CloudPhone Blog

As a small business owner and budding entrepreneur, you may live in a world of trepidation and skepticism. After all, securing VC funding, identifying angel investors and fine tuning your value proposition are no small feats. Throw in the fact that you need to determine which route to take technologically and your journey becomes even more challenging.

But one decision you make without worry is going all-in one the cloud, because the truth is that we are just scratching the surface when it comes to cloud communications. Just consider the following statistics aggregated by Silicon Angle: 

• By 2015, end-user spending on cloud services could be more than $180 billion
• By the end of this year, US businesses will spend more than $13 billion on cloud computing and managed hosting services
• 80 percent or cloud adopters reported improvements within six months of moving to the cloud

The benefits afforded by cloud communications run deep, which is why the cloud is no longer a possibility for the future but very much a movement of the present. One of the first moves fledgling companies are making in migrating to the cloud is adopting cloud-based phone systems. After all, businesses live and die by their ability to remain connected with their key stakeholders.

Entrusting your phone system with a cloud provider does not have to be a daunting task. In fact, teaming with the right provider opens up a door to infinite possibilities and advantages such as:

• Cost savings—instead of paying for the hardware, upgrades and maintenance associated with supporting your own business phone system you can rely on your provider to handle the CAPEX spend
• Increased functionality—such as a local telephone number, professional greeting and toll free number are all possible thanks to cloud communications
• A Leveled Playing Field—cloud communications lowers the barrier to entry for small businesses, allowing them to enjoy the same differentiators as large enterprises at the fraction of a cost.

Are you ready to make the jump into cloud communications but unsure of where to begin? Then click here so we can help you get started!

The Voxox team is having a great time at Mobile World Congress. Today we've made our second show news announcement: we're enabling our operator and OEM partners to white label or co-brand our award-winning Cloud Phone service. Check out the official press release below:

Voxox Announces Availability of Cloud Phone for Operators and OEMs

Operators and OEMs can white label or co-brand award-winning Internet telephony service from Voxox designed for small business professionals

BARCELONA (MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS) and SAN DIEGO – March 4, 2015 – Voxox®, the most comprehensive cloud-based rich communication service for consumers and businesses, today announced the availability of Cloud Phone for operators and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) looking to white label or co-brand services in order to address demand from small business users. Cloud Phone is an award-winning virtual PBX service that provides professionals with a dedicated toll free or local business telephone number that supports multiple extensions per account, sophisticated call routing, and transcribed voicemail-to-email delivery, all managed within a sleek, simple Web-based user interface. Cloud Phone is ideal for businesses that may not have a physical location and it is compatible with the Voxox mobile app suite.

“Since its introduction last year, Cloud Phone has been addressing a need in the small business community for a powerful yet easy-to-use business phone solution that centers on the smartphone; now, we are enabling our operator and OEM partners to take advantage of this market opportunity and realize a significant new revenue stream," said Bryan Hertz, CEO of Voxox. "White labeling a solution like Cloud Phone will not only allow operators to deliver added value to their existing customers, but it will also help them earn new customers who are seeking advanced business features from their service provider."

According to a Voxox user survey, the results of which were announced earlier this week at Mobile World Congress, Voxox has found that nearly half of its consumer survey respondents are using consumer app features for business purposes. This supports the notion that there is strong demand for more advanced business functionality that operators and their service delivery partners can offer to boost revenues. Cloud Phone provides users with a business-grade phone solution with all the relevant features of an expensive new phone system. Despite its advanced business features, Cloud Phone can be set up in just a couple of minutes, and requires no specialized equipment or skills to manage. As an HTML5 application, Cloud Phone offers a seamless user experience for toggling between mobile and desktop environments and can scale quickly with an easy transition to an advanced VoIP system that supports hundreds of phones if business growth demands.

To learn more about Cloud Phone and its availability through the Voxox For Operators Program, please visit the Voxox booth in Hall 1, 1H31 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. For more information on Voxox, please visit www.voxox.com.

