CloudPhone Blog

For music-lovers, summer is concert season, filled with warm weather, cold drinks, shorts and dresses, outdoor venues, tailgating—all the things you dream about during a long, cold winter.  Whether you’re attending a three-day music festival or a one-night show, listening to live music fills you with the kind of joy you can’t find anywhere else.

As the owner of a new small business, however, it seems like you might have to skip this concert season to make sure you are available to deal with anything that comes your company’s way. But don’t cancel those ticket orders just yet, because with a cloud phone small business phone number, you can see all the shows you want and keep your business rocking.  

A cloud communications application helps you manage your business on-the-go  by providing communications services through your mobile phone, smartphone or laptop. So as you wait for your favorite band to come out on stage you remain reachable to colleagues and customers alike with mobile features like:  

• Reach Me Anywhere. Cloud communications connects incoming business calls to you or your staff wherever you choose, on any device. If you and your friends decide to catch the concert’s opening act and you know you’ll be unable to answer the phone, you can have calls routed to multiple employees, ensuring that someone will be able to answer.
• Auto Attendant. No matter where you are, when customers reach out to you they are greeted professionally and presented with menu options to connect them to the correct department. If you need to close your office unexpectedly on a given day you can alter your greetings digitally from anywhere you have an Internet connection.
• Voicemail Transcription. Voicemails are automatically transcribed and delivered to your email, allowing you to read messages like an email. So if you are unable to hear an urgent message due to the fact that 120 decibels of music are invading your ear canals, you’ll be able to read it word-for-word in your email and answer the call immediately if necessary. 

With all these great features you might think only rock stars would be able to afford cloud communications, but in fact, it will help you cut your current phone expenses. With a system maintained by a third-party host you don’t need to worry about paying for installation or equipment updates, which means you’ll be able to afford all the concert tickets you have your eye on. 

There are few feelings as frustrating as being stuck late at work on a beautiful day while all your friends are out having a good time. When you adopt a cloud-based phone service you never have to experience that feeling again, because you can manage your business from any location, even if you are surrounded by your fellow music-lovers as they dance the night away.

It’s summer again, which means the options for family activities are innumerable. Should you take your kids to a water park, a mini golf course, or on a ferry ride? 

You are thrilled to be on a day trip, but as a small business owner you are also slightly worried about being out of touch for the entire day. As you know all too well, in the business world missing an important call or message could cost you a key opportunity.

With a cloud communications application like Cloud Phone, a small business phone system maintained completely through the web, you can fully enjoy a trip to the zoo—or anywhere else for that matter--without worrying that an opportunity is flying past you.

 A cloud-based phone system can provide you with features that maximize your mobile capabilities, such as:

• Auto Attendant: Callers are greeted professionally by your company’s name and then presented with menu options that can expertly route your callers to the correct department , even if every department is really just one person at the zoo with his or her kids
• Voicemail Transcription: Voicemails are automatically transcribed before they’re delivered, allowing you to be able to read your messages just like email. So if there’s a ruckus going on at the baboon exhibit and you’re unable to hear an urgent message, simply check your email where the voicemail will be made readable.
• Reach Me Anywhere: Cloud Phone connects your incoming business calls to you or your staff wherever you choose, on any device. If you know you’ll be unable to answer a call, you can have calls routed to multiple employees, ensuring that someone will be able to answer.

 As if those features weren’t enough, because a cloud-based system doesn’t require any hardware it’s far less vulnerable to hurricanes or other disasters as well. Calls to your business-specific number—provided when you sign up for Cloud Phone—rings to your mobile phone so that when that fierce afternoon thunderstorm rolls in and knocks out power in your office, your system stays right as rain.

 Communicating with an application like Cloud Phone is easier, less costly, and more efficient than a legacy wire-based system—an impossible combination to beat. And you need all the help you can get, because like the animal kingdom, the business world is survival of the fittest. So if you’re looking to do better business this summer, consider taking a closer look at Cloud Phone from Voxox.

As a successful freelance graphic designer, you’ve relied on your creativity and freedom of expression to build a solid customer base. Maybe you like to work on the train, from a home office or in a coffee shop. Regardless, of your work location the end result is always a beautiful design your customers love.

Photo Courtesy Flickr User Paul

As your business begins to expand, your needs also start to change. For instance, you don’t feel comfortable giving some of the newer, bigger clients your personal mobile number for fear of appearing unprofessional. As your client base grows, you also are doing more traveling to meetings in other parts of the country.

Maybe you are even considering bringing on an employee or two, perhaps for billing or other administrative tasks. You are a little concerned, however, about extending your communications capabilities on what is still a relatively tight budget. Cloud Phone, is the perfect solution for any type of growing business. Cloud Phone turns your mobile phone into a small business phone system with all the bells and whistles.

