Sales Director
For businesses looking to ditch their impractical legacy phone systems, a move to VoIP offers both user-friendly features and greater flexibility. Before making the move, it’s worth considering whether your current tools are compatible with your new VoIP system. In this article, we’ll look at the benefits of integrating your existing systems with VoIP and how to check their compatibility.
If you’d like to learn more about VoIP, what it is and how it works, our article ‘What is VoIP?’ covers everything you need to know.
To ensure your current systems are compatible, first consider your VoIP services integration capabilities. This powerful functionality lets you use your favourite software, tools and platforms alongside your VoIP phone system.
Modern businesses rely on their preferred tools and platforms; from CRMs that store and safeguard customer data, to email platforms for keeping in touch with colleagues and customers.
With legacy ISDN lines, businesses have to operate each system or platform separately, causing inefficiency in internal and external communication. However, with many VoIP services - CRMs (like Asana or HubSpot), email clients (like Outlook), productivity tools (like Trello) and communication platforms (like Teams) can be integrated alongside your phone system.
Many VoIP service integrations allow you to use existing systems side by side. Your staff can view and access multiple information streams while communicating with customers or colleagues.
Some systems, like T2K’s 3CX offering, are what is known as Unified Communication. UC platforms allow a seamless experience between systems, allowing your workforce immediate access to a host of programs simultaneously. And of course, with better access to what they need, staff can offer improved customer service.
If you’d like to read more about Unified Communication, our article What is Unified Communications? has everything you need.
With 91% of mid-sized businesses using CRMs to store customer information, linking it up with your phone system makes sense. Doing so gives staff easy access to data, whether on a customer call or working alongside fellow employees. VoIP also offers many features, designed to make life easier for phone-centric businesses. These functions can be paired with your CRM to optimise your customer journey.
For example, caller identification allows you to know who is calling, and access recent dialogues they’ve had with your business. This offers you context and saves customers the trouble of explaining themselves more than once.
You’ll also have access to automatic call logging and call analytics. The former saves call details to your CRM for future reference, while the latter lets you track how your workforce is functioning in terms of call times and volumes.
Integrating your preferred email platform with VoIP boosts efficiency across your business. Features like voicemail-to-email save staff the trouble of writing down every voicemail received. This means when receiving a voicemail, you’ll be sent an email containing an audio recording or transcribed text file.
You’ll also be able to maintain your business's reputation with email notifications for missed calls. This way, when a customer call is missed, you’ll be alerted and can call right back, showing dedication and consistency.
Integration with tools like Teams or Slack (as well as the built-in messenger tools some VoIP services offer) lets you exchange ideas with colleagues, while screen sharing allows you to deliver training to staff whether remotely or in the office.
You’ll also be able to integrate shared platforms like Google Workspace. This lets colleagues share large files and keep essential resources in one secure, accessible central space.
Using instant messaging or video chat, while having access to shared drives and data ensures everyone is on the same page. You’ll save time sending files back and forth, eliminating the bluster from training, brainstorming and other collaborative situations.
When integrating VoIP with your existing systems, there are a few areas to consider. Doing so will ensure your system is optimised to meet your needs.
An API is a protocol which acts as a bridge between different platforms, letting them interact. They are essential when pairing systems with your VoIP service, ensuring a fluid connection between them.
APIs also allow you to change the settings and features of these applications without needing to be an expert. As part of your compatibility checks, look into whether your VoIP service has API functionality.
As a business, you likely have preferred software, tools and platforms that work best for your operation. Because integration varies between VoIP services, you should check with your provider whether your existing systems can be used alongside your chosen service.
Of course, if they aren’t compatible, you’ll still be able to use these systems. However, they won’t be integrated with your VoIP solution, making them harder to access. This may lead to inefficiencies like wasted time and resources, due to switching between integrated and non-integrated systems.
Remember to assess the support available to you via your provider. Though VoIP services often limit the need for onsite maintenance, knowing you have support for troubleshooting, updates or any other blockages is essential. Should you encounter a problem, this support could be the difference between a costly interruption in your service and a simple fix.
Once you’ve completed your compatibility checks, it’s worth considering how to address potential blockages.
Training out your new systems will help staff to feel confident when using them. Though integrating existing systems with VoIP will bring long-term benefits, it’s important that your staff feel comfortable with how the new system works.
Addressing issues such as moving between different platforms, the advantages of collaboration and how certain platforms work alongside one another are great starting points.
Some providers you use may offer training for integration with their products. This allows platform-specific understanding, ensuring deeper knowledge of each tool's features and capabilities.
With customer data being central to your business, you’ll need to assess any risk of data loss during integration. This mostly occurs during migration from legacy phone systems, although it’s still possible with any type of migration or integration.
To prevent this from happening, work with your IT staff and service providers to roadmap your integration journey. You’ll then have a clear picture of every step of the process, allowing you to plug any holes where risk may occur.
Though VoIP’s integrations with popular systems can improve both customer service and collaboration, ensuring compatibility with existing systems is a must.
Before you commit to a new VoIP system, consider API compatibility and the level of customer support available. Doing this ensures an optimised system, while still having the support available to prevent interruptions to business. Building a roadmap for integration is a great idea too, factoring in potential challenges and essential workforce training.
By considering these areas, you’ll have a telephony operation that boosts communication and service levels across your business.
Contact T2K today to learn more about VoIP compatibility.
Having worked for T2k for nearly 25 years, it's fair to say that Lee is an expert when it comes to all things telephony and business communications. Overseeing the commercial side of the business, he has helped the company evolve and grow through the decades. In recent years, and with the advent of VoIP and hosted telephony, Lee has made sure that T2k is at the forefront of technological developments. With a firm interest in helping businesses navigate the world of telecoms, Lee is responsible for the majority of the content on this website.
