If you run a busy office then switching your business line might not be at the top of your pages-long ‘To Do’ list. However, if you’ve been tasked with finding ways to reduce costs, then it could be the perfect solution.

Not only could you save money by changing your phone line rental provider, you could also enjoy other benefits. These include boosting your staff’s productivity by reducing admin time, experiencing better customer service, regularly receiving data to analyse and improve call performance.

You will also have the option to add extra features onto your new business line, which can massively elevate your inbound phone management and help to expand your business.

(Check out our article, ‘8 Reasons Why Inbound Calls are Vital to your Growing Business’ if you’d like to know more on this topic.)

If you still need convincing about the advantages of saying bye to BT, then read on! Below are six reasons why it makes sense to switch your line rental from BT to a specialist telecoms provider.

1. It Could Save You Money

Once upon a time, there were only one or two business landline providers. Choice was so limited that most SMEs stayed with their existing provider and on the same package for… well… forever.

Leap forward to 2018 and there are now thousands of telecoms providers to pick from. Line rental and call bundles come in all shapes and sizes meaning you can select the best package for you..

To make the best cost savings, spend time assessing your outbound business phone usage. Do your employees spend most of their time making international calls? Or perhaps the majority are to mobiles? Maybe your call volume is small but the duration of each call is up to ten minutes at a time. If so, you could benefit from a lower charge per minute rate. Alternatively, your team could make all their calls at peak times so a bundle with plenty of free peak calls might work well.

This information will enable you to make the most informed choice when it comes to picking a suitable and cost-effective plan. You can look for discounts and special deals on the types of calls your workforce make most often. With so many options out there, with a bit of digging you’ll be sure to find the best money-saving package for your business.

2. You Will Likely Experience Better Customer Service

Ever had the feeling when calling a large business that you’re a little fish in a very, very big pond? You’ve been with the same company for a while but so have thousands of others.

You’re one of many and you’re invariably reminded of this with every communication.

Most specialist telecoms providers are small or medium-sized enterprises. Smaller businesses are usually better at customer service. They often have less customers, fewer product ranges and more passionate staff.

Due to this, SMEs are more tuned in to their customers. They can be flexible in how they manage an issue and go above and beyond to help a customer without worry of reprisal from the big boss.

With the growing number of options available for just about every product or service, customers are becoming more and more discerning. Often without a second thought, they’ll change providers for better deals, or after a bad experience. To survive, SMEs must cultivate customer loyalty to keep hold of their clients for the long term.

Many smaller business phone line rental providers have excellent customer service. They will always treat you like a big fish, so that you stick around and don’t switch your line rental to a competitor.

The last thing you need when managing a busy office is poor customer service. When stress-levels are high, an unhelpful representative on the other end might just blow your fuse.

Moving telecoms providers, especially to one known for great customer service, could make your day, rather than ruin it.

3. You’ll Probably Have a Dedicated Account Handler

Sometimes it can be exceedingly frustrating calling large organisations. No one has a Scooby Doo about your account history, past issues or last conversation.

It takes what feels like an eternity for the call handler to pull up your information. Then you find yourself explaining for the umpteenth time the complicated backstory…

It’s in these moments that you dream about having your own devoted account handler. Someone who knows you and your business, remembers all the small nuances of your account and billing history. Well, this can be a reality when you switch your line rental.

Many telecoms providers, including 24 Seven, have dedicated account handlers for each client. This saves you precious time as your query is answered efficiently and resolved swiftly. Therefore allowing you to get on with other tasks and have a more productive day.

4. There Could Be No Long Fixed-Term Contract

Is it just us or do fixed term agreements seem to be getting longer? Tying you into contracts that are for 24, 36 or 48 months and sometimes even as long as 60 months.

In this fast-moving day and age, longer contracts can be a business burden. Especially if you’re unhappy with the service or product, or have found a cheaper alternative elsewhere.

Waiting for up to four years to change provider might not be an option if your business is rapidly scaling or quickly needing to cut costs. However, it can be a hassle attempting to leave a contract early, and there could be fees to pay.

Many specialised third parties that offer business phone line rental have varying contract terms. Therefore you can find a duration that suits you.

If you decide to switch your line rental to 24 Seven, we offer zero-month contracts that just require 30 days notice of cancellation.

5. You Get the Option to Add Extras

Switching your business line comes with the opportunity to turn your telecoms setup into a hard-working tool that boosts your business growth.

Most providers will offer a selection of extras with your business line rental. This allows you to pick the functionality that you need. For example, if your phone rings off the hook then your team could be wasting time routing calls to the correct staff member or department.

You could benefit from using pre-programmed keypad options that route callers to the correct department, bypassing the need to do it manually.

Perhaps you receive many out-of-hours calls with the hope that those callers will try again tomorrow.

Instead of potentially missing out on these inbound leads, you could set up time-of-day routing. This will either play a pre-recorded message, prompt the caller to leave a voicemail or divert the call to another landline or mobile.

If you’re always on your feet, and not always at your desk, then the call divert option could save you from dashing back to your phone only for it to ring off. If a call isn’t answered, it can be diverted to another landline or a mobile phone.

This means that your calls could be diverted from your desk handset to your mobile. Meaning you can answer them no matter where you are in the building, or even, where you are in the world.

6. You Can See Call Data in Real-Time and Enjoy Easy Reading Reports

Nowadays, it’s data that makes the world go round. Many business phone lines come with the ability to track the calls – often in real-time – as well as regular reporting options.

This data enables you to analyse your call statistics to see the duration of calls, call drop-off rates and where calls are coming from. This can help you to plan staff required for peak call times. It can also track the effectiveness of marketing campaigns in specific areas. As well as spot potential bottlenecks in the flow of your calls between departments.

It can also help you to see ways to save money. As an example, if most of your calls are to local numbers but your current plan only has a discount on international calls, then you could change to a package that has free minutes to local numbers.

These reports can be automated to appear in your inbox at a specific time every week or month, helping you to build up a detailed picture of your inbound and outbound call traffic.

It’s only when you have this granular data to hand you can start to see patterns that you could take advantage of, or identify weak links to fix.

It’s Time to Make the Switch

If you’re convinced that transferring your phone line rental to a new provider can benefit you, but think it might be too much of a hassle, then have a quick read of our post: ‘How Changing Your Business Landline Can Be Quick and Stress Free’.

Switching your phone line to an expert provider such as 24 Seven can do wonders for your business. Spend time assessing your specific requirements, research your options and make the switch.

That’s one more thing to tick off your ‘To Do’ list – and isn’t that always the best feeling?