Call Management

Business phone numbers are a crucial part of any business’s communication strategy, whether for customer support, sales, or global operational coordination. However, a number that isn’t reachable, has poor call quality, or fails to connect from certain locations or networks can create missed opportunities and frustrated customers.

That’s why phone number testing is essential. It helps businesses verify connectivity, detect carrier issues, and maintain seamless communication, so every customer call gets through as intended.

In this guide, we’ll break down what phone number testing is, why it’s important, and how to test phone numbers effectively.

Key Takeaways:

• Toll-free numbers are not often accessible internationally—businesses must test locally for reachability.
• Missed calls = lost revenue—ensure all numbers work across different carriers and regions.
• Work with your telecom provider to test and diagnose potential connectivity problems.
• Testing can be ongoing, not just when issues arise.
• Use a mix of one-off and scheduled testing to verify number performance.

What is Phone Number Testing?

Phone number testing is the process of verifying the reachability, call quality, and performance of a phone number across different networks and regions.

Businesses often use local, toll-free, and international numbers to connect with customers worldwide. However, not all numbers are accessible from outside their associated country, making it difficult to test from abroad.

For example, a Germany toll-free number cannot be dialed from outside the country. Other countries’ toll-free numbers may only be reachable from specific carriers.

By testing phone numbers, businesses can:

• Confirm that inbound calls connect properly.
• Detect potential call failures or unexpected routing issues.
• Evaluate call quality, high latency, and audio clarity.

Why Should Businesses Test Their Phone Numbers?

Your phone number is often the first touchpoint customers have with your business. If they can’t reach you, they may move on to a competitor or assume your company is unresponsive.

Here are some key reasons why businesses should regularly test their phone numbers:

1. Ensure Toll-Free and International Number Accessibility

Most toll-free numbers are not accessible from outside their designated country. If a business wants to test its international toll-free numbers (ITFNs) from abroad, it must:

• Work with a telecom provider that can verify international reachability.
• Use a local partner in our network or an in-country tester to confirm connectivity.

2. Prevent Revenue Loss and Improve Customer Experience

A malfunctioning phone number can result in lost sales opportunities and frustrated customers. Businesses invest in marketing and customer service—but if customers can’t reach you, those investments are wasted.

3. Identify Call Routing Issues Before Customers Notice

Numbers may sometimes route calls incorrectly due to carrier issues. Testing ensures that:

• Calls reach the intended destination.
• IVR systems function correctly, and DTMF tones are detected.
• The audio quality is clear and free of delays.

4. Monitor Call Quality and Network Performance

Even if a number connects, the call quality may be poor due to:

• High latency (delays in call transmission).
• Distorted audio or dropped VoIP calls.
• Inconsistent call routing between carriers.

Regular performance testing allows businesses to track network performance and address quality concerns proactively.

Related: How to Achieve the Best VoIP Call Quality for Your Business?

How Do Businesses Test Their Phone Numbers?

So, what are your options for phone number testing?

1. One-on-One Testing via a Telecom Provider

Many businesses test phone numbers reactively—they reach out to their provider when they notice an issue.

At United World Telecom, we often test numbers for customers using local in-country partners who manually test numbers from different networks. Other times, we use a third-party testing tool to verify call connectivity. Our customers also have access to our built-in phone number testing feature in the control panel, which lets them run quick on-demand tests or schedule recurring checks on their own numbers for ongoing reliability.

Testing this way is useful for businesses that:

• Need to troubleshoot a specific phone number.
• Want to test one ITFN at a time.
• Experience intermittent connectivity issues.

2. Scheduled Testing for Multiple Numbers

For businesses with multiple international phone numbers, one-off testing is not enough. A better approach is to schedule recurring tests for:

• All toll-free and international numbers used for customer support.
• High-priority business lines (e.g., VIP customer support or sales hotlines).

For example, we can set up recurring testing of a batch of numbers every 3 months to detect issues. Then, document failures and call quality reports for future reference.

3. Using a Third-Party Testing Tool

For large enterprises, automated testing tools like Klearcom provide:

• Automated dial-out testing from in-country networks.
• Performance metrics (audio quality, post-dial delay, IVR functionality).
• Network reachability verification to check if numbers are accessible across different carriers.

While automated tools can be valuable, many businesses still rely on international virtual number providers like United World Telecom and in-country testers for additional verification.

Best Practices for Phone Number Testing

To maintain reliable phone connectivity, businesses should follow these best practices:

Test from multiple carriers & networks: Ensure calls work across mobile, landline, and VoIP networks.

Monitor call quality and connection delays: Track audio clarity, post-dial delay, and voice latency.

Establish a testing schedule: Test mission-critical numbers every 3–6 months.

Document test results: Keep records to identify patterns in network failures.

Work with your telecom provider for faster resolution: If an issue arises, provide test data to help diagnose problems.

Proactive Testing for Reliable Business Communication

Phone number testing is not just a troubleshooting step—it’s a proactive strategy to maintain uninterrupted communication, improve customer satisfaction, and prevent lost revenue.

By regularly testing toll-free, local, and international business numbers, you can ensure:

• Seamless call connectivity for customers worldwide.
• High-quality audio and low latency across all networks.
• Quick resolution of carrier-related issues before they impact operations.

United World Telecom customers can take advantage of our in-platform phone number testing tool to easily run these checks—whether on-demand or on a set schedule—right from the control panel. This ensures your lines stay reliable without adding extra complexity to your workflows.

Want to learn more about keeping your business phone numbers reliable? Contact United World Telecom for insights and guidance!