A modern cloud-based phone service will help you to obtain a business-specific phone number that rings directly to your cell phone, meaning you no longer have to give out your personal number. If you hire new employees, the system lets you set up extensions for those workers which also rings directly to their mobile phones.

Cloud Phone has an easy to use web interface that lets you set up a customized company greeting simply by accessing your settings through the web interface and typing the message into a text box. You’ll no longer have to worry about what customers are hearing when they call and you can’t answer because you’re doing business “on the go.” If you’re worried about installation or maintenance costs, don’t be: The system is maintained in the cloud by Voxox, meaning setup and upkeep expenses are nil.

As you continue to grow your business, keep an eye on the technological tools that can make life and business easier for you. We may not have your talent for design, but hopefully we’ve made life a little easier and even helped to create a bright picture for your future.

INTRODUCTION:

The list post is one of the most popular and readable blog formats on the web. It is composed of -- you guessed it -- a list, and includes short explanatory paragraphs about each item.

Use your introduction as a way to tell the reader how this collection of ideas will help them. Keep it light by including a personal story. If you have any data that you can include relating to your list, include that in your introduction, too.

Here are some examples of how we use list blog posts here at HubSpot:

• The 7 Worst Types of Headlines (And How to Fix Them)
• 5 Major Challenges Marketers Face (And How to Solve Them)
• The Top 10 Qualities of High-Quality List Posts

BODY:

Now deliver what you promised in the first section. This is the longest part of the post, so make it easy to read. Use short paragraphs, bullet lists, and bold headings to set different sections apart.

Some common section headers include:

1. Reason #1 why writing a list-based post is helpful

2. Reason #2 why writing a list-based post is super helpful to your marketing

3. Reason #3 why everyone should be writing list-based posts

You can use bulleted lists, numbered list, or multiple headings. Include as many steps, numbers, or bullets that will allow you to discuss your topic thoroughly.

Here are some pointers to make the best possible body of your blog:

• Include visuals
• Include short explanatory phrases in your headers
• At the end, transition into your conclusion

CONCLUSION:

Now it’s time to say goodbye and wrap up your post. Remind your readers of your key takeaway, reiterate what your readers need to do to get the desired result, and ask a question about how they see the topic to encourage comments and conversation. Don't forget to include a Call-to-Action!

Congratulations! What a lovely list post you've created!

One of the fantastic things about signing up for Cloud Phone is that in just about 2 minutes you have a fully functional, and ready-to-use, business phone system. The service simply works, and without the complicated configuration common in other solutions.

Not everyone has the same needs though, and not everyone wants the system to work the way it's automatically configured. In this post, I'll show you the two most common ways that customers configure their accounts and show you how to make the most of the Cloud Phone mobile app.

Need more help? Here are some other great resources:

• Quick Start Guide: Account Management Portal
• Support: Technical Assistance Center
• Video Tutorial: Account Management Portal

To get started let's talk about how we make sure your account is ready-to-use immediately after you sign up for an account.

Company Information

During sign up, the most important part of the process is the ability for you to pick your virtual phone number. You should think about this number as your company's main phone number. Today, you can choose a toll free number or a local number from the United States or Canada. Your Caller ID settings are configured automatically to use this number and our cloud based platform instantly configures the routing on our platform to ensure the number reaches you. (Coming soon! New interface for picking numbers and international numbers.)

The name and company fields aren't just used for profile settings. They get added to a company greeting template that is used when someone calls your business number. Calls are automatically routed to the pre-configured auto attendant which plays the greeting.

"Thank you for calling COMPANY. Please dial 1 for NAME, or 9 to leave a message."

To really make the service work immediately we take the mobile number you enter during signup and use that as the location where we route calls from your business number. We also send notifications for voicemails and faxes here.

All of these settings are configurable, but these are the default settings.

So to recap;

1. Picking your number starts the configuration on our platform.
2. Company and First Name are used to configure greetings.
3. Routing is configured based on your mobile number
4. Notifications are sent to email and mobile

Now, on to the 2 most common configurations...

Configuration #1: Small Business Is Big Business

I really like this setup because it provides significant benefit to our customers. Regardless of the size of a business, where they work from (office, home, coffee shop, the car, etc...), or how successful they are --- this is the plan that supports the dream of every business owner.

What does that mean? It means that no one gets into business to not be successful. Everyone starts with a dream, and hopefully they dream of making it big and their idea turns into a huge success --- but we all have to start somewhere, and often that somewhere is a business of just one person!

Here's a notable statistic; there are over 33 million MSME's in North America1. MSME stands for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and they are normally defined as a business with less than 10 employees.

