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In the past few years, we’ve had disruptions, inflation, looming recessions, and more. And businesses are questioning short-term and long-term goals and, more direly, budgets. In the middle of all the chaos and opportunities, you want sustainable solutions that promise business continuity.

After all, keeping the business running and making profits can prove challenging, every now and then.

Let’s look at how to reduce costs without sacrificing service quality by outsourcing business operations with cloud telephony solutions like call forwarding solutions.

Businesses Want to Reduce Costs

Growing burdens on tech companies and, by extension, IT teams have led to drastic cost-cutting measures.

Venture funding continues to slow down; in fact, VC funding almost halved in the first half of 2023. This means that VC-funded companies need to extend their runway by adopting other measures.

And so, businesses are trying to reduce costs and achieve (or maintain) profitability by:

• Consolidating services and technology,
• Changing providers,
• Switching to hybrid, remote models,
• Finding cost-effective solutions and technology,
• Laying off employees, etc.

And while this may come easy to certain businesses, not all are able to sacrifice their workforce and core business applications.

So, what realistic options are left? Outsourcing your operations.

Why Consider Outsourcing Business Processes?

There are numerous benefits to outsourcing. You can choose IT outsourcing (cloud computing, security) or business process outsourcing (sales, customer and tech support, accounting).

And through these services, you can enter new countries and establish a local presence in multiple target regions. By entering these spaces, you can benefit from new labor markets, diverse workforces, and access to new customer bases.

Furthermore, you can even find new providers that can offer you better tools and solutions at competitive rates. In fact, consolidation of communication, IT management, and support tools is a goal for about 83% of employees.

But the biggest benefit of outsourcing business processes is cost-savings. About two-thirds of businesses choose outsourcing primarily to save costs. These savings come from various sources:

• Lower labor costs
• Lower operational costs
• No need for full-fledged local offices; remote teams, and so on.

This makes outsourcing a prime opportunity for businesses wanting to cut down on operational costs without sacrificing quality and business continuity.

Outsourcing with International Call Forwarding

One way to save money is to outsource sales and support services. You can take advantage of a international call forwarding service to centralize and manage business communication globally.

How do you outsource customer communication?

1) Hire sales and support staff in different countries:

This staff can work remotely or in smaller offices. As for equipment, all they’ll need to operate a cloud phone system is an IP-enabled device (computer, laptop) and reliable internet. They simply connect to your phone network and start making and receiving calls.

You can then route incoming calls to overseas people based on advanced routing rules. For example, forward calls during off-hours to staff located in different time zones. Or, route incoming calls from certain locations to remote teams closer to those callers.

This frees up your main service center to focus on other queries, hence reducing their burden. It also means you don’t need to hire and train seasonal staff to manage fluctuating call volumes or holiday spikes.

Additionally, you can have your overseas people make outbound calls with your business phone number. So, instead of placing outbound calls on their own devices and having their personal phone numbers displayed as outgoing caller IDs, they can change it to display your business number. This maintains business uniformity making your company appear as a wholesome entity even when spread out.

2) Use call center outsourcing or BPOs:

These services take on your extra burden for relatively lower costs. This is especially true when compared to hiring new members in-house or a BPO in your own country. Plus, you don’t have to worry about hiring and onboarding sales and support staff; the BPO takes care of it.

And they come with key cloud communication features to ensure your customers are assisted efficiently and accurately.

Related: Top Countries for Call Center Outsourcing

How Global Call Forwarding Can Help

A call forwarding service can ensure your customers reach your teams wherever they are located. And with a cloud-based service, you don’t have to worry about high calling fees, even with international calls.

Our teams can set you up with the right solutions to keep all your local and distributed teams connected. We’ve helped countless businesses reduce communication-related costs with reliable voice solutions.

Plus, our global network of local telecom operators helps us provide global phone services without interruptions or exorbitant rates.

Want to find out more about our call forwarding service? Call us or chat with our experts today. We’re here to help!

International phone numbers make it easy for businesses to expand and extend services to new markets globally. But how do you use these numbers effectively so that they get in front of the right audience at the right time?

Many of our customers use their international numbers to research, test, and enter new markets. Others assign different numbers to separate distributed service centers or individuals. Some others even use it to outsource support in more cost-friendly regions.

We’ve put together a list of different business use cases for international phone numbers, so you have a place to start.

Before we get started, however, here’s a quick overview of the types of phone numbers used for international calling. Want to skip ahead? Jump to the 9 Use-Cases now.

Using International Phone Numbers for Business

International phone numbers are typically local and toll-free numbers with recognizable area codes and prefixes. This familiarity encourages locals to answer or return your calls.

And when you use virtual international numbers, you add more benefits to your international expansion plans. Virtual numbers work through the internet. In other words, you can make and receive calls using these international numbers. All you need is a VoIP-based phone number from your desired country and a stable internet connection.

Then, you can receive calls in any location by simply forwarding them to your preferred device or destination number. The best part? You don’t have to worry about building physical offices in all these different locations.

Cloud telephony is designed to help businesses operate from wherever they want without sacrificing their ability to communicate globally. And that’s where international VoIP calling comes in.