When working in a data-driven business environment, integrating call transcripts with your CRM can significantly improve customer interactions, sales strategies, and support efficiency. Whether your business uses Zoho, Salesforce, HubSpot, or other CRM platforms, having AI-generated call transcripts automatically logged in your system ensures better documentation, streamlined workflows, and actionable insights.

Accessing Call Insights within CRMs

With AI-powered call transcripts, your team can review customer interactions at a glance and follow up with confidence. Integrating them within your CRM ensures every important customer conversation is instantly documented—no more guesswork, no more manual note-taking.

Why does this matter? Because having full visibility into call history and customer interactions helps your business make data-backed decisions faster and more effectively. Whether it’s personalizing outreach, identifying customer pain points, or refining sales strategies, integrated call transcripts bring clarity and efficiency to every customer interaction.

Why Integrate Call Transcripts with Your CRM?

Logging, recording, and transcribing business calls manually can be time-consuming and prone to errors. When AI-powered call transcripts are integrated into your CRM, businesses can:

• Improve Customer Relationship Management – Access detailed transcripts for context on past conversations, reducing the need for customers to repeat themselves.
• Enhance Sales Follow-Ups – Quickly review transcripts to understand customer needs and tailor follow-up strategies accordingly.
• Boost Support Team Efficiency – Help agents resolve customer issues faster by reviewing past call logs and transcripts in one centralized location.
• Ensure Compliance and Record-Keeping – Store call records securely within the CRM to meet industry regulations and maintain quality assurance.
• Enable AI-Driven Insights – Leverage other AI features like sentiment analysis and keyword search to identify trends and optimize business operations.

Ways to Integrate Call Transcripts with Your CRM

There are a few different ways businesses can access call transcripts within their CRM. Below is a general overview of how this can be done, however, the process will be different for different CRM and phone service providers.

What you’ll need to get started:

1. A business phone service: Typically, you will need a cloud phone service provider that offers advanced call analytics and features including transcription and integrations.
2. CRM subscription: You will need a CRM account that can be easily connected to your phone service. Otherwise, look for the ability to easily upload / import transcripts into the CRM.

Let’s look at how you can integrate call transcripts into your CRM:

1. Manual Upload & Entry

Businesses without direct integration capabilities can still benefit from manual transcript uploads.

This involves downloading AI-generated call transcripts from your telephony provider’s dashboard. If your provider does not have transcription abilities, you will need a transcription device or app to transcribe calls.

Then, depending on your CRM’s capabilities, you can easily copy and paste transcripts into the CRM under the respective customer profile or sales ticket or attach the transcript file (PDF, TXT, or CSV format) to the CRM record for future reference. Alternatively, you could set up an email forwarding rule to automatically send transcripts to your CRM.

This method of integrating transcripts into your CRM is manual and slightly time-consuming. Yet, it ensures important conversation details are recorded within your system.

2. Telephony CRM Integrations

For a more automated setup, consider telephony integrations. Many CRMs, such as Salesforce, Zoho, and HubSpot, allow businesses to bring their own telephony (i.e. integrate their phone service with the CRM platform).

Such CRM integrations allow users to automatically sync call records and details with the CRM. The best part about using a telephony CRM integration like this is that you can access advanced call features through your virtual phone service provider, including transcripts and recordings.

In this case, you will simply need to activate the integration and configure necessary settings. Once set up, you should automatically see call transcripts recorded within the associated customer profile post-call. Furthermore, you can access these customer and call records on both platforms, enabling easy access no matter which platform you are using.

How to Integrate Call Transcripts with Your CRM Using United World Telecom

United World Telecom offers a wide variety of call analytics and reporting tools to help you retain a comprehensive view of customer interactions.

With us, businesses can unlock key features like Call Recording, Call Summaries, Transcription and Translation, Search by Keyword, and Sentiment Analysis for all inbound and outbound calls. You can also easily view these insights in your UWT control panel.

To help businesses improve their operations, we have built our analytics tools to easily integrate these insights and call data with top CRMs. So, if you use our CRM integrations, you can view recordings, transcripts, translations, and call records directly in the CRM or our softphone app.

This way, your teams have quick access to key customer information and data without having to jump between different applications.

Here’s the step-by-step to adding transcripts within your CRM with our service:

Step 1: Get a Business Phone Number

Start by signing up for a cloud phone number for your business on our Pricing page. We offer international, local, and toll-free numbers from over 160 countries globally and can provision your numbers within 1-2 weeks. You can also port your existing business number to our service.

Step 2: Enable AI Call Insights & Activate CRM Integrations

Once your account is activated, you can turn on AI Call Insights in the control panel. Our AI Insights feature gives you access to call summaries, call transcripts, and sentiment analysis.

Then, navigate to our Integrations tab, find your preferred CRM integration, and activate it.

Step 3: Make & Receive Calls

When you install our softphone integration with your CRM, you can:

• Use our softphone to make and receive calls
• Automatically sync contacts and call records
• Access voicemail, transcripts, recordings, and more
• Log calls and make notes, and more.

Step 4: View Transcripts in Your CRM

As you enjoy inbound and outbound call traffic, you will notice that call logs and records are automatically updated in your CRM. You will be able to view transcripts, recordings, and translations wherever your contacts and call records are being stored in the respective CRM.

Transform Customer Conversations into Actionable CRM Data

Integrating call transcripts with your CRM is an essential step toward automating workflows, improving customer experience, and enhancing sales and support processes. With United World Telecom AI Call Insights and CRM Integrations, businesses can seamlessly capture, analyze, and integrate voice interactions—turning every call into valuable insights.

Ready to connect advanced call analytics to your CRM? Contact us today to get started!

