app in the cloud PBX could frustrate your remote workers.

Additionally, by selecting a cloud PBX system that allows remote users to connect via an app, there’s no need to purchase extra hardware. Those working remotely can use their own phone and desktop computer through the app. They don’t have to purchase specific hardware items compatible with the cloud PBX system.

When remote workers access the cloud PBX system, having call encryption available is important. Encryption protects the data as it travels across the internet from the cloud provider’s hardware to your PBX system and to your remote users’ hardware. 

With a cloud-based PBX, the most common types of encryption are TLS (Transport Layer Security) and SRTP (Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol). When either encryption protocol is in place, hackers cannot intercept data, audio, or video transmissions through the cloud PBX system.

Audio and Video Conferencing in a Cloud PBX

A screenshot of Nextiva's video conference setup process with necessary information such as data, organizer's email, how many participants, as well as various number options to join the meeting.
A Cloud PBX system, like this one from Nextiva, can help you set up and schedule audio and video conference calls for your team members.

Cloud PBX systems can often do far more than simply routing and managing inbound and outbound calls. You may be able to set up audio or video conference calls for your team members through the PBX system.

Because your team members already have access to the cloud PBX system, running the conference through the software greatly simplifies the process. Team members do not need to download special software to join the conference. As long as the team members have access to high-speed internet, the call audio and video quality should remain high.

They don’t have to worry about hardware incompatibilities, either. Nearly any desktop computer or mobile phone should work with the cloud PBX system app so that hardware also can join the conference.

With Nextiva, you can set up the conference call through a virtual meeting room. Those who can attend the meeting will receive a passcode via email, allowing them to join and keeping others out of the meeting.

When selecting a video conference, team members can share their screens to demonstrate certain techniques. Again, there’s no need to download special software to access screen sharing, as it all occurs through the cloud PBX interface.

With certain pricing plans, Nextiva allows you to record your conference calls. This allows team members who cannot attend the conference in real-time to go back and watch it later. 

Final Thoughts About PBX

Choosing to use a cloud PBX gives you an impressive feature set and a high level of performance when you have reliable internet. Some smaller businesses may not need the complete feature set of PBX, however. They may prefer to use a VoIP phone system.

VoIP phone systems have a lower cost than PBX, and they provide the ability to easily use the phone system off-site. The best office phone systems should be able to handle either PBX or VoIP.

Cloud-based PBX continues to grow in popularity, and it serves many kinds of businesses well. It can expand as your company grows, giving you a reliable phone system that keeps your customers in constant contact with you.

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Dropped Calls Starter Guide: Learn the Basics

Have you ever been in the middle of an important call when suddenly the line goes dead?

Dropped calls are an annoying and sometimes costly reality for many mobile phone owners and businesses. But what are dropped calls, why do they happen, and how can you prevent them from occurring in the future?

Let’s take a look at all of these questions and more in this starter guide to dropped calls.

What Are Dropped Calls?

Simply put, a dropped call is when a phone call suddenly terminates before its parties are finished talking. This can be due to many reasons, such as connection issues, bad infrastructure, and even user error.

When a dropped call occurs, the caller will hear either dead air or an automated message from their carrier informing them that the call has been disconnected.

Sometimes the call can be reconnected, but if the problem is not resolved quickly, the call will likely be lost.

Why Do Dropped Calls Happen?

There are numerous reasons why call drops occur, both on the user and carrier sides.

Poor Signal Strength

If you’re making a call to a customer or colleague from a weak signal area, there is an increased chance that the call will be dropped. This is because the signal strength of your device decreases as you move further away from a base station or cell tower.

It’s important to note that aging phones and low-end devices can also contribute to poor signal quality.

The solution: If you need to make an important call, ensure that you are in an area with a strong signal.

Spotty WiFi Coverage

If you’re using a cloud-based call center or VoIP service, then spotty WiFi coverage can also lead to dropped calls. This is because the signal strength of your router or modem may not be strong enough to maintain a stable connection.

Most cell providers also offer WiFi calling, so this is an issue that applies to both businesses and individuals.

The solution: Make sure that your router is placed in an open space with minimal obstructions. If you’re using a cloud-based phone service, ensure that the service provider has strong coverage in your area.

Network Congestion

If you’ve ever been to a music festival, sporting event, or another super-crowded place, then you know exactly what I’m talking about when I mention network congestion.