Different Types of Numbers for International Calling

Now, there are a few different types of international numbers that allow businesses to communicate across borders. Each type has its own distinct functionality but at the core of it, all number types are virtual and easy to use. Let’s look at the most common types:

1. Local phone numbers: These numbers have local area codes for their respective cities or states, and calling these numbers incurs a common local calling fee. Locals in these areas will recognize these codes as local codes. For example: New York City has the 212 and 646 codes while Dubai has 4. You can purchase local phone numbers for your target regions from any international phone service provider.

2. National numbers or non-geographic numbers: National numbers – also called shared cost numbers – are tied to specific countries but not to specific local cities or states. This similarity means that calls made to a national number also incur local calling rates.

3. International toll-free numbers (ITFNs): Country-specific toll-free numbers with 3-digit toll-free prefixes are free to call from within the respective country. Most businesses use these numbers to make it easy for their customers to call for support and assistance. Global Call Forwarding offers ITFNs from over 150 countries around the world. This way, you can pick numbers for your target countries.

9 Business Use Cases for International Phone Numbers

So, what are some successful ways to use your international phone numbers? Here are 9 common use cases we’ve seen in our 27 years of providing global numbers:

• Support Different Countries
• Establish a Local Presence in Foreign Countries
• Give Access to Individual Departments
• Advertise on Business Cards and Email Signatures
• Implement an Internal Help Desk
• Boost Localized Content ROI
• Outsource Support
• Set Up After-hours Support
• Consolidate Contact Center Operations

1. Support Different Countries

With international numbers from different countries, you open new channels of communication between your business and customers in these regions. This allows you to provide additional support in these different countries by listing contact phone numbers on your website, email communication, support documentation, and social media. And you can do this with either local or toll-free numbers.

2. Establish a Local Presence in Foreign Countries

Similarly, you can use local numbers to create a local presence in target regions and offer local customer support. Customers calling these numbers for support don’t have to pay high calling fees. Even if your business forwards calls internationally, customers still only pay local rates. Depending on the city, state, and country, local rates stay as low as 2.5 to 10 cents per minute per call.

3. Give Access to Individual Departments

By assigning individual numbers to critical departments and individuals, you can improve call management and overall productivity. For example, when you assign and share numbers to each sales and support person, customers can call them directly and get support faster. Plus, you can track these numbers to understand how customers find your business and how associated employees are performing.

4. Advertise on Business Cards and Email Signatures

You can go on to display these international numbers and individual contact numbers on your marketing materials. This lets you add an accessible and personal touch to business cards, email signatures, and other critical touch-points. Prospects coming across these channels will find a direct line to your agents, making your business more reachable.

5. Implement an Internal Help Desk

The most common use case we’ve seen recently is using international phone numbers to access internal help desks. Businesses with international teams and customers can use a global service desk hotline to help employees access additional assistance.

In this scenario, businesses have an internal technical or IT support-related help desk. And they use international numbers so employees in different regions can phone in for technical support.

6. Boost Localized Content ROI

More and more global companies now use a variety of localization strategies to increase visibility in target markets. However, it can prove difficult to track, measure, and improve localized strategies.

One way to do so is by using local phone numbers alongside country-specific campaigns. As calls come in, your teams can better determine which global strategies and campaigns are working and which need work.

You can do this for content (blog posts, product pages, social media posts) on a country or city level. For example, promote a Mexico toll-free number on your Spanish content and France toll-free number on your French content. Then, study call records to understand who’s viewing your online content more. On a smaller scale, you can use city phone numbers to see if your marketing materials are easily visible in different parts of the country.

7. Outsource Support

Another common application of international numbers is to outsource sales and support services.

Growing businesses can easily outsource with call forwarding and international numbers. Most businesses outsource to different countries with low labor and manufacturing costs or where desired talent is better available. They then forward calls from the main service line to these distributed service centers, wherever they are located.

Plus with advanced call routing strategies, you can route calls based on schedules, location, and more.

8. Set Up After-hours Support

The routing strategies mentioned above can also enable you to set up after-hours support. In this scenario, you can choose to route calls during certain hours to remote agents or call centers. As with the follow-the-sun support model, you can route calls to where your teams are actively working instead of offices closed for the day.

Or, you can route calls to your online support center. Here, you give them the option to leave a voicemail, chat with an assistant who can direct them to online resources, use an automated service to generate a ticket, and so on. All of this, of course, depends on your communication infrastructure.

9. Consolidate Contact Center Operations

You can also integrate your international phone numbers into your contact center software or pair them with other UC applications and build out your contact center operations. This way, you can upgrade your communication stack and use these services from one platform.

This way of centralizing business communication can help improve productivity and efficiency.

Get International Phone Numbers with Global Call Forwarding

With all these options and possibilities available, where do you start? Every business has a unique selling point and it’s your job to find that and bring it to the forefront so your customers can find you and trust you.

Let us help you get to the right place with our vast inventory of international phone numbers. Check out our Country Coverage to see if we cover your target countries. Or, speak with our global communication experts. They’re here to help you find the right communication solution for your business needs.