With the advent of cleaner and more advanced technology, more and more businesses are looking for high-quality and cost-effective technological solutions to streamline and automate their business processes.

One faction of technological advancement is moving to the cloud — from cloud computing and storage to cloud communication.

The main reason to take your business processes and communications to the cloud is to increase flexibility and reliability while reducing costs. Cloud communication solutions bring all your communication needs to one platform while offering additional benefits.

How Can a Cloud Phone System Support Your Business?

A cloud phone system — also known as a virtual phone system — comes with cloud communication tools to help businesses communicate efficiently and cost-effectively. Cloud phone systems use voice over IP (VoIP) to transmit calls over the internet. Because of this, users can make and receive business calls from any location, using any device. And they will have access to advanced telecom features that promise high call quality, VoIP redundancy, and global coverage.

When to Switch to Cloud Communication?

There are many reasons why a business may consider switching to a cloud phone system from a traditional phone system. You should consider cloud communication solutions if you want to:

• Get rid of low voice quality leading to dropped calls and muffled audio.
• Prepare for disasters and outages.
• Reduce costs spent on hardware and equipment.
• Centralize business communications into one unified platform.
• Expand your business’s global reach cost-effectively.
• Manage remote teams.
• Offer remote working and telecommuting abilities.
• Get out of long-term contracts.
• Create a customizable business communication platform that works well for your business’s needs.

Why Should Businesses Use Cloud Communication to Grow?

Cloud communication solutions can give your business an opportunity to expand and extend its services to neighboring and global markets. And you can do this without exponentially increasing your business expenses. Here are 7 main reasons why your business needs cloud communication solutions:

1. Rapid Growth and Scalability

As your business grows, add new users and direct inward dialing phone lines without needing to purchase extra equipment or physical phone lines. You simply add new employees to the control panel and give them access. Additionally, if your business plans to test or enter new markets, you can expand globally without opening field offices or even traveling to these regions. With international call forwarding, you can forward calls from those areas to your main office, wherever it is located. This way, you can grow your business at your own pace without your budget taking a hit.

2. Global Coverage

As mentioned above, you can get cloud phone numbers from multiple countries around the world and forward calls to your main headquarters, satellite offices, or remote agents. This allows your business to offer global customer support and make your business reachable to customers wherever they are.

3. Lower Costs

All you need to make a cloud phone system work is a computer or laptop and internet service. By reducing the need for desk phones and other extra equipment or hardware, you can save tremendously on communication-related costs. Plus, if you offer employees telecommuting options, you may even be able to save on space and office equipment.

4. Unified Communications (UC)

Having all business communications on one platform can reduce time spent chasing information and messages on different programs and apps. Streamline your business’s communications by bringing and accessing important communication channels in one place, and improve productivity and efficiency.

Related: 5 Unified Communications Trends You Need to Know in 2022

5. Advanced Call Management

Use call management and routing tools to keep your calls and employees organized. Route calls based on different predetermined rules to ensure customers are assisted efficiently. This can also help reduce the number of abandoned calls. You can ensure calls are handled at all times of the day by routing calls to different locations during off-hours or high-traffic periods — such as satellite or remote agents in other time zones.

6. Remote Team Management

Use these call management tools within a UC platform to manage remote and distributed teams. Forward calls globally across different offices, employees, and regions with advanced routing options. Check call records to see details of incoming and outgoing calls. Record calls and review them for quality assurance and performance management. Keep tabs on your teams and measure productivity.

7. Environment-Friendly Solutions

Finally, switching to a cloud phone system is another way to make your business eco-friendly. This is because, with cloud communications, you can:

• Reduce the use of excessive hardware or equipment.
• Reduce the use of paper by going paperless.
• Lower commuting needs by offering telecommuting and remote working options.
• Expand to new markets without opening up physical offices, and more.

Convinced Yet?

If you’re still on the fence, connect with our experts to get an idea of what a cloud phone system solution will look like for your business. We can get you set up with a phone system that complements your business and communication needs. Call us today at 1 (877) 898 8646 or chat with us online to learn more!

More and more businesses are looking for efficient and cost-effective ways to cut down negative environmental impacts and make their businesses more green. One way your business can become more eco-friendly is by replacing your traditional phone system with a cloud phone system. Cloud communications can help you cut down on unnecessary costs, space, and material waste while improving business connectivity. But how can you achieve this?

Why Invest in an Environment-Friendly Business Communication System

As climate change awareness grows, individuals and businesses are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and have a more positive impact on the planet.

Businesses are taking action to combat environmental issues in a variety of ways; from including sustainable packaging to following ethical practices to sourcing products produced in sustainable ways.

Another avenue for change is a business’s communication or phone system. With advancements in technology and the development of smarter and cleaner products, you can easily upgrade your business phone system to one that is more environmentally conscious. Here’s how:

Green Communications and Green IT Solutions

Green communications is the practice and process of creating a communication system with energy-efficient technologies and products. By doing this, your business can reduce and minimize resource use in different aspects of communication, and move towards making your business environment-friendly. Green communication practices include:

• Updating old technology or legacy systems for newer, energy-efficient products.
• Implementing virtualization where one physical server runs multiple programs and systems.
• Choosing cloud communications solutions instead of traditional phone lines.
• Substituting remote work and telecommuting for travel.
• Investing in Green IT solutions.

Green IT refers to computer and IT systems, applications, and practices that have a positive environmental impact and enhance sustainability. The three facets of green IT include:

• Greening of IT — focuses on efficiency design, manufacture, use, and disposal of computers, communication systems, and applications.
• Greening by IT — focuses on using IT systems to reduce energy and resource consumption.
• Using IT to increase green awareness — using technology to promote awareness of green practices and the importance of sustainability.

