Toll Free Phone Solutions for the Food and Beverages Industry

A free telephone hotline is indeed an essential element of a complete and adequate product recall communication strategy. With the communication options available through web and social media, many companies believe that adding a phone line to their communication strategy is not necessary anymore. On the other hand, since social media platforms are not only able to spread the word to a large audience, but also to amplify negative messages, they can have a very damaging effect on a company's corporate image.

With toll free emergency numbers you have more control over the reactions of your customers than with social media. First of all, you allow people to complain or ask questions for free, which will calm and reassure them. Moreover, a telephone conversation allows for direct communication with which you can immediately answer all your client's questions and take away his concerns. Thereby, you prevent this client from complaining on social media where the various channels and discussions will quickly grow beyond your control.

Below a few freephone solutions for the Food & Beverages Industry:

0-800 / ITFN Phone Services (International Toll Free Number)

Several big players in the food industry have already realized the great use of freephone numbers. They usually offer national freephone numbers in case of emergencies or product recalls. Freephone numbers however are not exclusively designed for the big brands, on the contrary: they are useful and available for any company that wants to provide excellent customer service.

00-800 / UIFN Phone Services (Universal International Freephone Number)

Whereas national freephone numbers can be dialled only from one country, 00-800 universal freephone numbers can be dialed from any country, provided the number is activated there. Thus, with a 00-800 prefix you need only ONE phone number that can be communicated to your clients all over the world and can easily, and instantly, be activated in case of an emergency.

00-800 as International Emergency Number

If you are active in 15 different countries, for example, and you have to make an international recall because traces of a cleaning product were found in an international shipment of your canned fruit, a single 00-800 number with an online Call Traffic Dashboard will enable you to instantly record messages in 15 different languages informing the clients of the event, and place them in your IVR Menu. This can be done within the first 30 minutes after you have discovered the need for this recall.

With the help of intelligent routing, the calls of your clients will be rerouted, according to their origin, to your multilingual call centre where their questions are being answered in their own language. Thereby, your company does not have to deal with a sudden increase of calls on its normal landlines. In other words; a 00-800 freephone number allows you to take control of the emergency and focus solely on solving it as quickly as possible.

Be sure too estimate your Total Cost of Ownership: get your quote online or contact us today. And don't forget - the return of your customers is the ROI!

Services & Solutions: http://www.teleforwarding.com/en/services-solutions/

Industry Solutions and B2B Insights: http://www.tollfreenumberblog.com/

Universal Freephone Number: 00-800-00123456

Vanity Number (US): 1-888-WE FORWARD or 1-855-444-3210

Toll free (Unit. Arab. Emir.): 0800 0176002

Toll free (Russia): 810 800 260 810 12

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Improve Your Image With a Small Business Phone Service

When a small business opens its doors, it is likely that there will be a certain volume of telephone calls on a daily basis. By choosing to use a small business phone service, a company can improve its professional image with a myriad of features.

Residential vs. Business Phone Service

A small business with only a few employees may not receive as many telephone calls as a huge corporation, but that does not mean that a company should neglect its communications systems. A business that opens its doors with only a single landline meant for residential use will undoubtedly find that communications are mediocre, at best. Business employees should be available during business hours-and sometimes even around the clock-to handle customer calls and address any issues that may arise. A small business phone service is designed to do exactly that, and it is often more affordable than adding lines and features to typical residential landline service.

Business-Related Features

While standard phone lines may come with useful features like call waiting, caller ID and call forwarding, many of the features that a business could use to promote their image are not available. These include multiple extensions, advanced voicemail capabilities, automated attendants, call capture, call screening and even the ability to send and receive faxes directly from a computer desktop via the internet. These features are more than just convenient for the business owner; they make handling customer calls and ensuring satisfaction a breeze. Small business phone service includes all of these and more, creating a professional atmosphere for both the customers and the employees.

Improve Customer Satisfaction

The sole purpose of a business is to provide products and services that are in demand to the consumers who want and need them. If consumers are not satisfied with the service they receive from one business, they will simply take their money somewhere else. Callers who frequently experience busy signals or whose calls go unanswered will often become frustrated and look for alternative ways to procure the products and services they need. By effectively answering and handling every single call, businesses will develop a good reputation for customer relations and will make more money as a result. As such, business phone service is a must as it is designed to make these calls simpler for everyone involved.

Friendly Greetings and Seamless Transfers

When a customer calls a business for any reason, first impressions are everything. By using an automated assistant-a feature available with a small business phone service-each and every call is answered with a friendly greeting. The callers can then listen to the options available to them and select the one that best suits their reasons for calling. In fact, the entire process is very quick and most callers will agree that the ability to be transferred to the designated person or department without delay is important to them. After all, there is a reason behind the call and that reason should be addressed immediately by the person best suited to do so.

Improving the image of any business starts with providing an excellent product and ends with providing the best customer service in the industry. With the help of a small business phone service, ensuring customer satisfaction is simple and affordable.

This Article was written by Kevin John, Online Marketing Executive at iTeleCenter. He has extensive marketing experience and is extremely knowledgeable about vanity numbers, 1800 Numbers, local numbers and toll free number in conjunction with virtual phone system. He is happy to share his knowledge on small business phone service to help small business owners.

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Samsung DS-5007s Is A Viable Option For Business Organization

Maintaining high quality output, productivity and efficiency is a challenge for any growing organization. In order to beat the challenge, many business enterprises resort towards the use of technology as it facilitates their daily operations. The advanced technologies in the form of equipments, devices and machines reduce the work load and produces reliable accurate results thereby, increasing the efficiency of the workplace. One of the groundbreaking state of the art equipment that is popularly used in corporations today is the Samsung DS-5007s. It is a key phone designed by Samsung. Opting for such a telephonic communication system reduces the hassles from business operations.

The Samsung DS-5007s is particularly apt for businesses with fewer than 500 extensions. It proves to be a good choice for such organizations, due to the countless features available within a favorable cost. When compared with the competition in similar price range, the Samsung DS-5007s completely outperforms all the other telephonic systems. It leaves the competition far behind in numerous areas and provides the users with optimum benefits. The innumerable features derived from such devices are one of the compelling reasons behind its growing popularity. It is equipped with seven programmable fast dial keys which saves time for the users. The LCD display is adjustable with two lines and a thirty two character limit, which displays the duration of a phone call along with other information.

The Samsung DS-5007s offers high resilience when compared with other devices. It is designed by the leading manufacturers in the world keeping in mind the best interests of the users. It comes with a SD card slot in the processor which can be programmed to feed the important information. It can be programmed to take regular back ups of vital data which can prove to be beneficial during the malfunctioning of the device. During disaster, the crucial data is safely stored in the SD card which can be inserted in another device, to continue and sustain the work flow. The device is capable of reducing the work of the engineers who find this device easy to work on, and the favor it because of its blade architecture which makes swapping task as easy as it can get.

An amazing aspect about Samsung DS-5007s is the fact that it is extremely easy to use. The user interface is extremely simple and can be understood by a non tech savvy person. In case, you fail to understand the device, then it comes with a user manual which makes it easier for users to comprehend the functionality of the device.

In order to make the most of your money's worth, it is important to make purchases from reliable stores. The Samsung DS-5007s is made available across several stores both, in the online and offline market. Many people prefer making their purchases from online stores as it provides them with multitudes of benefits. Consumers can sit at the comfort of their house and order for these telephonic devices within a few clicks of the button.

Truman Redford is the author of this article on DS-5007S. Find more information, about DS-5007S here

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Communications Supply - Making Sense of Every Nook and Cranny

Every business need a reliable telephone system, it will serve as the point of contact to customers, investors and business partners as well as a medium of communication for the employees which will help establish rapport among all the workers and important third party individuals. Although there are other forms of communication Medias nowadays like email and SMS, a phone call is still one of the most powerful forms of communication next to a physical meeting.

Which Phone System to Use

Nobody can tell which phone system is the best for your business, service providers may only give you suggestions and recommendations on what exact platform might work best but as a business owner you are the only one that can decide on this because you know every inch there is to know about your business. Either you opt for a traditional telephone system or the newer and innovative VoIP technologies, you need to make sure that you pattern the system based on your business model.

Every Nook and Cranny

Whether a traditional PBX or the newer VoIP solutions you have to make sure that each component of the system will work efficiently for a proper relay of high quality voice calls. Each communication supply that you will be using must coincide with each other. There should be no issue of incompatibility or whatsoever that will affect the quality of voice transmission.

Some communication supply are given high emphasis like the networking device, the audio input and output, the telephone handset, the IP network and in VoIP the internet connection is of top priority. However this doesn't mean that the smallest part like the nuts and bolts that fastens the network device in place, the cables the joins the end points of the IP PBX, the cable joiners that secures cables and Ethernet wires and the mounting frames are less important, each nook and cranny of a telephone system is important and it cannot be deployed properly if one is missing or if one is not functioning properly.

