CMS Requiring Medicare Agents to Record Calls in October - Phone Agents Must Record Conversations

CMS Requiring Medicare Agents to Record Calls in October

Working in any healthcare field, such as Medicare Advantage services, comes with its own separate challenges. These challenges won’t get any easier, it seems—new rules will now require agents making calls related to Medicare Advantage and Part D to record their calls starting on October 1st. The rules apply to calls with existing patients as well as prospective clients, which will require a pretty big shift for telecommunications centers. However, adjusting to these changes will be easy enough with the right tools, even for agents who rely on cellular phones to make these calls.   But First.. Who Made This Rule and Why?   This new rule came from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS. The new ruling comes after CMS reclassified Medicare Advantage agents and brokers as “third-party marketing organizations,” or TPMOs. This means that the agents are not directly affiliated with Medicare but engage in …

How to Make Sure Your Calls Don’t Get Flagged as “Potential Spam” - Avoid Business Calls Being Marked as Spam

How to Make Sure Your Calls Don’t Get Flagged as “Potential Spam”

Whether you’re running a non-profit that’s looking to connect with potential donors, or you’re a small business owner who wants to let your customers know about a promotion, phone calls are still some of the best ways to get in touch with people. Emails and texts are easy to ignore and talking over the phone makes it easier to build a personal rapport. However, that can only happen if your potential connection picks up the phone in the first place. Since the dawn of mass-market telecommunications, people have been trying to avoid spam calls. The situation has gotten worse over the past few years, and some phone providers are trying to help customers by flagging potential spam calls. Unfortunately, many innocent businesses get caught up in the spam warning system. How can you avoid landing your calls in the dreaded “spam likely” box and actually ensure that your customers will …

How to Use Your Existing Phones with a Virtual Phone System - Business Owner Holding Phone

How to Use Your Existing Phones with a Virtual Phone System

Entrepreneurs have a lot of questions on their minds, especially when starting out or scaling up. How will I make payroll? How do I advertise my business? Is my product properly positioned in the market? Even, what’s the best phone system for my business? We’ve been entrepreneurs a long time, and we’d like to help answer some of those. Check out our blog for some great tips for new business owners to help solve the first three questions and others about getting started in business. And as far as phone systems go, well, that’s our business, so we can certainly get you started off on the right foot there, too. We think simple, fast, and easy solutions are the best solutions for entrepreneurs. So we believe that the best business phone system is not a particular make, model, or brand. The best one is the one that works consistently. On …

5 Reasons Why You Should Get Rid of Your Business Landline - Communicating Through the Phone

5 Reasons Why You Should Get Rid of Your Business Landline

In the old days, one of the first steps to opening a business was having a telephone installed. Now, the traditional landline phone may be on its way out, replaced by cell phones and PSTN technology. In fact, many companies began phasing out their landlines at least a decade ago. It may be time for you to eliminate your landline, too.  If you’re wondering whether you’ll be able to keep a professional business running without a landline, the answer is yes. You can set up a virtual phone system which provides everything that your old landline used to—a call menu, a welcome greeting, professional voicemail, and much more. Of course, if you’d like to keep your landline, that’s perfectly fine! You can incorporate it into a virtual phone system as well. Keep on reading for some of the best reasons to cut the cord on your business landline.   Five …

Stop Spam Calls to Virtual Phone Number

How to Stop Spam Calls to Your Virtual Phone Number

  Spam takes all forms nowadays with the explosion of communication capability by way of email, calls, and even text messages. There’s the occasional solicitation call, and then there’s a whole other category of relentless spamming to your phone number that seems unending. Though you may not be able to eradicate 100% of these unwanted calls, you can use these measures to stop the vast majority of them.   1. Consider Switching Out Your Number   There is actually one sure way to get rid of all spam to your virtual number, and that is to simply get a new number. Obviously, this is not an option if it is your established business number that you’ve had for years; so, you can only remove it completely if it is not the actual number that people dial to reach you (if you’re forwarding calls to it from your main number), or …

