Author: Laura Swatton

Unlocking Efficiency: The Power of Business Mobile Applications

Written by Laura Swatton on 23 April 2025. Posted in Blog. No Comments on Unlocking Efficiency: The Power of Business Mobile Applications

Unlocking Efficiency: The Power of Business Mobile Applications

The Power of Business Mobile Applications

In the business world, the telecommunications industry is pivotal to customer service and support, offering everything from contact centres and AI-powered tools to cloud-based unified communication platforms. Here we dive into the realm of telecommunication mobile applications for smartphones.

Smartphones enable convenient, on-the-go use of company-specific software and third-party apps, along with access to emails, calls, messages, and more. These handy pocket computers also improve employee collaboration (1).

Organisations are constantly seeking to digitally reinvent themselves and advance their digital transformation journey. Amid current economic uncertainty and ongoing inflation, the focus is on achieving sustainable business growth while doing “more for less” all without increasing budgets. Companies aim to minimise trial and error in their strategies and expect clear ROI and business value from their investments. This brings us to the benefits of mobile work apps (2).

Mobile devices support several communication channels: Live website chat, email marketing, text messaging, voice calls, social media, and more. These forms of communication empower businesses to stay relevant and maintain open lines of communication with customers, clients, and colleagues, ultimately reducing inbound call volumes.

Market trends in the mobile business application space at Evoke Telecom 2025:

A mobile business app being part of our solutions emerged as a major trend for us throughout 2024 and continues into 2025, often being a prerequisite for customers
We’ve seen growing demand for solutions that enhance business efficiency, support remote work, and integrate AI into business strategies.
The need for seamless contact on the go, not just via voice but also through chat (including group conversations).
Visibility of colleagues’ statuses and availability in real-time

Our strategic partnerships with iPECS Cloud, Wildix, 8×8 Work, and Gamma Horizon include a mobile application offer, which not only ticks the boxes above but also offers:

Significant savings on international calls by using zero-cost Wi-Fi to connect back to your UK company’s phone system.
Centralised company information and updates simplify compliance efforts.
Integration with CRM and back-office systems eliminates countless hours of unnecessary admin.

Now let’s explore the different points of view from a business owner’s to an employee’s perspective.

A business owners perspective:

Cost Savings: Mobile apps enhance employee efficiency, flexibility, and overall job satisfaction. What is more because the work over data – eg Mobile and WiFi they can save a fortune in calling costs whilst overseas

Reduced Hardware Costs: Smartphone apps can reduce the need for additional hardware like desk phones and computers, saving money.

Scalability: Easily scale your business.

Easier Training and Onboarding: Mobile apps are often more intuitive, making training and onboarding faster and more efficient.

Secure Access: Many apps come with built-in security features like encryption and multi-factor authentication, ensuring secure access to sensitive data.

Remote Management: IT departments can manage and secure mobile devices remotely, ensuring compliance with company policies and data protection regulations.

An employees perspective:

Anytime, Anywhere Access: Employees can handle calls, emails, and chats from their smartphones, managing customer interactions even when away from their desks.

Quick Access to Information: Apps enable employees to quickly access customer information, history, and support resources, leading to faster issue resolution.

Increased Productivity with Multi-Tasking: Employees can switch between different tasks and apps on their smartphones, improving their ability to manage multiple customer interactions simultaneously.

Improved Customer Service: With customer data and conversation history at their fingertips, employees can provide a more personalised experience, enhancing overall customer satisfaction.

Fewer Distractions: Mobile apps are faster for users and can include useful features like push notifications (3).

Real-Time Collaboration: Mobile apps often include features for real-time communication and collaboration, such as instant messaging and video calls, fostering better teamwork.

Notifications and Alerts: Employees can receive instant notifications for important updates and customer interactions, ensuring they stay informed and responsive.
Improved User Experience: Mobile apps provide a more streamlined and user-friendly experience compared to mobile websites.

Efficiency Boost: Mobile technology enables contact centre employees to work remotely, reducing infrastructure costs and boosting morale. Integrating call centre apps with chatbots automates repetitive tasks, saving time and increasing overall efficiency.

The emergence of live video chat

As we explored the power of mobile applications in telecommunications, the emergence of live video chat stood out as one of the next big things. Many companies are increasingly enabling ‘live video chat’ options for customer service. Companies like Apple, Hertz, and Nordstrom have already adopted this approach, offering several advantages:

Enhanced Personalisation: Video chat allows for face-to-face interaction, making customer service more personal and engaging.

Improved Issue Resolution: Visual communication can help resolve issues more quickly and accurately, as agents can see exactly what the customer is experiencing.
Increased Customer Satisfaction: Customers often appreciate the immediacy and clarity that video chat provides, leading to higher satisfaction levels.

Competitive Advantage: Offering advanced customer service options like live video chat can set a company apart from competitors.

Building Trust: Seeing a real person can help build trust and rapport with customers, fostering stronger relationships.

In conclusion

While larger companies are adopting this technology, we predict it will soon become a standard feature across the industry and one that we will be looking out for!

In the ever-evolving business landscape, telecommunications and mobile applications have become indispensable tools for enhancing efficiency, flexibility, and customer satisfaction. Smartphones and mobile apps enable companies to streamline operations, reduce costs, and provide robust, multi-channel customer service. At Evoke Telecom, we’ve seen firsthand the transformative power of these technologies through our partnerships with iPECS Cloud, Wildix, 8×8 Work, and Gamma Horizon.

For business owners, mobile apps offer significant cost savings, reduced hardware expenses, and easier training and onboarding. They also ensure secure access to sensitive data and facilitate remote management. For employees, these apps provide anytime, anywhere access to crucial information, boosting productivity and improving customer service through real-time collaboration and fewer distractions.

In conclusion, embracing mobile applications in telecommunications is not just about keeping up with trends—it’s about staying ahead in a competitive market, driving sustainable growth, and delivering exceptional value to customers.

Over the coming weeks, watch out for a mini-blog series that will explore the mobile application offerings from our partnership portfolio.

Want to know more? We’d be happy to answer any questions.

Get in touch

David Wardell as an AI generated action figure

What is the link between an AI Action Figure and your Business Performance?

Written by Laura Swatton on 22 April 2025. Posted in Blog, Uncategorised. No Comments on What is the link between an AI Action Figure and your Business Performance?

What is the link between an AI Action Figure and your Business Performance?

AI action figure and your business

Creating an AI-generated action figure—whether of yourself, a celebrity, or even a pet—has quickly become a global phenomenon. But what sparked the viral craze? OpenAI’s launch of its ChatGPT image creator, powered by GPT-40, led to a surge of users eager to try the feature and share their results on social media (1).

So, naturally, we decided to test it ourselves— so one of our Directors, David Wardell, promptly stepped up to the challenge.

How it works…

Log in to ChatGPT
Upload a photo
Add a text prompt describing your ideal action figure
Wait for the AI magic to generate a toy image, boxed up and ready for display

In going through this process, we noticed quite a few things, very pertinent to telecommunications and AI that we thought we might share.

So what did we notice?

Although the task was Action Figures, anyone could use it, tall or small, yellow or green. It was a simple model that was configurable.
It was generative. The first model took the information we gave it. Then we had to refine or add to that information to get step by step closer to the result we were looking for.
The AI tool saved the information we had already shared and simply added the new information to generatively improve on its previous output.
The end result was impressive, but with more learning and inputs would continuously get much better.

The link

So, what is the relevance of this story on a Telecommunications company website, we hear you ask?

Well, this very same generative AI model is doing the same in the telecommunications space, and is available NOW.

