We will explain how to learn how to use your VoIP phone system.
Regardless of what specific type of technology you’re using in your office everything has a certain learning curve that you need to overcome to make sure you’re using your technology correctly. From computers to printers to CRM software to web apps, everyone needs initial and on-going training.
This goes also true for Cloud VoIP phone systems. Many of our customers are eager to learn how to use their new VoIP system, want additional training or updates after they’ve been using it for awhile, or need to provide training for new hires.
Fortunately, getting training on your VoIP phone system is easy, regardless of if you’re a new or existing customer.
VoIP Training for New Installations
If you’re a new customer of ours, we’ll coordinate a systems trainer to visit at your office location. Our on-site VoIP engineers will come on-site to install your phone hardware system up & immediately after we provide end user training. We also do offer end user training at our office location before we install your phone solution. This is ideal for clients who want to be very prepared in advance or who make the time to send staff to our office. A majority of the training can be trained at our office especially the phone hardware. We provide both options to our clients.
Training on Polycom Phone hardware and mobile applications
If your staff is using Polycom IP phones, we’ll conduct a training session for 2 to 6 people. Anymore than 6 people and we’d separate the group so everyone gets a full hands on experience. This training usually lasts around 30-45 minutes. During the training, we also help clients download a mobile app on their iPhone or Droid device which is associated with their Polycom Phone extension.
Training on desktop software
Many of our clients also use desktop software for end user software. This gives end users the ability to use software to communicate easier and faster and take advantage of the latest Unified Communications features.
If you are a traditional company (like a law firm) the receptionist gets dedicated training. For others we run a group training to demonstrate how to use the software for applications like instant messaging, video, conference calls and managing visual voicemail.
What Training Entails
Regardless of your training, we’ll cover some basics, such as going over all the buttons and features of the associated phones, and how to perform simple tasks such as transfer calls, hold calls, park calls, etc.
After the training we will stay onsite because additional questions are inevitable. We love to make sure our clients are getting the most value out of the new system.
And during your training, we’ll get you familiar with our website so you can easily find support articles as necessary in the future. For instance, on our site you can search within the search bar on the top of this page to find more information about your phone. You can find links that direct you to training videos for additional training after your initial training.
Administrative Training
After the initial training, we’ll go over with how to manage the back end of the site typically with our telecom point of contact and/or 3rd party IT Vendor.
To demonstrate the web portal administrator, we’ll invest typically an hour going over system admin capabilities. We’ll log into your computer & show you how to manage your system so you can get it to behave and do what you want. For example, we can show you how to route main number to cell phones in the event that you lose power or internet. This is actually something we’ve covered in depth before in two articles entitled:
- What happens to my VoIP phone systems during a power outage?
- What happens to the VoIP phone system at my business if the internet goes down?
The great thing about the admin back-end of the site is that it’s mobile friendly, meaning you can manage your system on the fly from any device connected to the internet anywhere! This is incredibly useful for changing things while out of the office, like if the office is closed due to inclement weather, there’s been a change of office hours, or a nighttime greeting, or other admin specific duties such as changing passwords or re-assigning phones.
For Vertical phones, one of two experts on-site can go through the system, including the training, which is similar in ways to the Polycom system. However, this is a somewhat slightly more in depth piece of software, so your receive a slightly more in depth training. We’ll also cover the actual programming of the system as well.
What if you don’t want to deal with the “admin stuff”?
Yes, the backend of these systems can take a moment to understand. If you’re not tech savvy, or just don’t want the responsibility of dealing with the administrative side of the system, we do have an internal service department that can handle the admin side of your phone system.
We can help you, whether you want us to just train you, hold your hand while you work on your own system, or we can handle the entire back end of your site.
Regardless, we’re always here for help. It’s like learning to ride a bike. We’ll help you until you learn to do it on your own.
And remember, we’re staffed 24/7 with an oncall tech so we’re always just a phone call away. If you call between 5:00 PM and 8:30AM you can still reach us for emergency reasons. Our tech gets notified and calls you back ASAP to work through your problem.
Otherwise, our response time is 24 to 48 hours, but this of course depends on the severity of the issue. Bigger issues require more attention, and can take 3-5 days to get problems solved.
Training for Existing Users
Of course, anytime you need it, you can schedule another training session. We can provide additional training either remotely or in person. Additional training is useful for either retraining and refreshing existing staff members on the system, for staff members whose responsibilities have changed, or for training new employees who aren’t familiar with the phone on their desk.
Depending on the severity of the training, and the staff members involved, we can either conduct training in a group or in a one-on-one basis. We could call their cell, and go over how to use the phone in detail, generally covering the same details as the initial in person on-site training.
Tele-Data Solutions is here to help YOU!
Regardless of if you need training for the whole office or just a few people, we’re here to help. To learn more about how to get trained on the VoIP phone system at your business or office click here to contact us online or give us a shout at 908-851-0444.
By Lindsey Bodnar
Systems Trainer and Account Manager, Tele-Data Solutions
E-mail: lindsey@tele-datasolutions.com | Direct Line: (908) 378-1218 x121
I graduated from Kean University with a bachelor’s degree in communications, and working at Tele-Data Solutions allows me to communicate in so many ways! Whether I'm helping remotely, recording auto attendants, or discussing the implementation of a new VoIP system, I'm here to help. Some of my interests include traveling, trying new food, reading, and learning new languages.
