CloudPhone Blog

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.     

Sure your business may be starting small, but you certainly don’t expect to stay that way forever. You have big dreams and you need a small business phone system that will help you achieve them. With the technology available today there is no reason your small business phone system can’t provide you the same customer-friendly capabilities as any large business with access to the Internet.

Your customers—no matter what their age—are part of the new generation of mobile device users. According to the Pew Internet Project’s research, as of January 2014,90 percentof American adults have a cell phone, and 58 percent have a smartphone. These people are your customers, they are used to quick and reliable service and they want that same easy access to you and your company

Extremely quick to set up and easy to use, Cloud Phone—the new cloud communications application from Voxox—enables you to provide the kind of customer service that helps you grow your business and move towards your expansion goals. We simplify communications by putting crucial business features in the palm of your hand, such as:

• Auto Attendant that greets your callers and presents them with menu options. 
• 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…

And much, much more!

With all the convenience Cloud Phone offers it will make your company more resilient to customer demands and strengthen your bottom line. So let’s go—it’s time to start making those big business dreams a reality!

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.

The entrepreneurial spirit is catching fire amongst U.S. business owners. According to the most recent Census, in 2012 the number of businesses without paid employees reached 22.7 million—an increase of 1.1 percent. 

All signs indicate this number will keep on growing over the next few years due to the high cost of worker benefits and the unstable economy. Many companies simply do not have the resources to provide for staff.  

One market that will certainly benefit from the growth of domestic non-employers is small business phone systems. That’s because the demand for strong customer service exists regardless of the number of employees within an organization. Calls need to be handled professionally and efficiently to convince customers that a business is at the top of its industry. And of course, missed calls mean missed business opportunities.

A cloud-based small business phone system provides all the features a small business needs to establish credibility and operate like a much larger one. This includes an auto attendant that greets callers with a list of options. The auto attendant can then route customers to virtual extensions.

Additionally, messages can be forwarded as a voicemail to email. These features are easy to access and update right over a Web browser. A business owner simply has to log in and they can have complete control over the system.

If you are one of the newly minted non-employer businesses out there or are looking to become one in the near future, check out options for small business phone systems that project a big business image and increase productivity at the same time. After all, just because you are in business for yourself doesn’t mean you can’t get a little technological help from time to time.

You’re in your tent. It’s raining. The campfire has sputtered out. You’d almost rather be working…but, wait! You’re one of the forward-thinking small business owners who had the foresight to adopt cloud communications. And for you and your business, this means easy access to your messages, including the ability to route calls and communicate with anyone in your company on any device from anywhere.

With the right cloud communications application, you can be back in business with rain or shine. Cloud Phone, the new cloud communications application offered by Voxox, will keep you as sharp as a Swiss Army knife! Let's take a look at some of the functionalities:

• You will receive your own business phone number. No more giving your mobile number to clients and looking like a small-time operation. You can even get a vanity number so customers never forget how to reach you.
• The auto attendant feature will greet your callers with a professional message. This will be followed up by connection options via multiple extensions to your different departments—even if you are all the departments wrapped up in one small-business manager. And you won’t ever miss a client message thanks to Cloud Phone’s business-class voicemail-to-email feature.
• And, as if that’s not enough, your voicemails will be automatically transcribed before they’re delivered, so you can view your messages as well as listen to them.

So even if you plan on spending a lot of the summer in the great outdoors, don’t forget to pack a cloud communications application along with all of the other essentials. You never know when it might come in handy.

According to a study by Siemens Enterprise Communications, a business could lose more than $5,000 per worker, per year due to decreased productivity related to time spent attempting to, but not reaching colleagues to collaborate. The numbers climb even higher when accounting for other communication barriers. These financial burdens can be alleviated by using an intuitive, easy-to-use cloud-based phone service like Cloud Phone by Voxox.