Call us today or chat with us online!

As part of T-Mobile’s expansion plans, the company acquired Sprint back in 2020. Since then, Sprint has been gradually shuttering down its different services including discontinuing its ITFS number service.

This means many customers (including businesses) won’t be able to use these numbers to communicate with their end customers.

Here’s a quick overview of what is happening and what options are available to customers facing this issue.

How ITFS Numbers Works

International toll-free numbers – also known as ITFS numbers – allow callers from their associated countries to call your company for free. The business pays for these calls encouraging more and more customers to reach out for sales and support queries.

These toll-free numbers exist in different forms but you can identify them by the toll-free prefix at the beginning of these numbers.

Businesses typically buy ITFS numbers for different target countries to extend operations to those regions. And with competitive costs, these numbers are relatively inexpensive compared to opening physical offices, making them a cost-effective solution for global businesses.

Options Going Forward

So, with Sprint shutting down, what can customers with existing Sprint phone numbers do?

Many phone number providers are scrambling to resolve this issue. And while porting your toll-free numbers seems the obvious solution, it will prove hard to port all these numbers away from Sprint.

Our teams at Global Call Forwarding, however, are working hard to help customers facing these issues. While we may not be able to port all numbers, businesses can instead purchase new ITFS numbers from us.

If you choose this route, you can then set a custom greeting on your existing Sprint line letting callers know that it will soon be disconnected. Here you can also share your new number.

Then, add disclaimers to your marketing materials (website, email, social media, etc.) explaining that your old number will be disconnected on a certain date and provide the new contact number.

The Problem with Legacy Telecom Carriers

Most legacy carriers constantly look for ways to expand their consumer base and, by extension, revenue. This leads to a lot of acquiring or merging with other carriers; Sprint was purchased at $26 billion. Additionally, they tend to shut down older services and networks to afford such purchases.

However, the transitionary phase of such a merger can shake things up for the layperson needing a reliable phone service.

Having been in this business for over 27 years, we’ve seen some common issues with legacy telecom carriers, such as:

• Longer response times; representatives are harder to reach
• Lengthy number provisioning times
• Limited global voice coverage, and more.

As an alternative, we strive to provide a more reliable service through our high-availability global network.

See How Global Call Forwarding Can Help

Since 1996, Global Call Forwarding has been providing international phone service from more than 160 countries. With fast provisioning times and 24/7 customer service, we aim to provide a high-quality and reliable service.

View our country coverage to see if we cover your target regions; check our customer reviews to see how businesses like yours use our service.

Need new international toll-free numbers to replace your Sprint numbers? Sign up on our Pricing page or chat online with our experts today. We’re here to help!

In today’s fast-paced business landscape, round-the-clock customer support is a strategic necessity. If phone support is your preferred customer service approach, then you need to ensure customers can effortlessly connect with you. Not only that, you must also be able to quickly resolve their queries, in a responsive and well-organized manner.

An efficient customer support system is paramount, and one integral aspect of this system is the escalation matrix. An escalation matrix offers a meticulous approach to navigating and resolving customer issues. It helps in delineating stages of escalation and identifying agents and teams for handling incidents. With an escalation matrix, you can solve issues systematically and more swiftly. You can use such a matrix for inbound and/or blended call centers.

In this article, we’ll delve into:

• What is an Escalation Matrix? Why is it Important?
• Types of Escalation Models: Failover, Hierarchical, and Functional
• How to Design a Call Center Matrix
• Designing an Escalation Matrix with GCF

Let’s dive in!

What is an Escalation Matrix?

An escalation matrix is a structured framework that guides how to handle challenging customer issues when the first point of contact cannot solve them. Think of it as a ladder helping agents climb to the right level of support to solve complex problems.

Simply put, an escalation matrix outlines the steps and levels of escalation for addressing complex customer issues. By doing so, it ensures that no matter the complexity of the problem, customers can find resolution quickly.

And, it goes without saying, that customers would prefer this instead of being bounced around or left frustrated.

Why is it Important to Have an Escalation Matrix?

As one of the most common call center best practices, the primary goal of any escalation matrix is to enhance customer satisfaction by streamlining the resolution processes. It acts as a safety net, assuring customers that even if their initial concern isn’t resolved, there’s a clear path to reach higher-ups who can provide solutions. Here are some reasons why a well-structured escalation matrix is crucial:

1. Minimize time taken for resolution: Ensure that customer issues are handled most efficiently by appropriate and knowledgeable agents,
2. Increase the likelihood of retention: Showcase the company’s commitment to customer well-being,
3. Optimize resources: Route issues to suitable agents or level of expertise and prevent unnecessary involvement of higher-ups for routine matters.
4. Establish clear communication pathways: Ensure that the right information reaches the right people at the right time.

Implementing an escalation matrix helps prepare agents to assist and support callers, no matter what their reason to call.

Related: Call Center Trends in 2023

Types of Escalation Models

These models vary based on your organization’s structure, industry, and customer service priorities. You will have to customize these models to fit your specific needs and industry standards. Here are the most common type of escalation matrix modes:

1) Failover Escalation Matrix: Ring Groups-Based

In this call center escalation model, you can add relevant individuals in respective ring groups and then ring them sequentially. Here’s how:

Group 1 – Frontline Agents: Receive initial call.

