Elly Yates-Roberts |
Receptionists play a crucial role in every organisation. They serve as a vital link between the business and its customers, suppliers and partners, facilitating conversations and ensuring that all queries and complaints are handled quickly and courteously. As the first point of contact, they also have a significant impact on how the enterprise is perceived externally.
Businesses only have one chance to create a great first impression, so it’s essential that they empower their phone operators and contact centre staff with the tools, technologies and information they need to handle every incoming call flawlessly. This is particularly important now that a growing number of receptionists are working remotely and depending on technology to enable them to resolve queries independently or contact their colleagues with the touch of a button.
Launched early 2021, the Anywhere365 Attendant Console for Microsoft Teams is a powerful and intuitive telephone operator solution with intelligent features that enable fast and flawless call management. The browser-based application is the first-ever native Attendant Console for Microsoft Teams and is hosted on the cloud to ensure that it can be accessed from anywhere at any time via any web-enabled device with an internet connection.
Receptionists simply need to sign into their Microsoft account, then they have instant access to a call screen with an easily navigable and customisable layout. Our goal is to provide them with as much relevant information as possible on a single screen. Consequently, one section of the screen shows the queue of incoming calls, while another provides a comprehensive directory of all the employees at the organisation. By clicking on an employee’s profile, the receptionist can see a photo of the person, as well as critical information relating to their job role and department, phone numbers, email address, contact notes, current availability, and more. In addition, receptionists can pin various widgets – from both Anywhere365 and third parties – to another section of the screen to provide them with the contextual information they need to better understand a customer’s query and quickly identify the colleague who would be best equipped to help them resolve it. For example, they could use the Microsoft Dynamics CRM or call notes widgets to view a history of the customer’s interactions with the company, or they could use a calendar widget to determine when a colleague will next be available to speak with the customer. Other available widgets include Twitter, company websites, Google Maps and more.
The Attendant Console also offers a drag-and-drop feature to enable receptionists to seamlessly transfer calls to the most relevant person, along with a note detailing what the customer would like to discuss. If a colleague does not answer the call, the receptionist can instantly generate a call-back reminder.
Our development team is constantly stretching the boundaries of the Attendant Console by integrating new features and functionalities to boost user productivity and ensure receptionists deliver a seamless service to customers. Consequently, we are confident that just as our flagship product, Dialogue Cloud, has vastly improved how customers manage dialogues in contact centres and internal service desks, our Attendant Console will drive significant efficiencies in their reception attendant operations.
We are receiving great feedback on the user-centric design and ease of use. The Attendant Console truly delivers the best call experience to suppliers, customers and co-workers and we know it will quickly become the best friend of receptionists everywhere. Anyone can start a free 30-day trial to find out for themselves.
Gijs Geurts is CEO of Anywhere365
This article was originally published in the Summer 2021 issue of The Record. To get future issues delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for a free subscription.