Tips for effectively handling increasing phone traffic

Tips for effectively handling increasing phone traffic

Currently, a workday in the Netherlands generally looks different than normal. This naturally impacts telephone accessibility. Not only is more work being done from home, but in some professional groups, the incoming volume of calls will also be higher than usual. Consider, for example, general practitioner practices, insurance companies, dental practices, or hotel chains. By utilizing the following features of your VoIP platform, you can help your customers handle the increasing volume of calls as effectively as possible.

Making more people reachable with call groups
With increasing incoming call traffic, there is a good chance that colleagues will want to support each other or that multiple people need to be reachable. This can be done by creating call groups. In the call group, you select the relevant Users, VoIP accounts, or mobile phone numbers of the employees, so that multiple devices ring when a single phone number is called. Do not forget to then add the call group to the call plan.

Handling incoming calls with the Queue module
Is a call group insufficient and does it prove impossible to answer all calls? Then the Queue module is a possible solution. The caller is placed in a queue that indicates the expected waiting time or how many people are ahead of them. This way, the caller knows approximately when they will get someone on the line, and this clarity is generally appreciated.

Tip: impose restrictions on queues
Good to know: you can set a number of restrictions for the queue yourself. For example, you can set the maximum number of people waiting in line and the maximum length of time a caller can wait in the queue. If you have set it so that no more than five people can wait, you can specify what should happen when a sixth caller comes in. This could be a message stating that it is very busy and that people should try again later, but also directing them to a website or asking them to leave a voicemail.

Managing caller expectations with Notifications
The Notifications module says it all: it is possible to set up notifications in the call route. Notifications can help manage the caller's expectations. A welcome message is often used to address the caller personally. This provides the caller with immediate confirmation that the correct number has been called. In addition to a welcome message, notifications can also be played in between calls so that the caller knows what to expect. For example, if no one has answered after 20 seconds, you can play “It is very busy at the moment, please wait a moment.” Waiting for someone to answer is never fun for the caller, but there is more understanding if callers know why it is taking longer.

Directly to the right department with the Selection Menu module
In times of increasing workload, it is certainly nice when the caller is directed straight to the right department or colleague. The Selection Menu module can offer a solution here and ensure an efficient workflow.