CloudPhone Blog

Are your pockets heavy? Are your pocketbook strings tethered from all the equipment you are toting around? Does a typical dinner out involve your three cell phones sitting next to your flatware? Ah… the trials and tribulations of being a one-man business.

The fact is that today’s budding entrepreneurs are forced to do more with less. They wear the sales, marketing and operations hats—in addition to the CEO cap. Moreover, they tend to technical support problems in addition to investor meetings. And the only way they can manage all of this is with three or four phones on hand.

Trying to figure out how you can get down to just one phone? Then say hello to Cloud Phone, your small business virtual phone system. Let’s take a closer look at what Cloud Phone offers:

• Scalability: Today you may be a one-person show, but three months from now you may have four individuals on payroll. Instead of paying for extra seats every time you scale—or for multiple phones—choose a small business virtual phone system that scales with you. With Basic, Plus and Pro plans, Cloud Phone allows you to easily add users to your system.
  
  
• Value-Add: Your personal iPhone may be great when it comes to Siri and apps, but you need a phone for your business that has enterprise-class features and capabilities. Cloud Phone allows you to compete aggressively with the big boys in your space with its plethora of value-adds. Features include instant conference calling, voicemail-to-email notification and professional call greetings, among others.
  
  
• Cost Savings: Keeping up with several phones is not only a nuisance; it can be a budgetary nightmare. With Cloud Phone, your fledgling company can enjoy initial and ongoing cost savings because your phone system is operated and maintained by Voxox, creators of Cloud Phone. This means you can say goodbye to upfront investments and repair and maintenance costs. You can also say goodbye to that hassle of managing multiple phones (which also affects your bottom line).

So… you ready to head to the trash can? Simplicity and affordability await!

As a small business owner you are probably an expert in turning a consistent profit even with relatively thin margins. By stretching your resources as far as they’ll go without overextending your bandwidth you’re able to strike a balance that allows you to thrive in a difficult market.

Photo Courtesy of Flikr User Sebastiaan ter Burg

But what if you could take a little bit of the pressure off? Wouldn’t it be nice to worry less about expenses and more about expanding your company? If you’ve been asking these questions recently, a cloud communications application may hold the answer. 

A cloud communications application gives you all the functionality of a traditional enterprise system without the hassle and cost. The system is maintained over the Internet, so you won’t have to pay for an expensive installation visit from a technician. You can get up-and-running in a matter of minutes and because you don’t need any hardware to use the phone service, you’ll never have to pay for equipment upkeep. 

A cloud communications application can also give your company a boost in productivity by sending callers to the right departments or extensions the first time through the automated attendant. With a fully-baked solution you get big business features like:

• A toll free business-specific phone number to give to customers and contacts
  
• Reach Me Anywhere technology that connects incoming business calls to you and your  
           employees anywhere you choose on any device
• Voicemail transcription that lets you read your voicemails when you can’t listen

Clouds typically reside in the sky, but with a cloud communications you can send your profits soaring skyward as well. With entrepreneurs like you adopting this technology in droves there is no doubt that cloud communications is the future of business. 

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!

Are you losing sleep trying to calculate your monthly budget? If your budgetary math is preventing you from experiencing the full benefits of entrepreneurship, here’s a hint: You need to revise your strategy and invest in a cloud communications solution in other words a small business phone number with tons of cost-savings and features.

Here are some of the great benefits the cloud will afford your organization:

Hardware savings: Migrating to the cloud will help your business avoid the hassles a costly legacy-based phone system. This means you can re-allocate the money you would need to spend on a server elsewhere in your organization. Legacy systems also require lengthy installations and ongoing maintenance which can drain resources and eat up all the time of your IT professionals. With the cloud, you never have to worry about paying for malfunctioning equipment or upgrades.

Rent savings: Once you invest in a cloud communications solution, why bother renting an office? Your workers can log in from any remote location and get access to the same communications features they’d have with a desktop phone. Employees are sure to be happier and more productive, as 79 percent of all workers claim they want to work from home at least part time.

App savings: Business often requires a heavy volume of mobile texting, chat and conference calling. Instead of using third-party applications, invest in a cloud communications solution that gives you access to an affordable and easy-to-use platform.

 The bottom line is that if the math for your business isn’t adding up, you won’t find the answer in a calculator. You’ll find it in the cloud.

Now that your small business has built a substantial local customer base, the next step in your master business plan is likely to begin offering your product to customers in different parts of the country. To showcase your offering to prospects in other areas, however, is likely to require significant travel for you and your employees.

Photo Courtesy of Flikr User Sebastiaan ter Burg

As your workers spread themselves to each corner of the U.S. you’ll want updates about sales; information about customers that may require a follow-up call to close a deal; ideas from your employees about how to improve the company sales pitch and more. While collaboration is crucial for your team, however, you worry about the possible complexities and high cost of deploying communications solutions that give you the capability you require—that’s where the cloud comes in.

The cloud is re-shaping the way small businesses communicate by providing simple, cost-effective solutions. For instance, a cloud-based phone system can offer your business features that until a few years ago were only available with complex, wire-based enterprise phone systems. For instance, a cloud service offers: 

• Auto attendants
• Easily customizable digital text greetings
• Voicemails sent directly to email so calls to clients are returned promptly
• Settings accessible at anytime through the Internet

Of course, cloud-based solutions designed for small businesses are priced accordingly. In some cases, you can adopt technology that can make you look like a large corporation for a monthly fee just slightly more than the price of a movie ticket. Cloud-based phone systems don’t require hardware and are maintained by the vendor, eliminating all installation and maintenance expenses as well 

So if you are a small business with big plans, the cloud might be just the thing to ramp your company’s collaboration to a new level. As the Beatles once sang, come together—right now.     