We have our own ‘Action Figure’ AI, delivering power business intelligence, powerful insight, powerful management information – simply using our customers existing telephony – right now. And like the ChatGPT model, it is not restricted to certain sectors, it uses a generic model that enables it to be tailored to any sector, any scenario.

“Sorry, am I lost here? How have we jumped from ‘Action Man & Barbie’ to AI for my business? “ We hear you ask.

Well, in simple terms, today we could:-

Take your call recordings in a stereo format
Move them across to an AI tool that we have
Analyse those calls for a variety of information sources. e.g.
Sales Effectiveness
Customer Satisfaction
Retention Effectiveness
Compliance Support
NPS Score
Word and phrase searching
Even ‘Sentiment Analysis’

This is available now. It is not quite yet ‘Agentic AI’ in that in the early days, human intervention refines the parameters and enables your modelling to quickly build to meet your requirements. But as the model learns and as the data and intelligence build, the benefits exponentially increase.

Here is one of our products, for example, CX/EX.

But is UK 2025 ready for this technology?

Like the ‘Action Figure’, are we producing these but do not really know what to do with them?

The real challenge lies in using your new AI insights from your calls to improve your business.

To run compliance checks on all of your calls, not just a handful of them
To check your calls for keywords, key phrases, ‘no-no’s’, profanity, etc
To enable your sales leaders to identify winners & losers – and improve your team’s results accordingly
To identify trends to make your business more cost efficient and more successful in terms of results.

What this viral ‘Action Figure’ craze has done is show us the power of AI and just how easy it is to use.

Action Figures today – Massive increase in business performance tomorrow – AI is here, it is powerful, and in the right hands it can drive not only your top line, but also your bottom line.

So the choice is yours. Go make an ‘Action Figure’, go and increase your business’s performance, or just carry on as things are whilst others steal the march?

If you would like to know more about our AI solutions, we’re here to answer any questions.

Get in touch

What’s in a Price?

Written by Laura Swatton on 14 April 2025. Posted in Blog. No Comments on What’s in a Price?

What’s in a Price?

Everywhere we look we see prices going up. It has become an accepted part of everyday life. Indeed, it’s hard to find a product or service where prices aren’t going up.

We recently received a message from the Managing Director of one of our customers, quite simply saying,

“We get contacted several times every week by companies telling us they can save us money on our communications services. We would be foolish not to see what they can offer and at what price”.

Of course, he will be able to get cheaper quotes. He will most likely even get cheaper prices on exactly the same solution that we currently provide. But, will he get the same knowledge, trained engineers, wrap around support and service….. Because after all ‘What IS in a price’?

Naturally, he’ll be able to find cheaper quotes—even for the exact same solution we currently provide. We fully expect that. But it’s not just about the cost of the product; it’s about the whole package that Evoke Telecom provide, the added value, ongoing investment in the solution, and the highest level of customer service that comes with it.

This did, however, get us thinking, “What’s in a price”? What is it about that self same product that means our customers should buy it from us?

Key features of our pricing:

When you buy a product or service from Evoke Telecom, more often than not, it will cost more. This is because we work hard to ensure that we not only offer more but also invest to ensure we maintain that exceptionally high bar that we set for ourselves. These ‘reach for the stars’ standards are made up of:-

Best in class portfolio
Highly trained engineers and staff
Retail support hours
Investment into our CRM, ticketing system and billing platform
Artificial Intelligence products
New user friendly website and more

What we offer:

Ensuring all engineers and staff are continuously trained, certified where needed, and supported in their daily needs. Indeed, the employment longevity of our support teams is little short of remarkable.

Systems and tools that ensure our customers can access support immediately and easily.

We look after our staff doing our best to ensuring they have everything they need to do their very best and enjoy what they are doing, with flexible working in terms of hours, location, working days as needed – and the best tools and business solutions to do the job and look after our customers.

In 2024 we added ‘Retail Support Hours’ to our support service offering, for those customers who needed more than the standard 9 to 5 offering, but did not need the full 24/7/365 option.

Following the investment in our new CRM platform, we extended this to our service and ticketing system too, and then put it on our website as an online service portal for our customers. We even added a webchat service too.

We invested in our billing platform to the latest cloud version of our existing service, meaning an uplift in the accuracy of invoicing and greater flexibility in the reports that we send out each month with those invoices.

We also added accountancy access via embedded hyperlinks in our statements so clients can easily download invoice copies, if needed.

We added two new AI providers to our portfolio of products. But rather than these being pre-built into.

And in Q1 2025 we once again invested in our website, delivering access to more product information, more data sheets, and links to training video’s and helpful services.

We continue to invest

So at a time when prices are going up, pressures on the cost of delivering our business is going up – we are investing in services to help our customers and to help our teams.

So when asked “What’s in a price” – we know exactly what is in our price and so do our customers.

Oh yes, and that Managing Director did do an external price check, and yes he did find a cheaper price.

“…Although we have been offered slightly preferential prices from another company who were recommended to us (£xxx per month vs your price before the increase), we are going to stick with you guys for the long run”.

But, guess what, he stayed with us! And not just with us for now, BUT for the long run!

If you would like to know more about what we offer and what’s included in the price, chat today.

Get in touch

Several images of headsets corded and cordless for a blog post Several images of headsets corded and cordless for a blog post Several images of headsets corded and cordless for a blog post

Unravelling the Business Headset Minefield

Written by Laura Swatton on 27 September 2024. Posted in Blog.

With remote working and a massive move ‘to the cloud’ for business telephony, the business headset market has boomed. Market trends indicate a growing preference for wireless and Bluetooth-enabled business headsets, along with the integration of AI and voice recognition technology. The business headset market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.3% from 2024 to 2031 (1). It could be argued that handsets are just so ‘yesterday’ as companies look for flexibility, convenience, and savings, which headsets now deliver.

With advancements in sound quality, noise cancellation, and wireless connectivity, investing in high-quality headsets has become essential for the modern hybrid work environment, whether in-office or remote.

When buying business headsets there are so many factors to consider before investing. You go cheap from the likes of Amazon, you may end up buying again, you buy quality headsets and there is a larger initial outlay, so the question is, is paying more worth it?

For a business owner looking to purchase the best headsets for a large or small business, buying cheap headsets might seem cost-effective at first but it can lead to problems that outweigh the initial savings further down the line.

One of the primary issues is that these headsets often come from unreliable or less reputable sources, which means they might be equipped with outdated software or firmware. This can lead to compatibility issues with modern devices, poor audio quality, frequent disconnections, or other technical glitches that disrupt your workflow. Entry-level headsets are typically manufactured by lesser-known brands, so may find it difficult to contact customer support if issues arise. In many cases, the companies behind these headsets either lack the resources to offer comprehensive support or simply do not prioritise it. Additionally, cheap headsets often don’t receive regular software updates, which are essential for maintaining compatibility with evolving technology and ensuring that any bugs or security vulnerabilities are patched.

To help you make a decision, we have created a checklist of points to consider…

1. Comfort and Ergonomics

Adjustable Headbands: Choose a model where the headband can be adjusted for different head sizes.
Cushioning: Opt for well-padded ear cups and headbands for all-day wear.
Weight: Consider lightweight models for enhanced comfort.

2. Sound Quality

Microphone: Look for noise-cancelling microphones that provide clear audio transmission.
Speaker Quality: Ensure the headset delivers a crisp and clear sound.

3. Noise Cancellation

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC): For noisy environments ANC can help reduce background noise.
Passive Noise Cancellation: Well-padded ear cups can help block out external sounds.

