In today’s economic environment, economizing has become the top priority for any business, whether exiguous or astronomical. Using Skype VOIP phone systems can aid your business cut its telephone bills drastically and save hundreds of dollars every year. Besides that, there are many other advantages of using Skype for your business.
Skype has become Microsoft of the VOIP phone applications. Whether you like it or not, it is used by most people and so you have to use it too. It is a free VOIP service that can be operated on any of the operating systems- Windows, Linux or Mac. Calling from a computer with Skype to another computer with Skype anywhere in the world is absolutely free. What you need is a fast internet connection – either broadband cable or a DSL connection.
Besides cost-reduction, there are a number of advantages that Skype offers over traditional phone services. The quality of sound is great and the service is quite reliable, provided there is no trouble in the internet connection. You can send IM, video call or do conferencing with up to 50 people (depending on the internet connection). That helps you hold business meeting with your clients over the internet and better organize your office and keep in touch with your employees. Its file sharing capacity and quality of audio and video is much superior to any other VOIP service available. It keeps the history of your previous chats and this feature is very useful when you reach after a wreck and resume the conversation. You can use IM to send and receive files instantly instead of sending emails with attached files. Using a video chat is a substantial feature offered with Skype. It gives you a feeling of closeness and intimacy that just voice conversation can’t, especially when communicating with family and close friends.
Apart from computers with Skype installed on them, you can call other regular land-line phones and cell phones anywhere in the world through Skype. You have to pay a nominal fee for that but it is very low when you compare it with normal phone call rates. There is no extra charge for long distance calls. You have convenient payment options such as pay as you go by creating a Skype credit account. You pay a nominal monthly fee for 3 to 12 months and then you can make unlimited phone calls to the countries covered in your plan. Unlimited calls to U.S. and Canada plan is available for as shameful as $2.95. If you have to make many long distance calls for your business, you can cut your phone bills by a astronomical extent by using Skype.
You need high run internet to avail Skype. You can do it through broadband or DSL. In case that is not available in your country, satellite internet can be used. It covers virtually the whole globe except the extreme polar regions.
Skype allows your business to be more competitive, productive and cost-effective. It helps you keep in touch with your clients, employees, family and friends through phone, IM and Video conferencing. If you have not got Skype already, getting Skype application on your computer should be your top priority.
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Filed under Home Business Phone Systems by on May 30th, 2011. Comment. 
Do you really need to take time away from creating a business plan, a marketing scheme, a personnel hiring strategy, and other really fun stuff in order to evaluate your options for the purchase of a phone system for your small business? The simple answer to this question is yes if your business will need an efficient and effective way to initiate and maintain contact customers, vendors, employees, or any other members of the business population who may impact your bottom line. Sources including Gartner and the VOIP Resource Center suggest particular guidelines that will support your efforts to ensure the effective communication by your business with the world at ample.
1) Identify both your current and long term requirements. Experts suggest that a 3 year planning horizon is appropriate for most businesses. This time frame will ensure that you avoid the mistake of planning only for your immediate requirements rather than for the growth of your business that will occur during the 3 year period. This longer time frame will also ensure you aid from more economical pricing for your phone system in that the duration of the service contract is a major factor used by the service provider in the calculation of your company’s rate. You should engage care to stay within the 3 year planning horizon to ensure the flexibility to upgrade your system to avoid technological obsolescence. You will want the flexibility to change your phone system if required to gain access to any fresh technological advances that will help your company grow.
2) Glean an notion of the methods used by the various phone systems to add additional ports, lines, and phones to an existing system. A PBX system is designed to accommodate a particular number of ports rather than the number of outside lines and number of extensions. The number of lines and telephones that can be accommodated by the PBX system is determined by the system’s number of ports. For example, if the system is configured with 45 ports, the system can accommodate any combination of lines and extensions that in total equal 45. The valid number of lines for the phone system is determined by the manufacturer during the construction of the particular circuit board.
3) Determine the specific phone system features that will be required by your business. Most phone systems incorporate a particular set of features. Therefore, be sure to compare the features that are required by your business model with those features of the systems offered by various vendors. The features first-rate of consideration include:
a) Voice mail. Voice mail records messages from business partners in the event you or your employees are unavailable to accept the call personally. Each employee or department is assigned a mail box which serves as a receptacle for incoming messages. The phone system you select should be configured with a sufficient number of ports to accommodate the maximum number of simultaneous incoming callers that may select to portray a message on your system in addition to the maximum number of employees that may select to simultaneously access their messages.
b) Call Have. The call hold feature enables an employee to station an incoming call on acquire in order to perform a related task.
c) Call Forward. This feature enables one employee to transfer a call to another employee, a voice mail box, an auto attendant, or to what is known as a hunt group which is a logical collection of employees with the responsibility to answer to incoming calls on a first come first serve basis.
