Answering the Call: A Better Way to Stay Connected at Work
Here’s a common scenario: It’s the middle of flu season and your receptionist calls in sick. Sharon from accounts ends up answering the phone all day, juggling her usual workload while trying to manage calls on a desk phone that only works in the office. Meanwhile, the other half of your team is working remotely — some due to flexible working arrangements, and others because they now work in hybrid roles.
Sound familiar?
Traditional phone systems rely on physical hardware and being in a specific place. If the person at that desk isn’t there, calls can get missed or go straight to voicemail. It can feel clunky and stressful, especially for businesses with hybrid or remote teams.
This is where digital calling makes a real difference.
What is a Digital Calling Solution?
At its core, digital calling is a piece of software installed on your laptop, desktop, or mobile device. You log in to a web portal or app with your credentials and the system becomes your phone. It lets you set your availability status, send instant messages to colleagues, and manage calls without needing a physical handset
Digital calling works using Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP technology. It sends your voice as data over the internet instead of traditional phone lines. That means your calls travel with your other internet traffic, making communication more flexible and integrated with the tools your team already uses.
Why Make the Switch?
Traditional phone systems can be costly and rigid because they lock you into your office. Digital calling frees you from those limits. Imagine being able to:
Answer calls on any device, whether you’re at home, the office, or on the go
See at a glance who is available, on a call, or away before you ring them
Route calls easily to the right team member without making your receptionist juggle too many tasks
Use chat, video meetings, and file sharing all in the same system, cutting down on emails and missed messages
One of the things Courtney from Think Concepts really appreciates about our digital calling system is how it shows when someone is already busy on a call or away. This stops us from interrupting colleagues who are tied up, so calls get handled efficiently and work flows more smoothly for everyone.
Helping Your Team Work Smarter
If your business has a tech support team, sales staff, or multiple departments, digital calling solutions become even more powerful. You can set up call automations and assign calls to the right groups based on why the call is coming in, technical help, sales enquiries, or administration.
The system manages queues to make sure calls don’t get lost or overload one person. If one team member is busy, calls automatically move to the next available person. Managers get access to call reports so they can see how many calls were answered or missed and track phone usage to keep teams responsive and accountable.
One of the handy features built into digital calling systems is that they connect directly with your client database. When a client calls, the system automatically recognises their number and displays their name and company information on your screen. This doesn’t happen with PABX or physical phone systems, where you might only see a phone number or get no info at all.
This feature means you always know who’s calling before you answer and can easily track call history and missed calls linked to each client, making follow-ups quicker and more personal.
Looking Ahead: Advanced Features
Many digital calling platforms also offer call recording and transcription. These features are valuable in legal, accounting, or customer service industries where accurate records of conversations matter. Transcriptions assist with follow-ups, note-taking, and compliance. This technology is advancing fast and opening new possibilities for smart workflows.
Bringing It All Together: Digital Calling and Unified Communications
Digital calling often comes with built in messaging and video meeting features. But many businesses already use tools like Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or Zoom for collaboration.
That’s why it’s important to look at your full communications setup. At Think Concepts, we help you decide whether a simple digital calling solution fits your needs, or if a wider unified communications plan, including your Microsoft 365, cloud storage, and meeting tools, would benefit your team.
Our goal is to make your communications seamless and easy to manage so your team stays connected and productive.