Phone System for Remote and Hybrid Teams

A good phone system for remote employees lets your team answer the office number from anywhere, call customers back showing the business number, and pass calls to each other as if they sat in the same room. With a cloud phone system, all it takes is an app on each person's computer or cell phone and a decent internet connection.

Plenty of small teams now split their week between the office and home. Customers should not be able to tell who is where.

How Do Remote Staff Answer the Office Line?

With a cloud phone system, your number and your call settings live online, not in a box at the office. Each person on Telonium gets the Telonium app for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. When a customer calls, the app rings wherever that person is signed in.

You decide who rings. A call group rings everyone in it at once, so whoever is free picks up, at home or at a desk. If several calls often come in at the same time, a queue lets callers wait in line with hold music and hands each one to the next person who is ready. Either way, the office line is covered without anyone forwarding calls by hand.

Does It Work on Wi-Fi, 4G and 5G?

Yes. The app works over any high-speed internet, including home Wi-Fi and your phone's cell signal (4G or 5G). If home Wi-Fi is having a bad day, turning Wi-Fi off and using the cell signal often fixes a choppy call.

A few habits help:

• Use a headset for long calls. It sounds better on both ends.
• Sit close to the Wi-Fi router, or plug the laptop into it with a cable if you can.
• Allow notifications for the app, or calls can be missed.

Can You Transfer Calls Between Home and Office?

Yes. A person working from home can transfer a caller to a colleague at the office, to someone else's voicemail, or to an outside number. The caller just hears a short pause. Where each person sits makes no difference to the system.

Practice one transfer with a coworker before you need it. The first real one goes much better that way.

How Does 911 Know Where a Remote Worker Is?

This is the one setting that needs real attention. Telonium sends a location with 911 calls: your registered street address and suite or floor. That location comes from the desk phone, the office network, or a location the user sets in the app.

So when someone works from home, they should set their home address as their location in the app. When they go back to the office, they set the office location again. Make it part of the routine, like signing in. Our post Does 911 Work on an Internet Phone System? explains why it matters.

How Do You Keep Personal Numbers Private?

When someone calls a customer from the Telonium app, the customer sees your business number, not the employee's personal cell. Callbacks come to the business, where the whole team can answer them.

That also protects you when someone leaves. Customers have the business number, not a former employee's cell, so nothing walks out the door with them. For more on using the app on your own phone, see how to add a business line to your cell phone.

What Equipment Do Remote Staff Need?

Usually just what they already have:

• A laptop or a cell phone with the Telonium app.
• High-speed internet at home, or a good cell signal.
• A headset, if they spend a lot of the day on the phone.

Desk phones are optional. Some people like one at home for long days on the phone. Telonium desk phones arrive set up, so they only need to be plugged in, and shipping typically takes 3 to 5 business days.

How Do You Keep a Split Team Working Together?

• Keep one main number for customers, and let call groups or queues share the calls.
• Send voicemail to email, so messages reach the right person wherever they are.
• Check the call log and analytics once a week for missed calls and busy hours.
• Agree on who covers the phones each day, so home days and office days balance out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Remote Employees Need a Separate Phone Line at Home?

No. The app uses the internet connection they already have and rings on the business number.

Does Each Remote Worker Cost Extra?

No. Each user is $24.95 per month, with unlimited calling in the lower 48 states and parts of Canada, plus taxes and fees, whether they work at the office or at home.

What If Someone's Internet Goes Down?

They can switch the app to their phone's cell signal. You can also set a backup number for your account, so calls still reach someone if the system cannot reach your phones.