As a business owner, a ringing phone is the sound of opportunity. But missing those all-important customer calls due to inadequate call management can seriously hurt your bottom line.
Studies show 42% of callers never phone back after a missed call. That translates to over $12 billion in lost annual revenue in the US alone. It‘s clear businesses need to take customer calls seriously.
This comprehensive guide will teach you how to expertly handle web and phone inquiries using call forwarding. With 15+ years experience managing WordPress sites, I‘ll share invaluable insights to ensure you never miss another lead.
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Why Your Business Badly Needs Call Forwarding
Imagine this common scenario:
A potential customer lands on your website, interested in your products or services. They try calling your business number listed on the site, eager to speak with someone right away.
But the call just rings endlessly with no answer. Frustrated, the caller simply abandons this lead and moves on to your competitor‘s site instead.
Up to 30% of valuable inbound calls can be lost daily without proper call forwarding in place. The stats speak for themselves:
- Unanswered calls result in over $1 billion per day in lost revenues.
- 57% of callers will not phone back after a missed call.
- 25% of phone leads convert to sales on average.
With so much potential business scattered to the wind, clearly no company can afford to miss out on answering client phone inquiries.
This is where intelligent call forwarding can rescue lost opportunities and revenue.
Benefits of Call Forwarding for Businesses
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Increased responsiveness – Calls are instantly routed to your cell phone or team member‘s devices. Customers enjoy quick, real-time answers.
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Improved sales – Studies show answered calls convert to sales at triple the rate of missed calls. Call forwarding equals a bigger bottom line.
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Enhanced flexibility – Employees can work remotely while still fielding business calls. Customers perceive greater availability.
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Reduced costs – Eliminates receptionist overhead and expense of traditional phone services. VoIP systems save over 40% on average.
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Better data – Call forwarding combined with call tracking provides insights on your best traffic sources.
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Expanded options – Forward calls based on time of day, caller ID, wait times, and more. Seamlessly integrated with click-to-call buttons on your website.
With so many clear advantages, integrating call forwarding should be a priority for your organization. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll cover:
- Choosing the right VoIP phone system
- Setting up intelligent call forwarding
- Embedding click-to-call buttons on your website
- Advanced routing and VoIP features
- Optimizing system performance and continuity
Let‘s get started helping you capture every single caller. Your sales will thank you!
Choosing the Best VoIP Phone System
To properly set up call forwarding from your business website, you will need a modern Voice over IP phone system like Nextiva or RingCentral.
VoIP uses internet broadband connections to deliver phone and fax services, bypassing old copper landlines entirely. This allows for greater flexibility and capabilities.
Here are key reasons VoIP outperforms traditional phone services:
Lower Costs
VoIP saves a typical business 30-50% compared to conventional phone services. There‘s no expensive hardware to maintain and fewer infrastructure costs. International calls are far more affordable as well.
Advanced Features
Intelligent call routing options like forwarding are usually included standard with VoIP. Other sophisticated features like auto-attendants, voicemail, conferencing, and call analytics help streamline operations and sales.
Number Porting
You can keep your current business phone number when switching to VoIP – no need to change web listings and marketing materials. This provides helpful continuity.
Scalability
It‘s easy to add new lines, extensions, and phone numbers as your company grows. VoIP systems are inherently flexible to scale up.
Multi-device Handling
VoIP allows you to take calls on smartphones, desktops, and even tablets – whatever device is most convenient. Great for remote employees or being mobile.
| Conventional Phone Services | VoIP Phone Services | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware Costs | Expensive | Minimal |
| Monthly Service Fees | Higher | 30-50% Lower |
| Call Forwarding Options | Limited | Flexible & Robust |
| Multi-Device Handling | Difficult | Seamless |
| Scalability | Challenging | Built-in |
When evaluating VoIP providers, look for a provider that offers clear pricing, solid call quality, experience routing high call volumes, and strong service reliability.
Popular picks are Nextiva – known for exceptional call management and customer support. RingCentral – trusted by over 350,000 businesses worldwide. And Ooma – budget-friendly basic VoIP starting under $20 monthly.
Step-by-Step: Setting Up Intelligent Call Forwarding
Once you‘ve selected a solid VoIP provider, it‘s time to set up customized call forwarding rules to keep sales calls flowing smoothly.
