CloudPhone Blog

Every business is unique, but one thing all companies have in common is the need for effective, efficient and reliable means of communication. When it comes to phone communications there are a number of options to choose from, each with varying costs, contracts and capabilities—but there’s one that stands out among the rest: cloud based phone systems!

Cloud based phone systems sound and act like traditional phone lines, but since they are hosted in the cloud and run over your existing cell or landline, there are a plethora of advantages—like no expensive hardware to buy or maintain and the ability to go mobile. As a small business owner managing the daily operations of your growing business, you have more to worry about than installing a new phone system. By choosing a cloud based system you’re taking the worry (and expense) out of the equation.

So, if you're considering a change, here are 5 signs a cloud based phone system is right for your business:

1. You Have a Growing Team

Choosing a cloud phone system is one of the best ways to ensure you’ll be able to scale your business. Since these systems are hosted in the cloud, you can easily add or remove lines—both local and 800 numbers—all with just a click of a button from your cloud based management portal. Want to add an extension? That’s easy too. And, many cloud phone providers offer contract-free service, allowing you the freedom to do what is right for your business.

2. You Want Professional Features

You want a professional voicemail greeting, voicemail transcription, business SMS and call forwarding, but don’t want to break the bank? With a cloud phone system you can have it—and more. Today’s cloud phone systems have all the advanced features you want and need, including the ability to add multiple extensions, message management, call forwarding, voicemail, business SMS, and different physical phone options. It’s like having a Fortune 500 phone system in your pocket, for a fraction of the cost.

3. You Need Remote Capabilities

If being tied to a desk isn’t for you or your team, you need a cloud based phone system. Cloud phone systems can easily be hooked up to ring on your cell—or any phone of your choice (your home landline, hotel room, office line or at the lake house). The name of the game is convenience and a cloud phone system lets you take it anywhere.

4. You're Crunched for Time

Whether you don’t have time to wait for technicians to set up (and inevitably fix) a traditional business phone system, or you’re on the go and can’t wait for a phone call at your desk, a cloud based phone system has you covered. With features like find-me-follow-me, voicemail transcription and a cloud based account management portal, you can be connected from anywhere, on any device—on your time.

5. You Want to Save Money

Does the idea of saving on your phone bill make you and your accountant happy? Because there’s no expensive hardware to buy or maintain, and no-rerouting or wires to deal with, a cloud phone system gives you all the features you want and need (and probably more) for much less than a traditional business phone system. Plus, since many offer service with no contract and the ability to add or remove lines as you need (with no minimums or service fees), you’ll be saving money left and right.

If you like saving time and money, sounding professional, and being mobile, a cloud business phone system is just what you and your business needs. If you’re ready to take the plunge (in this case it’s 1 easy step that take less than 2 minutes), we’re here to help. Take your business to the next level today with a reliable, easy to use, and affordable cloud phone system.

According to textjury.com, text messages have a 209% higher response rate than phone, email or Facebook and 90% of text messages are read within three minutes! But how do you keep the right balance with effective mobile marketing vs. annoying your customers? Here are a few do’s and don’ts (with more stats from techjury.com) to follow before you hit send.

Do’s

1. Send coupons and promotions! Consumers redeem SMS-delivered coupons 10 times more than other types of coupons.

2. Keep it short and sweet. A concise message highlights the value proposition of an offer more effectively because of the limited space—and let’s face it, lengthy messages usually fall in the TLDR category.

3. Start a conversation. As many as 45% of people reply to branded text messages they receive.

4. Make a plan. A well-defined and persistent text campaign will set you up for SMS marketing success. Be sure to review analytics regularly and make changes as necessary to enjoy the greatest returns.

Don’ts

1. If customers or potentials have not opted in, don’t hit send. While a whopping 75% want to be texted deals, promotions and updates once they’ve checked yes, unauthorized consumers will most likely be turned off by your messages.

2. Never forget the power of loyalty programs. Loyalty SMS is the new loyalty card (except they can’t be lost or put through the wash). More than two thirds of consumers who enroll in an SMS loyalty program benefit from their participation—and your business will too!

3. Generic links have got to go! Using concise, branded links in your text message marketing campaigns can improve conversion rates.

4. If you think your clientele isn’t tech savvy enough for mobile marketing, think again. While not everyone has a smartphone with internet access, 5 billion people in the world can send and receive SMS messages—which means SMS marketing allows you to reach mobile users that other advanced marketing campaigns cannot.

So why use text message marketing? It’s affordable, has a wide reach, and reaps a higher open and response rate than many other conventional marketing channels—and only about 35% of marketers currently use SMS to reach their customers! If you’re looking to gain an edge over the competition, creating a text message marketing campaign should be at the top of your list!

If you're like most people, your email inbox is flooded with offers and promotions from businesses that you'll never open or respond to. You may also be receiving phone calls from suppliers and vendors wishing to sell you products that you don't have time to chat about. So why do they keep coming? Because these companies haven't switched over to business SMS.

To put it frankly, phone calls and emails are becoming increasingly less desired when it comes to consumer communication, and texting is the new frontier. According to a recent SMScomparison.com infographic post, when given the option between text and phone call, over half of all consumers would prefer text messaging for customer support—and texting just outperforms, with 95% of all text messages opened and responded to within 3 minutes of being delivered, compared to emails which have just a 20% open rate.

