Businesses all around the world over are dependent on successful communication systems to keep their structure running. Communication with the clients is important at every level of the contract and customers need to be updated regarding the many new changes in your agenda and the launch of new products from your business.

You need to implement a good communication structure to keep your customers satisfied at every turn with proper support and technical help. You need to have a system in place to log customer feedback so that you have valuable information recorded when you need them to start building particular strategies, or creating a product line based on what your target audience needs.

So, now that it has been established that a successful business cannot function without a superlative communication structure in place, you can progress to analyzing your available options and cataloging your choices according to priority.

VOIP

This stands for voice over internet protocol. If you have used the popular internet service Skype, you already know the basic way that this particular technology works. In fact, many startups and individuals confuse VOIP systems and Skype to mean the same thing. This service is particularly popular with new starting businesses because of its affordability. However, in the end, the system is not that efficient considering the random outages and low quality of the calls might affect your business process.

IVR

It stands for interactive voice response software. These can be customized according each business’s needs. This gives it an edge over all the other options in this niche. The system is automated to respond to speech and is often referred to as speech recognition system as well. The automation is one of the highest points of advantages regarding this system. The system can encompass a wide range of other options including PBX (Private Branch Exchange) and Customer Relation Management Software. The disadvantages to the system are a higher cost of integration. So, it is important that you think about the budgetary constraints before starting out this project. The quality of the speech from every piece of software differs according to the company delivering the software, so make sure you register for trial runs before buying in to the pro-versions of the software.

PBX

It stands for Private Branch Exchange and the system itself is a digital continuation of the age-old system of a private telephone operator handling the systems of a business. Just instead of a personal operator, you will have a digital “operator” to help you with the process. The digital operator might be powered either by software, which can be customized, or by a physical device, which you will need to automate according to your business needs. The system allows you to have short telephone numbers (3-4 digits) assigned to various aspects of your system. On the flip side, your conversations will not be automated and are dependent on keypad entry and the various user-programming models. This makes it harder to regulate the system if you are a mid to large sized business.