When large numbers of people are all using the same networks, it can lead to an overload and cause dropped calls. This is especially true in urban areas where cell towers are overcrowded with users.

The solution: WiFi can usually handle more users than a single cell tower, so if you’re in a crowded area, use WiFi to make your calls (if possible). If not, then move to an area with fewer people.

Entering a Dead Zone

Even if the stars are aligned and there’s no network congestion, you can still experience dropped calls if you enter a dead zone.

Dead zones are areas where cell phone signals are blocked due to topography, building materials, or other obstructions.

The solution: Don’t plan important calls while driving through or near a dead zone. If you do, make sure that you have an alternative signal source, such as WiFi.

Faulty Devices

In some cases, call drops have to do with the device itself. Older phones, for example, may not be able to maintain a steady connection or produce enough signal strength.

Bugs and glitches with certain devices can also lead to dropped calls, so it’s important to make sure your device is up-to-date before using it.

The solution: Always keep your device’s software and firmware up-to-date. If you’re using an older model phone, consider upgrading to a newer one that has better signal strength.

App Settings

With hundreds of options for customizing your iPhone or Android, it can be easy to get lost in all the settings. And if you’re not careful, one wrong setting could cause dropped calls. To avoid any potential issues, be sure to double-check your network settings before making any other changes.

Often, app setting configurations can affect the way your device handles calls.

The solution: Make sure to review your app settings and ensure that they are properly configured for call quality. If needed, reach out to the app developer for help.

Business Implications for Dropped Calls

Unfortunately, dropped calls can have a considerable impact on businesses. Customers may become frustrated if they are unable to reach someone over the phone, and this could lead to lower customer satisfaction scores.

Businesses should also be aware of missed calls—when customers hang up before getting connected or when the call is dropped after being answered. Missed calls may indicate an issue with the phone system, such as a slow IVR menu or long wait times for customer service.

And since over 89% of companies see customer experience as a critical factor in growth, it’s important to ensure that your phone system is functioning properly.

A few issues you might run into if your calls consistently drop:

  • Slower response time and difficulty communicating results in fewer deals closed for sales teams.
  • Customer success teams can’t handle customer inquiries or complaints quickly, leading to a decrease in customer satisfaction.
  • Technical support teams can’t troubleshoot issues and answer questions properly, leading to costly delays.
  • With less data, customer feedback, and customer interactions to analyze, teams are unable to get a full picture of the customer experience.

How Can You Prevent Dropped Calls?

The best way to prevent dropped calls is to be aware of your surroundings and try to maintain a strong, stable connection.

If you’re using a mobile phone, make sure that you stay in areas with good signal strength or switch to an area with better coverage if necessary.

If you’re using a VoIP service, then ensure that your router is up-to-date and has sufficient bandwidth for your needs.

It’s also helpful to keep an eye out for dead zones and try to move away from them when possible. You can find these by using an app that shows cell phone coverage in your area.

You should also make sure your device is updated with the latest software so that you don’t have to worry about any bugs or glitches that could lead to dropped calls.

If your device is more than a few years old, it’s probably a good idea to upgrade it as well.

How to Tell Who Is Responsible for a Dropped Call

If you’re experiencing a lot of dropped calls, then it’s important to determine who is responsible for the problem.

If the issue seems to be related to poor signal strength or dead zones, then it might be time to switch providers.

On the other hand, if you’re still having problems even when you have a strong connection, then the issue may be on your end. In this case, it’s best to check your device for any bugs or glitches and make sure that everything is up-to-date.

If you’re still having trouble, then it might be time to contact customer service at your VoIP provider or phone manufacturer.

Fixing Dropped Calls On a Cloud-Based Phone System

If you use a cloud-based phone system (i.e., VoIP) to make and receive calls, then there are a few things you can do to make sure that your calls don’t get dropped.

And luckily, you don’t need to be an IT wizard to get things up and running.

Spot issues with the network

Depending on which VoIP provider you use, they’ll probably send you notifications when there are any issues with the network that could lead to dropped calls. Weak signal strength, network congestion, and dead zones are all things to watch out for.

These pop-ups usually come with instructions on how to fix the problem and can be very helpful in preventing dropped calls.

If you’re having problems with your network, a few quick fixes include:

  • Resetting your network
  • Restarting your app
  • Checking for updates
  • Switching to a different router if you’re using a VoIP system

If not, connection errors may signal a problem with the connection between the callers. In these cases, make sure the person you’re speaking to has a strong WiFi connection.

