The world of VoIP is constantly changing along with other digital technologies. Some of those changes involve the tools and how businesses use them. Having a VoIP phone system is quickly becoming the norm, but that is not the most important trend to keep in mind for 2023 and beyond. Unified communication applications integrating seamlessly into a company’s technology ecosystem are becoming more common. As IP telephone services, from VoIP desk phones to enterprise software integrations, become the norm, each employee increasingly needs an IP business phone that works with other systems. Here are notes on trends that kicked off in recent years and are likely to continue beyond 2023.
IP Telephone Services Improved by Artificial Intelligence
Some flashy AI tools have gotten most of the attention in the past year or so. A few AI developments in the business world seem especially important in 2023 and beyond. Some large companies have started to use voice recognition to spot fraudulent callers. Artificial intelligence software can also detect a caller’s language and divert them to a support line that uses the appropriate language. Language software is an increasingly useful tool as customers using the systems become more diverse.
Making customers or potential customers navigate phone menus in their second or third language can be perceived as negative because people increasingly expect a personalized customer service experience. In ethnically diverse areas like the greater Los Angeles area and New York, a substantial percentage of the public speaks a native language other than English.
Increasingly smart chatbots can take the burden off human employees in handling chats and customer service phone calls. AI may also have other uses in the sales pipeline for VoIP hardware, enterprise marketing tools like Salesforce, and content marketing. Experts have also mentioned 5G technology being part of a telecom trend.
The Spread of 5G Coverage
The worst enemy of a VoIP Phone System might be latency. A phone conversation, audio conference, or video chat can be sent as digital packets, which can be delayed en route. Those delays can seriously degrade the quality of a video chat or voice call. A 5G network brings a considerable reduction in latency. Going from 60 to 98 milliseconds to 5 milliseconds or less would improve signal quality and make VoIP communication less frustrating.
Remote Work Becoming Normalized
The recent trend toward hybrid and remote work arrangements will likely continue in any industry where people do not have to gather in one physical location. This is more of a cultural or economic trend than a technological one. VoIP is still relevant and essential because of the many communication tools that unified communication applications put together in a VoIP phone system.
Increase in Omnichannel Service and Support
VoIP phones are increasingly becoming less of a way to make calls and more a part of the company’s multichannel customer service and support. Chat, email, and phone calls can be options run by the same behind-the-scenes hardware and software. This is what unified communication applications for communication do. The same systems also run fax-to-email, voice mail, call forwarding, call logs, and call forwarding.
IP telephone services will increasingly need to support multiple modes of communication with high stability and quality for conferencing and calling. Management will increasingly look for ways to economize, improve customer service, and increase productivity using VoIP telephone system tools and the data those tools can generate.
Integration of VoIP Data with Customer Data
Phone calls generate data that might prove valuable in streamlining operations, training employees, or identifying ways to save money. When phone companies control the data, calling information might be available to a business owner. With IP phone systems, data on call duration, hangups, and other variables can be accessed from a dashboard. That data may be integrated with additional customer service data from email and chat sessions. Putting all this marketing or service communication on one platform makes evaluating the company’s performance easier.
IP phone systems may give administrators access to a variety of data. Depending on the make and model, a user would be able to review the following:
- Call volume
- Average call duration
- Missed calls
Data-driven planning is not new, but the trend to run more and more functions using unified communication applications might make the data more accessible and valuable.
Creative Use of Application Programming Interfaces
Integrating your phone system with your entire technology ecosystem, or tech stack in developer language, is a trend that application programming interfaces (APIs) influence. Many enterprise software vendors offer APIs that allow, for example, your payment gateway to communicate directly with a human resources database.
Some VoIP hardware eliminates API (Application Programming Interface) integration work, or most of it, by providing a connection between the phone system and a variety of software, including:
- Salesforce
- Microsoft Outlook and Exchange Server
- HubSpot
- Zoho
- ServiceMonster
- Pipeline Deals
That is only a partial list of enterprise software to which your IP telephone services could connect.
VoIP is the Future
The two terms that best describe VoIP phone system trends in 2023 might be “integration” and “personalization” because the ongoing and forthcoming changes to business tools and practices are likely to focus on tying together distinct functions and different software. Integration will be good for productivity and for creating personalized customer service. If you want to capitalize on evolving communication technology and set up an IP telephone system, contact DirecTech to schedule a free consultation.