Photo Courtesy of flickr User Jyri Engestrom
Before we go into how a cloud-based phone service can improve your communications and increase your business’ bottom-line, let’s see exactly why businesses have been struggling to communicate (according to the study above) :

• Nearly 60% of SMBs do not have a unified communications solution.
• Employees use communications technology in six different areas: PBX, instant messaging, conference calling, videoconferencing, contact center and faxing.
• Increasing mobility of the workforce is putting a strain on traditional business communications; nearly half of today's global employees are considered mobile workers, including 35% in the U.S.

With communications flying in all different directions, it’s no wonder businesses and their employees are struggling to stay in touch! But there's more. In addition to the above mentioned communication qualms, these five communications pain points are hitting SMBs the hardest:

1. Waiting for information (the time it takes to reach someone to pass along information or get an answer)
2. Unwanted communications
3. Inefficient coordination
4. Barriers to collaboration
5. Barriers to customer grievances

If your business is experiencing any of these pain points, you know just how adversely communication blunders can affect your productivity and how hard effective communication can be when you don’t have the right systems in place. To get your business on the right track, here are a few ways Cloud Phone services can provide an effective and efficient communication system within your organization so your business can stop wasting money on communication mishaps!
Connect From Any Device
Say adios to waiting around for information, because Cloud Phone can enable employees to connect seamlessly on almost any device (even the smartphone they already have!) and collaborate effectively no matter where they are. Ideal for businesses with team members around the globe or just down the street, companies with mobile services, on-call employees and freelancers can reap the benefits as well!  
Break Communication Barriers
Some cloud-based phone services offer a single number for all your business voice, fax, and text messages, which makes receiving and responding to messages is easier and more efficient than ever. Major communication errors like unwanted communications, inefficient coordination and barriers to collaboration and customer grievances caused by disconnected networks (text, call, IM, etc.) are no longer a problem once your team is connected with a unified cloud-based phone service.
Professional Calling Features
Enjoy professional calling features such as conference calls, Virtual Assistant, multiple extensions, call-forwarding, voicemail and voicemail transcription, custom on-hold music, video calls, language translation online meetings and a few more that will make you stand out among the competition.
Easy Set-Up and Management
Unlike traditional business phone systems, some cloud-based phones can be set up in as little as 30 seconds. Plus, there's no complicated, expensive hardware to buy. All you need to get started is download a cloud-based phone service, like Cloud Phone, to your phone and the rest is a breeze! Plus, with the ability to monitor and manage your call settings right from your smartphone, you’re always in control of your business’ communications.
Look for No Set-Up Cost and Low Monthly Fee
Not only will you be recouping lost revenue thanks to your improved communications, Cloud Phone service comes with no hefty set-up fee and will also save you big bucks on your monthly phone bill.   
These are just a few ways switching to cloud service can alleviate communication pain points and dramatically transform communication at your business. If you are interested in learning more ways to improve your company communication, check out our other cloud-based phone resources and be sure to send any questions our way!
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Having only one cell phone is great. You only have one bill and you don’t look like MacGyver trying to tackle the world of mobile technology. But as a small business owner, using the same phone for personal and business calls can get a little hazy –especially when you’re receiving both types of calls to the same number.

Imagine a new client calls your cell and gets sent to a personal voicemail that mentions nothing about your business. Chances are, they’ll start to doubt your professionalism and reliability.

However, there are services (such as Cloud Phone!) that enable you to establish a dedicated business phone line that routes to your cellphone. This has great advantages for customizing your "voice presence" for your business. Here are some key customization benefits to consider as part of having a dedicated business phone line:

 1. Corporate phone number: the first impression

The first thing your customers see when they want to make contact with you through the voice channel is your business phone number. When getting a dedicated business line, you can opt to have a toll free number or a local number or even multiple numbers for different customer segments. Each type of number has different uses, for example: toll free numbers could be great if you have a national customer-base or an e-commerce website, local numbers can help small shops or those new to the area establish a local presence.  