Identify and isolate bottlenecks related to your software

Chances are, your VoIP provider will have a variety of settings and features that you can use to optimize your connection.

For example, most providers allow you to adjust the codecs (voice compression algorithms) used in calls, as well as the bandwidth and jitter buffers, which help ensure a steady connection.

If you’re having trouble with dropped calls, it’s worth checking these settings and playing around with them to see if you can improve the connection.

Check your internet speed

One of the most common causes of dropped calls is having a weak internet connection. Performing a speed test can help you determine if your internet connection is too slow or unstable to support the kind of call quality that VoIP requires. Plus, it only takes a minute or two.

Screenshot of results from Fast.com internet speed test
determine whether a weak internet connection is the source of dropped calls with fast.com’s internet speed test.

If it’s not up to snuff, then you may need to switch providers or upgrade your current plan in order to get a faster and more reliable connection.

Use an ethernet cable connection

Ideally, you wouldn’t have to worry about dropped calls in the first place, so it’s important to take preventative measures.

Have an ethernet cable handy just in case, as this is still the most reliable way to connect to the internet.

If your router has ethernet ports, then you can quickly plug in and make sure that your connection is rock-solid before you make any calls.

Relocate your router

Occasionally, walls, furniture, and even appliances can interfere with your router’s signal. Not all router locations are created equal, and if you’re having a lot of trouble with dropped calls, then it might be worth experimenting to find the best spot.

In general, your router should be placed in an open space as far away as possible from any potential sources of interference.

So if you have walls or furniture blocking the signal, then it’s time to move them or try to place the router in a different spot.

By experimenting with your router’s position, you can trial-and-error your way to the strongest WiFi signal possible in any room. Run speed tests periodically to check on your progress and make sure you’re getting the best results.

If your internet connection is weak the further away from the router you are, you may want to look into getting a WiFi booster. Also called a WiFi repeater or WiFi extender, these devices can give your network’s signal strength a much-needed boost in areas with little to no signal.

Reboot your system

If your VoIP system has been running for a while, it’s possible that you might be experiencing memory leaks or other software problems.

These include problems with the audio drivers, network settings, and even the hardware itself.

If you’re having trouble with dropped calls, try restarting your system to see if that helps.

If it doesn’t, then you may need to look into updating your drivers or resetting your network settings.

Contact your internet service provider (ISP)

If all else fails and you still have trouble with dropped calls, contact your internet service provider. Your provider may be able to diagnose the issue and offer solutions that you can try.

They might also be able to increase your bandwidth or switch your connection to a more reliable technology like fiber-optic cable.

In some cases, they might even be able to provide you with a new router or modem if the one you have is causing signal problems.

It doesn’t hurt to ask, and it’s worth exploring all your options before giving up on trying to fix your dropped calls problem.

Final Thoughts About Dropped Calls

When it comes to improving your customer service, getting rid of dropped calls is a must. And even at the individual level, dropped calls are a source of frustration and confusion.

The key to avoiding them is ensuring you have a strong, reliable internet connection and use the right hardware. You should also take preventative measures like using an ethernet cable or relocating your router, as well as contact your ISP if the issue persists.

By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can get a better handle on your VoIP service and improve your call quality significantly.

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7 Best Call Center Software For 2022 (Expert Pick)

Are you looking for call center software for your business?

Many customers like to reach out to businesses by phone to get information or help. Having a call center service for your business can streamline your customer support and provide a better user experience.

In this article, we’ll share the top call center software so that you can select the best option for your business.

Best call center software expert pick

How to Find the Best Call Center Software

Offering customer support through phone calls is a great way of helping your users. However, it can be hard for small businesses that are quickly growing to handle a large volume of phone calls.

With the help of a call center software, you can respond to multiple phone calls at once, answer customers questions more quickly, help your sales team reach a larger audience, improve the overall support process, and increase customer satisfaction.

