Insurance agents and brokers face a lot of tough situations from time to time. And having a reliable phone and communication system plays a major part in successfully staying connected with clients. Think about this, when a customer is calling you it’s most likely because they need to file a claim or want to buy something. In either case, you don’t want to miss that phone call. For this reason, many agencies have turned to VoIP phone systems. But what the heck is VoIP?

What is VoIP? 

VoIP stands for voice over Internet protocol. This technology allows people to improve the way they communicate by way of a digital network. It takes analog audio signals, like a phone call, and then turns them into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet.

In other words, VoIP is a way of making phone calls without using a phone line. It’s also A LOT cheaper than using a regular phone line! And the sound quality is much clearer, especially on a high-speed fibre optic line. I’m not sure why more agencies haven’t switched just from the savings alone. Maybe because it sounds too good to be true or they really don’t like saving money, I’m not sure.

Check it out: What's VoIP? (Video)

How Does VoIP Work?

Instead of making calls through your landline or mobile network you can make calls through your internet connection. As mentioned earlier, the VoIP system converts analog voice signals into digital signals over your broadband connection. And then a VoIP server is used to connect calls to other telephone networks.

Not to mention, your data is stored in the cloud since VoIP is run over the Internet. This allows you to manage the phone system through an online dashboard. That dashboard can do some pretty cool things like managing your contacts and numbers, call forwarding, and adding numbers.

Alright, that may have sounded confusing, but I promise it’s not. All you need to know is that by using a standard Internet connection, you can place free calls and bypass the phone company when using the VoIP software available.

Check it out: All About VoIP (Infographic)

Why Should Your Agency Be Using A VoIP Phone System?

Mobility 

Insurance agents don’t want to miss a call from a client who either wants to file a claim or purchase something from them. The VoIP systems Find Me - Follow Me feature comes in handy. The Find Me feature allows the agent to take incoming calls from any location, while the Follow Me feature gives agents the ability to receive calls at any number of phones, whether they ring all at once or in a sequence. Agents can have the mobility they need, without the worry of missing a potentially important phone call.

Voicemail & Email

In the event an agent simply isn’t able to take a call, even with the Find Me - Follow Me feature, the call will automatically go to voicemail. The VoIP system features a tool that will send your voicemails to your email. The agent will immediately be notified that they have missed a call. This feature gives agents a nice bit of flexibility to return calls on their own level of urgency.

Reliability

Many insurance agencies don’t have the luxury of an I.T staff on hand to back them up, so it’s important that the VoIP system is easy to use and is reliable. The cloud-based phone system allows agents to simply plug in and connect to the Internet. Most providers report a 99% uptime, which really comes in handy when the weather gets bad and agents can’t afford to miss calls, which tends to increase in times of rough weather.

Time of Day Routing 

The VoIP phone systems allow you to program based on your schedule and needs. During work hours, you can set up the Find Me - Follow Me feature and for after hours, or even the holidays, you can set up custom greetings.

Reduce Cost 

Insurance agencies pay close attention to the cost of their operations. The VoIP system saves insurance agencies an average of 60% over traditional phone systems. Agencies get all the VoIP features and flexibility while saving money.

A Summary of the Benefits Include

• Unlimited calling

• Online faxing

• Auto-attendant

• Call queues

• HD voice quality

• Conference lines

• Voicemail to email

• Smartphone app

• Real-time presence

• Team collaboration

• Text messaging

• CRM integrations

Upgrading to a VoIP phone system from a traditional landline seems like a no brainer, especially from the cost-savings alone! If you have any questions about VoIP from the set-up to how-to-use it we want to hear from you. Email your questions to support@ocs.help or reach out to us on social media @OmegaMSP.

You might also like: Why Use VOIP: The 7 Advantages for Your Business

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