About Voxox

Voxox is an innovator in unified cloud communication solutions for consumers and businesses. For consumers and its operator partners, Voxox delivers cutting-edge mobile and desktop applications that integrate voice, video, messaging, fax, media sharing and more. For businesses, Voxox provides an extensive suite of carrier-grade business phone solutions, including hosted IP-PBX, SIP Trunking, a wide array of wholesale services, such as high volume SMS, and the company's new virtual PBX service, Cloud Phone. The foundation of the company's offerings is its award-winning unified communications platform in the cloud, which enables the company and its customers to build powerful, scalable applications and services. Founded in 2006, Voxox is headquartered in San Diego. For more information, please visit http://www.voxox.com.

All signs indicate that the mobile forecast for the next few years is cloudy and getting cloudier. According to a recent Cisco study, we’re looking at an 11-fold increase in mobile cloud traffic by 2018. And cloud applications will account for 90 percent of mobile data by that same year. Business leaders everywhere are embracing cloud technology and trusting it to facilitate an increasing number of essential services 

So, what’s all the fuss about cloud technology? For starters, the cloud is incredibly easy to install and maintain. An enterprise might have several apps and thousands of end users spread across the globe. Apps need to be updated and installed on mobile devices—and this can easily be accomplished right in one location and distributed to remote employees or customers.

The cloud is also cost effective. Without the cloud, a company has to pay for the necessary licenses for each end user in order to grant access to software. But with cloud technology a company can purchase licenses on an as needed, per usage basis. This number can be easily scaled when needed to accommodate sudden spikes or lulls in business.

Cloud communications are of course a big driver of mobile cloud traffic growth as remote working picks up speed and home offices become increasingly common. Cloud-based phone services are ideal for these mobile and remote workers, creating a seamless transition from traditional brick-and-mortar environments to effective collaboration from almost anywhere.

 The bottom line is that for a host of reasons, mobile cloud data traffic is booming with no end in sight. Are you ready to get your head in the cloud?

Whether you are new in the field or a seasoned professional, working as an IT consultant presents a unique set of challenges. This line of work rarely conforms to a 9 to 5 schedule and because networks and computers are now an integral part of so many businesses and homes, customers seem increasingly demanding.

With this in mind, consultants need to equip themselves with the proper tools to successfully juggle the needs of all of their customers. One such tool is a small business virtual phone, which can be extraordinarily useful in helping you meet the challenges you face. Here’s how:

Stay reachable

Whether it's a concern about costly downtime or a fear of losing important data, computer problems can evoke an incredible sense of panic from customers. These issues don’t always crop up during traditional business hours, but many times they need to be resolved quickly. With a virtual business-specific phone number, you stay reachable at all times without giving your personal cell number to clients. This is crucial to achieving a better work-life balance.

Look professional 

Projecting an aura of professionalism is critical even for small and microbusinesses with limited resources. A small business virtual phone provides the features of a legacy system—digital text greetings, extensions, auto attendants and more—without all the hardware and complexity. This way, when a new corporate prospect calls while you are busy on another job, the potential client forms a good first impression.

Conserve your cash

As any independent consultants knows, maintaining a trim budget is critical to success because company expenses come out of your pocket. Renting an office and paying for a legacy PBX system can eat away at money that would be better used on new equipment or expanding your client base. A small business virtual phone like Cloud Phone by Voxox, can help slash your overhead and boost profit.

Even for tech wizards like you, a convenient solution like a virtual phone can help you operate more efficiently and as you know, everybody needs a little help sometimes. 

Have any questions or stories? Leave a comment below or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Google+.

Virtual numbers come with many perks for small businesses, ranging from professional features to the convenience of on-the-go communications and cost savings. But what if you're a solo entrepreneur -- any reason to use virtual numbers for a business of one?  Yes. Virtual numbers can offer a slew of ways to overcome logistical and financial obstacles, which were once impossible and impractical for solo business owners to tackle.  Want a “VIP” line or a department directory? You can easily do it all yourself by employing a virtual number strategy. Here are six handy ways to use virtual numbers to enhance your business communications:

1. Product-Specific Phone Numbers

Assigning a different phone number to each of your products or services gives you the opportunity to customize voicemail for those callers, thereby creating a resource that provides clear and concise messages that are relevant to your customers. Say you run a few Etsy shops – one sells necklaces, one homemade keepsake boxes, and the other painted flower pots. While you could put the same phone number as a contact on all three shop pages, providing a different number for each will allow you to set up separate voicemails with the shop names and relevant information about your various products. Customers who call will get a better customer experience than if you were to lump all the info into a single voicemail message. Plus not having to pick up the phone to answer general questions saves you and your callers time, while also providing the sense of a bigger company (more on this below!).

