Calling features by industry
Business Digital Voice is designed to enhance any business; however, there are specific features or setups that can complement specific industries. Whether you’re new to Business Digital Voice or you’ve been using the service for years, this guide is designed to help you unlock some of the calling features for your business. Take a look at the examples, by industry, for how to put your service to work.
Non-profit
Non-profit organizations typically face unique challenges in comparison to traditional businesses. Here are some ways that you can unlock the power of your service to help operate efficiently with limited time and resources.
Be there for your callers. It’s hard to always have employees or volunteers available to answer the phone and route calls. And answering services can be costly. Use the auto attendant feature to route callers to the information or resources they might need, even after hours. For example, you can route your callers to counselors or create a custom greeting that shares a list of referrals. That way, even if someone isn’t available to speak to a caller at that moment, their questions are getting answers.
Take the message on your time. Route callers to a voicemail box, so that their message is waiting for you when you have time to get to it. Churches may use this feature to take prayer requests; or a food bank may use it to process orders.
Get calls anywhere. Many non-profit employees or volunteers are on the go or splitting their time in other places. With the Office Anywhere feature, users can place and receive calls from anywhere, using their mobile device.
Medical
Physician offices and clinics are constantly fielding calls from patients, insurance providers, specialists, hospitals, and more. All calls are important and frequently need prompt attention. These features and tips can help!
Eliminate the need for an answering service. With an auto attendant, you can route calls based on the time of day. For after hours and weekends, you can set up your auto attendant to answer the call, provide a 911 disclaimer, and then route the call to the on-call physician. You can also have calls routed to an emergency on-call voicemail box, which can then email a copy of the voicemail message to the doctor on call.
Manage prescription refill requests. Using the auto attendant, you can route callers to a voicemail box where they can leave all the necessary information to request a prescription refill. You can create a custom voicemail greeting that instructs them on exactly what information they need to provide you.
Nurse questions. On nurse time. Having a nurse who’s always available to take questions can be tricky. Route callers to a voicemail box where they can leave their question for the nurse to address when they’re available.
No appointment goes unscheduled. Use a hunt group to ring to multiple parties who can schedule appointments, if needed. That way, if one person is busy with a records request or tied up with an insurance provider, someone else can quickly schedule a new appointment.
No more paper phone lists. Medical offices have several important phone numbers everyone needs access to. Set up a custom directory that includes the phone numbers for hospitals, specialists, insurance providers, etc.
Service Industry
Businesses in the service industry are typically in high demand and needed after hours. Fielding a high-volume of calls, at all times of the day, can be challenging. Take a look at how you can use these features to help manage your business’ calling needs.
Examples of service industry businesses:
- Air-conditioning maintenance
- Plumbing
- Electricians
- Auto-repair/mechanic
- Childcare service
- Landscaper
- Pool service
Put your best foot forward. Keep customers coming back with their maintenance and repair needs by creating a polished and professional presence over the phone. Use the auto attendant feature to greet and route callers where they need to go. For example, do you customers need to ask questions about services, make appointments, or handle billing? Set up options 1 - 9, #, and * to present callers with various options they may need.
Eliminate the need for an answering service. Use the auto attendant feature to route calls based on the time of day, for example, after hours versus traditional business hours or weekends. That way, your customers are always greeted with a professional and consistent greeting and routed where they need to go.
Record any special messages for your customers. Need a unique message to play to your callers? Offering a new special? You can record and upload what you need and add it to your auto attendant in the admin portal.
No more paper phone lists. Set up a custom directory that includes the phone numbers for suppliers, partners, third-party vendors, etc.
Get calls anywhere. In the service industry, most employees are on the go. With the Office Anywhere feature, your employees can place and receive calls from anywhere, using your mobile device.
Restaurant
Does your restaurant take to-go orders over the phone? Do you have daily or weekly specials you’d like your callers to hear before they make a reservation or while they wait on hold? Take a look at how you can use these features to help manage your business’ calling needs.
Unlock the power of the auto attendant. Use the auto attendant feature to route calls to various destinations. Set up options 1 - 9, #, and * to present callers with different options like “For our hours, press 1; for tonight’s specials, press 2; to make a reservation, press 3; to place a to-go order, press 4…”
Never miss a reso. With hunt groups, you can ring specific groups of users in a predetermined pattern within or across locations when a call is made to the hunt group telephone number. Tip - Set your hunt group up to ring “all at once,” so that no call is missed, even if the hostess stand can’t get to the phone while they’re greeting in-person guests.
Leave it now. Listen later. If your restaurant offers catering services or does special events, taking those calls during the dinner rush is tricky. Instead, add catering or special events to the auto attendant’s dial pad menu. Make sure a voicemail box is set up, so that their message is waiting for you, when you have time to get to it.
Next steps
As you prepare to set up your service, we hope these examples will help you unlock the power of the calling features you have available to you. Before you kick off your setup, we recommend that you get familiar with the support resources that are available to administrators.