The example below is based on Nextiva, but options should be similar across most major VoIP platforms:
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Log into your VoIP provider account and navigate to the Call Forwarding section. This is usually under Call Management or User/Account Settings.
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Specify the forwarding destination number where calls should be routed. This might be your cell phone, a sales agent‘s mobile, or voicemail.
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Configure your forwarding rules and conditions:
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Always Forward – Send all calls to your designated number unconditionally
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Forward When Busy – Divert calls once active lines exceed a set threshold, like 5 concurrent calls. Prevents losing callers to an endless busy signal.
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Forward When Unanswered – Redirect calls to voicemail or elsewhere if not answered after so many rings. Useful outside business hours or as a backup.
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Time-Based Forwarding – Customize forwarding only during certain hours or days. For example, forward to voicemail outside working hours, or to a toll-free number during a promotion period.
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You can set up distinct forwarding rules per user extension or phone number as needed.
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Thoroughly test your call forwarding setup before going live on your website.
With intelligent call routing set up, your business can efficiently handle 10, 50 or even 100+ sales calls daily. Customers experience excellent service and response times.
Now let‘s look at integrating call forwarding with click-to-call buttons on your website.
Embed Click-to-Call Buttons on Your Website
Click-to-call buttons on your website pages make it effortless for visitors to contact your sales team.
When combined with call forwarding, click-to-call keeps leads flowing in smoothly.
The free WP Call Button plugin makes adding click-to-call a breeze for WordPress sites. After installing:
- Go to Settings > WP Call Button and configure your options:
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Select a sticky button to display across all pages, or a static button to embed selectively.
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Customize the button label, color, size and icon.
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Show the button on just certain pages like Contact or Pricing.
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Track how often the button gets clicked to gauge interest.
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Use the WordPress block editor to embed a call button by searching for "WP Call Button".
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Position it prominently in sidebars, popups, headers, etc.
Tip: Mobile visitors prefer click-to-call buttons vs typing numbers. Prioritize placement for mobile screens.
Now when visitors click your smart button, the call is instantly forwarded using your routing rules. No more fumbling for phone numbers!
Advanced Tips for Optimizing Business Call Forwarding
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Implement a toll-free number to increase calls from prospects hesitant about long distance charges.
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Use separate local numbers targeting different cities or regions. This builds trust.
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Forward to multiple staff if no answer after 4-5 rings to improve responsiveness.
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Route calls by department using an IVR auto attendant menu for larger organizations. Saves transfers.
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Monitor analytics to identify peak calling periods and adjust forwarding as needed.
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Train staff on etiquette like quickly identifying themselves, offering call backs, and adding contacts to your CRM.
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Overlap coverage 15-30 minutes between forward rule sets to cover gaps.
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Confirm voicemail is enabled as an after-hours backup so no messages are lost.
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Have a backup answering service in case of internet outages impacting VoIP reliability.
Maintaining Call Quality and Continuity
With staff relying on VoIP call forwarding day-to-day, it‘s critical to optimize system uptime and call quality.
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Use a business-class internet connection to ensure adequate call bandwidth. DSL is often insufficient.
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Request Quality of Service prioritization from your ISP for stable call quality.
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Use wired Ethernet connections for devices rather than WiFi whenever possible.
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Port your number to another provider if reliability becomes an issue. Number porting only takes a few business days.
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Implement a disaster recovery plan like automatic forwards to cell phones if your office internet goes down.
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Configure VoIP security features like firewalls, TLS encryption, VPNs, and strong passwords to prevent eavesdropping and fraud.
With attention to stability and call quality, VoIP can deliver smooth forwarding reliability exceeding 99% uptime. Don‘t leave sales on the table due to missed calls!
Conclusion
Call forwarding is a must for any successful web business today. VoIP services make robust call management features affordable for organizations of all sizes.
As discussed in this comprehensive guide, VoIP coupled with intelligent call routing rules prevents lost calls and drives more sales from every lead.
We covered choosing a reliable VoIP provider, configuring customized call forwards, integrating click-to-call buttons on your website, and optimizing for performance, security, and continuity.
If you found this guide useful, please take a moment to share it on Twitter or LinkedIn. Reach out if any questions arise getting call forwarding established for your growing venture. Here‘s to more phone calls fueling your business success!