Group 2 – Backup Remote Agents: If call remains unanswered.

Group 3 – Support Managers or Director: If call remains unanswered.

Group 4 – Voicemail: If no one answers after that, automatically send callers to a voicemail.

2) Hierarchical Escalation Matrix: Complexity-Based

In this escalation model, customer enquiries start with frontline agents. However, if they cannot resolve the issue, enquiries are escalated step by step to higher levels of expertise. Certain customer support issues may require everyone to pitch in. Here’s a simplified breakdown of a hierarchical escalation matrix:

Level 1 – Frontline Support: Initial contact point where customer concerns arrive; agents can resolve basic issues here.

Level 2 – Technical Support: Forward more complex issues here. These agents possess specialized technical knowledge.

Level 3 – Specialist Teams: Reserved for highly complex issues requiring specialized knowledge or departmental intervention.

Level 4 – Management: Reserved for critical issues requiring immediate attention from higher management.

3) Functional Escalation Matrix: Function-Based

This type of escalation matrix focuses on the functional aspect of the issue rather than the hierarchy. It’s suitable for organizations where specialized teams handle specific types of problems. Here’s a simplified representation:

Function 1 – Network Issues: Escalated when the problem pertains to network connectivity or signal quality.

Function 2 – Billing Concerns: For issues related to billing, payments, and account discrepancies.

Function 3 – Technical Hardware: When the problem involves malfunctioning devices or equipment.

Function 4 – Service Outages: Reserved for widespread service disruptions affecting multiple customers.

Designing a Call Center Matrix

So, how do you design an escalation matrix in your call center? In most cases, you start by identifying what your customers need and then putting plans in place to help them. But depending on your business type and size, you might want to consider a few more factors. Let’s have a look:

Step 1: Identify Customer Issues

First, make a list of common problems customers might face. These could be things like account check-ins, billing issues, product defects, delivery delays, or technical glitches. Understanding these customer pain points helps you organize the escalation process better.

For instance, you can review past customer support tickets to spot recurring challenges. Then identify patterns or keywords within these tickets pointing to common problems.

Or, agents can inquire about customers’ overall experience and if they encountered any difficulties. They can do this by conducting quick and brief surveys to gather customer feedback after providing assistance.

Additionally, they can study feedback gathered from customer surveys and other sources online reviews, social media, etc., for comments and ratings addressing specific issues.

If you offer phone support, then it is recommended that you monitor and analyze call data to identify concerns commonly arising during customer calls.

Step 2: Define Escalation Levels

Once you’ve collected data on the different areas of support you need, you can start building your escalation matrix. Think of escalation levels as different stages of help.

For the failover or hierarchical escalation matrix: Level 1 can tackle basic issues that frontline agents can handle, like password resets. Level 2 can handle trickier issues that need more experienced agents. And Level 3 might involve problems that require the attention of supervisors or managers.

For the functional escalation matrix: Based on the functions needed to resolve common queries, include key departments or individuals within your inbound call center matrix.

Divide and categorize your most common and crucial customer queries. Then, place them in their respective levels. Once you’ve outlined this, you can move on to assign responsibility.

Step 3: Assign Responsibility

For each level, decide who will (and more importantly, who has the relevant experience to) handle the issues. Frontline agents will handle Level 1, while more experienced agents step in for Level 2. If it’s still not resolved, managers might take over at Level 3.

Same goes for the function-based escalations where specific departments handle their queries relevant to them. This ensures problems get to the right people at the right time.

Step 4: Set Time Limits

Time is crucial in customer service. Decide how quickly each level should respond. For instance, Level 1 might need a response within 2 hours, Level 2 within 4 hours, and Level 3 within 24 hours. This keeps customers from waiting too long for solutions.

Share these realistic expectations with your agents and provide them resources — like a knowledge base or unique phone extensions to reach managers — that help meet these goals.

Step 5: Optimize Communication Channels

Decide how customers can reach each escalation level. For simple issues, phone or chat might work. But for complex problems, email or even in-person support might be necessary. Make sure customers know how to reach each level. Ensure your phone number and chat is easy to locate. Set up automated responses so customers know their messages have been received.

Step 6: Create a Clear Flowchart

Now, make a flowchart that shows the path from Level 1 to Level 3. It’s like a map that guides agents on what to do when a problem arises. The flowchart should be simple to understand, so everyone can follow it without confusion. Make sure to include back-up options, in case primary options fail to work.

Step 7: Train and Provide Guidelines

Train your agents on how the escalation matrix works. They should know when to escalate and what information to provide at each level. Guidelines can help them make the right decisions and provide consistent support. It’s important they know how to access relevant information and resources to help resolve queries effectively.

Step 8: Review Regularly, Prioritize Feedback, and Empower Teams

Customer issues change over time, so your escalation matrix should too. Regularly review and update it. If they often feel problems weren’t solved properly, it might be time to rethink your escalation process. Their feedback is invaluable.