When you are a business of just one, or just a few - you can't afford to appear less than professional or to miss out on opportunies. This configuration plays off these key features;

• Company Greeting & Main Menu - Setting up a professional greeting ensures that your company makes a great first impression. Main Menu options (Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Finance, Press 3 for Media Inquiries) can help create the perception of a larger company, even when all the options ring to one person.
• Toll Free Number - A toll free number can instantly create the perception of a more established and professional company.
• Call Management - Cloud Phone provides a sophisticated yet simple call routing feature set that includes call routing, call screening, and call transfer. The bottom line is you can stay connected to your business from anywhere in the world and connect team members regardless of their location.

Here are the basic steps to setup this option;

1. If you have more than one employee, simply "Add an Extension". This button is located on the main page of the account management portal and let's you quickly add others.
2. Next, go to the "Greetings" tab of the main navigation to customize your greetings and setup your Main Menu options.
3. If you didn't select a toll-free number during sign up, go to the "Account" section and you can add a toll free number.
4. To configure your call management settings, simply click on the Extension Card on the main page of the portal for the extension you want to manage. (Coming Soon! Revisions to this page to simplify extension management)

Now your new business number is configured and ready to use.

Configuration #2: All Work No Play

One of the most common requests we get from customers is, "How do I get calls to just ring through to me?". When I think about this persona, I imagine the always on the go entrepreneur. Perhaps it's a busy real estate agent, an event planner, or an online seller - but it's someone who knows that connecting with their customer is critical to their business. These "go-getters" don't want to put their customers through a series of menu options or screen the calls, they want to connect as quickly as possible.

They need a dedicated business number that just forwards to them, wherever they are.

Here's how to set it up;

1. From the portal, head to the "Numbers" area of the "Account" section. Once there just select the gear icon and change the Call Behavior from Auto Attendant to "Connect to Phone".
2. Next, head over to the Extension card and the "Call Settings" area in order to disable Call Screening.

That's it! Now calls to your business number will bypass the Auto Attendant and ring directly to your phone. Callers won't be screened and you'll be able to connect to them quickly and efficiently.

Bonus Tip: Download the Mobile App

We recently released our mobile app which gives you full access to manage your virtual phone service and access additional features like call recording, conference calling, eavesdrop and flip.

Most importantly the app is the first product from Voxox to leverage our patent pending voice codec which greatly out performs other apps when it comes to call quality.

In conclusion, I hope your takeaway from this is that Cloud Phone is powerful, yet simple solution to simplify your business communications. Eliminate the expensive, hardware based solutions and join us in the cloud. 

As always, if you need any help with your Cloud Phone account you can always reach out to our amazing support team or message me directly.

INTRODUCTION:

The list post is one of the most popular and readable blog formats on the web. It is composed of -- you guessed it -- a list, and includes short explanatory paragraphs about each item.

Use your introduction as a way to tell the reader how this collection of ideas will help them. Keep it light by including a personal story. If you have any data that you can include relating to your list, include that in your introduction, too.

Here are some examples of how we use list blog posts here at HubSpot:

• The 7 Worst Types of Headlines (And How to Fix Them)
• 5 Major Challenges Marketers Face (And How to Solve Them)
• The Top 10 Qualities of High-Quality List Posts

BODY:

Now deliver what you promised in the first section. This is the longest part of the post, so make it easy to read. Use short paragraphs, bullet lists, and bold headings to set different sections apart.

Some common section headers include:

1. Reason #1 why writing a list-based post is helpful

2. Reason #2 why writing a list-based post is super helpful to your marketing

3. Reason #3 why everyone should be writing list-based posts

You can use bulleted lists, numbered list, or multiple headings. Include as many steps, numbers, or bullets that will allow you to discuss your topic thoroughly.

Here are some pointers to make the best possible body of your blog:

• Include visuals
• Include short explanatory phrases in your headers
• At the end, transition into your conclusion

CONCLUSION:

Now it’s time to say goodbye and wrap up your post. Remind your readers of your key takeaway, reiterate what your readers need to do to get the desired result, and ask a question about how they see the topic to encourage comments and conversation. Don't forget to include a Call-to-Action!

Congratulations! What a lovely list post you've created!

To most everyone’s delight—particularly after a nightmarish winter--summer has finally arrived, meaning a lot of folks will be getting ready for that long-awaited summer vacation. The salty Italian air, waves crashing on the beach, tan skin, hot sun’s rays—you have been dreaming about it for weeks!

The only thing strong enough to break you out of this dreamlike haze and bring you back to reality is the remembrance that you are the owner of a small business, and while you do trust your colleagues, you also know that as the head honcho it is always possible that something only you can handle could come up.