Where to Buy Communication Products

You can easily buy items in the nearest hardware or communication outlet from your home or you can also make purchases online, most of the leading suppliers have websites where you can browse all their products and buy directly and have it shipped in your doorsteps. The good thing about shopping online is you can jump from one supplier to another with just a few mouse clicks, so you can find the best deals and rates for the items that you wish to buy.

Melanie Thompson is a business start-up expert that specializes in telecom and her high standards was only met by Grovecoms communications supply.

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How T1 Lines Work

Nine months ago you had 8 awesome employees and business was good - correction: business was great because a fireball of potential clients were rising on the horizon. Your team performed supremely over the next couple of months and they signed several new clients that grew your business 200%. Whoa, now your team, who were operating efficiently before the growth, is over-extended. The time had arrived to bring on new talent to support your new clients; but that also meant the time had arrived to improve the technology in the office to support your team - ideally at a cost-effective price. The moment to install a T1 line had presented itself.

T1 line technology originally was developed in the 1950s by Bell Labs with local use being introduced in 1961. A traditional telephone line (also called POTS - plain old telephone service) is what most people are familiar with, but with the booming telecommunications industry and improved technology to run data circuits, T1 lines have become commonplace for small businesses.

T1 lines generally run on fiber optic technology focused on business internet service. Optical fibers have become prevalent among telecommunication, television and internet providers because they permit transmission over longer distances and at higher data rates over other technology such as copper wire. A T1 line can carry 24 digitized voice channels (64 Kbit/s per line) or a total of 1.544 Mbit/s for data. The T1 line will plug into the office's phone system for telephone conversations or if it's for transferring data the line will go into the network's router. Some providers will offer seamless voice and data communications with routing over a single circuit. Some businesses will opt for two T1 lines (Bonded T1) to allocate data on one line and telephone communication on the other as the more voice calls in use will decrease the total 1.554Mbit/s by -64Kbit/s per call in use.

For an in depth look at how the rate of 1.544Mbit/s was divided into channels, Wikipedia offers this explanation:

Given that the telephone system nominal voiceband [human hearing frequency] is 4,000 Hz, the required digital sampling rate is 8,000 Hz. Since each T1 frame contains 1 byte of voice data for each of the 24 channels, that system needs then 8,000 frames per second to maintain those 24 simultaneous voice channels. Because each frame of a T1 is 193 bits in length (24 channels × 8 bits per channel + 1 framing bit = 193 bits), 8,000 frames per second is multiplied by 193 bits to yield a transfer rate of 1.544 Mbit/s (8,000 × 193 = 1,544,000).

Fascinating information, indeed, and very cost effective as T1 lines run in the $400-600 range. As your business expands so too can the technology to support your operations. Bonding of T1 lines essentially has no limits although specific names are given at certain levels. A T2 line combines 4 T1 lines (6.312 Mbit/s) and a T3 line combines 28 T1 lines (44.736 Mbit/s). Whatever the need, the technology is there to propel your business into the future.

George is the Online Strategy Manager for Access One. George's interests include soccer, social media, and podcasts!

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Call Forwarding Keeps You in Touch With Your Business

Any small business owner will likely agree that it is stressful to leave another employee in charge while away from the office. Whether leaving for the day or taking a week-long vacation, call forwarding is a great way for business owners to stay in touch with their employees or even their customers at all times.

What is Call Forwarding?

Call forwarding is a feature that allows consumers, business owners and employees to forward their telephone numbers to alternate devices. For example, while a consumer is away from home, they may choose to forward all of their landline calls to their mobile phones. In much the same way, a business owner may choose to forward their calls to their mobile phone while they are away from the office. When a customer dials the business telephone number, it immediately rings through to the designated device; the caller is not aware that this is occurring. This way, business owners and employees are always available, even when they are away from their desks or offices.

In-House Forwarding

In-house call forwarding is the process by which one telephone number is forwarded to another in the event that an employee or department is out of the office. This can be as simple as forwarding all of the calls from the front desk to a specific individual or forwarding calls from individual numbers to select extensions. As an example, the sales department may choose to forward all of their calls to the front desk while they are away on lunch or if that department is closed for the day. A business owner may also choose to forward the calls from their extension to the next-in-charge while they are out of the office.

External Forwarding

External forwarding occurs when telephone numbers are forwarded to another location that is outside of the building. This may include calls forwarded to personal landlines and cell phones, though there are other examples. With this method, business owners can easily keep in touch with their business and their employees-even if they are away on vacation. If an employee is out in the field working with customers or running errands, they can still receive all of their telephone calls on their mobile device. This is a great way to ensure that the business runs smoothly and that personal telephone numbers remain private.

On-Call Services

When businesses provide services that are in demand 24 hours a day, such as repair services or technical support, it is imperative that customers can reach someone at all times. Call forwarding can certainly be a lifesaver here, as well; all of the after-hours business calls can be routed to a single individual who is responsible for handling the questions or performing the repairs. This way, there is no need for an employee to remain at the office at all times. This saves plenty of frustration and even cuts down on utility bills while the office is closed.

Call forwarding is a virtual phone system feature that cannot be overlooked when it comes to keeping in touch with customers and employees at all times. It allows business owners and their staff to accept telephone calls while they are at home or even on-the-go, thereby improving the business image and overall customer satisfaction.

This Article was written by Kevin John, Online Marketing Executive at iTeleCenter. He has extensive marketing experience and is extremely knowledgeable about vanity numbers, 1800 Numbers, local numbers and toll free number in conjunction with virtual phone system. He is happy to share his knowledge on call forwarding feature to help small business owners.

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What's With These Crazy Area Codes?

The North American Numbering Plan was devised to enable direct dialing of long distance telephone calls. It began with a relatively simple set of numbers. But since the huge increase in the number of telephones in recent years, it has evolved into a complicated and confusing mess.

The system provides unique telephone numbers for all phones across the United States and its territories, Canada, Bermuda, and 17 nations in the Caribbean. The numbers consist of 10 digits, e.g. 123-456-7890, where 123 is the area code, 456 is the exchange, and 7890 is the subscriber number.

201 was the first area code introduced in New Jersey in 1951. In the 50s, it was decided to keep the numbers simple, so that they wouldn't take very long to dial, using the rotary phones of the era. So the middle digit was always either a 0 or a 1. At the time, it was thought that this system would be sufficient to provide area codes for all phones until well into the 21st century.

Up until the late 80s, calls were recognized as long distance if the 2nd digit of the number being dialed was a 0 or 1, and were routed accordingly. If the second digit was not a 0 or 1, the call would be routed to a local number. This meant that a seven digit number could not have a second digit of 0 or 1, or it would be mistaken for a long distance call.

This limitation on telephone numbers was remedied when long distance dialers were required to use an initial 1, thus allowing local telephone exchanges to use numbers like 202-6789. If there was no initial 1, this would be recognized as a local number.

At about the same time, in the early 90s, there began a rapid increase in the demand for telephone numbers. There were two main reasons for this:

The widespread use of faxes, modems, and mobile phones.Deregulation of local telephone services.

Whenever a new local telephone service provider opened up, it was assigned a unique exchange, thus reserving a block of 10,000 numbers. This resulted in the under-utilization of area codes, since most of the new "Baby Bells" did not have that many subscribers.

In adding new codes, two methods were introduced:

Splits. The region of an existing area code is divided in two - one keeping the old code, and the other FORCED to adopt a new code. For example, in 2003, area code 941 in southwestern Florida split off its southern region to use the new code 239. Residents of the new region were given one year to make the change - and of course to change their stationery to show the new number.Overlays. A second code is added to a region that already has an area code. In this case, since the same region has more than one code, residents MUST dial 10 digits to reach ANY number. Ironically, this means that if you live in such a region, your next door neighbor could have a different area code!

Since 1996, when Local Number Portability was introduced, the situation has gotten so out of hand that now an area code gives virtually no information about the location of the telephone. Here are just two examples gleaned from my own experience here in the US Virgin Islands.

I have a friend who moved here a few years ago from Savannah, Georgia. She brought her cellular telephone with her, and still uses the same 912 area code that she used before moving. This means that anyone calling her from the Virgin Islands must dial a 10-digit number and, if they are using a landline, must pay for the call.Two years ago, I purchased a Magic Jack, which plugs into my computer, and uses the internet to place and receive phone calls. At present, there are no Magic Jack telephone numbers available in the Virgin Islands, so my telephone number has a 540 area code, which is supposedly located in Culpeper, VA. Not only is this confusing - one friend asked me, when did I move to Virginia? - but local people using a landline must pay to call me.

So who do we blame for this monstrous system, and what can we do about it? I don't think there is anyone specifically who caused this to happen. It was hardly possible to predict the future of telecommunications when the system was set up initially.

