When I was new to the retail end of the telecommunications business, most of my customers expressed the same opinion when it came to programming their phone system. Back then, programming a business phone system was a lot like trash collection...administrators just wanted you to deal with it and involve them as little as possible. My, how the times have changed, and for the better, I'd say.
Today, most of my customers are already aware of the features of their new phone system before it is even installed. With technology reaching into every part of our everyday lives, it's no wonder our culture is becoming more technologically savvy. For me, letting the customer be in charge of feature programming is a nice change of pace.
System changes, such as adding a new employee, changing call routing or modifying an auto attendant, can be performed by in-house personnel. Even advanced implementations such as call centers can be commandeered by supervisors or managers. Aside from empowering the customer to be in control of the phone system, this new shift toward consumer independence has helped systems managers to be more aware of all levels of functionality within their business phone systems. In my experience, many more features are utilized when management understands the benefits and improvements to work flow that they can help bring about. Things that are now possible on most modern phone systems, such as employee monitoring, are becoming more popular. Today, administrators view phone system programming as more of an executive privilege and less of a nuisance. Knowing the difference proper programming can make in helping to run the daily operations of businesses can be a great help for them. Many modern systems can tell you when your call volume is heaviest, which employees spend the most time on the phone and how long your customers are being put on hold. All these criteria can help administrators streamline their operations for maximum efficiency. This can yield financial dividends over the short and long term that can help reduce the overall cost of purchasing and maintaining a business phone system.
