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3 Types of Telephone Answering Services

Six out of ten of us still prefer to pick up the phone when we need to speak to a business.

So, while embracing newer technology like chat might be an emerging strategy for your company, don’t ignore the power of a good old phone call.

Times have changed, so offering phone support doesn’t have to mean hiring an entire team to oversee your phones.

In this guide, we’ll explore three types of modern telephone answering services that can help make your business more streamlined and improve your customer service support.

1. Automated Telephone Answering Service With SMS

SMS has helped business customer service teams transform in recent years. It’s one of the most immediate methods for staying in touch with clients.

Automated answering services help businesses handle incoming customer calls by using pre-set options. When users go through these menu items, they can opt for SMS.

That option provides automated text messages to the customer’s cell phone, providing businesses with a range of ways they can support the customer.

For example, they could use SMS to answer frequently asked questions. Or it could be a message confirming an appointment, request, or purchase. This SMS integration helps reduce calls and speeds up resolutions.

It helps improve customs satisfaction and keeps your call center team working efficiently.

2. Email and Telephone Answering Integration

You can integrate email services with telephone answering software. When you do, it offers businesses an advanced tool for managing inquiries. It will sort and help you respond to customers and suppliers using email as your response.

Take the example of an incoming call you can’t answer immediately.

In this scenario, you can give the caller the option of getting assistance via email. It’s an excellent way to keep customers happy – avoiding the frustration of an unanswered call.

Email is also a helpful way of organizing your incoming inquiries and helping to make your business more efficient. You can use automation to scan common inquiries, providing standard pre-drafted responses.

It will also help flag up those queries that are urgent. That offers customers a more personalized experience and a faster way of resolving their queries.

3. Voice Response Systems

At the cutting edge of telephone technology is the emergence of voice. This technology offers natural language processing for callers.

In other words, it allows callers to talk about their issues or select menu options instead of using a button system. Voice technology offers more flexibility than rigid menu items.

It means you can customize the experience for your callers. That includes self-serve options, like finding answers to common questions. Some of the more advanced voice systems are also integrated with CRMs.

You can use this to find out who is calling, which will help direct their call to the appropriate place. If you miss a call from one of your most important clients, you can re-route this urgently using voice technology.

Telephone Answering Services for the Modern Business

Upgrading your telephone answering services can make your business more efficient. It’s also an excellent way to improve your customer service support.

Xact offers 24/7 support for your business. Offer telephone answering service gives you the choice of SMS, phone, fax, or email, fully tailored to your needs. To learn more about how we can help you, browse our service page here.

How to Set Up and Manage Your HubSpot Zendesk Integration

Growing a company is about investing in cutting-edge business technology.

But what happens when you have multiple tech giants vying for your attention? The answer is to integrate the two. That’s how you build an IT setup that’s a powerhouse for your company.

In this guide, we’ll explore two of these industry giants. Read on to learn how to carry out a successful HubSpot Zendesk integration for your business.

Establish Your Business Benefits

You can do much as a business when you integrate HubSpot with Zendesk. However, trying to do everything could be a mistake, and you might become overwhelmed.

So, before you begin your integration, list the benefits for your business, like efficiency. That will help you focus on the features you need to integrate first.

Check You Have the Prerequisites

You’ll need a few things before you begin your integration. That includes:

  • An active Hubspot account
  • An active Zendesk account
  • Administrative permissions

You should also read the user guides for both platforms. Note any compatibility requirements and ensure you meet those.

Connect Hubspot and Zendesk

Your next step is to begin the connection between the two tools. You’ll first need to head to the Hubspot marketplace. Here, you’ll find Zendesk’s integration tool.

It will contain the guided steps to link the two accounts. This step begins your integration and will get the two tools speaking to each other.

Configure Your HubSpot and Zendesk Integration

Once you have the two tools linked, you’ll need to configure them correctly to ensure the correct data passes between the two systems. Head to Hubspot and find the right Integration options.

Here, you’ll see a section on data synchronization. You must edit this by setting the fields you want to map between the two systems.

Set Up Automation

One of the benefits of integrating the two systems is that you can automate your tasks instead of working separately on both tools. But you’ll need to ensure everything is in place to make this work.

For example, you might set up notifications when new tickets appear on the system.