You can learn more about Green IT in this handy fact sheet about green IT created by the University of Michigan.

Environmental Impact of Cloud Communications

Can upgrading our business phone systems and business communication services actually help the environment? And, what is the environmental impact of switching to cloud communication solutions?

According to a report by Accenture, “Migrations to the public cloud can reduce CO2 emissions by 59 million tons per year which equates to taking 22 million cars off the road.” This goes to show that moving to the cloud can help your business not only cut down on operational costs but also support your social responsibility efforts.

But why do we need to reduce our carbon emissions? To reduce pollution-related death, to make the air cleaner, and the planet healthier. Want to put into perspective how much CO2 is produced? Check out this illustrious guide to CO2 by the Bank of the West.

Reasons to Switch to Cloud Communications

There are many reasons to take your business communications to the cloud: cost savings, gaining a wider reach, access to advanced features and integrations, using a reliable network, and so on.

But if social responsibility and sustainability are core to your business, then the environmental impact of green communications will mean much more. Here are the benefits of switching to cloud communications:

Sidebar: Now this is going to get technical, but bear with us, we will break down these technical terms.

1. Clean energy transitions — shifting energy production away from ones that release high levels of greenhouse gases.
2. Material waste reduction — reducing the amount of material wastage to improve resource efficiency and reduce pollution.
3. Less use of hardware and equipment — gradual dependency on cloud computing and software.
4. Reduced dependency on paper — paperless alternatives.
5. Greater flexibility — ability to work and connect from any location; telecommuting.
6. Adoption of resource virtualization — enabling one physical server to run multiple independent programs or operating systems.
7. Development of robust data centers — improved data centers with combined heat and power systems.
8. Multi-function communication systems — eliminate the need for deskphones with computer telephony integration.
9. Storage efficiencies — storing data in a way that consumes the least amount of space without affecting performance and operational efficiency.

6 Ways to Go Green with Cloud Communications

How can a cloud-first approach boost business communication and benefit the planet? And how can your business take the necessary steps in the right direction? Here are some ways to make your business more environment-friendly:

1. Switch to a Cloud Phone System

First, if you are still using a traditional phone system, you may want to consider switching to a cloud phone system instead. A virtual or cloud phone system comes with VoIP capabilities and cloud phone numbers.

Such a system uses voice over IP or VoIP to transmit voice signals from one user to the next via an internet connection. Therefore, it does not need traditional phone lines or physical hardware to make and receive calls to function effectively.

Cloud phone numbers or virtual numbers use VoIP to connect users from one location to another. These numbers are not attached to any one physical location or address and can transmit calls virtually.

You can buy local phone numbers from countries around the world. And you can use them from any location. Additionally, you even gain access to various advanced call routing and call management features to create an efficient business communication system.

But the main benefit of switching to the cloud is to reduce environmental impact with lower hardware and equipment use, telecommuting, and virtualization. More on this below!

2. Reduce Use of Hardware and Equipment

A cloud phone system or VoIP phone system only needs a business SIP trunk provider and a stable internet connection. You can then convert any device into a business phone. You don’t need heavy-duty computers or high-end deskphones. And no additional equipment or cables are needed.

This means you can run your cloud phone system through smart or energy-efficient devices instead of bulky setups over-consuming energy. And if you get multi-function devices, you can further cut down on the need for extra devices and machinery.

For example, when you purchase SIP trunks, you can get a softphone to make and receive calls. The softphone is a web dialer that lets you make business calls from any device like a laptop, smartphone, tablet, etc. You simply download a softphone to your device. Log in with your VoIP/SIP credentials and start making calls.

With this feature, you can convert your existing computer or laptop into a phone, instead of getting a deskphone. And you can use advanced call management and collaboration features such as call transfer, conferencing, outbound calling, managing caller IDs, updating contact info, and so on. This way, you have a multi-function and energy-saving device.

Related: How Much Does a SIP Trunk Cost in 2021?

3. Reduce Paper Usage

Unified communications include voice, video, email, messages, chat transcripts, contact/customer information, ticket tracking, voicemail, fax, and file-sharing. So, it’s only natural that you end up with a lot of confidential and important documents and transcripts. And a lot of paper.

But by taking your business communication system to the cloud and using cloud communication and storage features, you can easily cut down on the use of paper. You can:

Share files and documents via your email, control panel, or CRM. Go paperless with an eFax or Fax-to-Email feature that forwards incoming faxes to your email address instead. Automate customer tickets to end up in your CRM. Integrate your phone system with the right CRM and file storage services such as Google Drive or Dropbox to keep all important documents in one place securely.

4. Encourage Telecommuting and Remote Working

Advancements in technology have made it easier than ever for people to communicate and collaborate over the internet. And a cloud phone system helps with just that. It lets you make business calls from any device and location as long as it is connected to the internet. Plus, when you integrate your phone system with other services such as your project management system or CRM, you then have a full-fledged digital workspace.

This means a lesser need for physical office space and running an in-house office. Cut down on commute times and travel costs by telecommuting and letting your employees work remotely. All without losing productivity or connectivity!

Related: 5 Benefits of Unified Communications for Remote Teams

5. Conduct Video Meetings

If the pandemic taught us anything it was the effectiveness of a good Zoom meeting. Zoom and other video conferencing and streaming apps became commonplace for meetings, webinars, tutorials, and even weddings!

We know that video meetings work. So, when possible, conduct video meetings instead of in-person meetings. This reduces time and money spent traveling only for such meetings. And with a VoIP provider that has a video conferencing integration, you can do this cost-effectively.