And at this late stage, I don't think there is anything that can be done to clean it up. One good thing though... We no longer have to wait for the dial on a rotary phone to click its way around each time a number is entered.

The author has a website, Phone Number Trace, with lots of information about telephones. Specifically, if you want to find out more about area codes, see the article on Overlay Plans.

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A Virtual Phone System - What Every Work-At-Home Mom Needs

Raising children is no simple feat, but work-at-home moms are able to successfully balance their professional careers with their ability to care for their children. With a virtual phone system, these tasks become much easier, and work-at-home moms just might find that they have more time to spend with their families.

Dedicated Telephone Line

Many people still have landline telephones in their homes these days. They are a direct link to the outside world, and can be used to summon for help instantly in the event of an emergency. Work-at-home moms likely already understand the need to communicate with potential and existing clients and customers, but as the business begins to grow, the landline may not satisfy all of the company's needs. With a virtual phone system, all of the same basic landline features are available, as well as some that are a bit more business-oriented. This frees up or even negates the need for the landline, boosts professionalism, and simply makes things easier for already busy moms.

Features

Some of the features associated with a virtual phone system that are favored by work-at-home moms are those that allow communications to be handled easily and with mobility. Call forwarding allows these small business owners to take their business telephone numbers with them wherever they go, whether to the grocery store, a sporting event or even while taking the kids to or from school. Advanced voicemail features allow busy moms to check their messages from any telephone or computer with an internet connection. The ability to send and receive faxes online makes waiting for documents a thing of the past, as they are instantly available on the computer screen.

Ease of Use

Making and receiving telephone calls, checking voicemail messages, sending faxes and trying to keep up with business life on-the-go can be a huge task, and work-at-home moms need every spare moment they can get. A virtual phone system is a great tool because it packs all of the small business communication systems anyone could possibly need into one easy-to-use computer program. There are no complicated steps required to set everything up, and each feature's maintenance page is completely self-explanatory.

Cost Effective

When considering the costs associated with adding a second dedicated telephone line and all of the features necessary for running a business, these can easily add up to more than what many people are prepared to spend. Of course, when considering the costs associated with a virtual phone system and all of the different features that come with it, these same people often over-figure. In fact, it is quite possible for a work-at-home mom to switch to an internet-based phone system for as little as $20.00 a month, provided that she already has high-speed internet access. There are no costly installation fees, no additional hardware to purchase and no complicated computer programs to install.

Work-at-home moms certainly have their hands full, but they do not have to rely on antiquated or expensive technology to help their businesses succeed. A virtual phone system is an affordable and highly advanced communications system that will give work-at-home moms what they crave the most-more time with their families.

This Article was written by Kevin John, Online Marketing Executive at iTeleCenter. He has extensive marketing experience and is extremely knowledgeable about vanity numbers, 1800 Numbers, local numbers and toll free numbers in conjunction with virtual phone system. He is happy to share his knowledge with small business owners on how to protect company image.

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Customers Don't Have to Leave Messages and Wait for Callback With Call Forwarding

Call forwarding is an often-underrated feature associated with landlines, mobile phones and virtual phone systems. When it comes to running a small business, this feature often proves to be crucial to providing the best customer service possible.

Understanding Call Forwarding

Call forwarding is the process by which incoming telephone calls are diverted to another termination point. Essentially, someone who 'forwards' their calls to a secondary device will receive all of the calls intended for their primary number on that device. This feature is quite common among consumers who want to forward incoming landline calls to their mobile phones, but it is also very helpful for small businesses. By using this feature, business owners and employees can always be available for their customers, even when they are at home or otherwise out of the office. It comes standard with many virtual phone system packages intended for use by small businesses.

Voicemail vs. Forwarding

The first thought that many people have when it comes to call forwarding is that the voicemail is available to callers when the employee or business owner is not. This is very true and voicemail certainly serves a purpose. During business hours, on the other hand, someone should always be available to answer the phones in person. This does not mean that employees or business owners should be tied to their offices or desks during business hours; the forwarding feature allows telephone numbers to become mobile. Whether at home or on-the-go, everyone can easily receive their telephone calls.

Benefits to Customers

There are plenty of benefits to customers when businesses choose to forward their calls instead of simply allowing them to go to voicemail. First, there is always someone available to answer the phone and the frustration of leaving a message and waiting for a callback is avoided. Second, there is always someone available to take service calls or sell products and this prevents the customer from hanging up and calling another place of business. Finally, there is less apprehension on the customer's part because there is no worrying about whether or not a callback will occur in a timely manner-or if it will even occur at all.

After-Hours Calls

Some businesses provide services that are in demand 24 hours a day, making it necessary for someone to be available around the clock. Since it would be impractical to provide home or mobile telephone numbers to the general public, call forwarding can be a great alternative. All of the incoming business calls can be routed to a single individual who is responsible for scheduling appointments or making emergency repairs for that time frame. Consumers will not have to wait for the business to reopen in order to speak to someone, but it is not necessary for an employee to remain at the business site after business hours.

While voicemail certainly serves a purpose and there are times when callbacks are the best course of action, most consumers would prefer to speak to a live person whenever possible. Thanks to call forwarding, this is a real possibility that has been made affordable and practical.

Mike Allen is an Online Marketing Executive at iTeleCenter, a company that provides local numbers, 1800 numbers, vanity numbers and toll free number conjunction with virtual phone system to their clients. Services include Call Forwarding, voicemail, send fax online and more.

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SAMSUNG OFFICESERV DS5700S, a Phone With Diversity

SAMSUNG OFFICESERVE DS5700S phones are manufactured for businesses of any size. They have a wide range of functions for ease of use. On the other, the price is quite reasonable. The phone has a standard calling buttons keypad. On top of these are 7 buttons that can be used to program the handset. Another feature of the phone is a LCD screen that can accommodate 32 characters. The screen displays the numbers of outgoing and incoming calls and name of the extension. This enables you to see where the call is coming from.

Before the phone can be put to use, you will be required to have a list of all offices within your organization. Each office is then assigned a number. For example the human resources manager can be 001, chief accountant 002, operations manager 003 and so forth. The information is then programmed into a SAMSUNG OFFICESERV DS5700S handset. You can use the managers' titles or their names depending on the culture of the organization.

Another aspect of the SAMSUNG OFFICESERV DS5700S is the call memory. It keeps a record of all incoming and outgoing calls. As a manager, you can retrieve a call log and use it to monitor abuse of the office telephone. As a control measure, the phone can be PIN controlled. Thus anyone intending to make an outside call will have to key in the code before he or she can dial the desired number. Calls from one extension to another need not have codes.

A SAMSUNG OFFICESERV DS5700 is compatible with other office telephone systems. The phone can be integrated with the PABX system at the main reception. Through this, all incoming or outgoing calls can be routed via a central switchboard system. This is another way of controlling telephone usage. Any employee making a call outside the organization will have to place it through the switchboard. Managers can be allowed to bypass this depending on their seniority level. Top managers can be allowed to make outside calls directly.

SAMSUNG OFFICESERV DS5700 allow speed dial. All you need to do is use a prompt key and select a number you had called moments ago. No need to dial the number on the keypad again. This hastens the calling process especially where you want to make an urgent call. You can also use this function to respond to a client with important feedback. A DS5700 has an audible speaker just in case you want to put a caller on speaker phone. Thus, it can facilitate a teleconference.

SAMSUNG OFFICESERV DS5700 can be acquired from local dealers and appointed Samsung distributors in your area. Every corporate buyer is offered the choice of signing up a contract. This covers maintenance and replacement. Under this contract, technicians will be at hand to service the handsets at regular intervals. They will also be at standby should you require emergency assistance. If the phone you had initially bought requires any modification, the service provider will arrange for this. Alternatively, you can contract an independent service company.

Cailsey Alijha is the author of this article on SAMSUNG OFFICESERVE DS5007S. Find more information, about SAMSUNG OFFICESERVE DS5007S here

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Avoid Long Distance Charges With Toll Free Numbers

Businesses that choose to use toll free numbers as opposed to local numbers are doing their clients and customers a huge favor. There are no charges involved with calling the business from anywhere in the country-and from many international destinations, as well.

Toll Free vs. Local

While a small business owner who is just getting started may feel as if a number that is local to the area may promote a sense of hometown pride, they must also consider that people from outside of the local calling area may also be interested in the products and services. This is especially true if the business is situated in a suburb of a large metro area; while it may be local for residents of the suburb to call the business, those who reside in the metro area may incur long distance charges. Toll free numbers are a great alternative as there are no associated long distance charges for anyone in the United States and in several international countries.