4. Connectivity

Wired vs. Wireless: Decide if you need the flexibility of wireless or the reliability of wired connections.
Bluetooth: Check if Bluetooth connectivity is required for compatibility with multiple devices.
USB: Consider USB headsets for easy plug-and-play functionality.
Compatibility: Ensure compatibility with existing devices (PCs, Macs, smartphones).

5. Durability and Build Quality

Materials: Choose a headset made from durable materials that can withstand daily use.
Warranty: Check for a good warranty period to protect against defects. Here at Evoke Telecom we offer a 12-month warranty on most headsets and even 2 years on some of our recommended brands.

6. Microphone Features

Boom Arm: A flexible boom arm can help position the microphone in the ideal spot.
Mute Functionality: A quick mute function can be useful during calls.

7. Controls and Features

Controls: For adjusting volume and muting without touching the computer.
Multi-Device Pairing: Useful if employees switch between different devices.
Voice Assistants: Integration with voice assistants like Siri or Google Assistant.

8. Battery Life (for Wireless Headsets)

Talk Time: Ensure the battery life meets the daily usage requirements.
Charging Time: Consider how long it takes to fully charge the headset.

9. Ease of Use

Setup Process: Choose headsets that are easy to set up and use.
User Manual: Use a supplier that offers clear instructions for setup and troubleshooting.

10. Cost and budget:

Price Range: Determine your budget per headset.

11. Brand and Reviews

Reputation: Choose reputable brands known for quality.
User Reviews: Check reviews and ratings from other users for insights into the performance and reliability of both the headset brand and the provider.

“Evoke regularly reviews its solutions’ portfolio to ensure that customers access the best quality and value.” – James Clarke, CEO of JPL Telecom

12. Additional Considerations

Compliance: Ensure headsets comply with any relevant health and safety regulations.
After-Sales Support: Be aware of the availability of customer support and the process for troubleshooting and replacements. If you have worked with Evoke Telecom before, you’ll know that we pride ourselves on our customer service, so no need to worry about this one!

13. On-the-go employees

Protection: For employees who need to transport the headset from office to home, can they do this without damaging the headset?

14. Timescale

How quickly do you need delivery of your order?

Here at Evoke Telecom we offer the full works from corded, cordless, computer, and USB headsets, to call centre headsets. We have a range of top-tier and entry-level options available to our customers. We are able to provide brands that span across the industry but our most popular ranges come from the big 3, for example:-

We work with the big 3 and our most popular options:

Jabra
Poly
Sennheiser/EPOS

We also offer good value mid-range brands such as:-

Agent
JPL

How Artificial Intelligence is Reshaping the Telecom Industry

Written by Laura Swatton on 6 June 2024. Posted in Blog.

Today, the UK Artificial Intelligence (AI) market is worth more than £16.8 billion1 and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Keeping up with the ever-changing world of AI is certainly a challenge, so we wanted to take you on a deep dive into how AI is making a big splash and transforming everything from network maintenance to customer service in the world of telecommunications.

To grasp just how important AI is in today’s world, let’s start with some fun facts about AI’s growth and adoption in the UK from Forbes:

The UK AI market is already worth nearly £17 billion, according to the US International Trade Administration, and is expected to grow to over £800 billion by 2035.¹
The number of UK AI companies has increased by over 600% over the last 10 years.²
Around one in six UK organisations, totalling 432,000, have embraced at least one AI technology – according to government research.³
68% of large companies, 33% of medium-sized companies, and 15% of small companies have incorporated at least one AI technology.³

Now let’s explore the AI landscape…

Unlocking Valuable Insights

AI is like having a crystal ball for data. It’s constantly analysing huge amounts of customer data to provide insights into behaviours and preferences, helping telecoms tailor their services to what customers really want and need.

As a really simple but practical example, AI can transcribe your calls from their call recording file. It can then take this transcription and cut it down to a simple ‘synopsis’ of that call, which can easily be stored in your customer file or on your CRM. It can then apply some clever algorithms and generate a sentiment analysis for that call. It happens instantly and seamlessly in the background and is available for your teams to access and assess at any time.

Keeping Networks Running Smoothly

AI is a clever thing, with its AI-driven network optimisation. With predictive maintenance, AI’s algorithms can analyse vast amounts of data from network equipment to predict failures and anticipate maintenance needs, reducing downtime and improving reliability. With its traffic management capabilities, AI helps to manage network traffic efficiently by predicting peak times and optimising resource allocation to prevent congestion.

Customer Service Gets a Boost

In today’s fast-paced world, nobody likes being put on hold when seeking customer service. So just how crucial is high-quality customer service?

In 2024, 88% of customers think customer service is more important than ever.³
In 2024, 64% of customers said no matter how much they enjoy the product, if the company doesn’t provide good customer service, they will find another company to do business with.³

Thanks to friendly AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants, your customers can get help 24/7 without any wait time. These bots can handle countless enquiries and troubleshoot issues, leaving your customer service agents to tackle more complex queries. And it doesn’t stop there – with Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms, AI dives into your data to offer personalised recommendations, making your customers’ experience feel tailor-made.

Fighting Fraud and Upping Security

Security is a big deal, and unfortunately, no one is exempt, even the big players get targeted. AT&T experienced a data breach⁴ earlier this year alongside T-Mobile in January and May 2024⁵. The good news is that AI is on the good side, the winners’ team. It’s like having a watchdog that never sleeps, constantly scanning for unusual activities that could mean fraud. By spotting these red flags in real time, AI helps keep your data safe. It works to identify potential security threats before they become a problem, helping your network, business, and customers stay secure.

Cutting Costs and Boosting Revenue

AI isn’t just about tech – it’s also great for business. By automating processes and optimising operations, AI can significantly reduce your costs, making everything more efficient.

Driving Innovation

The future of telecom is incredibly exciting with AI in the mix. AI is transforming the industry by boosting efficiency, enhancing customer service, securing networks, and driving innovation. It’s helping telecom companies stay competitive in a fast-paced market. With AI projected to grow to £801.6 billion by 2035, it’s clear that AI is here to stay—and we’re fully onboard. Are you interested in how AI can benefit your business? We’d be happy to help, simply contact us today!

Sources:

UK Artificial Intelligence (AI) Statistics And Trends In 2024. May 2024, Forbes.
AI and the future of telecoms, April 2024, Business Reporter.
Bad Customer Service Could Cost More Than $3.7 Trillion, March 2024, Forbes.
AT&T data breach: Millions of customers caught up in major dark web leak, March 2024, BBC.
High Profile Company Breaches, March 2024, Electric.

SIM-free smartphone Evoke Telecom Header image SIM-free smartphone Evoke Telecom Header image SIM-free smartphone Evoke Telecom Header image

Are SIM-free smartphones a good option?

Written by Laura Swatton on 14 May 2024. Posted in Blog.

Let’s start at the beginning, what is a SIM-free smartphone? Essentially it’s a ‘hardware only’ option where you purchase an unlocked mobile handset without any network or fixed contract attached.

With traditional contracts, while they might offer you a shiny new phone upfront, you’re essentially taking out a loan to cover the cost. This means you’re committed to staying with that network until the contract ends, which can be frustrating if your needs change or you want to switch networks.

With a SIM-free smartphone, you buy the phone outright, meaning it’s yours from day one. No loans, no hidden costs, just pure mobile freedom. It comes with no strings attached, you aren’t tied down to a specific network for years on end, and you have the flexibility to switch networks or plans whenever you want, giving you total control over your mobile experience.