Consider Where to Hold Data

You’ll have Hubspot data that will be valuable to your business operations. You can change your configuration to see these CRM details in Zendesk, which will help your support team provide better service to your customers.

Optimize the Integration

When the two systems are integrated, you need exceptional performance to help support your business. That starts with monitoring key metrics.

You can track whether data moves between systems correctly and whether your automation serves your business needs. If not, it’s a chance to optimize and update these integration settings.

Checking the performance at regular intervals, like monthly, will ensure you get the most benefit from the integration as you grow.

Getting the Most from Your HubSpot Zendesk Integration

A successful HubSpot Zendesk integration means more than connecting the two systems. You need to consider configuring and optimizing them to see the greatest benefit for your business.

For more ways to improve your business performance, contact our Xact team to learn how our services can help you.

Slack vs Google Chat: Which Is Best for Your Company?

We’re in the new era of work, where interior-led home offices have replaced the tall glass facades of high rises. The most current data shows that we spent around 28% of our time working remotely.

With this shift comes the need for new tools. You’ve got to talk to colleagues as much as if they were at the next desk. That means using a collaboration tool.

In this guide, we’ll weigh up the benefits of Slack Vs. Google Chat.

Slack Vs. Google Chat: a Brief Overview

Slack Chat and Google Chat fall into a category of technology called collaboration tools. These have become a central feature of the modern workplace, allowing colleagues to converse digitally rather than in person.

Google Chat, as the name implies, is a subset of the Google suite of tools. It integrates with other offerings, like Google Docs and Google Drive.

Slack is a stand-alone market leader platform that offers many integrations with third-party tools.

Pros of Slack

Slack has excellent integration capabilities. So, it’s ideal in an organization where you already have crucial tools that aren’t from Google. Users also value Slack for a friendly and customizable interface.

Many find this helps improve the experience and aid productivity. It also has an excellent search facility and dedicated challenges.

These features allow users to keep their conversations organized. Finally, Slack has a massive online developer community, so it’s forever evolving.

Cons of Slack

Slack may have many business communication features. But it comes at a cost. The monthly pricing structure for small businesses may be unaffordable compared to free options.

The other disadvantage of Slack is that you need to set up the integrations. That may be easy for some highly technical teams but an overwhelming challenge for others.

Finally, some users find the notification system can become too distracting. Some people may find that constant interruptions hurt their productivity.

Pros of Google Chat

The most significant advantage of using Google Chat in your business is if you are already using other Google tools. The integration is already there, making it a hassle-free setup.

Google Chat is also cost-effective. Most businesses can begin using the functionality at no cost. You’ll only pay when you want more advanced features as part of Google Workspace.

Security is another plus point of Google Chat. It benefits from the expensive and state-of-the-art security infrastructure owned by Google.

Cons of Google Chat

Google Chat may have the advantage of linking with other Google products, but this can be a drawback if you have non-Google tools. It’s also not ideal if you don’t use any other part of the Google Workspace.

Secondly, Google Chat isn’t as customizable as Slack. It might not be what you need if you are after a particular setup to aid productivity.

For example, the notification system is more standardized, which may not suit you if you need granular updates on specific business areas.

What Chat Tool Is Best for Your Business?

When balancing the pros and cons of Slack Vs. Google Chat, consider whether you use other Google tools. If you don’t, a more customizable tool like Slack could be better.

At Xact, we have services to help your business be more productive, so contact us today to discover more.

A Guide to the Latest Trends in Workforce Management Scheduling

Working nine to five, as Dolly opined, was but a way to make a living. But now times are changing. Businesses have adopted a new approach to staffing, one that embraces flexibility, technology, and a commitment to support staff.

At the heart of this change is workforce management scheduling. Read on about some trends driving recent changes in how companies manage their employees’ schedules.

AI-Powered Tools

AI technology has leaped into the mainstream in the last twelve months, including workforce management scheduling. It’s transformed business practices by creating the most advanced predictive capabilities ever.

That means a tool that can automate scheduling and predict staffing needs.

These AI-powered tools can analyze vast data sets to improve scheduling, like employee skills and availability. It helps to make an operating team more efficient and improve workplace satisfaction, all in a more streamlined fashion.

