Why entrepreneurs and cloud telephony make for a sharp combination

When you contact a driver after booking a cab, what do you observe? You generate a call right from the app and it gets connected to a mobile number. While you’re actually talking on the dialled number, you never see the original number and neither does your driver see your contact details. This is how a virtual number is masking your contact details to safeguard your privacy. The call is getting connected over the cloud. 

Be it any enterprise, big or small, increasing sales and creating a positive brand image is a priority. These goals are better achieved with the help of cloud telephony solutions. Cloud telephony solutions let businesses run out-of-the-box and creative campaigns to amplify their reach to customers.

It works out mostly in favour of entrepreneurs who run on limited staff and have a monetary crunch. It’s a smart choice for entrepreneurs who wish to spend less on infrastructure costs and still manage to create a brand image in the minds of their target audience. 

Different cloud telephony solutions serve different purposes for a business. 

Solutions such as a missed call or toll-free number give the customer an opportunity to connect with business free of cost. Rolling out product announcements, carrying out surveys or getting feedback is as easy as it can get through an automated outbound call. With the help of a click-to-call widget on the website, a business is getting in touch with every customer instantly. With a lead management system or integrated CRM in place, a business is recording each and every call’s status and getting insights on customer behaviour, wants and much more -- all through a single system. 

With all these benefits, a business is able to focus more on improvement areas and leverage its unique selling points in order to provide its customers with a more enhanced experience. 

When you order your food through a food delivery app, you get an option to call the restaurant or the delivery agent directly from the app. This is a click-to-call widget which instantly connects you with the delivery agent or restaurant to get live updates related to your order. 

Helpline numbers are another big example of how cloud telephony solutions assist people during an emergency. While contacting a hospital in the case of an emergency, the patient can simply dial the number without worrying about low balance and the system tracks the location of the victim and the help is provided as soon as possible. 

As per a report by Forbes magazine, by 2020, 83% of the enterprise workload will be on the cloud, making it one of the most sought-after technologies for entrepreneurs. 

Why cloud telephony solutions are popular with entrepreneurs

Cloud telephony is simply enabling them to handle all their business communication with customers over the cloud from anywhere, anytime. It provides a smooth channel for customers to get in touch with the company, ensuring they never miss out on prospective leads.

With real-time analytics and insights, these solutions are enabling businesses to strategize better and nurture these leads in more efficient ways. 

A recent Gartner report indicates that by 2020, 85% of customer interactions will be managed without a human. AI induced cloud telephony solutions can help in forming a smooth communication channel between the company and its customers. 

Cloud telephony solution providers offer solutions that can help in identifying customer behaviour patterns and pick keywords from a live call. They can generate automated reports that give data on conversion, conversion percentage, the total number of leads created and much more. 

AI solutions are not just revolutionizing an existing customer's journey with the company but also helping businesses lure in potential customers. 

With the rise in emerging technologies, communication channels for a business and it’s customers have never been more transparent. It helps in having a more satisfied customer base by providing them with a hassle-free experience. All of this leads to just one result - increased revenue for the company.

Yatish Mehrotra is CEO of Knowlarity Communications. The views in this article are his own.

Yatish Mehrotra