At Evoke Telecom, we have SIM-free handset options from all the big names, including the latest iPhone model and they’re unlocked and contract-free. Plus, if you need something more rugged, we’ve got you covered there too.

The beauty of going SIM-free is once you’ve picked the smartphone(s) that best fits your business needs, you have the freedom and flexibility to pick whichever network suits you best, so you can select a network based on the best coverage in your area or just personal preference.

At Evoke Telecom you can pair your SIM-free handset with a SIM-only deal for your data, minutes, and texts, and voila—watch those monthly bills shrink without getting tied down to a long-term contract.

And did you know? Lots of companies are jumping on this trend. Instead of those big hardware refreshes with hefty upfront costs and long-term contracts, they’re opting for a more flexible and affordable approach. It’s all about replacing hardware when needed, saving money, and being more environmentally friendly.

Here are some handy key benefits:

Unlocked and contract-free: Enjoy ultimate freedom to choose your network with our handsets, which come unlocked and without any contracts attached.
All operating systems supported: Whether you’re team iOS or Android we’ve got you covered with our great range of devices.
Dual SIM Capability: Some of our SIM-free phone ranges support dual SIM functionality, allowing you to have two phone numbers (personal and business) on the same device – for those who wish to keep business and pleasure apart.
Great choice of handsets: Take your pick from a wide selection of models from all major manufacturers, including the latest iPhone, with Android options starting from as little as £99.00.
Specialist ruggedised handsets: Including the ever-popular CAT range from Caterpillar.
Free audit: Reach out to us today for a complimentary audit of your current mobile setup. We’ll help you identify cost savings and provide tailored recommendations for your business.

What’s more, we can also offer a free audit of your current mobile setup to help you figure out the best strategy for your business and where you can pocket some savings.

So why wait? Contact us today so we can help you embrace the freedom of SIM-free! All you need to do is smile and dial our helpful team on our free sales lines 08008403688 – or if you prefer let your fingers do the walking and email us at hello@evoketelecom.com – so what are you waiting for, freedom and savings await.

Evoke Telecom Omnichat Evoke Telecom Omnichat

Supercharge your WhatsApp for Business with OmniChat

Written by Laura Swatton on 17 April 2024. Posted in Blog.

First, there was WhatsApp, a chat app service officially launched in November 2009 (1). It has skyrocketed to become the world’s most popular messaging platform, with over 2 billion monthly users (2); and every day more than 100 billion messages are sent on WhatsApp, talk about impressive (2).

WhatsApp for Business empowers businesses to build relationships and elevate customer service through direct, real-time online communication. With its diverse multimedia capabilities, businesses can effortlessly share texts, images, videos, and documents; whether it’s for product demonstrations, marketing, order confirmations, or delivery updates.

Now, let’s dive into OmniChat—a buzzword that’s making waves for all the right reasons. This one isn’t just noise; this one will help to keep your business from being left behind. So, when we mention “OmniChat” alongside “WhatsApp for Business”, we’re essentially talking about integrating WhatsApp into an omnichannel communication strategy—fully API-driven and no mobile number required. This approach acknowledges the changing preferences of customers to interact with businesses in the same way they communicate with family and friends.

With an Omnichat approach, your customer conversations across WhatsApp for Business, and your other communication channels such as email, SMS, and social media all funnel into one central unified platform. This means your customers can chat live with an agent or get automated responses from a chatbot, and, thanks to clever routing courtesy of Omnichat, enquiries are automatically directed to the right team member, giving your customer a great experience. Customer communications can come back to just one user – or even to a whole team be it sales, service, customer care, success, quality & compliance ~ you decide.

When a team member is on their well-deserved holiday or not at their desk, by using the out-of-office setting your team can redirect enquiries to colleagues or a designated team, or even the whole team, ensuring no lead slips through the cracks.

There are so many features to talk about that we could easily get carried away and turn this blog post into a dissertation so we’ll keep it simple with WhatsApp for Business API: Omnichat key features…

Business Profile: Set up a profile with all your important information like what you do, how to reach you, and your website.
Messaging Tools: Use quick replies, and labels or let the system do the talking with automated messages.
Integrations Galore: Easily integrates your preferred apps and technology stack into a unified hub.
Chatbots on Duty: Let the bots handle customer questions or qualify leads.
Team Access Made Easy: Everyone can jump into the conversation from one login, keeping everyone in the know.
Click to Chat: Make chatting with your team easy for your website visitors with just one click.
Dig into the Data: Get fancy with analysis and reporting to see what’s working and what’s not.
Bulk Contacts: Import all your contacts from your CRM or mailing list to send out promotions or updates.
Stay in the Loop: Tag contacts for mass notifications and marketing blasts.
Template Message Manager: Create templates to keep your messages consistent and add that personal touch.
Never miss a call: By adding within a message the ‘best number to call should you wish to talk to us’ we can move these calls across to your telephony platform, providing professional business routing, call recording, and those all-important business analytics.
Stay organised: You may be wondering how your team would handle all the countless messages flooding in, without getting in a muddle, they’ve thought of this too, with organisational tools such as labels and folders.
GDPR: OmniChat delivers a fully managed, GDPR-compliant, and centralised WhatsApp business messaging solution allowing you to safely and securely message customers within WhatsApp.

So, welcome to the realm of OmniChat and our trusted ally, WhatsApp for Business—a dynamic duo poised to help elevate your business goals while connecting with customers on their preferred platforms. So whether you’re a small business nurturing customer relationships or a large enterprise scaling your operations you can explore the possibilities of Omnichat for WhatsApp for Business by contacting our super-friendly team. So give us a call at 01590 278278 call our free-of-charge sales line at 0800 8403688 or drop us a line at hello@evoketelecom.com.

Evoke Telecom Customer Service Portal login Evoke Telecom Customer Service Portal login

Welcome to the Evoke Telecom Online Customer Service Portal

Written by Laura Swatton on 21 March 2024. Posted in Blog.

At Evoke Telecom we are constantly looking for ways to enhance and improve your experience with us, and our new customer service portal does just that. Our portal is your gateway to a dedicated hub for real-time support, issue resolution, and keeping up-to-date with service announcements.

From our Customer Service Portal, you can:

Raise new support tickets
Update and manage your open tickets
Find helpful guides in the knowledge base (including a training video for the portal)
Chat online with one of our agents through the portal chat functionality feature
Receive announcements – be the first to know about service-affecting issues with frequent updates posted on the home page

Our knowledge base within the portal will be regularly updated continuously with troubleshooting guides, insightful articles, training videos, and more. So, whether you are a seasoned customer or a newcomer, you’ll find valuable information to enhance your knowledge and improve your experience.

One of our favourite things about the portal is the integrated live chat function where our dedicated support team is just a click away from answering your questions. So feel free to chat with us at any stage, whether it be before or during logging a ticket.

The portal offers a mobile-friendly experience as well, so stay connected with us via your smartphone or tablet while on the go, ensuring uninterrupted customer support wherever you are.

Are you ready to explore our Customer Service Portal? Simply visit the portal to set up a login, you can also access it from our website homepage.

For more information on how to use the portal, you can watch our short training video below:

If you have any questions contact our sales team on Sales: 0800 8403688, Service: 0344 8118727, or by email who will be delighted to help you.

Evoke Telecom Call Transcription Evoke Telecom Call Transcription

Elevate your Call Recordings with AI-Powered Call Transcript

Written by Laura Swatton on 27 February 2024. Posted in Blog.

In our fast-paced world, effective communication is the cornerstone of success for businesses of all shapes and sizes. We’ve all seen the evolution from note-taking during phone calls to the introduction of call recording, but these recordings have transformed into valuable insights, all thanks to AI-powered call transcripts.