Listen to your customers. Continue to survey customers and collect feedback to improve your operational efficiency. If you notice certain issues always go to Level 3, maybe you need to adjust the process. Flexibility is key.

On top of that, take time to empower your agents to make the right decisions. Sometimes, a frontline agent can solve a Level 2 problem with the right tools. This helps save time and enhances customer satisfaction.

Keep communication open. If agents find that certain problems keep coming up, they should feel comfortable providing feedback. This can help refine the escalation matrix for better efficiency.

How to Design a Call Center Escalation Matrix with GCF

So, what options do you have with Global Call Forwarding? Our advanced suite of features—mostly focused on cloud-based forwarding and routing—help you create custom call flows. And this means, you can tailor your escalation matrix based on your specific needs.

With our range of call center technologies, we can help you build this with our 24/7 tech support team and customer success managers.

Here are two ways you can build your call center escalation matrix in our control panel:

1. Ring Groups

You can use ring groups to provide different levels of support. Then, if the first group cannot answer the call, it automatically forwards to the next in line. All this happens quickly behind the scenes so customers don’t have to wait in line for too long.

Here’s what this looks like:

Customize these ring groups to meet your requirements. They can be functional or hierarchical or simply backup options on high call traffic days.

2. IVR and Advanced Routing

Alternatively, you can create a department or function-specific escalation matrix through our IVR editor. Here, you can include relevant functions for common queries like:

• Front desk – for office hours, directions, etc.
• Sales – to increase call center sales
• Customer support – connects to customer support ring groups sequentially as programmed above
• Billing – for billing and accounting-related queries, and so on.

In our control panel, it looks something like this:

Create Custom Call Flows to Prepare for Escalations

Streamlining customer support helps in optimizing your resources and enhancing communication pathways. Global Call Forwarding offers advanced cloud-based solutions for building an efficient escalation matrix. With options like ring groups and IVR, we can help you streamline support thereby helping you to foster customer satisfaction, which ultimately fuels business growth.

To unlock the potential for enhanced customer support and business growth, reach out to Global Call Forwarding today! Speak to our experts today or book a demo.

Related: Cloud Call Center Software – Pricing Guide

Purchasing the right cloud contact center software can have a significant impact on your business. The correct software will maximize agent productivity, improve customer service, and set the foundation for future growth, providing the best value for your investment. But when buying call center software, what should you look for and how to compare prices?

In this article, we’ll go over:

• Factors influencing software pricing
• Call center software pricing—comparison
  1. Global Call Forwarding
  2. Genesys
  3. Nice CXone
  4. Twilio
  5. RingCentral
  6. Five9
  7. CloudTalk
  8. Aircall
  9. JustCall
  10. TalkDesk

Choosing a Call Center Software

It’s always good to define your specific needs and goals, and then make the choice. You might have to evaluate call center software based on factors like pricing models, features, scalability and ease of use of software, contact center integration capabilities, etc.

There are different factors that go into call center software pricing. And there are different vendors with different capabilities depending on what you’re looking for. For instance, some may offer a comprehensive software with call center capabilities at a high premium cost. While others may offer an a la carte menu of pick-and-choose options.

In most cases, call center pricing includes the per-user costs for using the platform, then the telephony expenses, and additional number costs.

Call Center Software Pricing = Platform + Telephony + Phone Numbers

So, you’ll need to keep all this in mind, when researching vendors.

Wondering what are the key determinants of call center software pricing? We’ve got you!

Related: Transforming Your Legacy Contact Center

Factors that Influence Call Center Software Pricing

When shopping for call center software, there are a few critical factors to keep in mind. For instance, how are the plans priced? What features come included? Let’s look at the different factors that influence call center software pricing:

1. Average Cost

The average cost varies on the features, scalability, and level of support you need. The basic cloud call center software plan is available from $12–$30, while premium plans range from $50 to $300 per user. Providers also offer a marginal discount of around 20–30% if you bill annually.

2. Pricing Models

Pricing is based on usage metrics (minutes, call volume, number of users, etc.) or billing models (monthly vs annual). And here’s the cool part: some software providers offer custom models. This means you can negotiate and get a price based on your business’ specific needs.

3. Features

While some features come included with basic plans, providers may adopt a tiered structure for premium features, offering them at different price points. At the most basic level, you can expect features such as inbound calling, call routing, IVR, and standard customer support. Move up the tiers for additional features like call recording, advanced analytics, CRM integrations, omnichannel support, etc.

Check out features we provide.

4. Setup Process

Your customization and integration requirements can affect the pricing. For instance, some software providers might charge you for training and onboarding services. Also, note that the size and scale of the call center and the number of users/agents being onboarded can also affect pricing.

5. Account Management

Software providers offer various levels of account management support that can influence pricing. Some basic account manager features include:
User provisioning and access control
Allowing administrators to create and manage user accounts and
Set custom and personalized permissions, etc.

Call Center Software Pricing — Cost Comparison

So, how much does call center software cost?

The market has a wide range of vendors and capabilities, and the average cost ranges from $15 to $250 per user per month.