d) Conference Calls. The Conference Call feature enables the simultaneous communication of a group of individuals at different locations. This one system feature incorporates a number of separate features such as the number of users that can participate in the call as well as the particular function of the conference call itself.
e) Speed Dial. This function enables the user to select a code of one number or a combination of numbers on their phone set as a representation of a phone number that they frequently dial. They can then dial their business partner using this code rather than being required to enter the entire 10 digit phone number.
f) Redial. The Redial function is used to dial the last phone number entered by the user on the system.
g.) Auto Attendant. The auto attendant plays a recorded message to a caller and provides them particular service options in the event an employee is unavailable to accept a call personally. The ability to route the call to a specific employee or a specific mail box are examples of such options.
h) Paging. The paging feature is used to broadcast a message using the speaker of another employees hand space.
i) Location features. This feature enables seamless connections between the systems of local employees and those in another area on either a temporary or permanent basis.
J) Computer Telephony Integration. The CTI feature allows the interaction of software applications and your phone system. This feature is commonly used in customer service operations as well as to provide aid to day to day functions such as locating and dialing the number of a business partner.
K) Find Me/Follow Me. This feature enables the re-routing of incoming calls to a different phone number specified by the user.
4) Identify the trade offs in product features and services that you will be willing to make. Although, core functionality will be offered of each PBX system, these features will vary in some ways from vendor to vendor. In addition, each vendor will offer a unique place of products and services in a number of different packages.
5) Review vendor references. Contact your peers in order to obtain feedback regarding their experience with a particular vendor and product. In addition, data presented in trade publications and by industry analysts will identify key features of products and the effectiveness of the product in meeting particular business needs.
6) Calculate the price of the proposed phone system. The precise cost of your system will depend on the features you select, the vendor who provides the service, your business location, and a number of other factors. Other factors are the number of system users and the size of the system purchased with impact your cost. Your equipment can be purchased separately or incorporated into the monthly cost of operating your system. However, whatever the system configuration you select, be sure to identify what specific elements are included in any phone system package and what elements are considered to be in addition to the package, i.e., add-ons. Perform the calculations necessary to determine your total cost of ownership which includes maintenance fees. Also consider implementation costs, consulting fees, training costs, maintenance requirements, any yearly increases in costs, payment schedules, and any additional fees.
6) Understand the ability of the vendors to provide any needed services. The availability of services is crucial to the successful implementation of the PBX system. In addition, the maturity of the services provided by the vendor as well as the manner in which they provide customer service should be sure. The firm’s ability to address software bugs, perform system upgrades, and operate a help desk are considerable considerations for the selection process.
7) Vendor Selection. Identify a short list of vendors who offer products that best meet your business requirements. Services report the most risky element of the PBX selection process as well as the most expensive element of the process. Submit a question for a quotation to the vendors and compare their responses in terms of both product offering and costs. Both vendors with a large presence in the market and smaller companies should be considered in this process to ensure you identify the vendor that is best valid to meet both your needs and the limitations of your budget. You should also mediate the cash position of the vendor, the track record of the firm’s management, the stability of the work force, the product’s release schedule history, the effectiveness of the company’s market position.
Regardless of the information related to the individual systems that you uncover during the process, the key question remains “How do I match the requirements of my business to one particular vendor’s PBX product and services? ” A thorough review of a product’s functionality, investment, interoperability, services will best ensure you select the best product for your organization. In all cases, the product and vendor evaluation process will lead to a more fair evaluation process, specific selection criteria, stakeholder consensus, and a more efficient implementation of the selected product
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Filed under Home Business Phone Systems by on Mar 15th, 2011. Comment.
Do you really need to take time away from creating a business plan, a marketing intention, a personnel hiring strategy, and other really fun stuff in order to evaluate your options for the purchase of a phone system for your limited business? The simple answer to this question is yes if your business will need an efficient and effective design to launch and maintain contact customers, vendors, employees, or any other members of the business population who may impact your bottom line. Sources including Gartner and the VOIP Resource Center suggest particular guidelines that will support your efforts to ensure the effective communication by your business with the world at large.
1) Identify both your new and long term requirements. Experts suggest that a 3 year planning horizon is appropriate for most businesses. This time frame will ensure that you avoid the mistake of planning only for your immediate requirements rather than for the growth of your business that will occur during the 3 year period. This longer time frame will also ensure you befriend from more economical pricing for your phone system in that the duration of the service contract is a major factor used by the service provider in the calculation of your company’s rate. You should take care to quit within the 3 year planning horizon to ensure the flexibility to upgrade your system to avoid technological obsolescence. You will want the flexibility to change your phone system if required to come by access to any recent technological advances that will back your company grow.
