What’s worse than a phone that never seems to stop ringing? A silent one! Your phone is your agency’s lifeline to your clients and prospects; they need to be able to reach you.
By automating your phone system and integrating it with your CRM or AMS, you can make the most out of the most important piece of tech in your office. Modern-day VoIP phone systems can record calls, schedule calls, and customize your area codes to always appear local. All three of these features increase your bottom line while saving you time and potential headaches.
Recorded calls allow you to capture valuable information without being glued to a notepad, help with coaching new staff, as well as protect against E&O claims. Recording phone calls is not a new practice. In fact, it’s been around for over 50 years.
So what is new about the process of recording calls? Connecting your CRM or AMS to your phone system allows you to link a call recording directly to your contact, making it easy to access with just a few clicks. Not only does it make it easy to refresh yourself on key points from your last conversation, but constant access guarantees that you’re always protected.
Another benefit of connecting your CRM or AMS to your phone system is automating workflows. When a prospect completes a form on your website, you can set up your CRM to schedule a call to discuss insurance options. Your CRM can even send you a reminder when it’s time to make the call! Never again will you miss a lead in a messy inbox or a sticky note reminder hidden on your desk.
Automating your phone can help answer and response rates too. People are more likely to answer local calls and respond to mailing campaigns featuring a local telephone number. Today’s VoIP systems can help you appear local, even if you aren’t. Extending your area code reach to a neighboring county can be great for your marketing efforts.
Getting localized or unique inbound phone numbers can help you keep track of marketing campaign effectiveness more accurately for your agency. Imagine putting a specific, local number on a billboard and allowing your CRM to count how many calls have come in on that line. From there, you can refine the data to figure out the exact ROI of that billboard with very little number crunching.
Automated phone systems can also:
- Implement IVRs, otherwise known as a phone tree, to help your clients reach the right agent.
- View full-scale call analytics to examine customer behavior for marketing purposes.
- Save your team time and stress, which helps boost your customer service and in turn – sales!
Recording and saving phone calls, auto-scheduling your calls, and localizing numbers are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to boosting your phone system to work for you. Automating your agency phone system and integrating it with your CRM or AMS system can be one of the easiest, most beneficial automations you can bring to your office.
Greg McCammon
Marketing Manager