We’re all familiar with the old adage that the three most important aspects of real estate are location, location and of course…location. Of course, we would never be so bold as to dismiss this tried-and-true idiom, but we do have a little something to add. 

As a self-employed real estate agent, you probably spend much of your time running from open houses to apartment showings all over town. Working in a service industry also means you have to devote your full attention to each client and can’t afford to answer calls or listen to voicemail messages during an appointment. 

But as an independent contractor that barely has time to sit down during the day, maintaining a brick-and-mortar office doesn’t make much sense. So how can you ensure you don’t miss important communications about a client’s newly accepted offer or a great new property just coming on the market?

A cloud communications application can help you keep in touch with clients and project a big business presence even if you don’t want to spend money on physical office space or a legacy phone system. Top-shelf services offer a company-specific phone number that rings to your mobile number so there is no need to give out personal contact information. Additionally, a cloud communications application can also provide:    

• Business-class voicemail-to-email functionality
• Easy-to-configure professional greetings
• Extensions for different departments, even if each department is only you
• Settings that can be accessed and adjusted via the Internet

We’d like to reiterate that it is not our intention to rebuff one of the principle tenets of the real estate industry, but rather to add our own little touch. A cloud-based small business phone system can’t improve a property’s locale, but it can certainly help with your business communications as you move from location to location.

Maybe location is the key after all.

Scaling might be the one thing you dream about for your startup at night. You yearn for the day when you will have cubicles filled with determined employees pushing the envelope on your value proposition. You long for the day when your phone rings incessantly, driving your need for auto attendants and voicemail-to-email notification functionality. But scaling does not come without its challenges.

Photo Courtesy of Flikr User Sebastiaan ter Burg 

In addition to dealing with a surge of new employees, sudden growth also means you have to address the need for new technology. Because oftentimes the technology that worked for you on day one with just you on the payroll won’t suffice when you have 10 employees.

Companies looking to scale from a single-person business to 10 employees for “peanuts” need not look further than our Cloud Phone offering, a cost-effective and seamless way to grow your startup telephony system.  The Voxox small business phone system grows with you; it’s ready to go big whenever you are. Our customers can enjoy a variety of flexible pricing: Basic for up to two users at $14.95 a month; Plus for up to five users at $29.95 a month; or Pro for up to 10 users at $34.95 a month. The minutes and overages also scale as you add more users.

Here at Voxox we understand that your business could take off on a moment’s notice—and we hope it does! So the next time you have that dream about expansion (and the rows of cubicles and envelope pushing) take a look around and make sure Cloud Phone is your small business phone system of choice during REM sleep. And if you are still on the fence about our offering, then try us out for 30 days for free. We promise you, there are no scaling nightmares with this phone system.

Scaling might be the one thing you dream about for your startup at night. You yearn for the day when you will have cubicles filled with determined employees pushing the envelope on your value proposition. You long for the day when your phone rings incessantly, driving your need for auto attendants and voicemail-to-email notification functionality. But scaling does not come without its challenges.

Photo Courtesy of Flikr User Sebastiaan ter Burg 

In addition to dealing with a surge of new employees, sudden growth also means you have to address the need for new technology. Because oftentimes the technology that worked for you on day one with just you on the payroll won’t suffice when you have 10 employees.

Companies looking to scale from a single-person business to 10 employees for “peanuts” need not look further than our Cloud Phone offering, a cost-effective and seamless way to grow your startup telephony system.  The Voxox small business phone system grows with you; it’s ready to go big whenever you are. Our customers can enjoy a variety of flexible pricing: Basic for up to two users at $14.95 a month; Plus for up to five users at $29.95 a month; or Pro for up to 10 users at $34.95 a month. The minutes and overages also scale as you add more users.

Here at Voxox we understand that your business could take off on a moment’s notice—and we hope it does! So the next time you have that dream about expansion (and the rows of cubicles and envelope pushing) take a look around and make sure Cloud Phone is your small business phone system of choice during REM sleep. And if you are still on the fence about our offering, then try us out for 30 days for free. We promise you, there are no scaling nightmares with this phone system.

Spring means different things to different people, but in America, one of the grandest spring traditions is Opening Day in Major League Baseball. The tradition dates as far back as 1876 and signifies new hope and promise for every team, regardless of last season's performance. 

Spring can be the start of something new for small businesses as well. If your company is still tethered to a wire-based, legacy phone system it might be worth considering starting this season with a small business phone service based in the cloud instead. 

Best-in-class cloud-based phone solutions can help you shed your old system without losing the functionality—like auto attendants or voicemail to email—that you need. Because cloud communications is maintained by the provider you don’t have to worry about a major installation or ongoing maintenance costs. Changes to greetings, extensions and other features can be made seamlessly over the Internet in no time, even if your tech knowledge is minimal. Settings can be accessed from the device you choose whether a smartphone, laptop or tablet.

Whether you are a baseball fan or don’t know home plate from a lunch plate, it’s easy to see why a small business virtual phone system can be a home run (sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves) for small and microbusinesses. So as the season heats up, consider giving cloud communications a tryout.

As longtime Dodgers’ managed Tommy Lasorda once said, “There are three types of baseball players: Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen and those who wonder what happens.”

That goes double for business.