2. Business greeting: the right message for your customers

Make sure you take full advantage of customizing your voicemail greeting when you have a dedicated business line. When you record a customized voicemail greeting for your business contacts, you can reinforce the image of your brand. Your greeting sets the tone for your business and it's a great way to also convey your key messages. 

3. Voicemail settings: extra attention for your VIP clients

Since customer calls are very important and can be time-sensitive, you may want to customize your settings for your business voicemails. When you have a dedicated business line, this should be easy to do. For example, Cloud Phone allows users to set up voicemail transcription, send notifications via SMS and email, and more.

4. Extensions: smooth transitions for your business contacts

If you have multiple employees, departments, or just want to make your business appear more professional, some services offer business extensions, which will help you guide your business callers to the appropriate channel without the hassle of tracking them down or taking messages that can eventually get lost in the shuffle. As your business grows, you can assign employees their very own extension to route calls from your main business number. Each employee can customize their own settings and manage them with their own login.

You’ve worked hard to establish your business so it’s important to make the right impression when your customers, prospects, business partners, and employees call. Having the right voice presence is an easy step in building trust for your company and an effective way to communicate your business style. Plus, once your voice communications are in order, you can stop worrying about missing a call or answering the wrong cell phone and can focus on more important things like running your business! 

For more tips on how to advance your small business voice presence, check out our CMO's recent contributed article that published on MarketingProfs.com.

How does voice fit into your small business communications? Share your stories, challenges and ideas with us – Facebook, Twitter, Google+.

On Father's Day, sons and daughters everywhere will pay tribute to their dads on Father's Day with candy, breakfast in bed, fancy dinners and a host of other traditional celebrations. Unfortunately, it is a simple fact of life that not everybody will be able to celebrate this annual holiday in person. As a small business owner, sometimes important meetings or conference take you far and wide, even if the only place you really want to be is close to dad.

If you are going to be traveling for business this Father's Day—or at any other time—you might want to consider adopting a cloud-based phone service designed for small businesses like yours. Leveraging cloud technology, these systems are configured and maintained by the provider but allow you to adjust settings online. You also get some top-shelf features like:

• A digital text box for customized greetings that can be adjusted quickly on the fly
• Extensions for other employees or departments, even if the department is just you
• Voicemail to email service that ensures critical messages are returned in a timely manner

Additionally, the service can provide you with a company-specific phone number that rings to your mobile phone. With this feature, you can project big business presence even if you work alone out of a home office.

As long as you are going to be away from your dad this Father’s Day, you might as well call to wish him well from a phone system that will help your business thrive and grow. After all, you’re going to need all the money you can get so you can make up for missing dad’s day by showering him with gifts. 

With over 627,000 businesses opening in the United States each year, entrepreneurs and self-starters are faced with the pressure to stand out to potential customers. It’s crucial to the survival of young startups to take advantage of any tools or services that could give them the leg up over their competitors. A virtual phone system like Cloud Phone can streamline communications and improve efficiency, all while saving time, space, and money.

Business impression plays a fundamental role when running a startup, and a missed call could exhibit unprofessionalism and send a message of unreliability to potential customers. With a virtual phone system, you can avoid unnecessary downtime and be up and running in a flash. There’s no complicated set-up that requires a technician and no need to purchase and maintain any hardware. You could focus your attention growing your business and driving revenue, without having to worry about calls not being forwarded or answered.

Another hurdle several startup businesses face is working with costly and limited office space. Having a workforce large enough to serve your customer base has traditionally meant renting or buying an office that can accommodate your employees and office equipment. With the cost of renting out a workplace location and paying for traditional phone services, a small business budget could take a substantial blow. However, with a virtual phone system, you don’t need to worry about office space or being locked onto a desk phone. You could run your business from anywhere and communicate with your team and customers while out on the field. By taking advantage of the growing telecommuting trend and eliminating the need to be tied down to a desk, your startup stays connected, sounds professional, and saves money.

Contact us to learn more about our small business virtual phone system and discover how to get the most out of your communication. Leave a comment below or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Google+.