Picking the right call center software is crucial and pricing is a significant factor to consider. Here we explore top call center software providers and the key features they offer. Plus, we’ll delve into pricing to help you make an informed decision.

*Note: Costs mentioned in this article are current at the time of publishing and are subject to changes.

Related: What is a No-Code Contact Center?

So, How Much Will it Cost Your Business?

As you see, there are different factors that influence call center pricing. But let’s say you have 20 agents, then you should be prepared to spend anywhere from $5,000–$25,000 per year for a comprehensive solution.

When it comes to choosing the right software, pricing plays a substantial role. Prices can vary from as low as $15 to as high as $250 per user per month. That’s why it’s crucial to carefully examine what’s included in the pricing.

The good news is that many software providers, including Global Call Forwarding, offer a free trial. This helps you to try and test buy the product and its features before subscribing. You can then make sure it’s the perfect fit for your needs, ensuring you’ve made the right decision.

Let us help you take your business to the next level. Upgrade with our cutting-edge cloud contact center solutions! Let our experts show you how we can revolutionize your customer interactions. Give us a call at +1 (561) 908-6171 or chat with us online to get started today!

More and more businesses are turning to advanced tools and technologies to improve their operations and elevate their service offerings. Among one of the most popular business tools is Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software from Zoho.

This platform is trusted by over 250k businesses worldwide and is designed to help you manage customer interactions. On top of that, it also allows you to seamlessly connect your CRM system with countless other business tools and apps through a wide variety of integrations. So, how do you know which are the best Zoho integrations for your business? Let’s get into it.

Best Zoho Integrations (According to Use Case)

With over 800 Zoho integrations to choose from, it’s difficult to identify the ones that will effectively meet your needs. In this article, we’ll explore the best Zoho integrations for your different departments and use cases. So, whether you’re looking to streamline your sales processes, optimize your marketing efforts, or enhance customer support, you’ll be able to find integrations that work best for your business.

• Benefits of CRM Integrations
• Zoho CRM integrations for Business Communication
  • Global Call Forwarding, SMS-Magic, Slack, Zoom
• Zoho CRM integrations for Sales Teams
  • QuarterOne, Klenty Email Automation, LinkedIn Finder, Organization Charts Extension, PandaDoc
• Zoho CRM integrations for Marketing Teams
  • Paperflite, Lead Finder, Outgrow, Zoho Campaigns
• Zoho CRM integrations for Customer Support
  • Customer Ticket History, Email and Phone Checker, AmplifyReach Chatbot, Zuper
• Zoho CRM integrations for Remote Work
  • Zoho Meeting, Teamviewer, Converse, Zoho Workdrive

But, before we jump into our list of the 21 best Zoho integrations, let’s quickly go over the benefits of CRM integrations.

Benefits of CRM Integrations

CRM integrations offer a wide range of benefits that can significantly enhance business operations and drive overall success. Here are some key benefits of CRM integrations:

• Streamlined Data Management: Allows for seamless data flow between applications. This ensures that all customer information is up-to-date, accurate, and readily available across different platforms. It eliminates the need for manual data entry and reduces the risk of errors, enabling more efficient and effective data management.

• Enhanced Productivity and Efficiency: Eliminates the need to switch between multiple systems and leads to increased productivity and streamlined workflows. It also enables the automation of repetitive tasks, saving time and allowing teams to focus on other priority tasks.

• Improved CX: Enables a holistic view of customer interactions by consolidating data from various touch points into one, centralized platform. This comprehensive customer view empowers businesses to deliver personalized experiences, as well as provide timely and relevant support, ensuring a smooth and consistent customer experience.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Empowers businesses to gain valuable insights from customer data. By analyzing customer behaviors, preferences, and patterns, organizations can make informed decisions, identify trends, and develop effective strategies to optimize overall business performance.

• Better Collaboration and Communication: Sharing customer data and updates in real-time ensures that everyone is on the same page, improving coordination and enabling better customer service.

Zoho CRM integrations for Business Communication

Zoho integrations help businesses communicate better both internally and externally by centralizing your communication channels. And this can include integrating email, phone calls, live chat, social media, and more within your CRM. By consolidating your communication tools into one platform, you can contact prospects, customers, and even other colleagues and teams, more easily and efficiently.

CRM integrations help improve business communication by:

• Enhancing cross-functional communication
• Centralizing communication and customer data
• Promoting better coordination and collaboration
• Enabling targeted and effective communication strategies
• Providing data-driven insights and more.

Now, let’s discuss the best Zoho integrations for business communication.

1. Global Call Forwarding

With the Global Call Forwarding Zoho integration, you can combine the power of your VoIP phone system with the functionality of your CRM. This allows you to make and receive calls within your CRM, upload call records, track call metrics, and more.

2. SMS-Magic

This Zoho integration allows you to communicate with up to 50,000 customers via WhatsApp or SMS from your smartphone or within your CRM.

3. Slack

Slack is a team communication tool that helps everyone stay on the same page. With this integration, you can instantly pull up relevant Zoho CRM records for data-sharing and team collaboration.

4. Zoom

This Zoho integration is an online meeting tool that enables you to virtually communicate face-to-face with customers, prospects, and colleagues.

