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There inevitably comes a time when your business outgrows your cell phone, at which time you’re going to need some kind of a system. Running your business from a cell phone works great at first; however, when a ton of orders start to come in, call volume increases dramatically, and you begin to hire employees, the capacity of your single cell phone will hit its limit. If you’re still relying solely on your cell, then these are issues that you’re likely already becoming concerned with. What follows are the key issues that you can easily address by adding a virtual phone system to your cell phone to manage every aspect of your business professionally. Professional-Grade Voicemail Voicemail is one of the first things that will require your attention. A standard, personal voice mailbox that comes with your phone just isn’t equipped to handle all of the messages for your business. …

  As users of phone systems, people generally assume that they understand most things about them and what all the words mean because after all, we’ve all used phones for our whole lives. The only problem with that is, phone systems have changed quite a bit over the past few decades, and the words have changed, too. In the first place, you may have misunderstood some terms the whole time, anyway. In this post, you’ll see 10 phone system terms that you may or may not be familiar with, and the explanations for each.   1. Port   The term, “port” is not exactly common knowledge; however, just about every adult alive today has ported a phone number, whether they realize it or not. A port is simply the transfer of service for a phone number, from one service provider to another. So, if you have ever switched cell phone …

Phone calls with customers are peculiar situations because, first of all, they’re still a pretty essential method of serving customers, even in the age of the Internet. Also, a representative of your business needs to conduct themselves a little differently than they would if they were speaking to someone in person. We obviously have to be courteous, polite, and helpful as always, in the same way that we would be in an in-person meeting, but customers almost expect an even higher standard of service and bedside manner, as it were, when they’re on the phone with you. Most of the time, we intuitively know what kinds of things we should and should not say to a caller; however, there are a few things that we either let slip from time to time, or don’t realize at the time that it was a mistake. What follows here are 5 things that …

There are many different types of phone service. With our technology today, you can literally have your pick of a variety of service providers that will fit your particular business the best. Given that advanced technology, however, VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) systems are beginning to trail behind because the virtual phone systems available now have everything you get with VoIP, but better and more versatile. There are still applications where VoIP has value, for sure. The only problem with them, though, is that you can get more while investing less with a virtual phone system. If you’re in the market for a VoIP service provider, here’s why you may want to reconsider that. There May Be More Cost than You Bargained For Where a virtual service usually just needs you to sign up, and be up and running in an hour at most, a VoIP service isn’t that simple. …

Automation for phone systems was one of the most important things that was ever created for businesses. It’s honestly kind of crazy not to take advantage of automation for managing your business calls because it does nothing but add value for you, across the board. It saves time, saves labor, gives the caller a better experience, and prevents you from losing sales due to confused or frustrated callers. There are a variety of ways that automation can enable your phone system to function better, and here are a few of those benefits. 1. Create a Company Directory Even if you only have a small number of employees, adding a company directory allows you to professionally direct callers to the right person, right away. With a directory, there is no need for them to speak to a representative before they can be transferred to the right person because you can eliminate …

It’s tough to know what your customers are thinking, which is basically the whole reason that marketing strategy exists, but you can be sure of a few things. People don’t like to wait, they don’t like to go through any extra hassles, and they want things to work the way they’re supposed to. Those are the core issues behind these 5 points that you’ll see here, as it applies to your business’ phone system. You might not know exactly what every person who calls your business is thinking, but these 5 grievances are things that you can easily address to make your calling customers happy. 1. Long Wait Times Callers might have to wait on hold; that may be unavoidable. But you should limit that wait time to the best of your ability and manage their anxiety while they hold. One thing you can do to solve this problem is …

Thinking about making the switch to a virtual phone system? You’re not alone. Due to a few important factors, such as cost, simplicity, and the ability to run your business from anywhere, many businesses, no matter how large or small, are moving away from conventional systems and on to greener pastures–and it is greener on the other side. A virtual system is less expensive, more versatile, easier to control and manage, and free of constraints imposed by the traditional systems to which we’re all accustomed. Now that there is a greater demand for them, there is no shortage of virtual service providers. This post, while not intended to go too far in-depth, will give you a crash-course in the 3 main types of virtual phone systems and provide a few cautionary points to help prepare you in your search for the virtual system that best fits your business. Not All …

A PBX is one of those things that a lot of businesses are using without realizing that that’s what they’re using. When a business has at least a couple of employees, it has always been kind of a staple for offices in the past. It’s still widely used because it’s such an effective system, but there are now other options, including a PBX that is completely virtual. Let’s look at exactly what this system is, and how you can optimize it for your business. The Private Branch Exchange In basic terms, a private branch exchange (PBX) is the underlying infrastructure of a phone system that makes it possible to have multiple lines in an office or other setting, which lines are localized to that specific setting. Anyone who has worked in an office in the last 40 years or so has probably used a PBX. They have been the preferred …

If you have never heard of a cloud-hosted phone system, or a cloud-hosted PBX, and you’re a business owner, then it’s definitely something that you should give a try. Also known as a cloud-based, or virtual phone system, it can change the way you manage calls for the better and make it far more simple. Below, you’ll find 8 ways that this type of system can make a very positive change in your small business. 1. Cut Down Your Phone Bill The big phone companies charge way more for an on-site office phone system than you will pay for a cloud-hosted system. A provider like Verizon or Comcast can definitely build a PBX for your business, possibly using the phones you currently have, but they may need to send in technicians to set it up at a not-so-modest price. Using a virtual service provider to set up a cloud-hosted PBX …

For businesses who have traditional phone systems in their offices, the ability to transfer a call is something they take for granted, and for new businesses today who are running their businesses from a cell phone, they find a way to make due without that feature. The point is that live call transfer is more important than we realize. Customers expect that you have it, and it should always be available and easy to use. Don’t Underestimate the Importance of a Transfer Feature As a new business looking for the right phone system for their company, you may not think about how often you will use live transfer. Even if you only have a couple of employees, you’re going to need to be able to transfer customer calls, as well as transfer calls internally between employees. For one thing, you can’t ask customers to hang up and call back with …