This is a problem scenario, but one with a solution—a cloud-based phone service. A small business phone service offers an array of capabilities that will benefit you and your business no matter where you may be traveling this season.

Let’s take a look at some of the fantastic features that a cloud-based phone service offers:

• Auto Attendant: Customers are greeted in a big business manner, guided to the correct department. So you can rest assured that even if you are touring the Vatican or at a winery in Florence your customers are being well served.
• Reach Me Anywhere: Connects your incoming business calls to anywhere, on any device. You won’t have to worry about missing important business calls overseas because your cloud service will connect them all to your phone. Relaxing on the Italian coast? No problem! You are still in reach for “can’t-miss” calls.
• Voicemail Transcription: Voicemails are converted to text before they’re delivered, so you can read the message if listening isn’t an option—and on vacation, sometimes it simply isn’t.

Using a cloud-based phone service allows your small business to conquer all of the problems travel presents for a small business owner like Roman Empire conquering Italy. And doesn’t every business want a phone system that helps it triumph over all challengers?

As a business owner or professional, chances are you’re being pulled into 10 different directions throughout the day, meaning you’re running around and outside the office, away from your desk. So what happens when an important client unexpectedly calls your office number or a colleague sends you an urgent email?

Well we hate to break it to you; if you have a legacy phone system, you’re just plain out of luck. However, with cloud communications you don’t ever have to experience FOMO (fear of missing out) again.

With a cloud communications application like Cloud Phone, business leaders can break away from the shackles of their desks. You can easily conduct business per usual while on the go and Cloud Phone gives you a fully featured phone platform that’s 100 percent “in the cloud.” That means there is no expensive hardware to buy, nothing complex to maintain, and no reason to worry about downtime or other complications.

Cloud Phone connects your incoming business calls to you wherever you choose, on any device whether it’s a smartphone, tablet or laptop. The best part? You can also have calls routed to multiple employees simultaneously to ensure no call ever goes unanswered.

The voicemail to email notification feature delivers voicemails instantly to your email, so you never have to dial in to access your voicemail again. What’s more, its voicemail transcription feature automatically transcribes voicemails, so you can read important messages when you can’t listen

Stop living in the past with legacy communication technology and step into the “now” with cloud communications. You’ll never experience FOMO again. 

A huge perk of the modern business landscape: an advanced communications package doesn’t have to break the bank.

There is no way around it; legacy phone systems are expensive. Their cost structures are loaded with fees and up-charges, and the complex infrastructure they require is enough to cripple startups with limited resources. Not only are they pricy to install, but downtime and repairs are commonplace as well.

Luckily, small business virtual phones provide a powerful and intuitive alternative for a company looking to leave its mark on an industry. Consider the two side-by-side:

• Legacy wire-based system: Single, dedicated lines with no free calling (international calls are outrageously expensive), huge upgrade and extension costs, and extra charges for call waiting, call forwarding, and call transferring.
• Small business virtual phone system: Maintained by a host over the Internet, with free peer-to-peer calling, scalable and costless upgrades and a variety of big business features like a professional auto attendant, voicemail-to-email notification, Reach Me Anywhere call forwarding and voicemail transcription.

Virtual phone systems make good financial sense because they require little-to-no additional training for employees or customers. Their intuitive interfaces operate on the backs of technology most are already familiar with—namely smartphones, laptops and tablets—completely negating the time and expense of training and the time it takes to start collaborating effectively. 

If your new company is looking for a way to make it through what can be a rough first year or two, consider making a small business virtual phone one of your allies. Because you’ve never had a friend like this. 

Ever been caught daydreaming and someone jokingly tells you to “get your head out of the clouds?” Well, when it comes to your small business phone system, the cloud isn’t a distraction—it actually provides major benefits like: 

Big Savings: With a cloud based phone system, you don’t have to worry about complicated, expensive equipment. You avoid unnecessary spending on hardware installation and maintenance, and also receive just one low monthly bill, meaning it is convenient as well as inexpensive.

Improved customer service: A small business phone system allows you to collaborate with customers and colleagues through your mobile device, significantly improving your ability to promptly answer important calls. With Reach Me Anywhere you can have calls routed to you or any of your staff anywhere, on any device, so customers get the service they need when they are in a pinch.

Professionalism:  Oftentimes small businesses struggle to project an established image, but with a small business phone system these organizations are indistinguishable from large corporations. From the business-specific phone number, to the professional auto attendant greeting, you get everything the “big boys” in your industry have. 

So if you’re in the process of re-examining your phone service, consider the fact that these small business systems were designed for companies just like you. So chances are they are going to be a better fit for your needs. So again, feel free to keep your head in the cloud—your bottom line will thank you later.