Zoho CRM integrations for Sales Teams

Sales is one of the departments that benefits the most from a CRM platform. And with the combined power of CRM and app integrations, sales teams can manage their customer relationships more efficiently, improve sales effectiveness, and drive revenue growth.

Sales departments can use different CRM integrations for:

• Lead generation, management, and nurturing
• Revenue forecasting
• Communication with customers and prospects
• Relationship tracking
• Sales pipeline and project management
• Performance review and evaluation
• Data syncing
• Sales enablement and more.

Let’s take a look at the best Zoho integrations for sales teams.

5. QuarterOne

QuarterOne is a forecasting app that develops accurate and automated revenue forecasts based on sales data from your Zoho CRM. With this free tool, you can easily track sales performance and monitor any pipeline changes.

6. Klenty Email Automation

Klenty’s Zoho integration for email automation allows you to perform sales outreach tasks without leaving Zoho. And with its data sync capabilities, you can connect with prospects from either platform and have both tools stay up to date.

7. LinkedIn Finder

With this Zoho extension, you can easily search LinkedIn for contacts and leads directly from your CRM. This way, you can seamlessly connect with prospects and start building relationships.

8. Organization Charts Extension

This integration allows you to quickly view your contact’s role in their company’s hierarchical structure through visual and graphical charts. So, you can determine how your prospect works and who is involved in the decision-making process.

9. PandaDoc

PandaDoc is a free extension that enables you to create professional and impressive sales documents such as proposals, contracts, quotes, invoices, and more. On top of that, it helps you keep track of the document’s status, like if they’re pending approval, waiting to be opened, or signed.

Zoho CRM integrations for Marketing Teams

CRMs give you an in-depth look at the behaviors, preferences, and needs of your customers and target buyers. And this is especially valuable to marketing teams as it allows them to gain a deeper understanding of the target audience and deliver more targeted and personalized marketing campaigns. With Zoho CRM integrations, you can take your CRM’s capabilities a step further to enhance customer engagement, improve conversion rates, and drive business growth.

Marketing departments can use different CRM integrations for:

• Segmentation and targeting
• Email marketing automation
• Content marketing
• Campaign analytics and reporting
• Social media management
• Personalization and customer experience
• Customer journey mapping and more.

Now, let’s look at the best Zoho integrations for marketing teams.

10. Paperflite

Paperflite is a content intelligence system that enables teams to share existing content with customers and prospects to build personalized experiences. On top of that, you can use this extension to track real-time audience engagement and measure the impact and ROI of your content.

11. Lead Finder

With this integration, you can locate your target market on Google Maps based on the keywords you enter. This is great for both marketing and sales as it allows you to find and target customers in specific geographical regions.

12. Outgrow

Outgrow helps marketers create personalized and interactive content like calculators, quizzes, surveys, polls, and more. These valuable, high-converting experiences help drive engagement and generate insightful customer data.

13. Zoho Campaigns

This Zoho integration focuses on automating your email marketing efforts. Using it, you can track email metrics, send relevant and personalized campaigns to contacts, automatically pull contacts from your CRM to create mailing lists, and more.

Zoho CRM integrations for Customer Support

CRMs help you manage every stage of a customer’s journey from the initial marketing touchpoint to post-purchase support. And by combining the rich data this software holds with the increased functionality of integrations, your support teams gain a holistic understanding of the customer’s history and needs. So, you can streamline support processes, enhance customer interactions, and improve overall service efficiency.

Customer support departments can use different CRM integrations to:

• Consolidate customer data into one platform
• Provide personalized and tailored support
• Manage service tickets
• Unify multi-channel communication
• Monitor team performance
• Offer self-service options
• Make data-driven decisions
• Automate global support tasks
• Enhance the overall support experience and more.

Next up, we’ll discuss the best Zoho integrations for support teams.

14. Customer Ticket History

As the name suggests, customer ticket history gives your team a comprehensive view of your contact’s past support tickets. This includes information such as ticket status, creation date, and assigned agent.

15. Email and Phone Checker

This integration automatically verifies your contact’s phone numbers and email addresses to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of the info.

16. AmplifyReach Chatbot

With this integration, you can provide 24/7 support and offer self-service options using this app’s chatbot and live chat functions. And it seamlessly integrates within your Zoho CRM allowing you to view multiple conversations from a single window.

17. Zuper

If you run a field service operation, Zuper’s Zoho integration may be for you. This integration allows you to seamlessly manage and view all customer service work orders within your CRM. This way, you can dispatch the best employee to the correct location with the right knowledge and tools.

Zoho CRM integrations for Remote Work

One of the main benefits of a CRM system is that it centralizes important data and insights, making it accessible from wherever your teams are working. This is especially useful for remote teams, as it allows for data sharing and ensures consistency across the organization. And with the right integrations for remote work, you can enhance productivity, streamline workflows, and foster effective teamwork, regardless of physical location.

Remote departments can use different CRM integrations to:

• Access and update customer data from anywhere
• Collaborate and share customer information, notes, and activities
• Enhance remote team communication
• Manage projects and track tasks
• Automate workflows and more.

