The communications industry has its own set of jargon, which can be confusing at times for people outside the industry itself. A question asked by our potential clients and current clients alike is what is the difference between call forwarding and call transferring? The main difference is functionality.
A call transfer is when an agent or representative, who actively spoke to a customer, transfers the call to another agent or representative that can meet their needs. So, a call transfer requires contact between two parties for the call to be transferred.
There are two types of transferring however, there are warm transfers and cold transfers. A warm transfer is when your agent or representative speaks to the caller and passes the call to another agent or representative along with crucial information like the caller’s name and purpose. A cold transfer In many cases where situations are immediate or where calls arrive rapidly, a cold transfer helps quicken the pace of call handling and redirects callers to automated destinations that can solve the issue at hand.
A call forwarding feature allows the receiver to redirect the call to another number without any other form of engagement. To be more clear, a call is forwarded when the caller dials a number, but the conversation is sent to a different 10-digit number whose representatives or services will aid the caller in question. This is a common and helpful practice at many businesses, especially if they face consistent call overflow. The main benefit is for no call to go unanswered in case the phone lines are busy or the in-office agents aren’t available due to attending to customers in person or being busy at meetings. It works well for businesses as the customer queries are immediately resolved, no crucial calls go unanswered, and spam calls are screened.
A variety of call forwards and call transfers are always included for free in every one of Team by the Minutes’ service plans. These features are useful for a variety of scenarios, but what is most important is that office calls should never go unanswered and customers should be provided with solutions when trying to contact your business. While the difference between transfers and forwards can seem indistinguishable due to the terms sounding so familiar, as you can see, both features carry a distinctly different set of functions for a business.