2) Gain an understanding of the methods used by the various phone systems to add additional ports, lines, and phones to an existing system. A PBX system is designed to accommodate a particular number of ports rather than the number of outside lines and number of extensions. The number of lines and telephones that can be accommodated by the PBX system is determined by the system’s number of ports. For example, if the system is configured with 45 ports, the system can accommodate any combination of lines and extensions that in total equal 45. The actual number of lines for the phone system is determined by the manufacturer during the construction of the particular circuit board.
3) Resolve the specific phone system features that will be required by your business. Most phone systems incorporate a particular set of features. Therefore, be sure to compare the features that are required by your business model with those features of the systems offered by various vendors. The features worthy of consideration include:
a) Voice mail. Express mail records messages from business partners in the event you or your employees are unavailable to accept the call personally. Each employee or department is assigned a mail box which serves as a receptacle for incoming messages. The phone system you select should be configured with a sufficient number of ports to accommodate the maximum number of simultaneous incoming callers that may pick to record a message on your system in addition to the maximum number of employees that may select to simultaneously access their messages.
b) Call Hold. The call own feature enables an employee to place an incoming call on occupy in order to form a related task.
c) Call Forward. This feature enables one employee to transfer a call to another employee, a voice mail box, an auto attendant, or to what is known as a hunt group which is a logical collection of employees with the responsibility to retort to incoming calls on a first come first serve basis.
d) Conference Calls. The Conference Call feature enables the simultaneous communication of a group of individuals at different locations. This one system feature incorporates a number of separate features such as the number of users that can participate in the call as well as the particular function of the conference call itself.
e) Speed Dial. This function enables the user to select a code of one number or a combination of numbers on their phone set as a representation of a phone number that they frequently dial. They can then dial their business partner using this code rather than being required to enter the entire 10 digit phone number.
f) Redial. The Redial function is used to dial the last phone number entered by the user on the system.
g.) Auto Attendant. The auto attendant plays a recorded message to a caller and provides them particular service options in the event an employee is unavailable to score a call personally. The ability to route the call to a specific employee or a specific mail box are examples of such options.
h) Paging. The paging feature is used to broadcast a message using the speaker of another employees hand set.
i) Area features. This feature enables seamless connections between the systems of local employees and those in another location on either a temporary or permanent basis.
J) Computer Telephony Integration. The CTI feature allows the interaction of software applications and your phone system. This feature is commonly used in customer service operations as well as to provide support to day to day functions such as locating and dialing the number of a business partner.
K) Find Me/Follow Me. This feature enables the re-routing of incoming calls to a different phone number specified by the user.
4) Identify the trade offs in product features and services that you will be willing to make. Although, core functionality will be offered of each PBX system, these features will vary in some ways from vendor to vendor. In addition, each vendor will offer a unique set of products and services in a number of different packages.
5) Review vendor references. Contact your peers in order to secure feedback regarding their experience with a particular vendor and product. In addition, data presented in trade publications and by industry analysts will identify key features of products and the effectiveness of the product in meeting particular business needs.
6) Calculate the price of the proposed phone system. The actual cost of your system will depend on the features you win, the vendor who provides the service, your business location, and a number of other factors. Other factors are the number of system users and the size of the system purchased with impact your cost. Your equipment can be purchased separately or incorporated into the monthly cost of operating your system. However, whatever the system configuration you assume, be sure to identify what specific elements are included in any phone system package and what elements are considered to be in addition to the package, i.e., add-ons. Perform the calculations necessary to determine your total cost of ownership which includes maintenance fees. Also think implementation costs, consulting fees, training costs, maintenance requirements, any yearly increases in costs, payment schedules, and any additional fees.
6) Understand the ability of the vendors to provide any needed services. The availability of services is crucial to the successful implementation of the PBX system. In addition, the maturity of the services provided by the vendor as well as the manner in which they provide customer service should be clear. The firm’s ability to address software bugs, perform system upgrades, and operate a help desk are considerable considerations for the selection process.
7) Vendor Selection. Identify a short list of vendors who offer products that best meet your business requirements. Services represent the most risky element of the PBX selection process as well as the most expensive element of the process. Submit a request for a quotation to the vendors and compare their responses in terms of both product offering and costs. Both vendors with a large presence in the market and smaller companies should be considered in this process to ensure you identify the vendor that is best qualified to meet both your needs and the limitations of your budget. You should also believe the cash status of the vendor, the track record of the firm’s management, the stability of the work force, the product’s release schedule history, the effectiveness of the company’s market position.