There are a few features you should look for when selecting a call center software for your business, such as:

  • Interactive Voice Responses (IRV) – You should choose a software solution that offers automated responses through IRVs, greets a customer when they call, and helps to direct them to the right department.
  • Cloud Contact Center – A cloud-based call center allows your remote team to attend to customers from anywhere in the world without having to be on-premises.
  • Multichannel Support – Also called omnichannel routing, this lets your support staff respond to customers from social, live chat, email, phone calls, and other channels, all using the same software.
  • Call Routing & Voicemail Option – You should look for software that allows voicemail and call routing features, so customers can share their queries even when the call center agents aren’t available.
  • CRM Integrations – By integrating customer relationship management (CRM) software, you can make the best use of your customer information and get a complete picture of how often they call, their support tickets, and more. Some tools also offer CTI (computer telephony integration) to identify customers through phone numbers.
  • Reporting and Analytics Tools – Your call center software should provide additional reporting and analytics tools to see how well your customer support is performing.
  • Call Recording – You can perform quality management checks and training by listening to recent call recordings.

That said, let’s take a look at some of the best call center software you can choose for your business.

1. Nextiva

Nextiva

Nextiva is the best virtual business phone number service in the market. It’s the perfect solution for remote teams, since Nextiva is completely cloud-based.

Your support agents can simply log in to the Nextiva desktop or mobile app to handle all incoming calls. Plus, it includes complete help desk software as well. It lets you talk with customers across multiple communication channels, be it phone, voice, SMS, live chat, video, or social media.

With the Nextiva contact center solution, you also get screen popups that can be tailored according to your brand. There’s also a speech-enabled IVR feature that helps customers when they contact you.

You can take IVR a step further and automate routine tasks. This way, you can reduce the cost of hiring more agents and efficiently handle high call volumes. It also allows support agents to focus on attending important calls while IVR solves repetitive problems.

Besides that, Nextiva offers affordable cell phone plans and more features like a toll-free number, voicemail to email option, call recording, HD video conferencing, auto-attendant, and more.

You can also easily integrate it with different CRMs and communication tools like Salesforce, Oracle Sales Cloud, Microsoft, and more. It even offers APIs and SDKs for specific uses and allows you to set up workflow automation.

Note: At WPBeginner, we use Nextiva for all our business phone needs because the software offers robust features and affordable pricing plans. As a small business, it helps our team attend to incoming customer calls from anywhere in the world without having to share their personal cell phone numbers.

Besides that, Nextiva also allows us to send text messages and connect with customers through its video conferencing features.

Expert Review: In our experience, Nextiva helps provide exceptional customer experience and offers a complete cloud-based business phone service, which makes it the best call center software.

2. RingCentral

RingCentral

RingCentral is a popular business VoIP service provider and lets you set up a cloud call center solution for your business. You can quickly provide customer support from anywhere in the world and at any time.

It offers an omnichannel solution where you can define rules to route calls based on capacity, availability, and more. This way, you can speed up your customer support and easily have customer interactions on multiple channels at once.

With RingCentral, you can also boost your support agent’s productivity. The software offers gamification options that can be used to provide incentives to agents. Besides that, it’s a complete workforce management software that makes it super easy to handle your team’s schedule and plan inbound calls based on traffic volumes.

Another advantage of using RingCentral is that it provides detailed analytics about your customer support performance. You can monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) in real-time, track agent performance, set up call monitoring, self-service resources, and more.

Plus, there are data visualization and root cause analysis tools that help you build custom stats dashboards for reporting. Other than that, you get an automated IVR system, seamless integrations, a predictive dialer, and more with RingCentral.

Expert Review: RingCentral offers tailored solutions based on your audience or industry. Whether you’re in the financial, healthcare, education, government, or have an eCommerce store, RingCentral is a great call center software to have.

3. Ooma

Ooma

Ooma is an all-in-one virtual phone solution for businesses of all sizes. Whether you have a startup, small business, or running an enterprise, Ooma offers lots of features to keep your remote teams and customers connected.

Ooma makes it very easy for you to set up a cloud call center and provide exceptional customer support. It provides intelligent call routing functionality and lowers long call queues by helping customers find the right agent without going through repetitive or redundant steps.

You can also create customized call flows for your support team. The service offers a drag and drop call flow designer that helps you build a call sequence in a few minutes.

Other than that, Ooma also offers features like multi-level IVR and automatic call distribution based on caller data, business hours, and agent skills. You can even match callers to the right agent with intelligent reconnect, where the customer is automatically connected with the person they were speaking to before the call dropped.

Ooma also lets you monitor your customer support performance. However, it doesn’t match the 45 different reporting features and reports that Nextiva has to offer for measuring your VoIP call center efficiency.

Expert Review: Ooma is a great solution for small to medium-sized businesses looking to add a call center solution.

4. FreshDesk

FreshDesk

FreshDesk is a famous software that offers a complete contact center solution for businesses. Over 50,000 companies use FreshDesk to provide customer support.