1. "Departments" for Your Solo Business

For some businesses it makes a lot of sense to create a call directory for "departments" even if all calls go directly to you.  For example, imagine you've just learned from a survey that the top reasons customers call your antique shop is to inquire about sales opportunities, online orders, billing, and shipping. To help get them the answers they need you’ve decided to set up a calling directory, allowing the caller to dial a one digit extension for each area of expertise, all of which ring to your cell – and they’re never the wiser! Having different departments presents the professional appearance of a larger company while also indicating to you why someone is calling. Your callers will appreciate the direct service and you’ll love the big business feel – without the clunky corporate phone system.

1. Emergency and/or VIP Access

Creating an emergency and/or VIP line is an easy way to provide clients with a direct number reserved for urgent matters. Since you can link as many virtual phone numbers to one phone as you like, this is a great way to use them. Perhaps you're a social media specialist who works out of your home office managing social pages for a few local high-end merchants, sometimes your attention is needed at a moment’s notice. While you’re not always on your email or checking Facebook notifications, your phone is always in your pocket. Perhaps your client calls to tell you that an offer has to be taken down ASAP due to merchandise not longer being available – allowing you to answer that VIP phone call at any time and save the day for your client goes a long way. You'll know this is a “must answer” call and will show your clients you take their business seriously. Plus, your VIP clients will get that top of the line feel, even if they never use it.  

1. Conference Calls

If you have clients in multiple locations and need to chat, or want to collaborate on a project with people across the globe, you'll need to get them all on the line at once. Picture an online store for organic coffee beans and high-end coffee accessories. The owner wants a good friend with international trade expertise to be on a call with a potential coffee bean supplier. Thanks to the virtual nature of cloud technology and the ability to conference call from a cell with just a tap of a button, the location of the business owner in New Hampshire, the colleague in California, and the supplier in Mexico is not a problem at all.  Getting all the info in one call without having to consult and call back allows everyone to make a decision together and move on to the next project. They don't have to know you're working from home in your workout gear, but they’ll be impressed by your professional communication method.

1. Faxing 

You're wrapping up a new business contract, and while most of your clients welcome email, one of your clients wants to send you a copy of the signed contract via fax – and they want to start pronto. If you have a fax-enabled virtual number for your business, this scenario becomes effortless as the new client can simply send the fax to your business number and you will receive the document via email. The client will be happy and faxing to your virtual number won’t cost you any extra time or money.

Faxing might seem outdated, but when you need to send a fax, going out to track down a fax machine is just too time-consuming and inconvenient.  

1. Built-in Notes via Voicemail Transcription

You’re in the cab on the way to the airport for a mini vacation and don’t have a pen or paper – but you just had the best idea on how to share your new ebook. You don’t want to forget so you grab the phone, call your business number and leave a voicemail with a detailed description of your plan. A few days later when you’re back to work in your home office, you read the email transcription and are reminded of your idea, allowing you to execute quickly, without having to rehash the details.

If your virtual number service has professional-quality voicemail transcription enabled then your important voicemails can instantly turn into detailed notes with phone numbers, to-dos, etc. And what’s most convenient is that all these voice notes will be translated to an email and sent to you to keep on file. Much better than the scattered, scribbled on or lost papers, you can save your important transcribed messages in your email until you choose to delete them.

Virtual numbers are more than just for phone calls. They can help solo-preneurs get creative and help their businesses thrive, providing professional features and convenience, all at a practical price. Do you use your virtual number in a unique way? We’d love to hear about it. Share your ideas with us in the comments below or on social media –Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or LinkedIn.

