Featured Software: Aircall’s Support For SMB

A statistically high number of small businesses fail each year, many of them before they ever really get off the ground. Too often, it’s not their poor business model or a lack of a great company idea, but instead it’s the day-to-day details of running a startup that cause the doors to close for good. So many companies are started by someone with the know-how in their given industry, rather than the business acumen to understand how to keep the company running.

That’s why software support is critical for small businesses, and not just the kind of support that feeds into their specific industry. Instead of investing in expensive business tools to run the company, SMBs can turn to inexpensive software options that meet their needs. At the same time, not having the right business tools–like a fully staffed and seamless customer support division–can shut a business down faster than any other contingency.

Aircall is meeting one of the most mundane yet crucial needs for businesses of any size, which is phone support. And rather than just standard computer-based phone abilities, businesses can create local phone numbers in 30 different countries, giving them the ability to reach their customers on their own terms but without the cost associated with setting up an expensive phone network.

On the business side of things, Aircall offers a number of collaborative features, like the option for anyone within the company to see the background of any call; this is critical for helping customers work through product and service issues, as any representative who takes the call can access the log of prior help requests. Shared contacts lists also means anyone with access can connect with the right customer or outside vendor.

So how much will these features set a business back? Less than $50 a month per user for the full package, and less than one-fourth of that for the basic package on a per-user basis. The basic package gives businesses a professional welcome desk and the collaborative features, while the second-tier plan ($24 per user per month) also includes call queuing, integrations, analytics, and click2call. The full plan offers those features, along with salesforce and custom integrations, advanced analytics, and custom reporting.

Aircall is setup to grow with a business, affording them the basic features at launch and upgrading as the company’s needs and financial resources allow. The company also offers a free trial so that SMBs can determine if the features and integration are right for their industry and their needs before investing.