Expand into New Markets

If a business opens its doors in a Chicago and chooses a number local to that area, they will face a complicated decision when it comes to opening a new location in a different city. Let's say this same business decides to open a second location in St. Louis. The choices here would be to either adopt a second telephone number that is local to St. Louis or consider the use of toll free numbers that incorporate both locations. When a toll free number is combined with call forwarding, consumers can simply dial the 800 number and select their location. This way, they are routed to the correct office and there are no associated charges. Plus, the business can enjoy a more streamlined telephone experience.

Nationwide Customer Service

Once the business has opened its doors in Chicago and St. Louis and perhaps even expanded into Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Louisville, that business will likely be catering to thousands of consumers across the Midwest. While one customer service option would be to provide a local number in each city for customers to call with questions or concerns, another would be to open a call center in one of these cities. Since it would not make sense to assign this call center a local number as the anticipated calls would be coming from anywhere in the Midwest, toll free numbers will help these consumers avoid long distance charges when they have a concern that needs to be addressed by customer service.

Number Portability

Another example of how toll free numbers can help consumers avoid long distance charges involves small business owners who travel frequently. For this example, consider an entrepreneur who opens a business selling a new vitamin product. This person travels frequently in order to promote their product and may be found in Los Angeles one day and New York City the next. A toll free number can provide a level of portability that a local number simply cannot as the number can be forwarded to the business owner's cell phone while they are travelling. All the while, the personal mobile number is kept confidential; consumers only know they are calling the business number.

Toll free numbers are certainly great ways to save consumers money on long distance charges when they are travelling or when new business branches open their doors in different cities. Consumers who do not have to pay for their telephone calls are often more satisfied overall.

This Article was written by Kevin John, Online Marketing Executive at iTeleCenter. He has extensive marketing experience and is extremely knowledgeable about vanity numbers, 1800 Numbers, local numbers and toll free numbers in conjunction with virtual phone system. He is happy to share his knowledge with small business owners on how to protect company image.

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How Real Estate Professionals Make the Best Use of a Virtual Phone System

The real estate industry continues to thrive despite recent economic turmoil. As a result, real estate professionals are constantly on the lookout for products and services that can help them in their sales endeavors. A virtual phone system is a phenomenal tool for real estate pros to use in the office, at home and on the go.

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The landed property business would not be as lucrative as it is today without plenty of advertisement. After all, it would be harder to sell properties without making their availability known to potential buyers. Most properties are advertised in classified ads, websites and signs placed in their front yards, and making the most out of these ads is the best way to gather the public's attention. A virtual phone system, along with a toll-free number, is the best way for a landed property professional to encourage potential buyers to call for more information. Also, these communication systems offer several features that boost productivity and better the overall experience for the consumer.

Information Hotlines

Being a real estate professional is a busy job, and as a result, it is likely that these individuals simply do not have the time to field the dozens of telephone calls they are likely to receive over the course of a day. When most people call the telephone number they see associated with a home or other property, they are calling for information or perhaps to schedule a viewing. An information hotline is one feature of a virtual phone system that can truly be invaluable; the landed property professional can easily record the basic information about the property for the prospective buyer to hear directly after the call is placed.

Connecting With an Agent

When using an information hotline, it is important for landed property pros to provide consumers with the opportunity to learn more about a property or contact the agent directly. Therefore, it is imperative that automated operators are utilized in these situations. For instance, once the automated recording that provides basic information about the property has been played, the potential buyer may then choose to press 0 to hear the price of the property or schedule a viewing. The call would then be forwarded to the real estate professional and handled accordingly.

Other Features to Consider

A virtual phone system includes the ability for real estate professionals to forward calls to a mobile device to increase their efficiency while in the field. This is very important, especially when it is considered that agents rarely spend any time in the office unless they are finalizing paperwork or meeting with clients. Call screening is also a great feature because it provides agents with the ability to block unsolicited calls while allowing those that are from legitimate potential buyers.

A virtual phone system is an exciting and effective means of communication for real estate professionals. When all of the available features are combined and used in conjunction with one another, they can boost productivity, ease stress and even help to increase overall sales.

This Article was written by Kevin John, Online Marketing Executive at iTeleCenter. He has extensive marketing experience and is extremely knowledgeable about vanity numbers, 1 800 Numbers, local numbers and toll free numbers in conjunction with virtual phone system. He is happy to share his knowledge with small business owners on how to protect company image.

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SIP Trunks Versus ISDN30

It's the age of the Internet and modern phone systems are full of fun features like VoIP and SIP. To put it simply, you now have a choice. Stick with your conventional digital telephone lines or switch to VoIP lines which could save you potentially half of your line rental costs per month.

I get asked this question on a daily basis. You will be guessing by now I am in PBX sales or as most of us don't know what a PBX is, I sell telephone systems.

Since the 80s small businesses and large corporates have been choosing ISDN lines (ISDN2e and ISDN30) in the UK largely because of the availability from British Telecom and the reliability it offers. Additional features like caller display (CLI) and Direct Dial In numbers (DDI numbers) are standard on digital lines and therefore an attractive option when installing or upgrading to a new office telephone system.

Digital lines from BT can be installed into your office with ease and because they are fixed lines they offer a virtually fault free service to a business relying in telephone calls to conduct day to day business.

Nowadays businesses have a new kid on the block call SIP. This stands for session initiation protocol and is basically a regulated standard for delivering voice and video across an Internet connection.

SIP trunks are described as voice over IP lines and are readily available from most telecom carriers in the current marketplace. By choosing this option you need to ensure your phone system can support SIP trunking and you have technically checked your Internet connection for spare bandwidth.

Sounds simple but it's not. Many telecom companies are offering SIP but have no idea how to successfully implement the technology. Thus leaving many small businesses with bad quality lines and intermittent service.

The key to a successful SIP trunk endeavour is to omit the cost savings from your decision making. Ask yourself one question, would you risk your business for the sakes of half your line rental per month?

In actual fact the number of companies I ask that question they say quite directly "it's just not worth the hassle, let alone my job!"

Therefore the best way to attack SIP and voice over ip technology is to invest in a quality branded phone system like a Mitel Phone System and while your business is running good old ISDN lines buy some SIP trunk licences and try VoIP calls. The Mitel phone system can easily route outbound calls over the Internet first which will give you a clear indication whether your business and it's Internet connectivity is ready.

Remember the key to success is try it alongside your current fixed lines. This way you dip your toe in before you fall in and risk your business telephone calls.

For more information on the SIP enabled Phone Systems visit us here: VoIP Phone Systems

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Low Cost Home Office Phone Systems for Different Industries

Telephones are essential equipments for communication. They are required in businesses as well as residences. It is important that you have the assistance of right professionals for installation and post-installation services. There are a number of companies which provide home office phone systems. In order to find a reliable source, it is recommended that you conduct some online research. Make sure that you visit different websites and learn about these services. You must also read the reviews and testimonials, so as to learn more about the reliability of these companies. It is important to take this opportunity to compare the rates at which companies offer services. Eventually, you will come across a company website which offers best products at a reasonable cost.

The main aim of the companies which offer phone systems is to make sure that customers find no inconvenience in maintaining communication. To ensure this, they offer a range of services which can be learnt about over the internet. There are many businesses that have served thousands of customers and have many years of experience in this field. Approaching such companies for assistance can help you get good value for money. The professionals allow you to get an instant quote online for home office phone systems. All you are required to do is mention your requirements. They system will instantly build a quote and determine whether the service is worth investing in. Many of the services are also known to provide the installation of the phone systems. Other than installation, they can also assist you with new telephone systems, relocating a phone system, expanding the current system and many more.

The customer support with online destinations is a very beneficial advantage as well. You must put forward all queries that you come across with such services. The professionals will ensure that you do not have to go through any hassles while purchasing new home office phone systems. With the use of their system, you can also get leased lines for data VoIP and MLPs. You can manage your time better and use the destination to confirm faults or ask for help in increasing capacity. There are several other features which will guide you to choose the suitable phone system. The companies not only serve home owners and businesses. The other industries which benefit from their services include schools and education, recruitment, legal, public sectors, etc. Prices for different industry vary. It is important that you check for the best priced service in the market through the Internet.

One of the best features of these companies is that they offer variety in supplies of home office phone systems. The extensions provided by the cover 2-20 till 100-500. Regardless of whether you are a house owner or the owner of a large enterprise, professional services will come in handy. The individuals working in these companies are licensed professionals who are courteous to customers and provide necessary assistance. Some services even offer discounts, which can help customers to save considerable amount of money. You can go online and learn about their services.

Gilbert Roccentto is the author of this article on home office phone systems. Find more information, about home office phone systems here

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How to Choose the Best Phone Service for Business

There has been tremendous advancements in telecommunications and the business community is today confronted with too wide a choice and unable to determine which business phone system will meet its needs best.

The heartening fact is there are several reliable business phone service providers who can offer you with the phone service you exactly require. The rapid advancements in telephone technology have caused the market to offer you highly efficient and sophisticated phone systems at affordable costs.