But what exactly does this mean for you and your business? Let’s dive into the world of call transcription…

Gone are the days of waiting to review and listen back to call recordings. With AI-driven transcription, immediately after the call has ended the transcription is available to you, at the press of a button and even eliminates the need for taking notes during the call.

But the benefits don’t stop there. The beauty of having your calls transcribed into a document lies in its searchability. By analysing multiple call transcripts, you can pinpoint recurring issues, pick out customer pain points, and identify insights for product development.

And versatility? There’s plenty of that too. Call transcripts can be added to your customers’ files, service tickets, sales records, or CRM.

But wait, there’s more! We can even take those old, dusty legacy call recordings and breathe new life into them by transcribing them for you. Now that’s what we call impressive.

Now, let’s address the nitty-gritty bits. Call transcription isn’t just about convenience; it’s about compliance and quality assurance too. A win for every business and a big win for audit, as you no longer have to trawl through recording after recording, with call transcript you can pinpoint issues quickly. By documenting your communications, you not only ensure legal compliance but also gain valuable insights into the quality of your calls. And with GDPR in mind, rest assured the transcription service is fully supportive of SARS requests.

So, say goodbye to the days of tediously listening back to call recordings and manually typing out notes. Say hello to a world where AI-powered transcription elevates your efficiency, enhances customer experiences, and unlocks a treasure trove of insights.

If you are interested or are ready to take your call recordings to the next level just reach out to your account manager or drop us a line at hello@evoketelecom.com.

Free Hotel Management Software with your Wildix telephone system.

Written by Laura Swatton on 19 May 2022. Posted in Blog.

PMS or Property Management System software is key in the day to day running of todays Hotels and Guest Houses.

And, there are some truly fabulous PMS solutions available to the Hospitality Industry, including Guestline, Fidelio, TigerTMS and many more.

Invariably when Evoke Telecom install or upgrade telephone systems at hotels, we get asked the same question, “does it integrate with our PMS?”.

Well now, following progressive thinking from the amazing team at Wildix, the need to have or to even integrate your telephony into PMS has become less important.

This is because Wildix have included many of the features offered by todays Hotel Management Software into their webRTC telephony solution FREE OF CHARGE.

Wildix HMS boasts many really useful features including:-

Check In / Check Out
Setting Wake Up calls

Service Make Up Room – clean or dirty status

Call Billing per room
Block outgoing calls from rooms
Reception announcement of emergency call made from rooms (meaning Reception can meet the attending emergency services and take them immediately to the incident location).

This will be an absolute winner for Hotels, Guesthouses and smaller Boutiques many of whom can neither afford a PMS solution or do not wish to currently fully integrate PMS into their telephony platform. Many of the standard features that the Hospitality Sector needs and love, come free of charge, out of the box (or in this case ‘out of the cloud’).

But hey, don’t worry if you actually DO WANT to integrate your PMS software, because invariably Wildix WebRTC telephony offers that option as well.

If you would like to know more, then please contact our helpful team by email at hello@evoketelecom.com or smile while you freedial 0800 8403688.

Evoke Telecom Services – delivering value.

Headset free home working with the exciting new Convey speakerphone ~ for your laptop!

Written by Laura Swatton on 6 May 2022. Posted in Blog.

As hybrid working becomes a way of life, home workers are having to rethink the way they use their new laptop based communications.

We have gone through a cycle of:-

Using the speakers and microphones already built into our laptops
As these are generally poor home workers have then progressed to headsets

But as headsets can become uncomfortable after extended wearing and the warm weather is coming ~ is returning back to native laptop speakers really an alternative?

Well, up until last week that really was the only real option ~ and then JPL launched the exciting new ‘Convey’ Desktop speakerphone. It really is a revolutionary ‘mini marvel’

This really is the most exciting thing to be introduced for the home worker since the changes that recent times have brought upon us.

A desktop compact speakerphone
That plugs into your laptop USB (C or A) port
No software needed – it is a simple ‘plug and play’ item
Powered by your laptop
Includes 360-degree speakers
With a 360-degree microphone
With Noise Cancelling and Echo Cancelling technology
Suitable for up to 4 users in a huddle meeting too

What is not to like?

The convey has sound + and – buttons
Also speaker mute and microphone mute – with red LED indicators
It also comes with a USB C & A connector cable
Plus a handy protective padded carry case
At just 80mm by 80mm it is small and super convenient
AND a 24 month warranty

We think the new Convey will totally revolutionise headset free home working.

But don’t take our word for it ~ why not find out for yourselves. Here is a fabulous introduction video that tells you all you might need to know about this fabulous little powerhouse speakerphone ~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_j6gvmxF_8

Useful at home, in the office, even in your customers offices – this mini marvel is just so versatile

If you would like to grab your ‘Convey’ or perhaps find out a little bit more, why not contact our helpful team now.

To find out more contact our team now at hello@evoketelecom.com ~ or why not smile while you free dial 0800 8403688

Evoke Telecom launch a new Router Assurance Service

Written by Laura Swatton on 6 May 2022. Posted in Blog.

Can you imagine not being able to access your Email, CRM, Accountancy Software, Ticketing, Live Chat and even your Business Telecommunications?

As lockdown eases and employees return to the office, focus returns to the availability of your office internet services. The internet is accessed via your broadband, with your Broadband Router acting as the gateway to business-critical online services

So, what would the impact be if that Router developed a major fault or failed completely?

Reassuringly, today’s Routers come with a manufacturer’s warranty, as standard. If your Router breaks, you simply send it back to the supplier. They repair it, (or replace it) and send it back. In theory all very simple.

But, this process can take many days, if not weeks! And when the Router eventually comes back it is unlikely to have been re-programmed with the necessary addresses to connect to YOUR broadband.

In reality, if your Router fails your teams face being without access to your business-critical services for a considerable period of time!

How can you offset this significant business risk?

As of 1^st June 2022, Evoke Telecom launch our new Router Assurance Service.

This fresh, new idea will ONLY be available to our broadband customers. It will offer Assurance on their Router for just a small monthly charge.

Our Router Assurance will provide the peace of mind businesses can depend upon. It leaves them safe in the knowledge that should their Router fail they can resolve the issue with one single telephone call. Our service will include the despatch a pre-programmed replacement Router from our workshop the very same day.

Why not give our new service a try. It could not be easier. You simply report your fault, we send the replacement, you plug in and hey presto you are back up and running as if nothing had happened.

Now that’s business continuity and peace of mind all rolled into one.

So, how old is YOUR Router. What would the impact be were it to go down?

Trust Evoke Telecom Router Assurance Service to keep you in the game just when you need it.

Want to know more? Then why not contact our helpful team at hello@evoketelecom.com or smile while you dial for free on 0800 8403688.

Photo’s courtesy of Direct Media on Stocksnap

Avaya Spaces workstream collaboration solutions on a mobile phone, tablet and laptop Avaya Spaces workstream collaboration solutions on a mobile phone, tablet and laptop

Avaya launches new collaboration devices and new Spaces features

Written by Laura Swatton on 28 May 2021. Posted in Blog.

This month’s Avaya product update focuses on the launch of new collaboration devices and new Spaces features.

Avaya’s new secure workstream collaboration (WSC) solutions can be deployed into existing multi-vendor environments to bring together better tools employees need to improve engagement and collaboration no matter where they are located. In 2021, WSC will become a foundational platform that reshapes the future of work long after the pandemic subsides.

What is workstream collaboration?

