Replacing your business's phone system is no easy task. There is a wide range of features that you must consider, whether you're upgrading from an existing VoIP provider or moving to a VoIP service for the first time. Although the term may be somewhat broad, call management features often take center stage in any business telephone decision.

In general, call management refers to the system's ability to provide smart routing and queuing of calls. In most cases, this means directing calls to appropriate departments or individuals and dealing with high call volumes. Understanding the call management requirements of your business is the first step to choosing the best VoIP solution.

Understanding Call Management                                    

In the distant past, a switchboard played the role of a call management center. With modern VoIP, call management is a part of the system's software brains. VoIP servers must take each call coming into the system and intelligently decide how to route it. Along the way, the system may inject features such as caller ID, automatic holds, or routing based on call volume.

For a small business with few employees, call management may simply direct incoming calls to a handful of extensions or a hold system if all lines are busy. Call management is often drastically more complicated for large businesses, however. In these cases, calls may need routing to hundreds (or thousands) of extensions. Queuing systems for high call volumes can add even more complexity.

Evaluating Your Business Needs

When it comes to your specific business needs, you'll want to consider the complexity of your routing requirements along with your overall expected call volume. Many systems provide flexible management capabilities based on programmable rules. These systems allow you to specify how to route calls under specific circumstances, such as the geographic location of the caller, call time, and system volume.

The more robust your business needs, the more powerful you will want your VoIP system's call management features to be. If you have call centers in multiple locations, then rules that route calls based on caller location or time zone may be particularly helpful. Customizable queueing and call re-routing can help you to deal with infrequent surges in caller volume.

Choosing the Best VoIP System for Your Business

Ultimately, call management features are just one part of any VoIP system, but they are an essential feature to consider. When selecting a new VoIP system for your business, always be sure that you fully understand your specific call management needs. Selecting a system with the correct ability to route, forward, and queue calls can help take your business to the next level.

For more information about business VoIP solutions, contact a local technology provider.