How to use call forwarding for your small business

Call forwarding is when calls intended for your business line are immediately directed to another line such as your mobile phone number or a home number or to an answering service. Of course you can still make outgoing calls even when call forwarding is activated on your phone.
Many small businesses today use special types of call forwarding systems as part of the professional telephone system to ensure that they are always in touch with their customers. Call forwarding also means that you will never miss on a purchase or a sale opportunity and is one way of improving customer service.
Considering the fact that small businesses don’t have the “unlimited” resources common with mid-sized or large businesses, call forwarding can be a wise investment. When you have a small number of staff, there is a strong possibility of missing that vital call should volume spike. And with the competitive nature of the current market, if you miss that first call, you risk losing out on the business altogether.
With call forwarding, when a client calls, instead of getting a busy signal they will be transferred to an alternative number. Call forwarding services are now provided by most of the major telephone service providers.
There are four main benefits of call forwarding;
1. Availability
Availability is probably the biggest benefit of call forwarding. Even when you’re not in the office, your callers will still be able to reach you. Usually, you’re asked to specify what numbers the calls should be forwarded to. This can be your mobile phone, home phone or answering service. In some call forwarding services, the call forwarding feature is actually programmed to call a set of numbers until someone answers on the other end.
2. Mobility
When your calls can be transferred to your mobile phone, you will no longer have to worry about stepping outside the office to attend a seminar or to close another sale within town. You can even go on a trip outside the country confidently knowing that you will still be able to answer all your important calls. For small business owners, this increased mobility is what you need as you continue to expand your business network.
3. Avoid voicemail
The truth is that not every client enjoys leaving voicemail messages. In fact, some people think of voicemail messages as rather impersonal and may even fear that their messages may not be treated with the privacy they deserve. Instead of traditional voicemail messages, call forwarding service providers can allow you to set up a personal voicemail message on the last number provided.
4. Increased presence
This is where you have several phone numbers forwarded to one location. This way, if a client calls from a toll free line or a local number, they will be immediately forwarded to your business phone number or switchboard.
Of course you’ll still need to be very selective with what to forward and what not to forward. Some calls will still have to be directed to voicemail; you should only forward calls that you consider important.
Today, if a client’s call goes unanswered, instead of calling back, they are likely to choose to do business with another person. But because you’re working with limited resources, you also want to save on costs. Call forwarding is simple, reliable and very affordable.