James Waldrop

If you use or are thinking of using hosted PBX or VoIP services in your business, you probly have questions or issues to discuss. Why not get the benefit of the “collective” from a great new forum. It is dedicated to the topics related to hosted PBX and VoIP issues of interest to the small business user.  Go here to visit http://MyVoipForum.com Read Full Story

A branch manager of a national equipment rental company once said, “My company doesn’t get it. When one of the other branches doesn’t have a backhoe and they tell the customer to call my store, they don’t. One day’s rental of that machine can pay for a month of phone service.” According to Rosanne D’Ausilio, president of Human Technologies at Global, “Even though the economy appears to be stalled, having an excellent customer experience is a high priority for consumers.” Brendan B. Read... Read Full Story

Once spurned as too impersonal, voicemail systems have become a standard business tool. Its benefits include more complete messages, accurate information including telephone numbers, faster call processing for the receptionist, no message slips to get lost and message retrieval anytime from anywhere. In fact “old school” message taking can reflect poorly on a business giving it an antiquated or cheap image. Many callers dislike having to give a message to a person. Standard voicemail... Read Full Story

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone systems have made it relatively easy and affordable to tie multiple business offices together into one seamless phone system. The significant advantages range from reduced telecommunications costs to huge savings in overhead. Sharing Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) circuits is one typical area of saving money. By combining all the telephone lines from several offices into one shared pool of circuits (typically a PRI), companies may save... Read Full Story

Technology makes it easier to stay in contact and interrupt co-workers for brief periods of time. Text messaging is great for short messages with quick answers. E-mail is more useful for more complex issues and when supporting files are necessary. Sometimes more is needed than short responses or lengthy delays in sending and receiving e-mails. Immediate answers are required that may benefit from collaborative input. In other words, a live conversation becomes indispensable to conduct business... Read Full Story

Companies with multiple offices may experience several communication problems if they have employees (travelers) who work from more than one office. Receptionists and call handlers may have difficulty finding how to properly pass calls to them. The travelers may miss important calls which could harm sales or give a poor customer service image. The travelers may become overly dependant on their mobile phones for communication. With mobile phones, calls cannot be transferred to other parties... Read Full Story

When a business loses an employee in tough economic times, it may try to re-arrange word duties and employ technology to avoid hiring a replacement. Receptionist positions are frequently targeted for elimination because they do not create revenue and are usually considered overhead. Proper call handling can be very important, however. Poor call handling may have disastrous consequences. Hosted PBX Services offer many potential solutions that can be used independently or together to... Read Full Story

The Problem Companies, who sell parts to the general public, may have parts desk employees who have a difficult time checking parts, processing calls and handling walk-in customers. Employees frequently have to leave the desk and place calls on hold checking for part availability. While they are away from their desk and phone, calls are left on hold for extended periods of time and other calls are missed. Potential customers, left on hold, may hang up and call a competitor. Unanswered calls... Read Full Story

Recording all business voice calls, once only deployed in large call centers and the financial sector, is becoming popular among an increasingly diverse group of industries. The following is a partial list of some of the many uses and benefits of recording calls: Reduce Customer Conflict When customers and employees know that their calls have been recorded, they are less likely to embellish the details of conversations related to conflict. If an employee is accused of rude behavior, the... Read Full Story

Startup businesses need services that are inexpensive, scalable in design and will promote their growth.  Further, they need a communication system that is easy to manage, provides seamless communication even when all workers are not in the same office, gives outside callers the feel of a company with depth, moves easily and enables its users to wear many hats.  Enter Hosted PBX or Hosted VoIP services. Here are 8 reasons Hosted PBX services are perfect for a startup business: 1.  Most... Read Full Story