11 Reasons You Need a Separate Work Phone Number for Your Business - Having Work Number is Important

11 Reasons You Need a Separate Work Phone Number for Your Business

  Forbes estimates that nearly 600,000 people start new businesses every month, yet none of them obviously start out expecting to fail. Many startups unfortunately do not build from a solid foundation when trying to grow their business. They forget about the level of competition that exists today, for customers, investors, and loans. They fail to realize that effective communication is central to the success of any business. Crucial, really. Setting up a work phone number shows your customers & clients that you are serious about this venture & it can also open the door to a lot of future opportunities. Which I’m pretty sure none of us want to miss out on, amiright?   Here Are 11 More Reasons Why Maintaining a Separate Work Phone Number Is Important:   1. Keep your personal calls, well, personal! Handing out business cards with your private number on them, plastering the same …

How an 800 Number Can Make Your Business Stand Out - 800 Number

How an 800 Number Can Make Your Business Stand Out

  If you’re looking to attract more leads or establish a more professional image for your business, consider getting an 800 number. Email, online forms, online chat, and social media have become the most common points of contact between businesses and customers. However, plenty of business communications still rely heavily on phone calls. Using 800 numbers gives your business a way to stay connected with customers, no matter what occurs in the future of your business. If you move to a new location or expand your operations, you can continue using the same number.   How Do 800 Numbers Work?     When a customer calls a 1-800 number, the call is routed through a cloud telephone provider & redirected to the phone number of your choice. For example, you can route calls from the toll-free number to the landline at your business, your mobile phone, or a virtual phone …

Advanced History of the North American Numbering Plan - North America Phone Number Plan

Advanced History of the North American Numbering Plan

  Why do North American phone numbers have nine digits? Who came up with the numbering system for phones? The use of seven-digit phone numbers across the United States & Canada started in 1947 through the cooperation of local telephone operators, AT&T, and the Bell System. While the telephone was invented in 1876, it wasn’t actually until 70 years later that the North American Numbering Plan was created. The numbering system was part of a large-scale effort to improve long-distance calling. It would eventually be referred to as the (NANP) and remains the standard for assigning phone numbers to this day. Here’s a closer look at the history of the North American Numbering Plan, including why it was necessary and what areas it covers.   Calling a Neighbor Required a Telephone Exchange     To understand the importance of the NANP, you need to understand how early telephone systems worked. …

The Benefits of Having an 888 Number for Your Business - 888 Phone Numbers

The Benefits of Having an 888 Number for Your Business

  Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a business owner with a growing organization, an 888 number can be an invaluable asset. It gives customers a convenient way to contact your business, along with many additional benefits. Let’s take a closer look at 888 numbers to find out why you should get one for your business.   What Is an 888 Number?     888 numbers are a type of toll-free number. Toll-free numbers start with a three-digit code. Along with 888, phone service providers may offer toll-free numbers that start with 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, or 877. Most people are familiar with 1-800 numbers. 800 numbers were originally released in the 1960s. The availability of toll-free numbers gradually decreased, leading the FCC to release additional toll-free area codes. 888 numbers were added to keep up with the demand for toll-free numbers. Other than the digits used, there is no …

best phone tree Talkroute

What Makes the Best Phone Tree for Businesses?

  As you start expanding your phone system to accommodate the needs of your business, you should consider implementing a phone tree. A phone tree is another name for the automated menus that many businesses use to field customer inquiries. It gives you a way to help callers reach their desired department or extension. However, the benefits of it depend on how it’s set up. In the following article, we’ll examine the main benefits of a phone tree and how to choose the right system for your business.   What Is a Phone Tree?   A phone tree is a type of automated telephone system that provides callers with voice menus. The menus direct callers to the necessary extension or prerecorded message. Most people have interacted with a phone tree system before. When you call a business & an automated message asks for a voice prompt or numerical prompt, you …