FreshDesk Contact Center software, previously known as Freshcaller, is easy to use and helps you set up the software in just a few clicks. It also offers many features like setting up automated voice responses using artificial intelligence.

With FreshDesk, there’s an option to create a global contact center. You can use bring your own phone (BYOC) or purchase phone numbers from over 90 countries. Plus, it offers affordable pricing plans that you can scale as your business grows.

Other than that, it’s a complete omnichannel solution for your customer support. You can convert a call to a ticket and offer support to users from multiple channels in a single place while lowering wait time.

More features offered by FreshDesk include call recordings, call transcripts, call lifecycle information, voice bots, speech-enabled IVR, reporting tools to monitor agent performance and improve customer support, and more.

Expert Review: FreshDesk is a beginner-friendly call center solution. However, if you’re looking for more powerful features, then we recommend checking out Nextiva.

5. LiveAgent

LiveAgent

LiveAgent is the next call center software on our list, and it offers a lot of features like other services we’ve covered. However, what makes this service different is that you get a 14-day free trial to try the software before committing to a premium plan.

With LiveAgent, you get a cloud-based call center solution. The VoIP phone system helps your support agents to connect with customers from anywhere.

Plus, you get features like IVR, call back requests, call transfers, unlimited call recording, smart call routing, video conference calling functionality, in-app push notifications, chatbot, and automatic call distribution (ACD).

The software also integrates with popular CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot. It also works seamlessly with email marketing tools like AWeber and Mailchimp. You can even integrate it with your WordPress website and add a live chat button.

Expert Review: If you’re looking for affordable pricing plans along with a free trial to test the software, then LiveAgent is the perfect tool for you.

6. 8×8

8x8

8×8 is a cloud communication platform that offers a secure call center solution. The service is loaded with features and offers 99.99% uptime across UCaaS and CCaaS.

What this means is that the service is reliable and guarantees faster performance without any delays or downtime. Besides, it has 35 data centers located globally to provide great quality of service.

It has a simple user interface and offers a detailed knowledge base, expert connect, and a complete communication hub to help you get started.

8×8 call center also provides features to handle inbound and outbound calls. For instance, you get easy call routing, call recording, speed and text analytics, omnichannel support, IVR, agent workspace management, click to call option, and more. However, you’ll find more features in other software we’ve covered, like Nextiva and RingCentral.

The service also easily integrates with CRMs such as Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Azure, and Zendesk. You can also improve your customer support through contact center analytics and even conduct surveys to get customer feedback.

8×8 call center pricing plans are on the expensive side, as they start from $85 per user per month. If you want a more affordable solution, then you’ll get more value for money using Nextiva.

Expert Review: 8×8 is a powerful virtual phone platform that offers a robust call center solution. It is great for SaaS enterprises and large organizations.

7. CloudTalk

CloudTalk

CloudTalk is the last call center solution on our list. It’s a popular virtual call center platform and powers over 2,500 call centers, including companies like DHL, Mercedes Benz, Fujitsu, and GoStudent.

The service offers 140 national phone numbers that you can use for your business or select a toll-free number. CloudTalk has also partnered with multiple telcos across the globe to provide a strong network and ensure crystal clear calls and reliable performance.

Other features offered by CloudTalk include call queuing, call recording, voicemail, adding extensions, fax to email, business hours, conference calls, call masking, 3-way calling, smart outbound auto dialer, and more.

You also get intelligent routing features like a complete call flow designer to create automated workflows, IVR, ACD, skill-based call routing, set a preferred agent for clients, call forwarding, VIP queues, auto-answer functionality, and more.

Expert Review: CloudTalk is a dedicated call center software. You can use it to provide inbound support, outbound sales, and easily collaborate with remote teams.

Which is the Best Call Center Software?

If you’re looking for a complete cloud-based call center, then we highly recommend Nextiva. The software ticks all the boxes for what you should look for in a call center solution.

It offers powerful features that go beyond simply creating a call center. Nextiva is a complete virtual phone solution for businesses that want to take their customer support to the next level.

You get IVR, call recording, video conferencing, mobile and desktop apps, detailed reports and metrics to track performance, and so much more with Nextiva. Plus, it easily integrates different CRMs and marketing tools.

We hope this article helped you find the best call center software. You may also want to see our guide on how to choose the best blogging platform and the best WordPress plugins.

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