10 productivity-boosting uses for VoIP

Research suggests VoIP (voice over internet protocol) can help businesses radically improve their productivity. Here are 10 uses for VoIP that could help your company be more productive

1. Total control over your business phone system

On your computer you can see a complete list of staff members who use VoIP. Call any of them with a single click, check missed calls and numbers dialed or call lengths. Some systems will even let you listen in to calls. This means that if you use VoIP for your call centre environment, you can maintain complete control.

2. Speed dial functionality

Set up unlimited speed dial numbers, so you can quickly make calls without searching for and dialing long numbers. One click puts you straight through.

3. Do not disturb

One of the most frustrating things in any office is never getting anything done because the phone is always ringing. You don’t want to miss calls, but you can’t have your productivity frequently interrupted. VoIP allows calls to be sent straight to your voicemail without the phone ringing.

4. Priority calls

You may not want to be disturbed, but if you are awaiting a call from a colleague or client you can set priority alerts, so the phone rings only if it's the person you're waiting for. This helps you maintain productivity levels without missing important calls.

5. Conference calling

If you need to have a three-way conversation, you can have a three-way VoIP conference call. Since the VoIP system uses the internet, you shouldn't have to pay extra for this function either.

6. Voicemail messaging

Voicemail can be awkward. If you receive lots of calls, important messages can get buried beneath more recent ones. And some systems delete messages afer a week or a month. With VoIP, you can receive voicemail messages as audio files in your email. Then you can listen to them, store or share them with others.

7. Out of office messages

You're working onsite with a client and not due back in the office until next week. But a new sales lead has just left a message on your office phone. If you don't call back fast you might miss making the sale. What do you do? With VoIP it’s simple. Just wait for the system to send a message to your mobile letting you know you’ve received a voicemail. Then log in on your laptop and check your messages.

8. Call divert

VoIP makes it easier to divert calls to wherever you happen to be. You can either divert all calls to a selected number, or you can have calls fowarded to different numbers in turn, until you pick up. Callers don't even know it's happening.

9. Remote office

Many VoIP systems have a remote office function, allowing you to route all your calls to an alternate phone. So if you want to work from home this week, you won’t miss out. Plus, when you make a call, your work number will appear in the recipient’s caller ID.

10. Selective call forwarding

You can set rules so only important calls are forwarded to your alternate number. This means you can avoid unnecessary calls, yet still connect with the important ones.

More on this topic:

• Getting the right business phone system
• Creating a virtual office using VoIP
• What on earth is unified communications, anyway?