Years ago no one imagined the reach of the Internet and the benefits it would bring to the entire world with an incredible ability to connect people anywhere regardless of language or geography. The online world has become an essential point for almost every company.
In fact, nowadays it is difficult to find any company, no matter how small, that does not have a presence on the Internet. It converges more than 1,000 million websites, and the rate of growth does not stop.
Google alone carries out more than 2 billion searches a day. Companies must know how to adapt to the changes taking place in order to not be left behind and to continue being efficient in the online world.
The most important tool available to companies that want to sell or promote themselves through the Internet is undoubtedly the website.
Your website is your gateway. It is the one thing that will make a visitor choose you rather than any of your competitors. For your website to succeed, it is important to have visitors, that is clear, but once users enter it, you have to convince them to finally hire you or buy your products.
That’s why a website or even a translated website is not the be-all and end-all for a company; effective customer service is also essential.
In order to provide excellent customer service for whatever language or region, a company must set up a professional international business phone service. That means getting a company phone number and connecting it with the right business telephone software.
Not only your website, but also your phone service is a gateway for your customers to your company.
Contact Number: Mandatory on an International Website
To be accessible to customers a customer must first of all have a contact number listed on the website. But it’s not enough to have just one number that rings someone’s cell phone; your company will have a more professional image if the number rings a landline with an available receptionist.
Even better, it is advisable to connect your number to some type of call center software or PBX service (private branch exchange) so that when customers call, they will be routed to an appropriate receptionist based on their needs.
And if all of the lines are busy, the callers will be greeted with music, a branded waiting message with relevant information, or, if necessary, an answering machine.
There are many companies that offer international landline numbers. These allow customers from other countries to call a local number in order to reach you no matter where your team is actually located.
For example, if your company is located in the USA, but you have customers in Spain, you can order a Spanish international virtual number and publish it on your website. Your Spanish customers will thank you.
An international phone service allows customers to reach you with a local number
What Are Options for International Business Phone Service?
An online call is a call that is made through data networks or Wifi and carries voice digitally rather than analog.
It is a great solution for companies that want to offer quality customer service, as it allows you to make or receive calls wherever and whenever you want.
There has been the possibility of making calls over the Internet, such as with Skype, but the quality of the audio has not traditionally been ideal for a business to serve its customers. Another alternative was to acquire expensive IP terminals although the quality was not the best and it also required a large investment. But now there are high quality alternatives.
Telecommunications have come a long way in this sense, and good customer service is at anyone’s fingertips. Years ago it was totally unthinkable that calls could be made through a device like a computer or a tablet. Today it is a reality, and there is the possibility of calling other lines, both national and international, without needing to have an analog line, taking advantage of the data network or Wifi to make the call.
Currently, however, new ways of making calls online have appeared. They bring many advantages that help companies to provide better service taking advantage of this new protocol called WebRTC (Web Real Time Communications).
WebRTC technology is an open source software developed by Google that allows voice calls to be made directly through the browser. It is totally online, and no peripherals are needed to use it. Being browser based, it doesn’t even require desktop applications. This has meant a very important step forward for the telecommunications sector, especially in the international field.
Internet calls offer great advantages, including speed, quality, freedom, flexibility, and no requirement for hardware or software that will become obsolete. The flexibility is very useful for companies that operate in different parts of the world. They can receive calls through their computer, smartphone or tablet, without depending on coverages or traditional networks.
The telecommunications world is constantly evolving and is always changing. It is essential that you can adapt to them so that the efficiency of your actions improves and costs are lowered in the long run.
Emma Smith, PR and content manager at Fonvirtual. Fonvirtual provides companies and entrepreneurs with international virtual phone numbers and other virtual services. I’m interested in digital marketing, technology, and international logistics. I am a usual collaborator in blogs, where I try to spread the word of telecom services in international business.