The Demand for Flexibility

Workforce scheduling was often about fitting into some rigid rules. That might be the hours scheduled or the working times. Businesses operated on an immovable daily calendar.

However, there has been a shift to a more flexible approach to the workforce. People nowadays want jobs that they can fit around their lives. That might be seniors wanting part-time roles or parents juggling work and the school run.

Workforce scheduling has adapted to this change. Many now offer a more fluid employee schedule to help attract talent to the workplace.

Tool Integrations

New scheduling tools are forever hitting the market, ready to tap into a need for a more efficient and organized approach. But as teams have dispersed remotely and grown, another challenge has emerged: integration.

These scheduling tools must link to other parts of a business’s IT setup. For example, you might want your workplace scheduling tool to connect to a time-tracking tool and your accounts software.

So, a big trend that will continue over the coming year is improved integrations between different platforms. Integration helps businesses create a more centralized setup.

Analytics

Modern technology gives businesses access to millions of data points. If companies can harness this data, it can provide an exciting advantage.

For scheduling, data-driven decision-making is one of the most powerful workforce management strategies. For example, a business can track historical scheduling and demand peaks to help with future staffing needs.

It reduces the likelihood you’ll overstaff and push up employee costs unnecessarily.

Real-time data is also valuable. It can mean a business responds rapidly to a staffing need instead of spotting it after the event.

Employee-Centered Scheduling

Scheduling used to be top-down, with the business driving the demand for when staff work. That’s beginning to change.

Companies want to improve how they support their teams – it helps attract talent and improve retention. So that means new scheduling practices driven more by what staff need.

It helps create a happier and more productive workforce.

Trends in Workforce Management Scheduling

If you want to attract talent to your team, you need to embrace these latest trends in workforce management scheduling. Focus on what your team needs, and invest in the best technology.

For a more productive team, get in contact with Xact to find out how our services can support your business.

3 Ways Salesforce ERP Integration Can Improve Your Business

About 91% of companies that have 10 or more employees use a CRM system.

CRM solutions have become incredibly popular in recent years. Companies all over the world make use of ERP software, allowing them to benefit from everything the technology can do. Among these tools, Salesforce is one of the most popular.

In this guide, we’ll go over three benefits that salesforce ERP integration can provide your business. Keep reading for more.

1. Easy-to-Access Customer Information

Various departments within your organization will collect and manage customer data. Keeping things organized is significantly easier when using Salesforce. It allows your entire company to work using a single system.

This means they’ll all record customer data in the same place, and this is where they’ll go when they need to access it. Having things set up in this way allows anyone within your organization to find the data that they need with ease. One team may record important information relating to supply chain activities, for example, and then anyone else who needs it will know where to locate it.

This streamlines operations, helping save a significant amount of time. It also ensures everyone is always using the most up-to-date information, reducing the risk of mistakes.

2. Build Trust With Customers

These days, there’s a lot of competition in every industry. You need to work to ensure your target audience favors you over your competitors. People put a lot of value on trust, so it’s important to maintain this if you want to foster brand loyalty.

Without this level of ERP integration, your team might struggle to help customers. This can be even more of an issue if they can’t find customer details. People will feel that your brand doesn’t care about its customers, which will push them towards alternatives.

Salesforce technology empowers your team so that they can provide the best level of customer service. Being able to access accurate customer data with ease and resolve issues incredibly quickly. This will help improve trust, customer engagement, retention, and more.

3. Saves Money and Time

For every company, the bottom line is vital. Being able to save money without compromising quality is always a plus. Improved efficiency will help with this.

A Salesforce ERP connection eliminates the need for double data entries. Your staff will spend less time on tedious tasks and can focus on more vital business processes.

Manual copying, for example, will no longer be needed. They also won’t need to manually check through databases to correct mistakes.

Human error is always an issue, but Salesforce goes a long way to reduce it. This allows your team to focus more time and energy on sales, business improvements, and whatever else is needed.

Salesforce ERP Integration

It’s important to make use of modern technology to improve your business where you can. Salesforce ERP integration will give you an edge over your competitors who are failing to advance in such a way. You should always make providing the best customer service possible a priority.

At XACT, we offer a range of customer support solutions that can help you serve your customers. Contact us today to find out more about how we can help you achieve your business goals.