Does This Phone Service Fit My Business Model?

Phone services can be as varied as business models, so when you — as a business owner — are picking and choosing which services you need, you’ll inevitably find yourself asking an important question:

“Does this phone service fit my business model?”

As with so many other questions in business, the answer is: It depends. Not every phone service is going to be for you. Some might provide information you don’t need, and they would therefore be a waste of money. In some cases, there might be a different phone service that’s a better fit for you.

What Are Integrated Phone Services?

But first, what do we mean by integrated phone services? When you integrate a phone service, you are connecting those calls (that is, the phone service) with other business systems and applications. This connection creates a seamless flow of information that can make your job a lot easier and your efforts a lot more efficient. This makes it easier to build better customer relationships (and of course, close sales).

If that sounds complicated, don’t worry. You’re probably already familiar with some ways of integrating phone services. For example, did you know you can integrate your phone service with your customer relationship management (CRM) or business management system? That way, when a customer calls you, the caller ID via your management software can show you all the relevant information about the client: their name, your last interaction with them, their purchase history, and even their outstanding balance.

Integrated phone services are what make it easy to create a click-to-dial option from your contacts storage or transcribe voicemails if you hate listening to them and would rather read them. Integrated phone systems can even automate your workflow by adding an appointment to your calendar if you make the appointment via phone call, and then reminding you when that appointment is coming up.

With all of that in mind, here’s how you can determine whether integration is worth it for your business:

The Importance of Phone Service Integration

Based on some of the opportunities available with phone service integration, it’s pretty clear how your business can benefit: You could save time, you can increase efficiency, and you can improve your access to important data. All of this lets you serve your customers better — and, of course, when you serve your customers better, you increase your sales.

All of that said, there are often costs associated with integrated phone services, so you will need to weigh those against the benefits to determine whether it’s right for your business.

Industry-Specific Solutions

Some solutions available with integrated phone services are specific to certain industries. Let’s say you’re running a dental practice or a veterinary practice. You could benefit from a service that sends appointments via text and email, pulls patient details from practice management systems, or even records relevant events (such as what happened at a recent appointment), all of which can save a significant amount of time every week. The best part is that these platforms are built to be an out-of-the-box fit for your industry, so there are not a lot of high fees to integrate it — they’re already ready to go.

Interested in seeing a service like this? We often point our clients to Weave for something like this.

Custom Integrations

A lot of businesses are able to rely on out-of-the-box solutions for their phone systems. But then there are the businesses that are a little more niche — you might have specific needs. In this case, there are plenty of custom integrations where you can tweak the system to work exactly how you need it to. These are known as APIs or application programming interfaces. They allow businesses to customize their phone system to their unique needs.

Customization like this lets programmers integrate the phone system seamlessly with existing business processes, databases, and other applications. The initial investment is often higher, but the long-term benefits are substantial. Additionally, customizations will often grow with your business and let you adapt to new challenges and opportunities.

Contact Center Solutions

Don’t forget that when you’re integrating your phone system, you can rely on a contact center to handle a large volume of calls, whether that’s in a physical office, remote, or in a hybrid space. This kind of solution efficiently manages both inbound and outbound calls, so the call is able to be handled promptly and professionally.

From there, the contact center’s integration with any of these phone systems can access relevant data from the CRM or other lead sources so that it can serve your customers. These contact center solutions might also include call routing, automated responses, and real-time analytics, letting you be more efficient.

In conclusion, whether you’re trying to manage customer service, boost your sales campaign, or simply make your team’s efforts a little easier, integrating your phone system can make all the difference.

Call us at 410-834-4900