World Cup Atlanta: Business Phone Plan for Match Days

If match days will slow your commute or change your hours, plan your phones now: get everyone on the Telonium app, enter any early closings in your holiday hours, and use a call queue if the crowds make you busier. Customers should not be able to tell where your team is sitting.

The World Cup is almost here, and Atlanta is a host city. Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which goes by Atlanta Stadium during the tournament, hosts eight matches, starting Monday, June 15, and ending with a semifinal on Wednesday, July 15. For World Cup Atlanta businesses, that means big crowds, road closures and heavy traffic downtown on match days.

When Are the World Cup Matches in Atlanta?

According to the stadium's published schedule, match days are:

• Monday, June 15
• Thursday, June 18
• Sunday, June 21
• Wednesday, June 24
• Saturday, June 27
• Wednesday, July 1 (round of 32)
• Tuesday, July 7 (round of 16)
• Wednesday, July 15 (semifinal)

Most fall on weekdays. Put them on your team calendar now, and watch for city announcements on road closures and transit as each date nears.

How Should World Cup Atlanta Businesses Handle Match Days?

Every business is different. A shop that depends on walk-ins may want to stay open and enjoy the crowds. An office with a long downtown commute may work from home. Some teams will start late or leave early. Whatever you choose, your phones should work the same way wherever your team is.

How Can Calls Follow Your Team Home?

With a hosted phone system, calls do not depend on being in the office. Your team answers on the Telonium app on their computer or cell phone, on the same line as their desk phone. Before the first match day:

• Make sure everyone has the app installed on their laptop and cell phone, and has signed in.
• Have each person make a test call from home.
• Check that your call groups include each person's app.
• Remind people that calls from the app show your business number.
• Ask anyone working from home to set their location in the app, so the right address goes to 911.

The app works over any high-speed internet, including your phone's cell signal (4G or 5G), so a spotty home Wi-Fi day is manageable. Our guide on adding a business line to your cell phone covers the details.

Should You Change Your Hours on Match Days?

If you will close early or open late, enter those days in your number's holiday hours now. Give each one a name like "Match day," pick the date, set the hours you will be closed, and choose where calls go. On those days the regular schedule steps aside, and it comes back by itself the next morning. A short greeting, recorded and uploaded as an audio file (MP3), helps too:

"Thanks for calling. Because of World Cup traffic, our office is closing at 2 p.m. today. Please leave a message and we will call you back first thing tomorrow."

What If Match Days Make You Busier?

Restaurants, hotels, shops and service businesses near the stadium may get far more calls than usual.

• Use a call queue so callers wait in line with hold music instead of a busy signal.
• Put your hours, address and parking notes in your hold message.
• Add extra people to the call group for the busiest hours.
• Check call analytics after the first match to see when calls peaked.

What About Deliveries and Visitors?

If you expect deliveries, client visits or service calls on match days, check with those people early. Moving an appointment by a day beats someone stuck in traffic for two hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can My Team Answer the Office Line from Home?

Yes. With the Telonium app on a computer or cell phone, office calls ring wherever they are, and calls they make show your business number.

Do I Need to Remember to Switch the Greeting Back?

No. If you enter match days in your holiday hours, the regular schedule returns by itself when each day ends.

Can Someone Help Us Get Set Up Before June 15?

Yes. Call our support team at 404-566-8888, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern. Enjoy the tournament.