Regardless of the information related to the individual systems that you reveal during the process, the key question remains “How do I match the requirements of my business to one particular vendor’s PBX product and services? ” A thorough review of a product’s functionality, investment, interoperability, services will best ensure you select the best product for your organization. In all cases, the product and vendor evaluation process will lead to a more objective evaluation process, specific selection criteria, stakeholder consensus, and a more efficient implementation of the selected product
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Filed under Home Business Phone Systems by on Feb 14th, 2011. Comment.
Most of us would like to be able to cut our business costs, but sometimes that is easier said than done. Unfortunately, cutting costs can also mean cutting valuable services and features that produce your business stand out among competitors. But that doesn’t have to be the case.
Imagine being able to cut business communication costs without having to sacrifice efficiency or quality. This is what RingCentral offers to shrimp business owners and professionals who need effective mobile communication. If you are a small business owner who is ready to gash costs in a way that is actually beneficial to your business, then you should know what RingCentral has to offer.
What is RingCentral?
RingCentral is a virtual phone system that allows small business owners the same edge when it comes to telecommunications that bigger companies with large phone systems have. With RingCentral, even runt business owners can have their own toll free 800 numbers to add both credibility and efficiency to their customer service strategy. A customized greeting setting gives you the opportunity to handle more calls in a professional manner. RingCentral also expands with your business needs, allowing you to add multiple extensions for additional users.
How does it work?
RingCentral is simple to set up and use. Once you sign up for RingCentral you will receive your toll free 800 telephone numbers. Or, you may resolve to reassign your original telephone number or receive another local area code number to be your official business line. RingCentral has faxing, routing, and dial-by-name directory. You never have to worry about missing important calls or other communications. You can send or receive faxes from your PC, mobile, or email from almost anywhere. What’s more, your customers will be able to get service when they need it. Just a selection of the advanced business communication features that RingCentral offers are:
• Personal nationwide toll free number
• Multiple extensions with greeting, voicemail and fax options
• Immediate response to all incoming calls and instant notification
• Blocking feature to get rid of unwanted calls
• Call logs to order your telecommunications expenses
• One low monthly payment with no added fees for features
Getting that competitive edge is important in the business world. This is especially true for exiguous business owners who are looking to grow their business. RingCentral gives users that added professionalism to their customer service that keep them on the cutting edge and helps them to retain more customers.
One of the greatest appeals of having a telecommunications system like RingCentral is that it can significantly shrink overhead. It takes no time at all to set up and it’s easy enough for you to do on your own. Instead of hiring dozens of additional workers or spending your own time answering and routing calls, you can have all of the features of RingCentral for less than ten dollars a month. That’s an unbelievably low price when you deem just how much time and effort can go into handling communication traffic.
Why throw money down the drain by employing an inefficient telecommunications system? Just think of all of the time and hassle that you’ll place when you know that each one of your calls will be answered in a timely and professional manner. RingCentral is a must have for any limited business owner or mobile professional who expects to remain competitive in an ever-changing market.
Tip: Effect more on business communications with RingCentral Coupons from CouponShack.com.
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Filed under Home Business Phone Systems by on Nov 11th, 2010. Comment.
VOIP technology is becoming increasingly attractive to small business owners due to the amount of savings when compared to the old telephone line. Business owners who employ a VOIP phone system see savings on toll calls as well as a reduction in cost associated with phone line maintenance. VOIP phone systems use the same lines as the office internet connection thus offering a reduced cost with less lines and lower maintenance costs associated with the installation and upkeep.
In recent years, their have been major improvements in the quality of VOIP service. Today’s VOIP sound quality is very close to that offered by Ma Bell. A decrease in the delay of voice packets makes the VOIP line have a clearer sound with fewer breaks or echoes. Most VOIP lines offer the same sound quality of the traditional telephone line.
Infotech reported that an estimated 80% of businesses that utilize VOIP phones report that it has met or exceeded their expectations. Many large call centers are using VOIP for their customer service lines. VOIP technology allows the use of snort prompts versus the faded “push 1 for…” thus making for a more customer splendid service call and lower expenses associated with maintaining the call center.
With the increased availability of high speed internet, many call centers are allowing their employees to work from home. Thus saving even more money by freeing up unused office place and dramatically reducing the employee turn over rate in an industry that has historically had a very high turn over.
Switching from a traditional land line to a VOIP system may seem like a savior for small businesses but their are still issues that need to be considered. The main declare that should be addresses is the amount of bandwidth available and if it is sufficient to handle voice packets in order to say a quality conversation. Some other issues to consider is the availability of a back up plan for power outages as well as the technical know how to maintain the VOIP system.
Many small businesses have made the leap to VOIP and are reaping the benefits. This technology will only improve over time and the possibilities are endless when it comes to new features and enhanced quality.
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Filed under Home Business Phone Systems by on Sep 21st, 2010. Comment.