As many of you experienced, Friday, January 31st felt more like Friday the 13th, with a host of services and internet connectivity failures. VTSL’s own network was affected, thanks to a dual fibre break in Gamma’s network, and BT suffered a major outage as well. Which bodes the question, why does a network outage for one carrier often affect other providers, and even seemingly unrelated services?
Moving offices is exciting — a brand new space, with new local coffee shops and places for lunch. The only problem is the move itself. Office moves require planning, time and very careful organisation. There are lots of moving parts to juggle and without a comprehensive list of what needs to be done, you could find yourself without internet connectivity or working phones. Here we share with you 4 office moving tips that will help ensure your transition is a smooth one.
Group Twinning is a surprisingly unknown but powerful feature that enables all Group Calls to be twinned with mobiles (or other third party numbers). Each group member sets the number they want their calls twinned with. Most of the time this is a mobile, but it could be any number, for example a landline home number.
Computer telephony integration (CTI), also called computer–telephone integration (or at VTSL, simply 'integrations'), is a common name for any technology that allows interactions on a telephone and a computer to be integrated or coordinated. The term is predominantly used to describe desktop-based interaction for helping users be more efficient, though it can also refer to server-based functionality such as automatic call routing.
A Software-defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) is a virtual WAN architecture that allows companies to leverage any combination of transport services, including broadband internet services, to securely connect users to applications (video, voice, cloud-based programmes, etc).
Telecoms innovations impact nearly everyone. Smartphones for example, have transformed the way we live our lives, do business and buy products. 5G is about to transform our ability to download and stream data at high speeds across the UK. And it is safe to say that innovations in video and instant messaging mean that we are no longer bound by physical phone lines or simple voice and text communications.
Transforming a business doesn't have to take thousands of pounds, management consultants or new training initiatives. It can happen through the smallest of changes. For example, a study found that when hospitals followed a simple checklist before a surgical procedure, death rates decreased by 40 percent. When Marriot implemented workplace flexibility, the company found that low-value work dropped from 11.7 hours per week to only 6.8 hours, and productivity increased even though the number of hours worked decreased.
We have long known the power voice has in everything from providing an amazing customer experience to selling a product. Hearing someone speak in their own words, and respond thoughtfully, can never be replaced with technology. It is after all the human connection that so much of business relies on. But this is not to say technology isn’t moving quickly in the voice department.
The formula for success for solving your customers' problems relies first and foremost on having motivated, caring, capable staff. But even without 5-star customer support reps, you can still teach your team to solve customer issues in a way that will leave the customer feeling satisfied. Here we break it down into 5 key to-do's that will ensure this customer touch-point ends up being a positive one.
Guest blog by Kurt Wilson from our partner, BlueJeans
