Features

As technology advances, so do business phone systems. Before you begin your search for new phone systems for small business providers, it's a good idea to be aware of the types of features and additional functionalities that are available to you.

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These are nine of the most crucial and useful features that will help you run a better small business.

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1. Call forwarding to your mobile phone

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If you frequently use your cell phone to make and receive phone calls, this is a must-have feature in your phone system.

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In Dialpad, you can add your cell phone number to your Settings in two simple steps. It's now easier than ever to ensure that your cell phone receives all of your calls:

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Many people find this feature to be useful for various reasons. The first thing to keep in mind is that if you have a problem with a phone or other device, you can immediately divert all calls away from it.

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Secondly, it's a great way to ensure that calls that would otherwise go unanswered are answered. Let's say you have an employee who is sick for the week, but was supposed to be making important phone calls for your company. With just a few clicks of a button, you'll have your phone calls directed to a business employee who is available.

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2. Easy call transfer (and call routing)

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It goes without saying that if you own a small business, you're probably extremely busy and overworked. Because of this, you can't answer every phone call you receive.

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Suppose, however, that the individual in question is a significant customer or potential customer. Missing those phone calls would be a huge mistake. Call transfer or forwarding options are useful here, and if you don't answer the phone, you can designate a person to answer the phone for you if you don't answer the phone.

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With Dialpad, you can choose to forward calls to up to five numbers, whether they are landline phones or cell phones, and they don't even have to be Dialpad numbers!

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A good phone system can make sure that your small business almost never misses a call again, whether it's on your colleague's cell phone or desk phone.

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3. The ability to keep your existing business phone number

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Unless you're starting a business from scratch, you'll need to be able to Phone systems for small business. Why? Because the last thing you want is for your customers and suppliers to have to update your phone number in their contact list, which they already have.

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With Dialpad, it's easy to keep your old phone numbers and keep things running smoothly. Your clients will have less work to do because they won't have to change the number they've saved for you, and you'll have less work to do because you won't have to change the numbers on your website or other portals.

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4. Cloud-based capabilities and compatibility with your mobile device

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Basically, a cloud phone system is a phone system that isn't tied to a single office or location. With a cloud phone system, you can make calls from anywhere. It usually comes with a mobile app and a desktop app, and any software updates will be installed automatically.

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A big benefit of using a cloud-based phone service is that it is easy to set up and manage. For example, you can easily add a new user or employee to your phone system yourself.

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With a business phone service like Dialpad, it's easy to take care of the administrative side of your communications. Change an employee's business number, edit extension numbers, and do more:

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If you want to be able to do anything you want with your phone, you'll need a cloud-based solution that works well with mobile devices and handsets. That's pretty much not up for discussion.

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5. Caller ID

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This one is a must-have. No one wants to answer a telemarketer's call, so everyone screens their calls now.

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In Dialpad, for example, when you call someone, you can choose which caller ID to show:

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Your business phone service is more useful and flexible if you can change how you look to the people you call.

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If you make a lot of phone calls at work, this is especially useful. Firstname Lastname, Mx Lastname, or a nickname can set the tone before your recipient even picks up the phone, depending on how you're presenting yourself.

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6. In-call security and encryption

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If you talk about sensitive data and information on your calls, you will need some level of security. The best level of security is enterprise-grade. Always check with your provider to see what kind of security features they have.

7. Visual voicemail

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You'll want this if you're busy and sometimes miss phone calls or can't always find time to listen to all your voicemails.

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Visual voicemail is basically a feature that turns your voicemails into text, so you can read them at any time (like during a meeting) instead of having to play them back out loud.

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Dialpad Ai uses AI and machine learning to transcribe not only your calls in real time, but also your voicemails, and it does so more accurately than almost all of its competitors. You can also follow up on and forward your voicemails.

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8. Call recording

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Some small businesses find it useful to be able to record calls. Not everyone will use this or use it very often, but if you close a lot of deals over the phone or make a lot of sales pitches over the phone, having recordings is helpful because you can go back and listen to them later.

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Call recordings make it easier to find proof of important things talked about on a client call or to look at calls to figure out how to improve a pitch in the future.

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9. SMS (internal and external)

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Texting, eh? Today, everyone does it, and some people even prefer to text instead of call. You can't blame them, since it's so easy.

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If you work with clients or prospects who also prefer texting, or if you'd rather text yourself, look for a business phone provider with an app that lets you send SMS messages.

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For example, did you know that the Dialpad app can be used to make phone calls, video calls, and SMS texts? Some of our customers are schools and colleges that use this feature to text students (since Gen Z loves texting more than anyone else these days):