Interestingly, business phone service providers now offer packages that include multiple lines, unlimited minutes with no domestic long distance charges. Many providers offer extended features like fax numbers and virtual PBX systems.

As your business phone services consumes a large share of your budget, you should ensure that you are selecting a business phone service provider that offers you the best deals at competitive pricing and also offers additional features your business will need.

Your field staff and employees stationed outside will have to be equipped with the best mobile communication facilities. With the right kind of business phone services you can interact with your customers, employees and other stakeholders better and improve your overall productivity.

It is worthwhile you ponder over the following when deciding on the phone system for your business:

• Since your business will steadily grow over the years and your communication needs will commensurately expand, opt for a system that is scalable.
• Telecoms systems today offer a host of useful features like call forwarding, call transfer, auto-attendant, caller ID, conferencing facilities, speakerphone options, abbreviated dialing etc. Choose the features you would definitely find helpful and do not overbuy.
• If the volume of international calls is likely to be high, then, VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phones can mean substantial savings in call costs.
• If you have employees who work remotely most of the time, then VOIP could be a wise option.
• Please understand the size of your business and the scale of your operations. Generally speaking, small businesses will use a Key System Unit (KSU) while midsize and large enterprises will use a PBX (Private Branch Exchange). But if you want in factor data, then your business will have to consider ISDN.

For small businesses VOIP looks like a veritable boon, as it can offer free calls, but there are a number of other considerations you should look into before choosing VOIP. Please ensure you have a fast and reliable Internet connection to allow VOIP systems to operate efficiently.

You can have a hosted PBX service (virtual phone system) that offers a wide array of features and flexibility and can be controlled through a web portal.

With Unified Messaging, employees can receive critical fax and voicemail communications directly into their email inboxes. With the voicemail to email solution, important voice messages get automatically forwarded to the secure email inbox.

It is prudent to consultant a telecom professional who will assess your precise communication needs and offer a profile of the equipment that could ideally meet your business requirements.

With so many systems currently available, take your time when drawing up a shortlist of vendors and equipment to ensure you acquire the best before spending your money.

To get more information about internet fax as well as finding more information about Business VOIP, check our website for updates.

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A Small Business Phone Service Does Not Need to Cost an Arm and a Leg

One of the most common misconceptions about small business phone service is that it is more expensive than the typical phone services used in homes all around the country. In fact, business phone service is surprisingly affordable and may actually save business owners money in the long run.

The Cost of Traditional Phone Services

On average, the monthly cost of a single traditional landline with no long distance and bare-minimum features hovers somewhere around $30.00 after taxes and fees. Businesses that want to add on features like toll free numbers, additional lines and the ability to send faxes can expect to pay much, much more. In fact, most telephone companies charge around $100.00 to install a single telephone jack in an office and even more to repair an existing jack that has been damaged in some way. Traditional telephone service may be a great option for homeowners, but there are better choices when it comes to running a business.

The Cost of Virtual Phone Services

Due to the already high cost of landline telephone service, most business owners feel that small business phone service must be incredibly expensive and attempt to make do with their single line of service. Virtual service is actually very inexpensive and most of the small business packages start at less than $25.00 a month; some even include unlimited extensions. For this price, businesses will receive nationwide long distance, internet fax services and features like caller ID and call forwarding. Additional features are also available and business owners can customize their packages to suit the needs of their customers and their employees.

Get More for the Money

Essentially, business owners can enjoy the convenience of small business service for the same price as a single line of standard phone service. This is made possible due to the wonders of the internet. Most small business phone services are VoIP-based and are therefore simple to maintain. Since there are no costs for maintaining wires, poles and switchboards for the telephone companies, these savings can be passed along to the end users. The service is incredibly reliable and provides crystal-clear call quality that cannot be duplicated by any copper wire. For less than the price of a typical landline with unlimited long distance calls, users can enjoy all of the features that will help the business thrive.

Instant Scalability

All businesses hope to grow as they gain new clients and customers, and the growth of the business will undoubtedly lead to the addition of new employees. Depending upon their roles in the company, these employees may need to be provided with their own telephone extensions in order to maintain productivity. While adding a line to typical phone service can be a lengthy and expensive process, this is not so with a virtual small business phone system. The service is completely scalable, meaning that extensions can be added and removed almost instantaneously.

Telephone service is a very important part of any small business. It is the primary method of communication between employees and customers and should never be second-rate. As a result, a small business phone service is always the best option as it provides all of the features necessary for staying connected at a rate that anyone can afford.

This Article was written by Kevin John, Online Marketing Executive at iTeleCenter. He has extensive marketing experience and is extremely knowledgeable about vanity numbers, 1800 Numbers, local numbers and toll free number in conjunction with virtual phone system. He is happy to share his knowledge on small business phone service to help small business owners.

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Communications Supply - Consumer's Guide

Establishing a communication platform is a must for every business, it used for internal management and a medium to market your products and services as such, a business phone along with all the other forms of communication like email and SMS should be working flawlessly. The telecommunications company you're with is not only sole contributor to the overall performance of your unified communication stream but every component of your network is as important.

Buying Tips

Before buying any hardware make it a habit to do your homework, read the product description thoroughly and understand the specifications of each item. It will also help if you ask friends and colleagues who have had experience with the product and get their feedbacks, if none then go to forums and blogs and see what the community is suggesting. Although usage results may vary depending on use it will give you a general idea about the pros and cons of a communication supply that you are looking to purchase.

Bear in mind that every component is important so be sure to take even the smallest item into consideration when buying.

Next to consider is the compatibility issues, be sure to check each communication supply with each other and ask your technician all the parts complement each other, otherwise you will end up with an early replacement. Also check with your service provider if the components you are planning to buy will work seamlessly with their system, if not ask for a list of recommended units from them.

If you are unable to find a good deal or the items you are searching for in your local shops then worry not, there are a number of communication supply shops online, browse in the internet for all possible shops to get a good price if possible purchase all the items under one store and you just might get discounts, in this way warranty claims and replacements will also be easier. There are just a few things to bear in mind when purchasing any items only, firstly is your address, be sure to give your complete delivery address including the postal code for faster delivery, second is to read the disclaimer of the website to know their policies and lastly is make sure that they are using secured payment methods.

If you able to follow the above guidelines coupled with a reliable service provider then you can to enjoy a good and dependable communication platform.

Melanie Thompson is a business start-up expert that specializes in telecom and her high standards was only met by Grovecoms communications supply.

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Never Miss a Call With Call Diversion

Business owners and their employees are often forced to choose between accepting calls right away and taking messages for a later callback. Since the latter option is often frustrating for the consumer, being available to answer calls is the best solution. Call diversion allows business owners and employees access to their business telephone lines, no matter where they travel.

Understanding Call Diversion

Call diversion is a feature that allows business owners to forward calls from one number or extension to another number or extension. As an example, an employee on vacation can choose to either forward all of their incoming calls to their mobile phone or forward them to another internal department. This ensures that no calls are missed and that each and every customer call is handled appropriately. Also, business employees will feel more at ease simply by knowing that the telephones are being answered and their voicemail inboxes are not filling with unreturned calls.

Missing Calls Affects Your Business

These days, consumers are all about instant gratification. When they want a product or need a service, they will likely contact the company that is able to provide it quickly and at a low price. If a business associate is unable to answer the telephone at the time services are needed, there is a very good possibility that the caller will simply take their business elsewhere. Word of mouth spreads quickly, so if this scenario repeats with any frequency, the business's reputation will likely begin to suffer. It is imperative for a business owner to ensure that there is always someone available to take telephone calls during business hours, and call diversion is a great tool that makes this possible.

Keeping Up with Business

Sometimes, personal events keep business owners or those in managerial positions out of the loop, especially when communications with regular customers are interrupted. Regardless of the reasons, many small business employees will need to remain in contact with their regular clients, even when they are working away from the office or at home on personal leave. Call diversion is easy to use and allows employees to easily forward their calls to any telephone that is convenient, thereby simplifying the process and allowing employees to remain available at all time. All the employee needs to do is log into the desktop application and change a few settings.

Take Important Calls Only

While it may be important for employees to accept calls from certain individuals while they are out in the field, on vacation or otherwise away from the office, not every call needs to be answered. Thankfully, this feature allows employees to select which calls to divert. As an example, a business owner may accept calls from their warehouses or suppliers while allowing all others to go to voicemail. Of course, in the same way that the virtual phone system allows for changes to be made to the call diversion system, employees can always access their voicemail inboxes and return any other important calls.

Regardless of the reasons behind an employee or business owner being out of the office, there are always good reasons for remaining available to take telephone calls. Call diversion ensures that the business will continue to operate successfully in the employee's absence.

