Get a Grip Over Your Business Call Management

A strong business call management system is the backbone of every successful company dealing with a large number of customers. Whether it’s handling customer service enquiries, tech support, sales or any other type of enquiry, getting customers to the right person quickly and keeping calls moving is critical. Poor call management can result in lost business, a poor reputation and ultimately could mean the demise of a business. This is why businesses need to get a grip over their calls if they want to survive and thrive. 

But how do you get a grip on your call management? Particularly with the introduction of remote and hybrid working, and with the 2025 PSTN Switch-Off leaving existing phone lines on the brink of being obsolete? 

Let’s explore how you can better manage call traffic within your business with an effective call management system. 

What is a business call management system?

Traditionally, a business call management system allowed a business to receive calls and direct them to appropriate agents – like an old-fashioned switchboard. Modern call management systems are capable of much more.

As well as directing calls to the right people, automation within call management has removed much of the manual work, allowing customers to direct themselves to the right department within your business. With Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) emerging as the next phase of call management, companies can now handle their calls in the cloud, allowing teams to manage centralised phone numbers, from anywhere and on any device.

The basics of business call processes

Standard customer-business interactions that take place over the phone should look something like this:

• A customer calls the business
• The customer reaches a call service agent (nowadays, they may go through an automated system to offer appropriate information first, or the automated system may fulfil their needs entirely).
• The call service agent answers the customer’s query directly or directs them to another colleague who is better suited to handle their needs.
• The customer’s needs are fulfilled quickly and effectively.
• Hopefully, the customer continues to use the goods and services of the business.

While business call management has evolved significantly over the past couple of decades, the essential elements of what makes a good business call management system have remained the same.

What makes great call management?

Speed

The faster a customer can speak to an agent, or have their query resolved another way, the more satisfied they’ll be. This also increases the chances they’ll return for repeat business in the future. A good call management system should allow for efficient queuing, ensuring all customers on hold have their needs met without extensive waiting times. While this can often be a manpower issue, call management systems can cut these times by using automated systems to fulfil as much of the query as possible, transfer calls to the correct people in good time, or both.

Good customer service

If your business uses live customer service agents they must be experienced and trained to offer the best experience possible. “Service with a smile” might not be possible over the phone, but customers can still have the feeling of a positive interaction if the agent is polite, friendly, knowledgeable and empathetic in resolving their issues. 78% of customers say they will do business with a company again if they receive great customer service, according to Salesforce. Meaning even in the age of automated services, it pays to work with real-life agents who put customers first.

Reliability

Technology can work wonders, but it can also be a pain at times. Especially if it lets you down when you’re speaking with customers.

If your call management system is notorious for dropping calls, you should solve that problem immediately. Being spontaneously disconnected is one of the biggest turn-offs a customer can experience, so if you want to retain more customers, focus on fixing your call management system or upgrading to a more modern, more reliable one.

Advanced call management tools to improve customer communications

As we’ve mentioned, modern call management systems are much more than switchboards that make sure a caller is connected with the right person or department.

Advanced features of call management allow customers to effectively self-solve their problems or direct themselves to who they need to speak with.

Some of the better features in modern call management include:

Auto attendant

An auto attendant uses an automated service to answer customer calls and asks them to take certain actions or enter certain info to direct that customer to the right department or employee. For example, a customer could press numbers that correspond with specific departments, or enter information using their keypad to help them reach the right part of the business.

Interactive Voice Response

A more advanced feature of auto attendant is interactive voice response, which allows customers to speak their requests, information or queries to the automated system, rather than using their keypad. These systems will usually ask customers specific questions, or an overarching question, like asking for the reason they have called. Depending on the sophistication of this technology, these systems can analyse complex phrases to take customers to the correct departments quickly, cutting call times and improving the customer experience.

Intelligent call queueing  

Businesses with a lot of customers will receive a lot of calls, but nobody likes to hear the phone ringing constantly. It makes people wonder whether or not someone will actually pick up. Intelligent call queuing can take a customer’s comments into account and will place them in the relevant queue, in a spot appropriate to the importance of their needs. This ensures the customers with the most pressing needs are answered first and can “jump the queue” if their query calls for it.

Advanced call forwarding

Advanced call forwarding goes beyond standard call transfers. Thanks to VOIP, colleagues can forward calls to virtually any device connected to the business network, for ultimate flexibility. Depending on the restrictiveness of a business’s opening hours, or the timezone of their callers, businesses can auto-direct calls to an external answering service as well, if this is a service they employ. This means calls can be answered at any time of day and customers will always receive a response, which goes a long way in making them feel seen and appreciated.Employees can also easily forward calls to colleagues working away from the office. 

HD voice calls

Analogue call systems have worked well for a time. But they’ve always been hindered by less-than-stellar call quality. Through modern call management systems running on VOIP, customers can expect crystal-clear voice quality from their customer service agents thanks to HD voice calls. Not only is this a more pleasant audible experience, but it also limits the mishearing of key details due to the poor voice quality one could expect with analogue lines.

Call recording

If you need to refer back to business calls for clarity or information, VOIP systems allow businesses to easily record all calls. This is a handy feature if you need to record your calls for training and quality purposes, too.

Does your business need a better call management system?

If your current business call management system isn’t getting the job done and you need to take advantage of all of the above and more, speak to Elite Group. Our team has decades of combined experience in communications technologies, including VOIP and call management systems. Get in touch with Elite today and we’ll help find the best call management solution for your business.