CloudPhone Blog

Regardless of the industry you're in, your business needs a way for customers to contact you directly. While email and online forms are convenient for some, many consumers still prefer to speak with an actual person when contacting a business. As an entrepreneur or small business owner, you may be wondering what's a better option for you -- going the local number route or the toll free number strategy. 

Many businesses have already discovered the benefits of having a toll free number, but if you're not sure if an 800 number is right for you, here are few questions to ask yourself:  

Do you want to encourage customers to place orders over the phone?

Advertising a toll free number is an effective way to drive phone traffic because it can be easier to remember. Choosing a toll free number with a pattern or repeat numbers means people are more likely to call you, generating more sales!

Do you provide customer service via phone?

A toll free number has the perception of being customer-friendly, as the idea is to make calls free of charge for customers who want to connect with you. In the age of the mobile phone and unlimited plans, the cost savings of a toll free number isn't what is used to be, but the perception of reliable customer service is still in play here. There's nothing worse than needing help with a product or service and finding it nearly impossible to get a hold of a real person -- talk about frustrating! The toll free number is inviting and accessible, so it makes your customer feel welcome to give you a call (and more likely they are to remain a customer).

Would a higher call volume benefit your business?

Whether you sell directly over the phone, have a brick and mortar or are a consultancy, more calls generally mean more sales. A toll free number can also give the impression that you have a large operation -- providing the instant credibility you need to gain more business! 

Do you have a broad geographic customer base?

Wherever you're based, if you are able to serve customers outside your local area, a local number may be limiting. A toll free number can help you capture new markets.  

Did you answer yes to any of the questions above? If so, it may be time to take advantage of all that toll free numbers have to offer. Still have questions?  Comment below or ask us on our social networks – Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or LinkedIn.

Whether you are working on fixing a customer’s broken cabinet, cleaning gutters, repaving a cracked walkway or any other job, the common denominator is that you are out working in different locations. As professional “Mr. Fix It,” you do all kinds of work for your clients, from month-long major projects to quick emergency repairs and you need a small business phone system.

Considering how much time you spend out and about, spending money on a brick-and-mortar office doesn’t make much sense. Still, even if you decide to forego a traditional office, you need to be reachable to potential and existing customers. For instance, if you are out working on a roof somewhere, you probably aren’t going to want to reach down and answer a call coming in from a client who needs a walkway repaved.

That is where a small business phone system comes in to play. Rather than wasting money on space and equipment you don’t need and will never use, you can get a business-specific number using just your existing mobile number. Additionally, you can set up professional greetings for incoming callers and customize them any way you want by accessing your settings through the Internet. The entire system is maintained by the vendor in the cloud, so you don’t have to worry about setup or maintenance.

On any given day, you could spend a morning putting in a new mailbox for one customer, an afternoon across town fixing a garage door, and the evening hours repainting a family’s living room. So you need communications capability that fits your mobile work life while also providing big business phone features. Because as you well know, you aren’t called a handyman because you sit on your hands—you are paid to use them.

The holidays are a busy time of year for businesses of all shapes and sizes. No matter what product or service you're selling, chances are your call volume will start going through the roof as we get closer to the holidays. But traditional enterprise level phone systems along with keeping adequate staff on hand to field incoming calls aren’t always in the budget, which is where virtual numbers might come in handy. Virtual numbers can be routed to mobiles or landlines of your seasonal workers, and, to take this a step further, you might consider toll free numbers to create even more benefits for your business image. Here's how: 

   1. Credibility for Your Business

Toll free numbers are often perceived as a symbol of professionalism and establishment. People want to make sure their purchases are being made through real companies that deliver on their promises, particularly when it comes to being timely with their holiday gift orders. Adding a toll free phone number to represent your company is one way to validate your business image (unless you specifically want to appear local). Furthermore, choosing a toll free number with repeating or patterned digits can help reinforce brand recognition by making it easy for prospects and customers to remember your company phone number.

1. Handling High Call Volume

When you think of toll free numbers, you typically think of enterprise level companies like national hotel and car rental chains, but even a one person business venture can reap the benefits of a toll free number. Not only do toll free numbers provide a professional image for your business, but when they are added as virtual numbers, they come with features like a virtual assistant, call forwarding and professional voicemail services that give your customers the attention they deserve, and the automated service your business needs. This means that if you have a business that is likely to see the holiday volume ramp up and/or you know you'll need to call in the seasonal troops, simply add a virtual number that's toll free to scale your call volume. Whether you or your team is answering questions, scheduling services or selling products, customer calls need to be answered promptly – and incoming callers would rather hear an option to hold than a busy signal or even worse, no answer at all.