Exciting awards annoucement! Voxox Cloud Phone was selected as a Cloud Awards finalist for "Best in Mobile" Cloud Solution category! With awards for excellence and innovation in cloud computing, the Cloud Computing Awards program accepts entries from across the entire globe. 

Now in its fourth year, entries were accepted from organizations of any size, and included well-known brands such as HP, Zendesk,  SugarCRM, and Informatica. Over 300 entries entered, in categories ranging from Most Promising Start-Up, to Data Innovation of the Year to “Best in Mobile” Cloud Solution.

Final winners will be announced on January 27, 2015. This will not be the end of the process, with a public vote announced on this date to decide who will win the Cloud Computing Organization of the Year Award. So stay tuned for updates as we try to rack up another award in January! 

For a full list of The Cloud Award finalists, visit here.

When you call your cable provider with a billing question or a major retail corporation for product information, what do you expect to hear?

First, you will probably receive an automated greeting, thanking you for calling the company’s contact center. Next, there will probably be a list of extension options to help you reach whatever department you need. At that point you’ll be connected to the department you choose and will either speak with a company employee or leave a voicemail if no one is available.

As the owner of your own microbusiness, you’d love it if you could greet your customers like a Fortune 500 Company. Unfortunately, there simply isn’t room in your budget to project that kind of corporate image…right? As a matter of fact, a small business phone system can give you a big business presence at a price you can manage. With a phone system designed specifically for businesses like yours, you can get:

• A free business-specific local phone number you can give to customers instead of your personal mobile number
• An auto-attendant that welcomes callers with a greeting you can customize digitally
• Extensions you can designate for various departments or individuals within your company 

In addition to this impressive functionality, cloud-based phone systems are maintained by the vendor, meaning you will avoid installation and maintenance costs. You pay one low monthly bill for a suite of features sure to impress prospects and existing clients alike. Systems maintained in the cloud also make settings accessible through the Web which allows you to access and adjust your settings at any time.

So if you’ve been holding off on adopting a small business phone system for your company, keep in mind that although the best things in life might not always be free, they aren’t prohibitively expensive either.

Starting your own business can be thrilling, nerve-wracking, and terrifying—all at once. While no secret formula for guaranteed success exists, common characteristics are pervasive in many of these startups and the entrepreneurs who created them. Here are a few:

Discipline

Most new businesses have limited resources and have to disperse them with great care. Don’t waste money printing 5,000 business cards for two employees operating a company from a living room and don’t waste cash on a complex, legacy phone system when a small business virtual phone has everything you’ll need.

Delegation

You are going to learn pretty quickly that once you have even a bit of success, it’s going to be difficult to do everything yourself. You have to be able to delegate work and trust that it will get done correctly and to do that, you have to make the right hires. Don’t skimp on background checks and the interview process  so that you can be as close to 100 percent sure about a candidate before making a commitment.

Drive

A strong work ethic is important in any job but is particularly pervasive in founders of new businesses. You have to be willing to put in some long days but also have the focus to know where your energy needs to be directed at any given time.

Dedication

It’s a near certainty that you are going to hit some hiccups as a startup and that some sacrifices will be necessary. Although the most successful startups have created billionaires, initially founders and CEOs don’t rake in the big bucks. In fact, 66 percent of Silicon Valley founders pay themselves less than $50,000 per year. But if you truly believe in what you are selling, after a few years of modest earning you may find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

‘Daptability

OK fine: We cheated a little here. But adaptability is so important we couldn’t leave it out. To achieve startup success, you have to be flexible in your approach to product development, branding strategy and pretty much anything else. No business plan goes 100 percent perfectly; the key is making sound adjustments as you go.

Have another ‘D’ that’s essential for startups? Let us know in the comment section! 

Voxox announced today that Cloud Phone will be getting a big push in the Middle East and North Africa region through new partner Virtustream. As detailed in the press release, Virtustream will be working closely with operators and other service providers in the area to partner with Voxox to resell Cloud Phone under their own brands. Check out the announcement ef="http://info.voxox.com/posts/1000" target="_blank">here..