While we think these numbers speak for themselves, here are a few other stats from SMSComparison to get you thinking about business text messaging:

• Text messaging is the #1 preferred communication for customer support
• 95% of texts are read and responded to within 3 minutes of being delivered
• 3 out of 4 customers want offers sent via text message
• 90% of customers have gained value from text message loyalty programs
• 9 out of 10 consumers would like to communicate with businesses through text message, whether this be through sending alerts, reminders, back and forth communication, etc.
• More than 50% of users prefer text message over phone calls from businesses
• 98% of text message are opened compared to 20% of emails
• Average CTR for text message is 9.18%, compared to 0.90% for Facebook
• 64% more likely to perceive a business in a positive light when they have access to direct communication
• US consumers are 5 times more likely to send and receive text messages than phone calls

Sure, there are times when you need to call or email, but for many important messages, consider SMS as the best option for your busy customers!  Make sure your communications plan includes business SMS so that you're reaching your customers in the way they prefer to be reached. 

With back to school now in full swing, everyone is just a bit busier. Whether you are a business owner who happens to be a parent, or if you own a business where parents or school age children are your main customers, you know that back to school season and school months can be a hectic time for your business!

Staying top of mind for your busy clientele and making sure your calendar is full is key to keeping your bottom line intact—shout out to photographers, local barbers, restaurant owners or the neighborhood coffee shop! With new technology and automated systems, it’s easier than ever to stay in touch with your customers in a number of ways.

Here are a few ideas on how to keep your clients engaged:

1. Send Extra Text Reminders

Sending an extra text reminder is never a bad idea on the regular, much less when parents are busy running around shopping for tonight’s groceries or dropping kids of at practice. By reminding your clients about their hair, nail, massage, etc. appointment several times leading up to it (i.e.: a week before, day before and day of), there is less chance it will slip off their radar and a better chance you won’t be stuck with an empty, unpaid seat.

2. Make Old Fashioned Phone Calls

Depending on your business and your relationship with your clients, calling your customers before their upcoming appointment or reservation is a great way to make sure your calendar stays booked. If you own a restaurant, confirm the reservation a day ahead of time. If the original customer can’t make it, at least you’ll know the table is open for another paying patron.

3. Offer Timely Discounts and Sales

Everyone loves a deal, especially money-conscious parents, so why not take advantage of it with a promotion or coupon? Sharing a text or email campaign offering your clients a discount on coffee during a certain time of the day (perhaps right after school drop offs) or a coupon to your restaurant on a usually slow week night is a great way to drum up business!

4. Record Themed Voicemails

If you own a business like a photography studio or a hair salon where incoming calls are the norm, have fun with your voicemail greetings. Try holiday themed ideas or a play on words with your business name or the season. For example, “Hi there! Are you FALL-ing into a hairstyle rut? Our expert stylists can help. Please leave your name, number and preferred time to come in and I’ll get back to you shortly. We look forward to sprucing up your ‘do!”

When put to work strategically, automation and technology can save your small business time and money – and generate business! At Voxox, we aim to make running your small business easier by providing a convenient, reliable and cost-effective solution for business phone communications.

Have any other ideas on how local business can use technology and automation to engage their customers? We’d love to hear it. Comment below!

It's often a bit awkward having to give out your personal cell phone number so that clients can send you text messages about business matters. Luckily with technologies like virtual PBX services, you can give out a "http://info.cloudphone.com/blog/5-clever-ways-to-use-phone-numbers-to-grow-your-business" target="_blank">business phone number and have both your business calls and texts instantly routed to your existing cell phone. You maintain a professional image and separate work/life identities via your dedicated business line, while also evading the extra cost and hassle of having to manage two devices. How often do business owners find themselves texting back and forth with their clients and employees?  It's so informal, right?  With 90 percent of people reading a text message within the first 3 minutes, according to MobileSQUARED, it's the fastest and most effective way to get in touch! 

Here are some uses of two-way business texting that can be highly impactful, while also not encroaching as much on your work life balance as handing out your personal cell number might.

1. VIP Customer Support

Providing great customer service is essential for keeping clients happy, but sometimes phone and email communications just won't cut it. That's where text messaging comes in. Giving your VIP client contacts -- the ones with the killer accounts -- access to text support through your business phone number (aka ability to reach you anywhere at anytime) is a sure way to keep them happy and coming back for your products or services.

2. Escalation

Texting with clients and colleagues is a fast and efficient way to escalate an urgent matter. Sometimes you have to explain a situation in depth, whether it's an email or a voicemail, but the person you're trying to reach is not in front of a computer or can't pick up the phone and listen to a message (in a meeting, perhaps). A text can be incredibly useful to notify someone about an urgent communication that you've sent them -- and also a quick way to receive a response. 

3. Company Announcements

With hundreds of emails coming in each day, it's inevitable we will overlook one here and there -- even if it's internal, and from the boss. Plus, with teams working remotely and with little time to spare for distracting and long group meetings, text announcements just make sense. So, next time you have a company announcement like a new initiative, sales incentive or social event, try SMS. You'll be able to communicate the details effectively without upsetting workflow. 

4. Subscribing to a Work-Specific SMS Marketing List

There are times when you need to subscribe to a work-related marketing list. But there's that fear of using your own personal cell phone number, in case you start getting unwanted communications, reminders, marketing offers, etc. If you have a virtual PBX service providing your SMS-enabled business phone number for your company, you can always add a temporary virtual number to your account for things like this. The cost is low and this additional virtual line can be canceled fast.

5. Take Orders

If you're buying something for business purposes, you might want your business-related texts to be captured separately from your personal texts -- another handy use of a virtual PBX service. Say you're ordering supplies, or even pizza for an office party...always good to have a separate record of your business expense-related communications.

SMS is an essential part of our everyday lives -- it's how many people connect these days and it's accessible to nearly everyone. SMS can be a very useful tool to keep in touch with clients and colleagues when phone and email just won't do -- but keeping your business identity separate from your personal identity is typically a good idea.