This Article was written by Kevin John, Online Marketing Executive at iTeleCenter. He has extensive marketing experience and is extremely knowledgeable about vanity numbers, 1800 Numbers, call diversion, local numbers and toll free numbers in conjunction with virtual phone system. He is happy to share his knowledge with small business owners on how to protect company image.

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Reading Up On the New magicJack Plus Reviews

Last year, the Y.M.A.X. Company launched a new product called the magicJack Plus. It is a USB-type device that allows you to make phone calls to anywhere in the world through the power of VOIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol. Based on reviews on the internet, it has the following features:

It has to run on high-speed internet. Y.M.A.X. manufactured the first version a few years earlier. It only works if it is plugged in directly to a computer, but has basically the same attributes. Since the company received a lot of complaints about this, its sequel can now be used independently. It has two ports - one that accommodates the internet cable and another to connect to your landline. You do not need to have your PC turned on all the time just so you can use their product. This improvement was welcomed with open arms most especially by the elderly and the not-so-tech savvy. Now, there is no fuss over putting on headsets and microphones just to make or take a call.

They both give you big savings. Anyone can find numerous testimonials as to how much they have saved since they started using the product. How does it do this? Well, for a small yearly subscription fee, a customer can now make unlimited calls to anybody who owns the same device - regardless of where they are in the world. As a result, customers have started shipping one to their relatives in Asia. That way, they don't have to pay for unbelievably high per-minute rates through conventional carriers. Moreover, the magicJack Plus allows you to talk to anybody in the United States or Canada for free. This means no more state-to-state charges. On that alone, hundreds of people have attested to a significant deduction in their phone bills. This also works wonders when you are travelling. Regardless of whichever country you are in, you can call the United States and Canada without incurring a single cent apart from your yearly bill. It also offers free calls to directory assistance, voicemail and call forwarding.

Number Porting is King. A handful of reviews have concentrated on how great it is to have the ability to maintain your old phone number even if it came from a different provider. It is known that this is one giant hurdle when trying to get customers to switch to a new telecommunications company. It seems like a difficult task to inform all the people you know that you have changed phone numbers. This new feature eliminates that apprehension.

The quality of the call is great. On top of all these, customers always give the product five stars for the clarity of the call and the fact that there is hardly any latency. For these reasons alone, customers say that it is definitely worth a try. And since they are offering a 30-day testing period, grabbing it now becomes 100% risk-free.

So, what are the other reasons for not purchasing magicJack Plus off the shelves today? Just like other products, there are a few negative comments from users such as bad performance when the internet connection is unstable or very slow, or the fact that save from the United States and Canada, ringing conventional telephones in other countries comes out very pricey.

Claire Morin has insight and expertise in creating niches that appeal to all demographics. Claire's research on a wide range of products, which are important in today's markets of interest and value to her readers. Claire reviews different markets and products to ensure that not only is the price fair but the quality is not compromised. If you like more information or details about magicJack Plus then you are more than welcome to visit http://www.magicjackbuy.com/.

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7 Secrets For Leaving Better Voicemail Messages

If you're like most business people, you leave voicemail messages all day long but you're rarely given much thought to how you're doing it. Voicemail can be a great way to save time, but it can also create unintended negative results if you're unaware of a few bad habits. Here are 7 secrets to leaving better voicemail messages.

1. Start with something personal - Telemarketer calls are such a problem these days, people might think you are a spammer if you don't quickly say your name and why you are calling them. If you don't know the person well, it's best to say "Bob, this is Pam Smith, we met at the NAWBO luncheon last Tuesday and you asked me to follow up with you." Now you can be sure your message will be fully heard.

2. Keep it brief - Everyone is time pressed these days. Voicemail is no place to get into a long story. Just leave the tip of the iceberg and save all the juicy details for when they call you back.

3. Slow down - If you're at all nervous, there is a natural tendency to rush. It is better to speak slowly and clearly, even if it means you will have to distill your message down to its essence. When you talk too quickly, people often miss what you're saying.

4. Repeat your callback number - People are often distracted when they're listening to their voicemail playbacks. Even if you say your number slowly, they may miss some of it. That's why it's considerate to repeat it. That way the other person doesn't have to replay the whole message a second time.

5. If you're cranky, don't make phone calls - A person's energy comes through loud and clear over phone wires, so if you're having a bad day, focus on other tasks, or watch funny YouTube videos until you shake off your blues.

6. Don't call and hang up repeatedly - With some phone systems, it creates a voicemail for each call received, even if you don't speak. If you're in the habit of calling people repeatedly until they pick up, you may inadvertently create a situation where they have to sit and delete multiple blank messages from you before they can get to their actual voice messages. This does not build goodwill.

7. Script important messages - Certain messages are critical. For these types of messages, it's a good idea to write down your main points so that you don't lose your train of thought and ramble. As long as you can sound natural, it's okay to have some written words to guide you as you leave your message.

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Revolution of Call Forwarding Communication

Call forwarding is a telephonic feature that enables incoming telephone calls to be redirected to a different point of termination - this may be another extension in the same office premises or mobile phone, home phone, office phone or even voicemail.

The chief advantage of call forwarding feature is it ensures callers that their telephone calls are not missed even if the recipient is not available at his predetermined location. Call promoting diverts an incoming call to any directed phones such as mobile phone, home phone, office phone or even voicemail.

It ensures you do not miss out on any call and the caller is not confronted with annoying situations like no network, busy, out of reach, unable to receive call etc. Call forwarding services is a veritable boon for business owners and employees who traveled a lot.

This feature is usually of two types - Call Forwarding Variable and Call Forward Busy/No Response. Call Forwarding Variable is a feature that allows you to choose a number to which all your incoming calls can be directed.

Call Forwarding Busy/No Response is a feature that will enable all incoming calls to be transferred automatically when all of your lines are busy or no response after a select number of rings.

As the telecom technology keeps advancing, it is becoming more and more feasible to use remote call promoting features to redirect calls to any part of the world with relative ease. With this feature, you are no longer required to be physically present near your phone at all times but still not lose valuable business calls.

By availing call feature, you will be able to have callers reach you even during non-office hours and on holidays and also at any hour of your choice. Another feature also lets you block certain calls by sending them to voice mail based on the number calling.

Businesses favor this facility in view of the present-day global economy when business transactions take place sans borders. It is fact that today more and more business enterprises are having worldwide presence and international call promoting has become a powerful marketing tool.

Global feature provides users with a local number in any country that seamlessly forwards the incoming calls to their mobile or office/residential land phone.

Call forwarding feature, even if availed as a paid service, will more than pay for itself in the long run. Businesses that use this feature will be able to enlarge their customer-base, build robust customer-relationship, improve overall productivity and boost sales and concomitant profits.

Needless to say, when your customers have unfailing access to you, they will feel satisfied and are more likely to choose your products over your competitors who do not offer them the same call forwarding facility. Another advantage is it prevents callers from being faced with an impersonal voice mail message.

You can build your brand and popularize your products by activating your own local or international toll-free number. You can provide your customers/clients/employees/other stakeholders with a local or toll free number in the country they live in so they can simply reach you by dialing that local number.

This will not only make your customers feel as if they are conducting business with a local company, but it will also make them develop loyalty for your business.

Today, call forwarding feature is often included as a standard feature by many service providers - though advanced features may still be a paid option.

To get more information about fax number as well as finding more information about Business VOIP, check our website for updates.

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Are VoIP Phone Systems The Phone Lines Of The Future?

That very question is being asked by more than just you these days. The thing is, the reasons to get one greatly outweigh the reasons not to.

Why On Earth Would You Ever Consider A VoIP line?

• Discuss this with any business owner and you'll probably get a list of reasons supporting the use of this new phone system that looks a little something like the following:

• All those incoming calls will be at no extra charge.

• You won't need to devote your attention to your network but rather, you'll have time to devote to your business instead.

• All of your employees will also be able to pay attention to what they're doing and that will increase productivity as well.

• When you combine data networks and your phone, you can save money.

• Chances are you'll have IT professionals monitoring your phone system 24/7 for your support.

• Increased mobility.

• Increased convenience.

• Advanced features that are optional with free calling.

• Long distance and local rates are affordable.

• And the phone service itself is generally less expensive... Convinced yet?

Everyone Likes Extras That Don't Cost A Thing!

Finding an Internet connection is not always easy but with this service you will find yourself being able to work remotely from basically any location. 'Follow me', forwarding, conferencing, caller ID and voicemail are important features in the business world and necessary if your business is going to offer up any kind of competition to others. Everything that they have that you don't have puts you one step behind. Being one step behind in today's business world can be a death sentence for any company.

With Increased Focus Comes Increased Productivity And Efficiency

Whether you and your employees work from home or from the office, you will find it easier to access your network and maintain that access. Let's face it; staying connected is essential during work. When it comes to collaboration with other companies or clients better tools are offered because online conferencing can be utilized rather than expensive out of state travel.