6. Scale Globally Without Physical Offices

Finally, when it is time to expand your business globally, you will be glad to have an easily scalable phone system. You can set up direct inward dialing from target countries to your existing phone system, and establish a virtual, local presence without opening a physical office immediately.

Scope new markets, test and conduct market research, and gradually grow your business. All without increasing your carbon footprint or burning a hole in your pocket.

Go Green with a Cloud Phone System

So, are you ready to take the next step? Making changes can be overwhelming but we can help you switch to a cloud phone system with minimal interruption and downtime. Call us today or chat with our experts to learn more! We are here to help you create a business phone system that works best for your business.

Need to upgrade your contact center software but don’t know where to start? Here’s an in-depth guide to Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) with everything you need to know about cloud contact center software in 2021.

What is Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS)?

Contact center as a service, commonly known as CCaaS, is a cloud communication software for businesses and contact or call centers. The most attractive feature of CCaaS is that it enables multichannel communication through one platform. And so, CCaaS is generally used by businesses to help them communicate with customers and leads effectively.

How Does CCaaS Work?

In essence, CCaaS is a call center software based in the cloud; that is, it connects users with essential communication tools virtually. This is a good solution for any company that wants to be in control of its business communication and manage teams from different parts of the world.

Your CCaaS provider is in charge of the software. This means that the provider takes care of developing, updating, and maintaining the software. Your business and employees don’t have to worry about managing hardware or maintaining updates. The tools and features included in such software are designed for easy usage and setup. Additionally, you won’t need a large IT team to make these communications possible.

Since contact center solutions and features benefit sales and customer service teams, sales managers usually make CCaaS purchasing decisions. These leaders look for solutions that make it quick and easy for their teams to connect with clients and leads and move them down the sales funnel.

CCaaS Features

CCaaS solutions were created to help agents and employees quickly and accurately connect with customers. As such, each feature and service involved supports call management, call forwarding and distribution, remote team management, and enhanced caller experience. Some common features include:

• Global Call Forwarding
• Skill-based routing
• Time-based routing
• Computer telephony integration
• Customer authentication
• Call distribution via interactive voice response
• Softphones and web dialers
• Outbound calling, etc.

By including these features and services, contact center solutions help automate and manage call volumes and call flows more efficiently. With these features and self-service options, CCaaS solutions have grown into a trusted and reliable alternative to traditional contact center solutions and phone systems.

CCaaS vs On-Premise Contact Center Solutions

When it comes to contact center software, businesses have two choices: on-premise or cloud contact center solutions. Deciding which of these solutions is most suitable for your business depends on your business communication needs and budget. Let’s look at the differences between CCaaS and on-premise contact center solutions:

Taking note of these differences, you can make a decision for your company based on your company’s size, in-house and remote teams, call traffic, and budget. You may also want to consider what your business hopes to achieve with your contact center solution. Do you want to expand internationally in a cost-effective way or do you want to stay local? Is remote team management a key factor? Do you anticipate scaling up or down and need a solution to back you up? And so on. Answering such questions can help you make an informed decision.

CCaaS and UCaaS: A Business Communication Powerhouse

When looking for communication solutions online, you will often come across a number of viable options. UCaaS refers to Unified Communications as a Service and is growing popular as an internal communication tool.

The main differentiating factor between these two solutions is that UCaaS focuses primarily on internal communication while CCaaS aims to improve customer experience. For this reason, IT managers make purchasing decisions for UCaaS while sales managers make decisions for contact center solutions.

While these solutions work on different aspects of business communication, by bundling UCaaS and CCaaS your business gains a full-fledged communication system that manages both internal and external communication. This way, you can encourage internal collaboration as well as improve customer experience.

Maximize CCaaS with SIP Trunking

CCaaS and SIP trunking together can create a powerhouse for your business phone system. Companies can use SIP trunking to boost their business communication system through hosted cloud solutions. To make unified communications work effectively, your business will need a SIP trunking solution that bundles all necessary telephony solutions together. With SIP trunking, a business can access global coverage are various communication features, all in the same platform, inexpensively. SIP lines are cheaper compared to traditional PSTN solutions, considering the many options the solution offers.

Contact centers and businesses using CCaaS solutions will have multiple locations and customers from around the world. As such, using a single or global SIP trunking provider can prove more useful and cost-effective than working with multiple regional providers. Furthermore, CCaaS and SIP trunking providers offer scalability where a business can expand, as and when needed, without your business having to worry about accommodating compliance with various local regulations. Your provider takes care of everything.

5 Benefits of CCaaS

So, why should your business consider getting CCaaS? If your company is looking to upgrade its phone system while keeping costs low, consider cloud contact center solutions. Here are 5 reasons to get CCaaS for business.

1. Better Internal Collaboration

Cloud contact center solutions offer multichannel communication in one place. This means various departments and teams can communicate smoothly and share information in real-time through the same platform. Increase team collaboration between departments by choosing CCaaS.

2. Low Communication-Related Costs

When all essential features and services are available through one platform or service, you do not need additional service or equipment to support your communication needs. In fact, CCaaS is a cloud-based solution that does not require hardware and additional equipment to make it work. Your employees can use existing devices and phone systems, and can use these devices from anywhere in the world.

Furthermore, your monthly bill is more predictable since you know upfront how much your service is going to cost. Lastly, CCaaS is equipped to help businesses conduct international communication at low rates as well. With all these benefits, you can see significant savings for all communication-related processes.

3. Better Remote Team Management

By going virtual, your business can easily manage remote teams since users can communicate through the business phone system from any location and any device. Cloud contact center solutions support remote contact centers, virtual call centers, BPOs, distributed teams, and more, by providing tools that let users work efficiently.

