CXOs are busy and have no time to waste; their day is packed with multiple meetings and lots of projects awaiting their reviews. With such a schedule, the last thing they might want is to have a desk phone that only allows calling.
What is an IP phone basically? Well, an IP phone is a communication endpoint that sends-receives voice calls on Internet Protocol, where voice data is sent in the form of data packets. Routing of voice data is done on high priority. General setup for this is done on a private network and hence, has large bandwidth for receiving & transmitting voice data. For outbound calls they utilize the services of ITSPs (Internet Service Providers).
What else do they need? Here are some features which we feel should be there in an IP phone that can make your CXO’s typical day look more productive and assist them in their course.
Fixed Functions Keys are must-haves in a modern day IP telephone. Generally, these keys have definite functions like Voice Mail, Do-Not-Disturb, Speakers, Call Forward, Conference, and Transfer. Top management executives would always prefer either smarter or faster ways. With these functions available on their fingertips, executives can quickly communicate the way they want. In no time they can access voicemails, during an important meeting shut-the-phone-up or can take a conference with key people in top management. Generally, without these keys in the device, it is a complicated task of dialing combination of numbers to access each of these features, which is both time-consuming and unproductive. IP phones with fixed function keys should always be a check-box for your buying metric.
Ergonomic design is more than mandatory to have with the amount of hard work and hours executives pour to make a firm succeed in its endeavors. It takes long working hours spent day-in & day-out, restless hours on computers and phone dealing with clients, partners & associates. This could be damaging both physically as well as mentally. Having an ergonomically designed phone can help keep your body in the right posture and avoid possible damage to the spine.
Direct Station Selection Keys and Busy Lamp Fields are special function keys that work as speed dials. This allows your functional heads to dial just one key and it automatically dials the actual extension number as programmed. This is quite useful when you have a list of professionals you need to call on a regular basis with more call frequency than others.
Busy Lamp Field keys keep the user aware about availability of the called person by indicating the state of his endpoint; on call, idle or unanswered ringing. This helps in knowing if this is the right time to call a person or not.
Getting your Power over Ethernet (PoE) helps to keep it optimized and clutter free. IP phones generally come with the ability to fetch required power to function from the very Ethernet cable laid to provide internet services. Having PoE enabled devices means having no power adaptors, adding to the mess on the desk.
High-Quality HD Voice output on speakers is what intrigues enterprise users these days. This is a regular scenario where-in user tends to multi-task, here having a speaker with better audio output and speakers can let your executives work while they continue to work. Often, they find it easy to talk on speaker then to be stuck on the call doing nothing while holding the handset. So IP phones, in general, give great audio quality but the right IP phone can keep them mobile within their cabins and stay productive.
Enterprise sales heads/directors are constantly on the phone. They prefer cell phones even inside their cabins, and this not because they like consuming their CUG plans but let’s faces it, they don’t find endpoints to be convenient. So, next time don’t just install a desk phone to have them there but opt for the IP telephone that supports a 3.5mm audio jack for connecting headsets and your infrastructure will be used optimally.
Now say, if a CEO or MD has multiple cabins or offices where they’d sit and have continuous business communications, you might want an IP phone that allows MAC cloning. Basically what it does is save huge efforts of your system manager in toggling services and permissions on multiple devices accessed by your executives. With MAC cloning, you can use multiple physical hardware having the same services and rights enabled on that hardware. This also ensures a consistent experience for your top paid brains. It may seem to be a feature with lesser value, but this feature when used right can be very useful not only for CXOs but also for professionals that have multiple workstations to operate from; customer service heads, technical support heads and sales and account managers who generally operate either from multiple workstations or has workspace that keeps on changing.
Now that we know the checkpoints required to be ticked while opting for an IP phone, it is imperative to understand that an IP phone ultimately has to be integrated with proper VoIP phone technology. Above all, it is very important for any business enterprise to make a comprehensive and integrated communication strategy to let the workforce collaborate. Have a look at our article on “Planning Your Enterprise Communication Network”.