Let’s get into the best Zoho integrations for remote teams.

18. Zoho Meeting

Zoho Meeting enables you to schedule virtual meetings with anyone in your CRM including prospects, customers, or fellow team members. This means you can give presentations, showcase product demos, collaborate with colleagues, and more.

19. Teamviewer

This integration allows you to initiate a remote session with prospects and customers for product walkthroughs, demos, and support purposes.

20. Converse

The Converse extension ensures everyone on your team is on the same page by allowing you to create comments, reply to threads, and tag teammates on your CRM contacts.

21. Zoho Workdrive

This integration enables teams to share and collaborate on customer-related documents and files from within your CRM.

Get a Zoho Integration from Global Call Forwarding

As you can see, there are many integrations available that work to maximize the functionality and efficiency of your CRM and overall business processes. To choose the best Zoho integration for your business, make sure to evaluate your needs and preferences. And always check the reviews on Zoho marketplace to understand an integration’s pros and cons.

If you’re looking to unify your communication channels and increase productivity across your teams, consider integrating your phone system within your CRM. Global Call Forwarding offers a Zoho integration solution that is easy to configure.

To learn more about our Zoho integration or other business communication solutions, call +1 (561) 908-6171 or chat with our telecom experts online!

New to Global Call Forwarding? We’re happy to have you! Let’s go over the process of getting a phone number and VoIP subscription with us.

Here are a couple of things to know before we get started:

Expert consultation: Our team is available to provide guidance throughout the pre-sales process. Call us at +1 (561) 908-6171 or chat with us online.

Free trial: We offer a 15-day free trial to test our cloud phone service.

• If you want to skip the free trial, you can sign up for a paid account
• For paid accounts, we offer a 30-day money-back guarantee for any technical issues confirmed by our tech support team.

Payment methods: You can sign up with a credit card, PayPal, or wire transfer. Corporate invoicing with purchase orders are also available.

Billing & Invoicing: Our services are billed monthly.

• At the beginning of each month, you will receive an invoice with an itemized accounting of your usage.
• Our services are also month-to-month. We believe our service quality speaks for itself. But if a particular line of service doesn’t make sense for your business at the time, you’re welcome to cancel as needed. We don’t require long-term commitments and are flexible to work with. Together, we want to build a phone system that works best for your needs.

Note: The process we outline below applies to corporate accounts and not personal accounts.

Signing Up with Global Call Forwarding

Start by signing up for a virtual phone number on our Pricing page. You can browse our inventory to find the right phone number for your business by choosing the country and phone number type. Then, fill out the forms and submit your application.

You can add numbers and services later on, as we can provide international phone numbers in more than 160 countries. To see what countries we service, check out Country Coverage.

You can also add premium features like Outbound Calling, Call Recording, Voicemail Transcription, and Integrations later on.

What Happens After Signing Up

1) Email verification

After signing up and submitting your application, you will need to verify your email. Check your email and click on the ‘verify’ link. If you cannot find the email, check your spam folder.

Within 24 hours of your email address being verified, our phone provisioning team will contact you to verify the details of your application.

2) Documentation Check

Since we have a large inventory, we are able to quickly activate and deliver your phone numbers. However, in some cases, we will request KYC documentation for regulatory purposes.

Learn more about the international phone number ordering requirements here:

3) Account Activation and Introductory Emails

Once your account is activated, you will receive a series of emails from us:

• Service confirmation email with details about the number(s) and services we activated for you and instructions to log in to your control panel. We also have a knowledge base and onboarding resources to get you started.
• Introductory email from your customer success manager
• If you signed up for outbound calling – Instructions on how to make calls with your new phone number.
• If you signed up for a free trial – You will receive “thank you for testing” emails with details about the test calls that you received. These emails are only sent during the trial period. To disable them, upgrade your account.
• If you signed up for a free trial – A courtesy reminder email when your free trial is about to expire.

4) Onboarding and Customer Success Management

During the first two weeks, you will also receive an introductory onboarding call from your dedicated customer success manager.

CSM is provided free with all corporate accounts. It is their responsibility to help you get the most value out of your service. They will try to understand your use case better and guide you towards included features that might benefit your specific communication needs.

If you would like to pay upon the receipt of an invoice, this can also be set up during the onboarding call.

Here’s our welcome kit so you have an idea of the process: GCF Onboarding

5) Control Panel and Features

You’ll also be able to log in to our self-service portal (control panel) to view call activity and manage calling features, many of which can be configured at no extra cost.

You can start configuring key features using our easy-to-follow how-to videos.

6) Support Model

We provide free 24/7/365 live technical support available to all our corporate clients. You can reach out to us via:

• Live chat on our website and control panel
• Phone support
• Trouble ticketing system in the control panel – choose this when you want to escalate the issue.

Welcome to the Community!

We have thousands of long-term satisfied customers, many for more than 15 years. We want to continue to build long-term relationships with other businesses by offering reliable and high-quality service, flexibility, and personalized support.

Learn more about how our customers use our service in our Customer Stories. Or, call us to set up a walkthrough today. We’re here to help!