4. Low IT Costs and Maintenance

Similar to low communication-related costs, your business can also save on employing a full IT team as well as costs related to updating and maintaining the software. This frees up costs that may otherwise be put towards marketing and sales initiatives to boost brand awareness.

5. Improved Customer Experience

Finally, all of the above reasons make way for enhanced customer experience. If customers struggle to reach your business, they won’t hesitate to look for similar solutions elsewhere. By utilizing a reliable and high-quality phone system, you make it easy for employees to connect with valuable customers and vice versa. This means that agents and reps are given the tools they need to convert more customers and increase the business’ overall sales.

Get Contact Center Solutions for Your Business!

United World Telecom offers various virtual communication solutions for businesses looking to add call center software and features to their existing communication system. We can help you upgrade your business phone system without much work! Call us today to learn more or chat with us online!

With the wide range of telecom terminology and phone system abbreviations swarming the internet, it is easy to get lost in new technology and systems available for business communication. BYOC is one such term and concept that has been gaining prominence with cloud telephone solutions. So, what is Bring Your Own Carrier and how can businesses benefit from this setup?

Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC): Definition, How it Works, & Benefits

BYOC provides businesses with the option to bring their own carrier or SIP trunking provider and add it as part of their communication setup. This is in place of using an all-inclusive communication platform. Let’s dive into what a Bring Your Own Carrier process looks like and why businesses should care about BYOC.

What is BYOC?

Bring Your Own Carrier or BYOC is the process of businesses bringing or choosing a carrier to plug into an existing phone system. In other words, businesses can choose what carrier to add to their existing UCaaS or CCaaS.

The main reason to consider BYOC as a telecom solution for your business is to shift from using on-premise communication solutions to cloud-based phone systems. By moving to the cloud, your business gains flexibility, mobility, scalability, and more control over your business telephone system.

Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC) and SIP Trunking

Moving your telecom needs from an on-premise solution to a cloud solution may seem overwhelming. However, advancements in telecom and cloud communications have made it easier and cost-effective to make this move. Some ways you can switch from traditional phone systems to virtual systems include:

1. Adding SIP trunks to an existing IP PBX
2. Choosing a UCaaS that is packed with service features
3. Switching to a cloud solution

At the core of these options is SIP trunking which provides global communications functionality. SIP trunking replaces the traditional phone system by allowing users to place business calls via their internet connection instead of copper phone lines. SIP trunks in a VoIP system can hold multiple SIP lines (up to 100) at a time, allowing for multiple calls to occur simultaneously. These lines can be spread across different devices, departments, and locations. SIP trunks can be added to your existing PBX system without needing additional equipment or hardware.

Related: SIP Trunking: Everything You Need to Know

The Problem with The All-in-One Approach

For over 10 years, telecom companies have been offering an all-in-one communication solution that offers PBX, SIP trunking, and other business communication services. Not all of these providers own every aspect of their offering. For example, many of these providers have their own PBX functionality but they may get their phone and voice coverage from other SIP providers. This can pose a few issues, such as:

1. Higher bundled costs — Since these providers are getting services from elsewhere, the bundled costs may prove higher than if you were to get an unbundled solution.
2. Uneven quality — Since these providers don’t own all parts of their service, they cannot guarantee voice quality which may lead to coverage and quality issues.
3. Compliance issues — There are many regulations that telephony providers must follow and if the provider fails to comply, your business can face coverage issues such as dropped calls.

So, how can your business combat this issue? Enter: Bring Your Own Carrier!

How Can BYOC Benefit Your Business?

The concerns and issues mentioned above have led to the rise of the Bring Your Own Carrier alternative. You can opt for an unbundled solution where you choose your own carrier. What are the benefits of bringing your own carrier?

1. Maintain control over call routing and forwarding.
2. Secure, consistent, and high VoIP quality.
3. Lower service interruptions that may be compliance-related.
4. Save money on communication-related costs with low SIP trunk pricing.
5. Scale up and down as necessary.
6. Keep existing phone numbers through number porting.
7. Increase global coverage.

Not having a choice or being stuck with a carrier that doesn’t match your needs can become a liability. Being able to choose a SIP provider or carrier that fits right in with your phone system is a great boon in ensuring uninterrupted, high-quality service.

Choose the Right Carrier for Your Business

Having a solid business communication system in place can determine how well your business performs and how customers interact with it. United World Telecom offers SIP trunks in more than 160 countries around the world with international SIP termination and dynamic local caller ID. As your SIP trunk provider, we are here to offer a customizable solution to help you expand globally. Call us today to buy SIP trunks or to learn more about how this service can help your business improve its communication system and global coverage!

When researching business phone service or VoIP providers, you will come across the term CTI or computer telephony integration. Here we explain what computer telephony integration or CTI software is and how businesses can use this technology to streamline business communication and increase agent productivity.

Computer Telephony Integration: What is CTI Software?

In simple terms, CTI is a technology that connects computers and telephony. Computer telephony integration or CTI technology enables computers to interact with telephones or perform telephone functions like placing and routing calls.

A CTI software is designed to streamline contact center operations and improve agent performance and productivity. Mostly used in call centers, CTI software can also be used in businesses of various sizes that have a steady stream of call traffic.

CTI Functions

So, what can your business use computer telephony integration for? There are many functions for CTI technology — here are some ways to use this technology:

1. Make phone calls from your computer at the click of a button.
2. Identify callers by matching the incoming phone number to a database of customer records.
3. Route and transfer calls through advanced routing and self-service options such as IVR.
4. Display customer information on agents’ screens before they take the call, also known as screen popping.
5. Access to call logs, reporting, and recording functions.
6. Access to manual and automatic dialing options such as click-to-call, autodialers, and softphones.
7. Conduct basic phone controls such as answer, transfer, conference, hold, etc.

