Set Up a Customer Support Phone Line in 3 Steps

Telzio provides customer support phone lines and communication tools suitable for small business teams, high volume call centers, and remote workforces. With our flexible plans and easy-to-use web platform, teams of all sizes and locations can customize calling and messaging features to the appropriate operation and budget.

Step 1: Choose a Phone Number

If you’re providing a customer support line for a product you’re selling online, you’ll likely want a toll free number. For international customers, we offer phone numbers in over 50 countries.

You can choose multiple phone numbers, and manage them all under the same account. You can browse local, toll-free, and international phone numbers right on our website and register them instantly.

Once you choose a number, the next step is to build a Call Flow where you can send incoming calls.

Step 2: Design a Call Flow

A call flow is the route of incoming calls consisting of the features you choose. Your call flow can be as simple as sending calls directly to a phone, or it can have customized filters and “directions” to route callers.

Business Hours

The start of your call flow might begin with Business Hours. For example, if you have phone agents from 8 AM to 6 PM, you could route calls during off-hours to a voicemail or after-hours operator for emergencies. Essentially, you’re creating two different paths for incoming calls, one path for open hours and one path for closed hours.

IVR Menu

An IVR menu allows you to set a prerecorded greeting with keypad options for the caller. For example, you may want to set up 1 for sales, 2 for technical support, etc.

If you don’t have separate departments, you could still use the IVR menu as a way to greet your callers with a message before sending them on to an agent. Our intuitive interface and customizable features make it easy to design a custom experience for your business.

Call Forwarding

The Call Forwarding feature can be used to create custom user groups and route calls to agents. You can set calls to ring all agents simultaneously, or in sequence so the first to pick up gets the call.

There’s no limit to the number of agents you can add to a call forwarding group. What’s more, we offer free unlimited users with each phone number, so there’s no additional charge to add a user beyond the usage incurred.

Call Screening

Activating call screening will tell your agents where the call is coming from before they accept the call. For example, You may want to forward after-hours emergency calls to someone’s personal cell phone.

By activating call screening, when you pick up a call you’ll hear “You have a call from the support line, press 1 to accept,” and from there you can respond to the call accordingly.

Call Recording

Call recording can be enabled for all incoming calls, and for all calls for specific users. There’s no additional charge to activate this feature. You’ll be able to find all your call recordings in the call logs and quick access on the dashboard.

Call Queue

When all agents are busy on the phone, the Telzio Call Queue feature places callers in a virtual line while they wait for the next available agent. Call queues inform callers how many callers are ahead of them, and notify agents how long the caller has been waiting when they are transferred the call.

Callers can also request a call back without losing their place in the queue, instead of waiting on the phone.

Voicemail

For all other purposes, voicemail is available as an endpoint in a call flow. Voicemails are sent as files or links by email, with additional voicemail transcription if needed.

Step 3: Set up Phones

The final step is setting up a customer support phone line is the part with actual phones. What kind of devices will your agents use to take calls?

IP Phones

Modern-day desk phones connect through the internet, and these are called IP phones. IP phones range from $40 to several hundred dollars depending on the brand and model. Cisco and Polycom are older brands and hence more widely used, while newer IP phone makers like Yealink offer competitive products.

For no reasons other than quality, design, ease-of-use, and price, we typically recommend Yealink phones. We have no sponsorship or affiliation with Yealink whatsoever, but we do use their products in our office.

Mobile App

For remote workers and/or a cost-effective startup option, our mobile app is free to download for iOS and Android and provides the essential features needed like voice, message, SMS, hold, transfer, and conference.

Whatever your preferences or requirements, Telzio’s virtual platform is flexible and easy to manage, and our own customer support agents are standing by to answer any questions. Say hi to us on the chat!