When staff are working away from your main business location, you’ll quickly find that routing business phone calls to them is a priority. This can become tricky when you’re taking the increasingly popular route of a “hybrid” working setup, where some time is spent working from home and some from the office.

Here we’ll describe three different ways Beaming can help its customers divert calls so they reach the right person at the right time, and the scenarios in which they’d be useful.

Option one: Admin controlled diverts

In this case, the divert is controlled by us and is applied permanently, with calls forwarded to a landline or mobile number of your choice. This is the least flexible kind of divert, so would be suitable for routing calls away from a micro business location that’s been closed on a permanent or semi-permanent basis and where one person can comfortably manage all of the incoming calls. It’s also useful for retail or hospitality businesses who’ve had to completely shut down but may still need to take deliveries and be able to answer a small number of calls relating to these.

Admin controlled diverts can be added and removed by contacting us, and will take effect within one business working hour of the change being requested. If you need a more flexible option where it’s quicker and easier to set and cancel the divert, see the options below.

Option two: Customer controlled diverts

A divert controlled by the customer and their handset. This option would suit a business that needs the flexibility of applying a divert when they decide to work from home, but can revert this should they decide to go to the office or business location. It can also be used if you have multiple colleagues who want to alternate a divert depending on their shifts. This divert gives you more freedom to choose what number has the divert and when, as it is controlled by the colleagues from the main handset.

This option relies on staff remembering to set and remove diverts as they switch between working remotely or on premise. You will also need someone who is willing to answer all the calls coming through on divert from the business’s main telephone number – but remember that it won’t be easy to just forward calls on as you would when working from the office, you’ll need a very organised message taking system if you’re going to rely on this.

Option three: The no divert cloud phone option

The BeamRing telephone system enables staff to communicate effectively wherever they are, without relying on the set up of any diverts. Because it is hosted in the cloud, the system can be accessed from almost any location and using a variety of devices; smart phone, desktop or laptop PC, and of course desk phone.

When a team member connects to the telephone system using their app, calls are handled in exactly the same way they would be when working in the office, so they can answer, transfer and make calls comfortably. There’s no need for staff to share or show their personal numbers to colleagues or customers, with outgoing calls displaying your professional business number.

Find out more about the BeamRing installation process here