In the past, organisations pursuing a Unified Communications (UC) environment struggled to integrate disparate products, leading to multiple logins, different user interfaces, and little if any flow of information among the various tools. This led to user frustration, less than optimal productivity, and the increased reliance on shadow IT – both inside and outside the office.

Today, secure and compliant workstream collaboration solutions like Avaya Spaces integrate multiple capabilities, including voice, video, messaging, chat and task management, enabling the context of conversations to persist across public or private channels and over time, even when moving from one device to another. Teams can easily and rapidly set up secure meeting spaces for information sharing and collaboration that can be limited to only named and authenticated participants. With WSC, individuals or teams can interact more transparently with their internal and external constituents by connecting over the channels that the constituents prefer, and automated, real-time actionable alerts and notifications across devices ensure that teams keep to their deadlines. By capturing and retaining all valuable information, WSC solutions help businesses provide deeper levels of insight to the right person at the right moment in the decision-making process.

Further, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered WSC solutions can improve video meetings and conferences by removing background noise and creating live transcriptions that recognize and differentiate voices – enabling businesses to create and retain an accurate record of every important conversation.

The world that workstream collaboration will enable

With WSC, employees no longer have to call multiple phone lines and send text messages and emails, hoping to connect with their peers. WSC solutions incorporate an employee’s mobile phone into a completely digital workplace, and a single phone number or ID can be used to reach an employee no matter what device or channel is being used at either end. Infused with AI and automation, people can easily see each employee’s availability and more easily respond to a rapidly changing situation or crisis.

The digital workplace makes it far easier to adapt to changing conditions. In this new work nucleus, the cloud is used for apps and information storage. As a result, information is accessible to employees from anywhere at any time and work can be done 24/7 by teams around the globe.

With physical barriers now irrelevant, businesses can build their employee base using the best people from anywhere in the world. This means organisations now have a limitless talent pool at their disposal, including gig economy workers, new grads, and wily veterans, all able to effortlessly engage and contribute. Workstream collaboration solutions also make it easy to form and reform cross-departmental and even transnational teams without having to worry about business silos, allowing the most appropriate employees for every task or project to quickly share expertise and bring deliverables to completion.

In 2021, Workstream Collaboration solutions will continue to mature, providing more communications features, greater flexibility, more precise control over interactions, and greater levels of security. By the end of 2022, 70% of teams will rely on workstream collaboration as the primary means of communicating, coordinating and sharing information between team members. By 2023, 75% of organizations using WSC will extend it to all employees across the organization, up from 45% in 2019. Businesses that want to empower their teams for the future of work and ensure every employee can be productive no matter where they are located should immediately begin exploring the power of workstream collaboration solutions.

What new devices have Avaya launched?

Avaya has launched new devices designed to significantly improve workstream collaboration between an office based, remote or hybrid workforce.
The new range includes the Avaya Vantage K155 with Amazon-Alexa built in, a new Avaya IP Conference Phone (B129) and finally the new Avaya huddle camera (HC010).

What new Avaya Spaces features are now available?

New capabilities include enhanced calling to contact anyone inside or outside the organisation via voice and video, seamless workflows allowing users to leverage API’s or purpose-built integrations for CRM, AI (Artificial Intelligence) enhancements, and higher quality audio for calls and video meetings at noisy locations (the Evoke team all think the audio quality is absolutely amazing with the previous versions so this enhancement will be interesting to see how it could be even better).

What new Avaya solutions support a WSC environment?

Connect with a call from any device with a single app with Avaya Cloud Office, Avaya’s new fully cloud based telephony and communications platform.

With 20% off for a limited time only, now is a great time to consider upgrading to Avaya Cloud Office to futureproof your business.

Discover Avaya Cloud Office

Is it a good idea to put all your communications eggs in one basket?

Written by Laura Swatton on 20 May 2021. Posted in Blog.

With many organisations reviewing their current communications and digital transformation strategies to ensure they are futureproof, secure and hybrid/ future pandemic compatible, the Evoke team are often asked if an ‘end to end’ Microsoft Teams strategy is the right solution to address the trending key areas, or if not, what is the right approach?

The answer is not a straightforward yes or no as whilst an end to end Microsoft Teams solution on paper might seem a logical or straightforward option, behind the scenes there are some key considerations to explore to make sure all business needs are considered and addressed.

Key considerations

What would the impact be to your business if you lost all communications for a period of time?

In the last couple of months Microsoft have had some major global outages for several hours at a time, mostly affecting Microsoft Teams. Whilst in some cases you can live without your email, chat and video for a while, telephony is a different story. How critical is voice to your organisation?

Would you like a single look and feel to your voice, video and collaboration tools?

Would you like your employees to be able to make calls, initiate a video meeting or instant message with their colleagues from one single screen with single log in credentials? This might be a key driver for implementing a single Microsoft strategy. Whilst again an end to end Microsoft strategy may seem like the only option to achieve this ubiquitous approach, you can actually achieve the same result by integrating your current voice telephony platform with Microsoft Teams for a more robust and encompassing solution.

Have you invested heavily in your current ‘feature rich’ telephony infrastructure?

Do you have a current on premise or cloud telephone system that works well for you? Many of our customers are happy with their current telephony solution and the wide range of features and benefits it provides but are looking at ways to digitally transform their business by integrating applications and services like Microsoft Teams. It is entirely possible to retain your existing solution or migrate to a cloud-based telephony solution and fully integrate with your Microsoft applications to create ‘the best of both worlds’.

Does your business want to benefit from free calls?

With an end to end Microsoft strategy you will purchase Microsoft calling bundles which attribute a cost to all voice calls. These costs can be expensive. With an on premise or cloud solution from Evoke that is tightly integrated with your Microsoft applications, you can benefit from free SIP calls to all UK and landline numbers, retain your full telephony and contact centre feature set whilst benefiting from a fully integrated Microsoft look and feel solution with single sign on and a single user interface.

The alternative to an end to end Microsoft Strategy is therefore a blended strategy where you can take the best of both worlds and tightly integrated them together in a really simple way.

Key benefits of a blended strategy:

Retain existing investment
Benefit from a full telephony feature set
Free calls
Single user interface for voice and collaboration (video and chat)

Evoke can provide a simple add-on to Office 365 that connects Microsoft Teams to any PBX or SIP Trunk in minutes allowing calls to be made and received in the Microsoft Teams App.

Enable calls in Microsoft Teams

There are three options for enabling calls in Microsoft Teams. View our simple comparison guide to understand which option will best suit your business needs and future voice strategy.

The Evoke team can work with you to build your digital transformation strategy and ensure that your communications and digital strategy is aligned with market demand and your business goals.

Please speak to your Account Manager or a member of the Evoke team to discuss how you can achieve the right digital transformation strategy for your individual business. Contact us in whatever way you choose on 0800 8403688, hello@evoketelecom.com or by web chat.

NEW Wildix x-caracal: Care for and control the performance of your sales team

Written by Laura Swatton on 3 May 2021. Posted in Blog.

This month’s Wildix product update focuses on the brand-new Wildix x-caracal solution.

About x-caracal call centre monitoring and analytics

x-caracal is a contact centre analytics tool that enables you to monitor in real-time the quality of your interactions with leads and customers to give you a real insight into your business. Unlike some other options on the market, this solution integrates seamlessly into your Wildix communications solution.

Wildix as a communications and collaboration vendor has a great solution to boost each step of the customer journey. WebRTC Kite and Wizywebinar help generate leads, while x-bees is the perfect tool to drive sales, convert leads into customers and keep customers engaged and satisfied, avoiding churn.