Computer Telephony Integration Applications

What are some common applications of computer telephony integration technology and what businesses can take advantage of this software? Some computer telephony integration applications include:

• Call and contact centers
• Business with distributed teams and remote employees
• Business process outsourcing (BPO)
• Small-to-large businesses with high call traffic (fluctuating and consistent)
• Businesses with multiple offices and customer service locations spread geographically
• Companies with global coverage and international clientele

5 Benefits of Using CTI Software for Business Communication

How can your business use CTI and benefit from this type of VoIP integration?

1. Place Calls With Any Device

The main attraction and benefit of using CTI software is that users do not need telephones or desk phones to make and receive business calls. Instead, they can simply click to call through their computers or laptops using headsets. This helps cut down costs on additional equipment needed.

2. Caller Authentication Through Integrations

Computer telephony integration technology easily integrates with most CRMs, further simplifying and streamlining agent processes. The CTI preemptively identifies the caller by screening the phone number or email address through the customer database and then displaying the information on the agent’s computer screen. This is also known as screen popping or screen pop. By automatically authenticating the customer, the agent is prepared to offer fast service.

Additionally, depending on the type of CRM used, call records may be automatically added to the customer’s record for data analysis in your call center. Think: call history, call detail records, transcripts, metrics, and other important caller information.

3. Advanced Call Routing Options

Another key feature of CTI software is providing call routing and transfer. With computer telephony integration technology, your business can route and manage calls more effectively. You can use an interactive voice response system or automatic call distributor to route calls automatically based on predetermined rules.

To do this, design and create an easy-to-use and informative IVR system. When callers call your business, they will be presented with menu options and prompted to speak or push buttons for further options or to be transferred to the right department. Based on their input, they will be assisted or transferred to the appropriate department. Some ways to route calls include:

• Caller input — Callers indicate what they need through the IVR menu
• Caller history — Based on the caller’s previous interactions with the business
• Agent availability — Routes to the next available agent or employee
• Location-based routing — Based on the location of the caller
• Time-based routing — Based on the time of day of the call
• Skill-based routing — Based on the skill or expertise needed (for example, language preferences)
• Department needed — Callers indicate what department they need

These call routing options help with call management so your callers get to the right agent and receive assistance as quickly as possible. You can reduce wait times and frustration related to being routed to the wrong person or department.

4. Collaboration Tools

Besides making it easy for customers to connect with your business, CTI technology also supports in-house collaboration through:

• Voice and video conferencing
• Call whisper and call barging
• Warm call transfer
• Call monitoring
• Call recording

With these training and collaboration tools, teams can work together and managers or supervisors can listen in on calls and provide coaching.

5. Unified Communication Tools

Finally, along with phone calls, CTI software can also be used to receive faxes and emails. This makes it a UCaaS trend that lets you access all you need about a customer and their history with your company.

Want to Learn More About Advanced Telephony?

Our telecom experts can help you find the right business communication set-up for your company. Call us at 1 (877) 898 8646 or chat with us online to learn more!

Need an automated telephony service to help you manage business calls? Learn how an auto-attendant works and how your business can use one effectively.

What is an Auto-Attendant?

Auto-attendant refers to a telephony service wherein a voice menu system answers incoming calls and transfers callers to the appropriate extension without the help of an operator or receptionist. Other terms for auto-attendant include automated attendant, digital receptionist, and interactive voice response (IVR).

How Does an Auto-Attendant Work?

The automated attendant can be understood as an automated call answering system that helps transfer incoming calls while providing callers with general information about the company and its services. But the main point of an auto-attendant is to manage incoming calls effectively so callers are not left confused or arrive at the wrong agent or department. An auto-attendant may have the following features to ensure better call management:

• Greeting messages
• Business information (office hours, location, list of services, etc.)
• Automated company directory (with extensions for users and employees)
• Call transfer and routing options
• Menu prompts such as Repeat, Exit, Speak to Representative, Operator

Auto-Attendant vs IVR: What is the Difference?

The terms auto-attendant and IVR are often used interchangeably. However, there are a few differences between these services. The main difference is that the interactive voice response system is a more advanced system with additional features.

Auto-attendants route and transfer incoming calls so customers don’t wait in queue for long. And if waiting is required, then hold music is played. IVR systems include more smart features. For instance, IVR systems have voice recognition that enables callers to speak or say what they need instead of pressing a button on their keypad. This way, callers are not limited to the set menu available and can explain the reason for their call better.

Additionally, the IVR system can collect information about the customer and route calls accordingly or inform the agent beforehand. This includes account numbers, customer IDs, and so on. As such, the IVR can prepare the appropriate agent before they proceed to assist the customer. Furthermore, the IVR’s self-help menu allows for callers to complete certain actions and tasks without needing an agent. For example, the IVR can assist callers in paying bills, checking one’s account balance information, scheduling appointments, and so on.

3 Benefits of Using an Auto-Attendant

So, what does an auto-attendant do and how can your business benefit from such a service? Automated attendants or IVR systems have countless benefits that support call management and improve caller experience. Here are some of the top benefits of using an auto-attendant:

1. Effective Call Management

Since calls can be automatically distributed based on set rules, callers reach the appropriate department or agent quickly and accurately. This is especially useful for businesses that have large call volumes and struggle with answering calls effectively.

