Many Locations, One Phone System: Integrating a Virtual Phone System
Trying to bridge the gap between expansion and consistent, quality service is arguably the biggest challenge a growing business faces. While adding new stores, offices, or facilities is done with the goal of gaining customers, it will do little good if those new clients have bad experiences. Balancing quality and quantity of service can be a major issue, especially when inquiries are stretched across multiple employees in many different places.
Online platforms and websites have become powerful tools to communicate with customers. Social media channels make it easy to have a consistent corporate voice online. However, when a consumer calls, it can be extremely difficult to make sure they have a good experience, especially when multiple employees at multiple locations are answering the phone. That’s where a virtual phone system can help.
A virtual phone system is like having a dedicated social media professional answering questions from clients, only on the phone instead of online. It’s a powerful tool meant to present a professional voice every call, while freeing up your staff from constant phone calls and ensuring your customers get the care they deserve. At AccessDirect, we’ve worked with many companies that were needing to consolidate their communications under a single number, and we wanted to share some of their solution stories. Whether you see your own situation in these case studies or just find some inspiration to make your communications better, we’re sure there’s something here to help your business phones work better across multiple locations.
- Case Study: Senior Care ProviderA residential senior care provider had 7 locations spread out between 2 states. Each location had a separate phone number that would ring into a front office. Callers typically had varied questions about staffing, billing, assessments, security, and hospice/end-of-life care, which weren’t always answerable by the person picking up the phone. They needed a way to unite all 7 locations under a single phone number and present a single professional voice for interested parties.After talking through their issues, AccessDirect recommended bringing their seven locations under a single toll-free number, which they published on their website. Calls to their toll-free number now allowed callers to choose between speaking to a client care manager for information about a property. They also have the option to connect to a specific location to locate a resident or employee, or route the call to the corporate office for vendors and the like.Calls for a client care manager are immediately directed to a trained professional able to answer important questions, rather than whichever employee was able to answer the phone at that moment. By automating their incoming calls they are able to provide a higher quality of service while making things easier for both their staff and callers. Unifying under a single number gave them the consistent professional voice they had been missing.
- Case Study: Private Utility ProviderA private electrical utility with four offices was set up to receive calls at each of their locations, but was unable to easily track data such as who was calling in and who was answering. Voicemail messages would come in, but it was difficult to pass them equitably amongst teams for resolution. Calls would have to be returned from the field, sometimes from private cell phone numbers that weren’t meant for customers to have access to. Additionally, each of their phone numbers was billed separately to each office, making it harder to keep track of their communications expenses.To take care of all their issues under a single virtual solution, AccessDirect built a template that could be applied to each location for the utility. Each location has specific transfer, ring group, and voicemail programming which can easily be managed by an administrator, ensuring calls get where they need to go as they come in. Voicemails are sent out via email to whoever is on call, ensuring messages are returned promptly. To bring everything under a single bill and solve the issues they were having from the field, we ported their phone numbers to our platform to host. This also gave them the benefit of using their company number to make outbound calls from the road, the field, or the office, all through our mobile app.By bringing all their numbers together under one provider, and giving each location a separate system based on the same company template, we were able to solve all their problems quickly and easily. Changes to any of their 4 locations can be made from a single login portal, accessible through a laptop or mobile app. Plus now the utility’s employees can be more responsive than ever, able to easily deal with incoming or outgoing calls directly from the field rather than strictly at the office. All their issues were taken care of with a single solution, easily managed online.
- Case Study: Zoning AdministratorA zoning administrator in the upper Midwest was singularly responsible for zones in seven separate townships, each with their own applications, fees, and paperwork. His single number was handling calls for all these areas, which was both difficult and time-consuming. With most of his inquiries coming in over the phone, he needed a better way to organize callers based on township and quickly provide them with the information they needed for that specific area.AccessDirect built an auto attendant system for their business number, with a separate extension for each individual township. To cut down on the amount of time the administrator needed to spend on the phone, each township extension was set up with a submenu with options for resources and commonly asked questions, such as information on permit applications, planning, fees, ordinances, master plans, and websites for more specific needs. Callers also have the option to leave a message if they have a question or need that cannot be answered by the submenu.The zoning administrator can now quickly and easily get callers the information they need, without having to field every call. They’re able to easily access every incoming call in a single place, making organizing calls and keeping records of them extremely easy. And best of all, they were able to make this work without having to install any new equipment. The virtual system was easily connected to his existing number as soon as it had been programmed.
We hope that you may have seen a little of your own business with expansion or managing multiple locations in these case studies. More importantly, we hope you may have seen a solution to a problem you may not have considered, or hadn’t had time to try and solve. If you think that a virtual phone service may be the solution to your business’s needs, please contact us to speak with one of our virtual phone service experts. We’d be happy to discuss your current situation, help you find the perfect solution, and get it put together for you within a business day. Best of all, you’ll have a full week to try it as part of our free trial offer! Call, chat, or email us today to find out more!