You'll find that when you don't have to concentrate on IT, and rather have someone doing it for you, that you'll be able to focus on ways of increasing productivity, thanks to your new Communications System which is IP based. Further promoting productivity is the fact that this full featured business solution is easy to use, cost effective, converts voice to data and melds basically all your communications. You'll enjoy a secure network with a powerful combined communication system. You can now have your phone line on an IP network.

But How Will It Work To Better Your Particular Business?

Okay well, this one you are going to have to figure out with some assistance because every business is different. This phone line system is going to be, and in fact already is, an essential part of being able to compete in today's dog eat dog business world. With the economy in the shape that it is in, can you really afford to pass up a chance to increase your productivity?

By contacting someone that deals with these types of phone systems, you can undoubtedly receive a detailed analysis of just exactly how your business can be improved and advanced through this new technology.

Looking for an IP phone system today? Take a look at this website where you can find a great telephone system for small businesses or large businesses alike!

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Growing Preference for Phone Line Rental Arrangements

In the olden days, the phone line rental portion of the monthly bills formed but a small fraction. Times have changed with society's preference for mobile and Internet connectivity and, thus, rental for phone lines now has a larger piece of the monthly bill pie. The telecom companies then strive to offer a wide range of services for their customers to choose from, all in the bid to be competitive.

The question then is: Why switch from your present telecom provider to phone line lease arrangements? Your present business phone line may even be working just fine for your needs and wants in modern telecommunications so there seems to be no reason to switch.

At the very least, you are well-advised to consider it. Nothing will be lost when you consider such a switch while you have plenty to gain when you do make the switch. The growing preference for phone line rental arrangements is with good basis in fact.

First, there's no need to change your number and your telecom equipment. This is advantageous especially when your business telephone line is already well-established in the industry as the easiest way to communicate with your staff. Even when you are just renting the telecom equipment, your existing agreement on the matter stays as is except for a small difference - you will be billed for your calls and other line rentals.

No hassles, no inconvenience and no downtime. These are important in carrying on business as usual even when you are making the switch from your present telecom provider to your preferred phone line rental service.

Even the switch is easy to do. Just undergo the simple registration process and the service provider does all the rest. Yes, it will take around 14 days to make the switch effective but in the meantime, you can continue using your telecom equipment.

Second, the cost of maintaining your desired telecom package is cheaper in general than your existing arrangement. The affordability of the phone line lease package obviously depends on your final choice but it should not be a problem considering the wide variety of choices available such as:

• Broadband services start at £14.99 monthly with capacity of 8mb to 24mb coupled with free wireless router and fixed IP addressing;
• Business talk package with a starting price of £7.99 monthly inclusive of business line rental and calls;
• IT services inclusive of web and e-mail hosting, IT help desk, and bespoke solutions;
• Phone systems package starts at £129 per month inclusive of plug and play features

Other services available are inbound services and home talk. You should discuss your options with the phone line rental service provider.

Keep in mind that you want the right balance between the right costs for the services rendered and the right kinds of services provided by the company. For more information, please visit this link: Business Phone Line

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How a Virtual Phone System Changed My Home Business

When I first started my home-based cleaning business, I had a handful of clients whom I could count on. However, as time went by and my clientele grew larger, it became difficult to manage my telephone calls. A virtual phone system changed all of this, and now I am able to enjoy a larger client base than ever before-and I make more money as a result.

In The Beginning

When my business first got off the ground, there were so many expenses to contend with that I did not even consider adding a second telephone line at home, much less a virtual phone system. I used the existing telephone number-the same number on which my husband and children receive telephone calls-to take my business calls. When there were only a handful of clients, this was acceptable; these clients were friends and family members who did not mind the hustle and bustle of the household and were not shocked when my six-year-old daughter answered the phone. However, as the business grew, it became evident that something needed to change.

The Saturday that Changed it All

I can distinctly remember a particular client whom I will call Mr. Smith. He was an elderly gentleman who had lost his wife several years earlier, and he had hired me to come into his home once per week for light cleaning and laundry duties. After having been to Mr. Smith's home on several occasions, he began to call every now and then with something extra that he needed to have done, and this worked well up until the Saturday that changed my business forever. Mr. Smith called at about 10 o'clock that morning, but since I was in the shower, my daughter answered the telephone. Mr. Smith was unable to communicate with her clearly, and as a result, he disconnected the call with her.

The First Lost Client

I called Mr. Smith back immediately, but he was frustrated with his previous experience with my daughter and stated that he needed someone who was more professional to handle his cleaning needs. This was the first client I had ever lost and his words certainly stung, especially when my daughter had meant no harm. That day, I began researching the rates for adding a second line of service-a private line for the business-when I stumbled across an article for a virtual phone system. I was intrigued by this, but at the same time, I was a little put-off. After all, how could something so inexpensive be so effective?

The New Telephone Line

Since the installation fees associated with adding a line of service were non-existent and the monthly cost was affordable, I decided to go ahead and purchase the virtual phone system. Within just a few hours, everything I needed had been downloaded to my computer and I was ready to go. I was extremely shocked by how easy the interface was to navigate, and the auto attendant feature added that level of professionalism that clients like Mr. Smith would have appreciated. To this day, I have not lost another customer due to inferior communications, and I can easily forward calls from my virtual telephone to my mobile phone when I cannot be at home to take them.

While I can certainly understand the need to save money wherever possible when starting or running a home business, I can assure you that a virtual phone system will save you time and money in your ventures. As a matter of fact, it may even help you make more money than you ever thought possible.

This article was written by Kevin John, Online Marketing Executive at iTeleCenter. He has extensive marketing experience and is extremely knowledgeable about vanity numbers, 1800 numbers local numbers and toll free numbers in conjunction with virtual phone system. He is happy to share his knowledge with small business owners on how to protect company image.

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Category 6 Cable - Buyer's Guide

Any communication platform either voice or data transmission does not solely rely on the system itself, for an instance a VoIP phone system is directly dependent to the internet, however having a high speed connection is not what it only takes to experience business grade call quality, every component like the network router, IP phones and cables are as important as the Internet connection. Think of it as an orchestra of 10 musicians, even if 9 are playing perfectly it only takes one faulty musician to ruin the entire presentation.

A category 6 cable or simply cat 6 is now the primary option in the communication industry mainly because of it is able to deliver up to 500 MHz compared to the 250 MHz of the earlier category 5 cable. Cat 6 cables offers better performance and reliability over longer periods of time thus is ideal for networking and communication mediums and is used by 9 out of 10 network installation. The latter also possess fewer errors compared to any product in its class thus we can easily conclude that it is by far the best cabling available in the market today.

There are special considerations that you have to bear in mind before using a cat 6, like the maximum length of cable which is about 100 meters. General guideline is the consolidation point should be located at least 15 meters away from the telecommunications room to reduce the effect of connectors in close proximity. This recommendation is based upon worst-case performance calculations for short links with four mated connections in the channel.

The maximum bend or loop it can accommodate. Like any other types of wire it should not be kinked, pressed or twisted to prevent damage and ensure continuous satisfactory performance. During installation make sure that it will run in a cool dry place to prevent moisture and such. Also before buying one, be sure to discuss first with your network engineers about the specific requirements of the platform you wish to establish since there are several variants available all intended for different purposes.

You can easily by these cables in a local communication shops around your town, or even online either way make sure that they will give you a warranty for the item since cat 6 are not cheap and cause hundreds of dollars depending on the length that you need. Also be sure to check and cross check all the interoperability requirements and compatibility grounds of every component you will purchase including the cat 6 for a superb communication platform.

Melanie Thompson is a business start-up expert that specializes in telecom and her high standards was only met by Grovecoms communications supply.

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Virtual Phone System - The Secret to a Successful Home Business

There are many things to consider when it comes to running a successful home business, but communication with clients and customers is one of the most important. A virtual phone system is a great way to ensure that home business owners are never out of reach, even when they are not at home.

Always Available

The great thing about using a virtual phone system is that it allows the business owner to always be available to their clients and customers. While it may be important to set regular business hours and stick to them, it may not be feasible for the business owner to stay near the home telephone waiting for calls to come through. The virtual phone allows users to forward calls to mobile devices or other locations with just a few clicks of the mouse, and this is important for people who are always on the go. This way, running a business and a household at the same time becomes much easier, and business owners are less stressed and more productive.

Better Organization

One of the difficulties associated with running a small business from home is staying organized in the wake of household schedules and business schedules. Juggling telephone calls from schools, clients, customers, doctors and more can certainly become a hassle, particularly if all of the calls are coming in to the same telephone number. With a virtual phone system, it is easier for business owners to set up secondary telephone numbers, and this helps calls remain better organized. The desktop application makes it easier to check voicemails and view the calls that came in to each individual telephone number.

