CloudPhone Blog

Growing small businesses often struggle with phone services that are difficult to set up and costly to scale to their ever-changing needs. So, if you’re like most small businesses, your phone service is a major pain point and sometimes even causes more communications blunders than it solves. With all the options on the market, it can be difficult for small business owners to find the right phone service to fit their needs, but with a cloud-based phone service all those stress-inducing thoughts can become a thing of the past.

Photo courtesy of Sebastiaan ter Burg

There's a number of cloud phone service options that are specially designed to provide full service telephone capabilities to the small business owner without costly equipment or difficult installation. In fact, by utilizing the reliable technology and feature-rich functionality of the right cloud phone solution, small businesses can unlock the potential benefits hidden within the phones they already have.

Here’s how a cloud-based phone service will change your small business for good…

Eliminate Hardware Costs         

A cloud phone service can give your business the professional image you're looking for without requiring any special on-site hardware for you or a technical person to manage. Incoming calls placed to your business phone number, which is nestled in the cloud, can be forwarded to your employees' existing cells through simple extensions for each employee or department. This type of web-based phone solution not only makes things easy for you to manage, but it also gives the perception of a bigger business.

Convenient Calling Features

With a cloud phone service, you get all the amenities you love from a sophisticated phone system – a single business number, a customizable professional greeting and extensions that can reach employees worldwide -- without all the things you don’t, like upfront fees, bulky hardware and costly maintenance. Plus, with all calls routing from a single business phone number, a cloud-based phone service removes the necessity for you and your team to use personal cell phone numbers for business communications.

Connect From Anywhere

If missed calls, lost messages and tracking down employees have dented your bottom-line, a cloud-based phone solution could be the answer to your communication problems. The ideal cloud-based communication service connects everyone in the company on any device through a single business phone number. Not only does it save a ton of money on long-distance and international calls, but it’s also a great solution for mobile employees and companies that don’t have a traditional office setting. 

The truth is, there isn’t a business phone service available that is easier to set up and manage than a cloud-based phone service. Owning a business can be overwhelming, but Voxox Cloud Phone can help take the complexity out the equation and simplify your life, so you can focus on more important things, like running your business!

Does your company use a cloud-based phone service to stay in touch? Or, do you have questions on how to get started? Join the conversation by posting in the comments below or connecting with us on social media – Facebook, Twitter. 

You want to take a vacation this summer. But you can’t afford to completely shut your company's doors for two weeks. Have no fear – your virtual PBX service is here to help.

Entrepreneurs are busy people. Early meetings, long days and late nights make for success– but come summertime everyone wants to get out and enjoy the sunshine. While many might think they can’t take a break without putting a hold on business matters, the truth is cloud technologies like virtual PBX allow entrepreneurs to keep tabs on their business while globetrotting.

Here are a few convenient ways you can use a virtual PBX service to stay in touch with colleagues and clients while abroad:

1. Keep your same number, even abroad.

Making clients pay to call you (aka international fees) is never a "feel good" moment. Plus, clients can get confused by the international area codes, so you might miss important calls and business opportunities, etc.. With a virtual PBX service, you can keep your same number no matter where you are. Say you're traveling in Mexico, but your virtual number (from your virtual PBX service) has a U.S. area code. All your U.S. contacts can reach you via your dedicated U.S. business number, regardless of your actual location, and you can pick and choose which business calls to take and which ones to send to voicemail. 

2. Manage your phone system from anywhere.

Having complete control of your business phone system is important and saves a lot of headaches. Managing bills and settings with a virtual PBX system is easy. Since virtual PBXs are web-based services you can change your settings from anywhere around the world. Add a line, remove a line, read notifications, etc. No matter what you need to do, it can be done from your app or browser. Make sure you select a virtual PBX provider with a simple user experience yet robust features and functionality.

3. Transfer calls on the fly.

Have you ever been on an important phone call, only to have to hang up because of a dead cell battery? It happens more than you might want, and slows down business. That’s where call transfer comes in handy. When your business phone number is through a virtual PBX system, it's possible to transfer calls on the fly from one device to another wherever you are in the world. Say your mobile that you've been using on WiFi has a low battery. Just switch over to your hotel room phone while it charges. Not all virtual PBX services offer this feature, so ask before you buy because it's very handy for travel!

4. Call recording.

Say you want to take advantage of your new time zone for a quick call with an international business contact who has the opposite work time schedule with you when you're at home. Record your call and send it over to your team back at home and delegate some action items!  When you select your virtual PBX service provider, take a look at the feature list and make sure you see the call recording feature on there. Super convenient. 

5. View faxes anywhere.

Faxes may be on the way out as far as popular business communications go. But when you need to read them, you need to read them. Say you need to review a time-sensitive contract for your colleagues back home to sign off on. Rather than bottlenecking their progress until you’re back in the office, have them fax you the contract. Take a look and shoot them a call, text or email approval. It’s that easy, and your clients (and staffers!) will appreciate your attention.

With a virtual PBX phone system and a little know-how, it’s possible for entrepreneurs to take a break without completely shutting their doors for business. Before you head out on your getaway, be sure to find the perfect virtual PBX system for your needs (we can help!) and don’t forget to check back for Part 2 of this post, which highlights a few ways you can avoid roaming charges while abroad.

Over the past few years, the business communications landscape has changed dramatically. From the rise of social media, to the influx of smartphone users, it’s obvious that technologies affect the way we communicate-- and businesses around the world are working hard to adapt in order to better reach their customers. So what’s in store for 2015?  Virtual numbers.

While virtual numbers are not a new thing, they are the new thing for small businesses in the recent past and increasingly so in the coming year. Virtual numbers not only save businesses money by removing the need for expensive equipment and set-up fees, but they also offer a slew of other perks, like giving callers a more professional vibe and in-call features you’d only dream of getting with an expensive phone system.

Here's a look into how virtual numbers will shape your business communications this year…

1. Mobile advantage. 

Virtual numbers leverage something that practically everyone keeps on their person at all times: their cell phones. For small teams, dealing with vendors and generally keeping things running takes up enough time, so if you have to chase after a ringing desk phone or be at a desk to listen to messages, chances are inquiries from potential customers will go unanswered. Much easier to keep connected through a virtual PBX service, whether you’re on the go or in the office.

2. High tech features. 

Toll-free numbers, extensions, call forwarding, and an auto attendant are just a few examples of the cool (and useful) features you get with virtual numbers. Not only do these tools help you provide better communications for your customers and team members, but they also give the appearance of a large corporation. Even if your small business has just a few employees, you have the ability to make your business look as large as you desire, as your auto attendant can route callers to individual extensions or departments such as sales, customer service, and billing.

3. Global connectivity.

Since virtual numbers can travel with you anywhere your cellphone gets reception, they can keep you, your highly mobile staff or your remote workers in touch – no matter where on the globe you may go. Plus, when purchasing virtual numbers you have the ability to choose the numbers’ area codes, which could position you as a local business in many places at the same time.

While there are always new challenges to tackle with each new year,  there are also a lot of terrific opportunities thanks to the continually advancing communications technologies, and the proliferation of virtual numbers is a great example. Most of the changes we’ll see in the next few years have already started to happen, but they will continue to accelerate—giving forward thinking businesses a leg up on the competition. The future is already here, but is your business ready?

What technological challenges and opportunities do you see in store for new businesses in 2015?