Team Management Features
James Wilson
Business Solutions Manager
James specializes in helping businesses optimize their team communications and customer service processes.
In this article
Introduction
PhoneShield's team management features transform it from a personal call screening tool into a comprehensive business phone solution. These capabilities allow organizations to coordinate call handling across multiple team members, ensuring that calls are always directed to the right person and that no important customer interaction falls through the cracks.
Business Plan Requirement
Team management features are available exclusively on PhoneShield Business and Enterprise plans. Standard plan users will need to upgrade to access these capabilities.
This guide will walk you through setting up team management, assigning roles, implementing call routing strategies, and leveraging team analytics to optimize your organization's phone communications.
Team Management Features
PhoneShield's team management capabilities include a comprehensive set of features designed for businesses:
Team Member Management
Intelligent Call Routing
Shared Call History
Team Performance Analytics
Team Availability Management
Call Transfer and Escalation
Benefits of Team Management
Improved Efficiency
Route calls to the most appropriate team member instantly, reducing transfer time and improving first-call resolution rates.
Enhanced Collaboration
Share call information across your team, enabling better collaboration and ensuring consistent customer experience.
Better Oversight
Gain visibility into team performance metrics and call handling patterns to identify improvement opportunities.
Setting Up Team Management
Follow these steps to set up team management for your organization:
- Upgrade to a Business or Enterprise plan
Team management features are only available on business-tier plans.
- Navigate to Team Settings
Go to Settings {'>'} Team Management in your PhoneShield dashboard.
- Add team members
Invite employees by email and assign their initial roles.
- Enter their email address
- Select their role (Admin, Manager, Agent, or Viewer)
- Customize their permissions if needed
- Send the invitation
- Configure team structure
Set up departments or teams for better organization.
- Create call routing rules
Define how calls should be distributed among team members.
- Set up availability schedules
Configure when each team member is available to take calls.
Team Onboarding Support
Business and Enterprise plan customers receive complimentary team onboarding assistance. Our customer success team can help you set up your team structure, configure permissions, and establish effective call routing rules tailored to your organization's needs.
Team Invitation Process
When you invite a team member, they'll receive an email with instructions to:
- Create their PhoneShield account (or log in if they already have one)
- Accept the team invitation
- Complete their profile setup
- Configure their notification preferences
- Set their availability schedule (if applicable)
Team members don't need to pay for individual accounts - all team functionality is covered under your business subscription.
Roles and Permissions
PhoneShield uses a role-based access control system to manage permissions. Each team member can be assigned one of the following standard roles, which can be further customized with specific permissions:
Administrator
Full access to all features and settings
- Manage billing and subscriptions
- Add or remove team members
- Configure all system settings
- Access all call data and analytics
- Create and edit AI profiles
- Manage integrations
Manager
Team and operations management
- View and manage team members
- Configure call routing rules
- Access team analytics
- Manage team schedules
- Handle escalated calls
- Limited billing access
Agent
Day-to-day call handling
- Receive and manage assigned calls
- Access call history for their calls
- Set personal availability
- Transfer calls to other agents
- Update call notes and status
- No access to billing or admin settings
Viewer
Read-only access
- View call history and transcripts
- Access analytics dashboards
- View team performance metrics
- Cannot make changes to settings
- Cannot handle or transfer calls
- Ideal for supervisors or analysts
Custom Roles
Enterprise plan customers can create custom roles with precisely defined permission sets:
- Navigate to Settings > Team Management > Roles
- Select "Create Custom Role"
- Name the role (e.g., "Support Supervisor")
- Configure granular permissions across different categories:
- Call Management: View calls, transfer calls, etc.
- Team Management: View team, edit team, etc.
- Settings: View settings, edit settings, etc.
- Analytics: View reports, export data, etc.
- Billing: View invoices, manage plan, etc.
- Save the custom role
- Assign it to team members as needed
Call Routing Strategies
One of the most powerful aspects of team management is the ability to set up sophisticated call routing rules. PhoneShield supports multiple routing strategies to ensure calls reach the right team member every time:
- Round Robin
Distributes calls evenly among team members in a circular sequence.
- Skills-Based Routing
Routes calls to team members based on their expertise and the caller's needs.