Call Management

Running a small business from home can be extremely difficult during busy periods, particularly when there is only the business owner to handle the call volume. A virtual phone system provides plenty of features that help with call management; everything from an auto attendant to information hotlines can make communication easier in the long run. When a call cannot be answered right away, the virtual voicemail system will pick it up and provide the business owner with a notification. This voicemail can be checked via any telephone at all or even through the desktop interface. Calls can be easily prioritized, and those calls that require immediate responses can be handled.

Cost Effectiveness

There are many different options available for handling communications needs in a home-based business, but none are as cost-effective as a virtual phone system. A single landline is expensive enough, but when a second is added to suit the needs of the business, the cost can grow exponentially. Jacks must be installed, hardware must be purchased, and expensive monthly fees are imposed. Virtual telephones do not require the purchase of any additional equipment, and the monthly fees are much less than those associated with typical landline services.

All in all, enjoying a successful home-based business comes from combining excellent products or services with great customer service. The quality of customer service provided has much to do with the type of communications selected, and a virtual phone system is always a fantastic choice.

This Article was written by Kevin John, Online Marketing Executive at iTeleCenter. He has extensive marketing experience and is extremely knowledgeable about vanity numbers, local numbers, toll free numbers and auto attendant in conjunction with virtual phone system. He is happy to share his knowledge with small business owners on how to protect company image.

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How PBX System Supports Small Business?

The PBX systems are becoming increasingly popular amongst small business enterprises for a variety of reasons. Because of the continuing demand, the manufacturers of PBX systems for small businesses are trying to make the system more and more sophisticated as well as affordable.

For a small business, effective and reliable communication with customers, employees, suppliers and other stakeholders is critically important. But at the same time, most small corporations can ill afford to buy or maintain expensive business phone systems.

A Private Branch Exchange (PBX) is a telephone switching system that manages incoming as also outgoing calls for a company's employees. The PBX is connected to the public phone system (PSTN) and automatically directs incoming calls to specific extensions. It also handles multiple lines.

A typical small company PBX system includes external and internal phone lines, a computer server that manages call switching and routing plus a console for manual operations.

An IP based PBX can replicate everything a traditional business PBX does and more. It performs the switching and connecting of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as well as landline calls.

A traditional PBX requires two separate networks - one for data and another for voice. But, an IP PBX system straightaway runs on an IP data network, which saves costs and also reduces network management for small businesses. You can get a business PBX with smart features that you would want for your business.

A small business can use IP phones, soft phones (which mean only a computer and a microphone headset) and landline phones for an IP PBX phone system. These PBXs have smart features such as time-of-day forwarding and real-time call records, time-of-day call routing, voicemail-to-email and fax-to-email - apart from a host of standard as well as advanced features.

Communication is critically important for all sizes of business enterprises including small corporations. There are today PBX systems specially designed for small businesses. These PBX systems are affordable, reliable and full-featured. They combine an IP PBX with robust telephony features to enhance business communications and to increase overall productivity.

You can greet your callers with a professional business greeting every time they call and give your small business the image of a large corporation.

With an intelligent queuing facility, the PBX can route your callers to the right employee in the right department all the time.

With a virtual PBX phone system, you can route incoming calls to any type of phone, anywhere. This is a boon to your employees who work from the office, from residence, work sites, or even those on the move.

These PBX systems are wholly scalable and you can keep expanding the size and adding features as your business grows - while only paying for what you need and use at any given point in time.

The latest trend amongst small businesses is Cloud PBX (a phone service which is provided via the internet) that is a scalable, flexible and reliable telephone solution. Because Cloud PBX operates through the internet, you can connect a telephone to the hosted PBX service regardless of geographic boundaries.

There is no need to bother about maintaining the PBX as the phone service provider is wholly responsible for your Cloud PBX system's maintenance. Choose a provider who owns the PBX technology and that way they are totally responsible for the systems. Make sure you receive 24/7 service back-up support. Also, check there are no hidden fees, taxes or charges.

To get more information about internet fax as well as finding more information about Business VOIP, check our website for updates.

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Are Rogue Call Centres Damaging the Industry?

A recent television expose highlighted the potential failings that call centres can slip into, if they do not keep up to date with the current rules and regulations

Recently BBC's Panorama did an excellent expose on the worst practices in the UK call centre market, practices which many businesses without the right processes and technology could quite easily find themselves falling into.

With the Information Commissioner's Office and OFCOM now able to impose fines of up to £2,000,000, can you afford not to be running a professional and compliant call centre?

The call center industry is heavily regulated, not from just one regulatory body, but several organisations, all of which telecommunication industries need to be aware of. So which regulations does your organisation need to comply with?

Telephone Preference Service

The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) was formed due to the large volumes of unsolicited sales and marketing telephone calls from call centres. TPS allows consumers to register their details to prevent sales calls to them, however over recent years, with the considerable expansion of the call centre industry, some organisations are choosing to ignore this regulation or are unaware of how to be fully compliant.

Panorama highlighted blatant disregard for the TPS regulations by showing a call centre contacting consumers multiple times a day despite them being TPS registered and continually asking to receive no further marketing phone calls.

OFCOM

OFCOM is considered the chief regulatory authority that all call centres need to comply with, and has recently been given additional powers to investigate and hand out substantial fines to companies who continues to ignore set regulations.

There are some key practices to ensure your organisation stays fully compliant:

Calling line identification must be presented on all outbound calls from call centres using automated calling systems, therefore allowing the consumers to access the telephone number of the organisation calling them.
Telephone numbers dialled and then abandoned should not be called again by that organisation's automated calling system for at least 72 hours, unless a dedicated operator is available to take the call.
Abandoned call rates must not exceed 3% of live calls for any 24-hour period for each campaign.
Any abandoned calls must carry a brief recorded information message which identifies the source of the call and offers the person called an opportunity to decline further calls from that source. The message must be played within two seconds of the telephone being answered.
Unanswered calls must ring for a minimum of 15 seconds.
Answer-machine detection must meet a highly defined criteria, with your false positive rate factored into your overall dropped call percentage.

PCI

PCI compliance is the most recent regulation that many call centres need to comply with, due to the ever increasing amount of fraud cases which are costing the banking industry millions of pounds per year.

The 16-digit credit card number can be worth a lot of money to unscrupulous people and extremely costly to your organisation if you have not taken the appropriate steps to prevent that data from falling into the wrong hands.

If you are collecting credit card details it is your responsibility to ensure you are collecting them in a PCI compliant way, which includes ensuring the information is not recorded as part of any call recording, through to storing the information securely and preventing unauthorised access to this data.

Regulation is good for the industry; however the regulatory and compliance landscape can be more complex than initially expected. Often the regulations do nothing more than promotes best practice and common sense.

To remain compliant businesses must embrace technology. From predictive dialler software with Ofcom compliant answer machine detection and PCI compliant call recorders, businesses need to know what regulations they must adhere to and what technology will support them.

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Communications Supply - Category 6 Cable

Category 6 cables or often referred to as Cat 6 was first released in the first trimester of 2008 and has changed the standards of industry since then. It is mainly used for internet connection and other networking platforms that offer better performance, better crosstalk capabilities meaning it produces less undesired effect on other mediums and greater wave lengths compared to its predecessor the cat 5.

Generally Category 6 cables appear like ordinary wires but it is designed to be more stringent and better wave lengths reaching p to 500 MHz compared to the 250 of a cat 5. Like any other product in its class in have four pairs of twister wires which have significantly lower diameter connectors of 22 AGW compared to the 24 AWG of earlier connectors that results to better and more efficient transmission ideal for today's high speed transmission of data and voice.

The ideal maximum length for optimum performance should only be 100 meters or 328 feet but when used with a 10GBASE-T the length should only be up to 55 meters or 180 feet, however since external factors may affect the overall data transmission and as of today there is no guaranteed way of testing its effects it best that you undergo it through a series of electrical testing to determine the pros and cons of your installation.

Category 6 cables can be purchased in almost any communication supply shops either over the internet or locally in your area. Be sure to read the specifications first and talk to your network engineers about the compatibility and other concerns before using it. You can also check online about professional recommendations and feedbacks from real users so you'll get firsthand reviews.

As for the installation, be sure that wires should be grounded properly and secured properly for safety purposes you can use ducts and fasteners to join it together and cable shields to avoid direct contact with skin and factors that can cause damage. It should be kinked or folded, as well the maximum bend radius should only be four times the outer diameter of the cable to prevent packet loss during data transmission and ensure the stability of performance.

If you have managed to address all the special considerations then you can be sure to enjoy the benefits of product for many years to come and you can tell the significant difference from its predecessors.

Melanie Thompson is a business start-up expert that specializes in telecom and her high standards was only met by Grovecoms communications supply.

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