But, how can you add additional value during the lead conversion and customer experience stages of the customer journey? By making sure that customers’ expectations are met.

x-caracal is the perfect solution to compliment the existing Wildix customer journey portfolio.

ACD Stats

Raise the quality of your customer interactions in real time and close more deals thanks to the first ACD Stats that boosts revenue

Boost your customer journey

A core part of the Wildix business communications package, x-caracal is the evolved communications monitoring centre, providing you with dashboards to track your customers and leads with built-in business intelligence tools.

Here are some of the key benefits that we think rock!

Unlike other ACD Stats, x-caracal is:

Web-based and hosted in the cloud – requires no physical installation.
Agile – provides you with constant feedback allowing you to improve your customer experience.
Effective – fully integrated into the Wildix communication system, monitoring all agents’ devices including mobile.

For more information on how Wildix x-caracal or the Wildix portfolio can benefit your business, please contact a member of the Evoke sales team to discuss in more detail or to request a fully immersive live demonstration. Contact us in the way that suits you on 0800 8403688, hello@evoketelecom.com or by web chat.

Headset Housekeeping: How often should you replace your headset cushion pads for your team members?

Written by Laura Swatton on 3 April 2021. Posted in Blog.

Replacing the cushion pads on your headset is often way down on the list of organisational priorities or perhaps not even thought about at all but, this bit of tech equipment housekeeping should be a regular occurrence. Think of it like changing the oil in your car. Not only does changing the pads have hygienic merit, but it also helps to preserve the original sound intended which delivers consistent call quality and integrity. A comfortable headset for the user also contributes to overall employee wellbeing and productivity. Even if the pads are clean, they become compressed as they age, and this alters the effective acoustic space.

Manufacturer guidelines recommend ear cushions should be replaced every 3 months or replaced if the headset is passed on to a new staff member.

The EC-16 Universal 70mm Leatherette Ear Cushion supplied by Evoke fits most makes and models of headset and couldn’t be simpler to replace existing ear cushions. The EC-16 fits: JPL-401S, JPL-402S, JPL-501S, JPL-502S, JPL-Connect, JPL-HAC, JPL-611, JPL-612, TT3 EVO, X500, BT500. Poly: SupraPlus, EncorePro. Jabra Evolve 40, 60, 65 Ear Cushion.

The Evoke team can work with you to establish the right frequency of headset cushion pad maintenance for your organisation based on the level of headset usage and staff turnover.

Please speak to your Account Manager or a member of the Evoke sales team to discuss ‘Headset Maintenance’ in more depth or to set up your regular headset cushion pads replacement schedule. Contact us in the way that suits you on 0800 8403688, hello@evoketelecom.com or by web chat.

A female call centre employee at a desk speaking into a telephone headset A female call centre employee at a desk speaking into a telephone headset

Make it easier for customers to engage with your organisation with a new breed of CCaaS

Written by Laura Swatton on 22 March 2021. Posted in Blog.

This month’s product update focusses on the brand-new Horizon Contact Cloud based, omni-channel contact centre. It’s quite a topical one as organisations looking at ‘hybrid working’ and driving a ‘work from anywhere’ culture need to consider not just UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service or cloud telephony) but CCaaS (Contact Centre as a Service) as the next phase of development in measuring and managing a dispersed workforce, embracing AI (Artificial Intelligence) whilst ensuring that customer service levels are upheld and exceeded.

What is Horizon Contact?

Horizon Contact is a cloud-based omni-channel contact centre solution (voice, email and web chat) that is designed specifically to work in conjunction with Horizon and Collaborate (the Horizon UC solutions).

Perfect for organisations who want to make it easier for customers to engage with them and unlike most Contact Centre solutions, Horizon Contact provides an easy to use, self-service feature set, for small to medium businesses. This is ideal for organisations looking to incorporate AI at an affordable price point.

Here are some of the key benefits that we think rock!

Ideal for Hybrid Working – Agents can log into any device and work anytime, anywhere. The solution is compatible with all current Gamma handsets, but agents can also work with just a laptop and headset because Horizon Contact uses WebRTC to deliver the same experience wherever your teams have internet access.
Integral CRM – Built in CRM database that may be used to keep track of customer interactions to ensure customers don’t need to repeat themselves every time they call in or equally, Horizon Contact can integrate with MS Dynamics or Salesforce for full CRM integration and end to end visibility of your customer journeys.
Comprehensive Call Recording – Calls can be recorded inbound, outbound or internal. Callers can also be provided with the choice to opt out of their call being recorded however, the agent can still select to record their part of the call. Call recordings are stored in a secure, encrypted environment with other GDPR compliant features such as retention deletion, restricted user access and full user auditing.
Gold Standard Customer Service – Calls can be prioritised into VIP queues to be handled by skills ranked agents, based on either the customers telephone number or email to ensure they are provided with a tailored and premium service.
Flexible Reporting – The built in, comprehensive reporting tool which can be viewed within the portal enables reports to be scheduled and delivered to managers as and when they need them.
True Subscription Model – There are no financing costs, no major hardware investments, and no software to roll out. You simply need a Horizon Premium subscription and then either an agent or supervisor licence, Admin licences are provided free of charge.
Reduced TCO – There is no charge for terminating inbound calls like many other CCaaS platforms.
Reliable Distributed architecture – At least 99.9% uptime is expected with four Gamma data centres hosting the Horizon Contact service.
Agent Interface – Agents can view all the queues that they have been given access to view. Agents can take calls via a Horizon handset or via a softphone using the Horizon Contact portal.
Supervisor Interface – The Supervisor user has full agent functionality but can manage all agent users. Within the Horizon Contact Portal, the Supervisor’s main screen shows live data for both the queues and the agents that they manage.
Admin Interface – Horizon Contact is managed using its own web interface, which provides information and management control to authenticated operations users. The Administrator Portal part of the interface allows users who are logged in at the Administrator level to customise their Contact Centre features and functionality.
Wallboard – When an agent has classified an interaction, the classifications are logged and analysed by the Contact Centre for display via the wallboard and for inclusion in regular reports.

Discover Horizon Contact: Cloud Contact Centre

A male employee sat on the floor at home working on a laptop, with a young child in his lap. A male employee sat on the floor at home working on a laptop, with a young child in his lap.

Hybrid Working: High on the agenda for 70% of UK businesses

Written by Laura Swatton on 19 March 2021. Posted in Blog.

How businesses are shifting from forced ‘home working’ to planned ‘hybrid working’ strategies to underpin their future success

As the dust settles, a year of home working being the norm has enabled many businesses to gather valuable evidence from their teams and customers as to how successful they were during lockdown and plan effectively for what the return-to-work phase looks like.

Now employees have enjoyed more time and sanity from avoiding the rush hour commutes whilst gaining balance over workdays vs. friends, family and hobbies coupled with organisations seeing huge reductions in heating, lighting and office overheads, the big question is, what does the office of 2021 look like?

The simple fact is the office of 2021 will differ enormously from business to business. No longer does one size fit all.

The forced move to home working has driven many organisations to temporarily dip their toe in the water on their digital transformation journey and we have seen some businesses embrace it with open arms and some chomping at the bit to get back into the office as soon as possible. Whilst we completely appreciate that home working can’t work for some vertical sectors, for those that can, we would beg the question, why didn’t it work for you?

We are seeing many organisations starting to focus on cultivating a ‘hybrid’ workplace where employees remain productive and engaged, no matter what location they are working from. It might be that Peter in marketing is more productive working from home 3 days per week but 2 days he prefers to be in the office checking in with colleagues and focussing on team projects which balances his work with mental wellbeing and motivation. It might also be that with a strong ‘hybrid culture’ and the right technical strategy that organisations can start to attract employees from a wider talent pool or skill set.