- Least Occupied
Directs calls to the team member who has handled the fewest calls recently.
- Time-Based Routing
Routes calls based on the time of day and team members' scheduled availability.
- Priority-Based Routing
Assigns calls to agents based on caller priority level or VIP status.
- Contextual Routing
Uses AI to analyze the caller's intent and history to find the best-suited team member.
Setting Up Call Routing
Configure your routing strategy in the dashboard:
- Go to Settings > Team Management > Call Routing
- Select your preferred routing strategy (or combine multiple strategies)
- Configure routing conditions:
- Caller attributes: VIP status, call history, etc.
- Call content: Keywords or topics detected by AI
- Time factors: Business hours, day of week, etc.
- Team status: Availability, workload, etc.
- Set up fallback rules for when primary routing conditions can't be met
- Create escalation paths for special circumstances
- Test your routing configuration with simulated calls
Routing Priority
When creating complex routing rules, be mindful of how they interact. PhoneShield evaluates routing conditions in order of priority, with more specific rules taking precedence over general ones. Always include a fallback routing option to ensure calls are handled even when specific conditions can't be met.
Team Monitoring and Analytics
PhoneShield provides comprehensive analytics to monitor team performance and optimize call handling:
Call Volume Metrics
Track call volumes by team, member, time period, and call type.
Response Time Analysis
Measure how quickly team members respond to calls and notifications.
Resolution Metrics
Track first-call resolution rates and follow-up requirements.
Team Utilization
Analyze workload distribution across your team to optimize staffing.
Analytics Dashboard
The team analytics dashboard provides visual insights into your team's performance:
Team Overview
- Total calls handled by team
- Average response time
- Call resolution rate
- Call distribution across team
- Peak call times
Individual Performance
- Calls handled per team member
- Average handling time
- Customer satisfaction ratings
- Response time metrics
- Availability adherence
Data Export
All team analytics can be exported in CSV or Excel format for further analysis or integration with other business intelligence tools. Enterprise customers can also set up automated report delivery via email or to cloud storage services.
Best Practices
Follow these best practices to maximize the effectiveness of your team management setup:
- Start with Clear Roles
Define clear responsibilities for each team member before setting up permissions.
- Use Departments for Structure
Group team members into logical departments (Sales, Support, etc.) for better organization and routing.
- Set Up Escalation Paths
Create clear escalation procedures for when calls need to be transferred to supervisors or specialists.
- Consider Geographic Distribution
If your team spans multiple time zones, configure availability and routing accordingly.
- Train on Call Handling
Ensure all team members understand how to use the system, including accessing call information and managing transfers.
- Regular Performance Reviews
Schedule regular reviews of team performance metrics to identify training opportunities and recognize excellence.
Team Communication
Establish clear processes for team communication about calls:
- Call notes: Encourage team members to add detailed notes to call records for context
- Transfer protocol: Establish a standard process for warm transfers between team members
- Follow-up tracking: Use the task management features to track call follow-up responsibilities
- Knowledge sharing: Create a system for sharing insights from calls that might benefit the whole team
Enterprise Features
PhoneShield Enterprise plans include advanced team management capabilities designed for larger organizations:
Advanced RBAC
Role-Based Access Control with custom permission sets and granular access management.
Multi-Tier Management
Support for complex organizational structures with multiple levels of management and departments.
Call Quality Monitoring
Supervisor tools for call monitoring, recording review, and performance assessment.
Advanced Workforce Management
Forecasting, scheduling, and real-time adherence tracking for large customer service teams.
Team Hierarchy Management
Enterprise plans support complex organizational structures with multiple levels:
Example Team Hierarchy
- Customer Support Director
- ↳ Technical Support Manager
- ↳ Tier 1 Support Team (5 agents)
- ↳ Tier 2 Support Team (3 specialists)
- ↳ Customer Success Manager
- ↳ Enterprise Account Team (4 agents)
- ↳ SMB Account Team (6 agents)
This hierarchical structure can be used for cascading permissions, reporting dashboards, and sophisticated call routing rules.
Enterprise Support
Enterprise customers receive dedicated account management, custom integration development, advanced training for team members, and 24/7 priority support. Contact your account manager to learn more about customizing PhoneShield for your specific organizational needs.
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