Maximizing the Phone’s True Potential by Overcoming Outdated Telecom Infrastructure

By Jim Eckes, Co-Founder, TieTechnology

From law firms and dental offices to floral shops and pizza stores, every business that depends on recurring communication with its customer base cannot afford inefficient phones. Nevertheless, every enterprise can attest that phone systems are never perfect or working as they should all the time. Chiefly, problems occur because of outdated telecom infrastructure or issues with the telecom provider. 

Whatever the reason, these phone problems can negatively affect staff productivity, sales and customer relations. It is paramount that businesses resolve these inefficiencies to safeguard continuous communication with customers. 

Phones are Not User-Friendly and Overly Technical 

Phone systems today are a direct lineage of when they were invented. Despite their value in connecting with customers, they are outdated, overly technical and not user-friendly. For many employees, the physical phone is, at best, a “hello” and “goodbye” tool and, at worst, a paperweight on their desk. When the phone gets used, the receptionist or salesperson acts as a human router, putting callers on hold as they activate the second line. 

The automobile industry had a similar issue in its early years, in that those who purchased an automobile had to have a certain level of expertise to drive, operate and maintain it. Eventually, the industry evolved, but telecom has yet to reach such a stage. Maximizing a phone system’s true potential still requires technical knowledge and training. As a result, key features go underutilized, companies can’t scale effectively and productivity remains subpar. 

Thankfully, businesses can bridge this technical gap and maximize the potential of their phone systems by partnering with a qualified phone system solution provider. Leading providers in this field serve as an extension of their customer’s IT team, shouldering much of the heavy lifting required to operate complex telecom and datacom infrastructure. Many partners will also support phone system deployments and configuration, including remediation during challenges. 

Phone Systems Lack Integration with CRMs

Another major issue with phone systems today is their inability to integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) platforms. This seemingly inconsequential issue has a snowball effect that can utterly degrade customer experience, business productivity and revenue generation. 

Typically, receptionists, human resource staff and other agents have their CRM open in a separate window on their computer. When a customer calls to place an order or schedule an appointment, the employee must manually input data or look up information. The problem, of course, is that the caller must sit on hold listening to the receptionist type, scroll or say, “Sorry, our system is slow today.” This caller could be a patient of the same doctor for ten years, but they must still repeat their information every time they call to schedule an appointment. 

The minutes add up when each call gets a couple of minutes longer. The front desk simply can’t answer as many calls in a day, week, month, etc., reducing total revenue. Simultaneously, the constant switching between phone systems and CRMs can increase the chances of data errors, further worsening efficiency. 

Many companies never integrate their phone systems with their CRMs because the process is cost-prohibited. Thankfully, there are more affordable ways to update outdated phone infrastructure today—namely, partnering with a custom Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service provider. A VoIP partnership will enable businesses to integrate with dozens of different CRM platforms, allowing their phone system to recognize callers and automatically display relevant information—such as call history, customer details and past transactions—on the receptionist’s computer screen for a faster, more seamless interaction.

The benefits of a successful integration are enormous. Customers feel a deeper connection with the business because the receptionist knows them by name and can almost always guess why they are calling. In addition to happier customers, phone operators will become more productive. Eliminating the routine questions characteristic of every inbound call empowers receptionists to address more calls daily, ultimately adding up to more business in a year.

The Telecom Industry’s Poor Customer Support 

The telecom industry is notorious for having extremely poor customer support. While the former challenges stemmed from outdated phone infrastructure, this issue is a symptom of the telecom industry itself. 

Many organizations have come to accept this poor customer support as part and parcel of using phones for business. Whenever there is a service outage or any other problem with the phone system, IT teams know they will be on the phone for multiple hours trying to explain their issue to a customer support representative from a foreign country who is only concerned about making quota. For companies with limited personnel, this ordeal means lost productivity and revenue.  

The hard truth is that the telecom industry won’t change its customer support structure anytime soon, so businesses should work with a phone system solution provider to fill this critical gap. When things go south, these experienced, nimble third-party partners can provide much-needed support in a fraction of the time it takes the telecom giants. 

What sets these phone system solution providers apart is that they aren’t nearly as large as the major telecom giants. Meaning businesses benefit from direct access to a live expert—often the same person who helped set up their account. Unlike typical customer support agents focused on quickly closing tickets, these experts are motivated to resolve issues through tailored solutions.

Many of these partners are small businesses, meaning they are incentivized to be fast, helpful and personable. Likewise, IT teams can build name-based familiarity with them, which is rarely possible with massive telecom providers.

The Possibilities of an Upgraded Phone System 

It is easy to forget just how groundbreaking of an invention the phone is. Today, it allows family and friends to interact despite vast geographic distances. For businesses, the phone is invaluable. These devices connect companies to their customers in a way that no other technology (digital or otherwise) has been able to replicate. 

Phones are held back from their full potential due to outdated telecom infrastructure. When upgraded, and partnered with the right provider, the phone becomes a return on investment tool that boosts worker productivity, enhances the customer experience and increases yearly sales.