Some key questions for organisations to consider in this landmark new phase are:

During lockdown – did our employees remain productive and engaged?
Were we able to maintain consistent and effective communication between employees and managers?
Did we have the right tech tools for the job? Were they user friendly, flexible, reliable, secure and scalable?
Were our customer service levels positively or negatively affected and what was the cause of any challenges? (we mention this one as over half of homeworkers during the pandemic had broadband issues with the service either cutting out or being too slow!!)
Can we foster a hybrid culture within our business and what are the pros and cons?
What key benefits can be incorporated into our strategic long-term business plans?
How do we plan for future phases of the pandemic or similar events?
Do we need help and advice as to what technology roadmap is right for our business and how we can best foster a successful hybrid workplace?

At Evoke, we treat every one of our customers uniquely. We have always done this whilst understanding and appreciating that one size certainly does not fit all.

Whilst we think our approach is still sound, we are also evolving with the times and have found that the pandemic has accelerated businesses into areas like business transformation and digital transformation which can often be daunting and complex topics. We have identified that getting these bits right for both business recovery and future success are fundamental areas where our current and new customers need our help. To that end, we are fully available for a discussion at any time on how we can help you to drive your business goals with the right underlying technical strategies.

Please speak to your Account Manager or a member of the Evoke team to discuss ‘Hybrid Working’ in more depth or please do request your free of charge audit of your existing services and digital transformation ideas so we can align and help you identify where efficiencies and improvements can be made. Contact us in the way that suits you on 0800 8403688, hello@evoketelecom.com or start a web chat.

A woman working at a laptop from her brightly coloured kitchen A woman working at a laptop from her brightly coloured kitchen

“Work in their shoes”: Setting the gold template for customer service

Written by Laura Swatton on 12 March 2021. Posted in Blog.

Only by working in your customers shoes can you deliver the levels of customer service they now expect

The post-pandemic customer emerges with completely new priorities and buying behaviours. Lockdown and forced ‘home working’ for many office workers has driven people to engage differently and digitally.

The new buzzwords for customer service are ‘contactable’ and ‘accountable’. With e-commerce booming and a world of choice available, just one bad experience can lead to the loss of a customer.

Ask yourself a simple question. Can my customers contact me using the method that they want to? Many people prefer to get in contact via web chat, IM or even where appropriate ‘self-serve’ which if it is seamless, effortless, and quick provides a win-win for both business and customer but, there are customers that still value telephone or email interaction and a human voice providing high levels of personalised expertise.

Let’s go one step further and look at buyer engagement and brand loyalty. How can you give your customers the warm feeling in 2021? How do you keep them coming back? Customers now expect the businesses they engage with to know their preferences and they need to feel confident in a world of increasing cyber and online crime that their data is stored sensitively and securely.

The gold customer service template can only be designed and achieved by “working in your customers shoes” and identifying how you can provide a prompt response or quick resolution to their query in the most effective way for them.

The Evoke team can work with you to build your gold customer service template and ensure that your communications and digital strategy is aligned with market demand and your business goals. Please speak to your Account Manager or a member of the Evoke team to discuss how you can achieve a gold template for your customer service levels in more depth. Contact us in whatever way you choose on 0800 8403688, hello@evoketelecom.com or simply start a web chat with us now.

A simple telecoms hack to help your marketing budget!

Written by Laura Swatton on 5 March 2021. Posted in Blog, Uncategorized.

As businesses look to grow their customer base as we all emerge from lockdown, telecoms could be the answer that provides that critical insight into how well your marketing spend is performing.

Generating new business enquiries

With 45% of businesses reporting turnover below what is normally expected, business growth and recovery is high on the agenda for post lockdown Britain.

However, despite many predictions and speculations, we are not crystal clear yet as to what ‘the new normal’ will really look like? How far will our businesses need to adapt and change in line with new consumer habits or changing market demands?

It is a fine balance between reinvigorating your market opportunities to drive that essential increase in sales and investing your marketing budget in the right areas to achieve the best return.

When you do make the decisions on how and where to invest your valuable time and money, how do you then measure success?

Do you currently have a way of identifying where a new inbound lead was generated from? Was it from an advert in a local magazine? An industry article? A radio ad? A social media post? A blog? Or even from a visit to your website?

There are many complex and often costly systems on the market that provide analytics and management information that can be used to predict success strategies. But these come at a price and greater the cost of the analysis, the more leads you must generate to cover your spend, right?

This is where we share our super simple telecoms hack of the month, ‘the inbound telephone number’.

Where did those enquiries come from?

Evoke Telecom can help you with your campaigns analysis by providing dedicated inbound telephone numbers. This can be per campaign, per medium, or even per publication.

As a result, our customers can easily see where their leads are being generated and how many prospective new customers are being attracted!

The inbound bill and associated analysis provides insightful key metrics such as:-

How quickly each campaign generated a response
How many total responses were generated
Identification of calling trends – most popular time of day/day of week
Whether prospects called from a landline or a mobile telephone
Average call length per campaign

Inbound numbers are a cost effective yet powerful solution that enables businesses to identify how successful a campaign has been. Also, how best to shape future campaigns using the valuable data and insight collected.

How can I find out more?

Would you like to know more about how inbound telephone numbers can drive that key critical insight and make your marketing spend go further? If so, then please talk to a member of our helpful team at Evoke Telecom for a no obligation discussion. You can contact us by email at hello@evoketelecom.com or why not pick up the phone and call our free of charge sales line on 0800 840 3688 . We can’t wait to help you.

Pictures courtesy of Andrea Piacquadio and Ivan Samkov (Pexel)

fibre optic cables up close fibre optic cables up close

There’s light at the end of the fibre as Virtual1 connects with CityFibre

Written by Laura Swatton on 10 February 2021. Posted in Blog.

We are so excited about 2021 in the Evoke offices! With a countrywide, full fibre gigabit broadband network more important than ever to support the UK’s post-Brexit and post-Covid-19 recovery, one of our key network partners, Virtual1 has announced a collaborative partnership with the third largest national digital infrastructure provider, CityFibre. This formidable partnership will enable us to serve our business customers with an increased portfolio of 100Mbps to 1Gbps full fibre Ethernet products in 28 cities, expanding as CityFibre continues its roll out.

The UK’s full fibre rollout and the 2025 PSTN switch off are the driving forces behind the most significant change to business connectivity in a generation where there are strict government targets in place to accelerate the delivery of gigabit capable broadband across the UK by 2025 (no coincidence that this is when the old digital network is due to be turned off!!).

Virtual1 founder and CEO Tom O’Hagan said:

“The partnership combines CityFibre’s growing UK coverage with the flexibility of Virtual1’s Software Defined Network to deliver the best of both worlds.”

Giving impetus to its rollout plans, CityFibre is now embarking on a recruitment plan that will include the identification and training of thousands of unemployed UK residents as well as new job opportunities for qualified and experienced construction and telecoms workers.

At Evoke, we really do see this as an extremely positive partnership and in real terms, this gives us great opportunity to provide our customers with the very best connectivity speeds through a solid and trusted network partner that is giving back to the community. Sustainability and support for local communities and industries closely aligns to our company values and ethos.

Please speak to your Account Manager or a member of the Evoke team to discuss superfast connectivity in more depth or please do request your free of charge audit of your existing services so we can help you identify where efficiencies and improvements can be made. Contact us on 0800 8403688 or hello@evoketelecom.com.