2. Increased Productivity and Efficiency

You can study your customers’ needs and preferences and customize your auto-attendant to provide them with more useful options and reduce wait times. Additionally, you will also reduce the number of times agents receive calls that are not related to their department, increasing efficiency and productivity.

3. Cost Savings

With smart call routing, you will not need a secretary or receptionist working to manage your calls. Your company can save on hiring extra staff and place more emphasis on improving customer experience.

Where Can I Get an Auto-Attendant?

You can get an auto-attendant from virtual phone number providers like United World Telecom. Speak with our experts to learn more; call us at 1 (877) 898 8646 to get started today!

Running a contact center comes with many overhead costs, leading you to charge more from your customers than needed to sustain your business. Thankfully, there are many different ways you can reduce contact center costs and optimize your spending.

Let’s first identify where you can save costs and then go over the different ways to cut down.

How to Save Money on Your Contact Center?

From needing office space to using various software, contact center costs can quickly rise up. This is especially true if you run an in-house or on-premise contact center and offer customers an array of solutions. You will need advanced technology and software to offer those solutions, and those costs can slowly creep up. So, what is your contact center spending on the most?

Contact Center Costs

Before you identify ways to cut down on costs, you need to review where your contact center is spending its money. This may be different for different types of contact centers (on-premise, in-house, or cloud contact centers) but generally speaking, here is where most contact center costs lie:

• Office space,
• Office equipment and hardware — desks, chairs, computers, desk phones, headsets, and so on,
• Contact center software,
• CRM and customer service solutions,
• Salaries, benefits, and hiring costs.

Now, you pin down areas where you can reduce contact center costs. For instance, you need to hire quality customer services and sales representatives, so that may not be the best place to get stingy. However, you can cut down the amount of office equipment and software needed by finding providers that offer packages and combined services.

For example, you might find a phone service provider that lets you make and receive business calls from a computer, removing the need for a desk phone. Similarly, if you hire remote agents, then you can cut down on the need for more office space and computers by having these employees use remote phone systems.

Reduce Contact Center Costs in 5 Ways

So, what can you do to save money on your contact center? The solutions listed below are suggestions for new processes and technologies. Not all of these solutions will work for your exact business needs. Evaluate your current options and make a decision accordingly.

Here are 5 ways to reduce contact center costs without compromising on the quality of service:

1. Take Your Contact Center to the Cloud with VoIP

If you run an in-house or premise contact center, the first step to reducing costs is moving to the cloud. Switching to a cloud VoIP communication system can drastically bring down the amount your center spends on core telephony services.

Cloud VoIP services have monthly subscriptions that can easily be scaled or canceled as needed. Additionally, these subscriptions come packed with features, services, and integrations that let you expand your offerings without needing to purchase additional services.

One such example is the softphone offered by United World Telecom. This softphone can be downloaded on computers and smartphones as an app or web browsers as an extension. By doing so, users can make and receive calls through the business phone number from any device. This cuts down the need to purchase high-quality and feature-filled desk phones.

2. Consider BYOC & SIP Trunking Services

Bring your own carrier (BYOC) enables organizations to add their own carrier or SIP trunking provider to their communication or CCaaS system. SIP trunking is a bundled telephony solution that gives you access to multiple cloud phone lines in one trunk.

BYOC and SIP trunking, together, make a quality cloud-based contact center solution that brings more flexibility, scalability, and control over your communication system. By mixing your suppliers and choosing ones that you want, you can:

• • Add new markets by choosing providers that have access to global regions and countries.
  • Customize and control call routing and forwarding.
  • Avoid regulatory and quality issues.
  • Reduce costs spent on high-priced carriers that offer little-to-no flexibility and control.

Related: The Complete Guide to Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS)

3. Hire Remote Agents

Next, you want to consider hiring remote and distributed teams. Remote employees can stay connected and do their jobs effectively through your cloud communication solution and cloud-based CRM. By doing so, you can save on office space and equipment costs.

With advanced call center software, you can monitor agents on call and even join these calls silently. This way, remote agents don’t work in isolation, and you can track their progress through reports and metrics.

Additionally, with remote agents and international call routing, you can offer 24/7 support for customers who call outside the 9-5 workday. This way, you don’t pay your regular employees overtime or have employees work in shifts. You just forward incoming calls to the few remote agents working outside of office hours. This way, your contact center continues to offer services even when most businesses are closed.

4. Consolidate Services into One Platform

Another benefit of using a cloud communication service is bringing all your services to one platform. With Unified Communications (UCaaS), you can access your contact center’s communications, data, reports, and management systems, all in one place. By consolidating services into one platform, your contact center can have:

• • Improved collaboration and business continuity.
  • Low communication- and IT-related costs.
  • Easy management of remote teams.
  • Improved customer and caller experience.

Want to learn more about unified communications? Check out our UCaaS guide for business.

5. Utilize Automation and APIs

Communication and customer service automation can help you reduce contact center costs quite dramatically. Using APIs and automation features, you can save time and money on manually completing tasks and moving processes along.

One example is to use an automated voice response system (IVR) to answer common questions asked by callers. This reduces the number of calls coming to agents and gives them space to work on more complex calls. Similarly, you can even have the auto-attendant route calls to the right department based on caller input, saving costs on hiring an operator or receptionist.

Reduce Contact Center Costs Try United World Telecom’s Cloud Phone Service

With United World Telecom’s phone service solution, contact centers have access to a full suite of business phone services for reasonable prices. We offer five different plans so that you can choose one that works best for your contact center. Additionally, you do not need to get into long-term contracts with us. Use your service on a month-to-month basis and cancel whenever you need to. Give us a try! Speak with a representative to learn more about what we offer and how we can help your contact center save money!