1. Filling Pre-Orders

Pre-ordering hot gifts, holiday necessities and timely services, like tickets to a haunted house or securing a Santa costume for a holiday party, is a way for consumers to guarantee an item will be in their hands, and it’s also a way for businesses to make customers happy during the most wonderful time of the year. Keep your customers satisfied by getting them the means to reach you via a toll free number when they want – before they have a reason to move on to your competitor!

1. Providing Phone Support

When consumers are frustrated or in a rush, they want to talk to a real person rather than wait for a response through digital forums or online support portals. Providing a toll free number that connects callers directly with a real person is a tried and true way to win approval and build lasting relationships. By answering questions and granting requests on the spot, your customers will feel confident in their purchases and recommend you to their friends and family. With the right service (like Cloud Phone!), you can easily snag a toll free number and route it directly to the mobile and/or landline numbers of your choice – making the holiday communication influx easier on you and your customers. 

The holidays are serious business, and now thanks to virtual numbers and toll free numbers, even the smallest of businesses can offer the same kind of phone service to its customers as a Fortune 500 company – minus the heavy overhead. Could your business benefit from a toll free number over the holidays? To learn more, read our blog on 4 Ways to Gauge Whether You Need a Toll Free Number.

Whipping people into shape is what you do. As a personal trainer, you meet clients all over the place, building personal routines for each to maximize the impact of the workouts. But take a look at how you are communicating with prospects and clients. Is your phone solution as customized as the workout routines you take such care to create for your customers? Are your business communications in tip-top shape?

Image Courtesy Flickr User Sascha Wenninger

If the answer to any of these question is “no,” a small business phone system might do your business some good. A service designed for micro or single-person businesses puts the power of a traditional enterprise phone system in your mobile phone.

A legacy wire-based system doesn’t work for your business because you are constantly on the go and don’t want or need to spend money renting a brick-and-mortar office. But as you are running hills or lifting weights with your clients, you want a professional-sounding system to greet your callers. 

Cloud Phone is a small business phone system that can provide an auto attendant to professionally greet callers with a customizable message. Another useful feature is Reach Me Anywhere, which allows you and your employees to connect with clients from anywhere with any mobile device. If you're tired of listening to your voicemail messages, simply have your messages sent to your email, and read them instead. And because the system is maintained by a third-party vendor, you don’t have to worry about lengthy installation process or hardware upkeep.   

In your line of work, moving around is a daily reality, and you need a phone system that meets your needs. You spend most days taking care of people, leading them towards a healthier, happier lifestyle. It’s time you took care of yourself-and your business—the same way.

Imagine you have a growing consulting firm. Other than yourself, you have 4 employees -- a business manager, 2 account managers, 1 billing specialist. You're not planning to share an office, as everyone is working remotely from their homes. (You hired people you trust, from prior gigs, so you're comfortable with a virtual office.) 

While planning your business venture, you've been giving out your personal cell phone number, but now that you have client-facing employees who also deal with vendors, partners, etc., you want a unified business image, which starts with a single, centralized business phone number. Since you don't have a physical office, you've been exploring the concept of a cloud-based phone service that allows you to assign simple extensions to your virtual employees stemming from your main business line. 

This is where Cloud Phone's employee extensions come in handy. Once you sign up for this cloud-based phone service, you can add an extension in three easy steps:

Step 1: Enter the employee’s existing mobile number.

Step 2: Enter their first and last name.

Step 3: An extension will be instantly assigned. Accept it, or assign one of your choice.

Simple, right? Now you can manage admin privileges with the hit of a button and even customize individual cloud-based phone service settings in a matter of seconds.

When you have employees that need to be available to clients and partners via phone, you want to establish a consistent professional presence with a robust cloud-based phone service. Cloud Phone comes with a 30 day free trial, is fully managed via web, with no upfront costs and no equipment to buy, so give it a shot and see just how much it simplifies your life!

You have a business phone line and with it you probably have a voicemail box -- but are you using it to its full potential? While a voicemail box seems pretty straightforward, there are a few steps you can take to make it a valuable marketing and customer service tool.

Let's take your own experience into consideration here. When you reach a business voicemail, you expect to hear the basics: who you're calling and a prompt to leave some sort of information. But what if you were also told what information you could leave to expedite your request, or better yet, if the voicemail greeting contained all the information you were calling about and your problem is solved -- you would be a happy customer, right? Right.

Now it's your turn. Here are a few easy tips to get your business voicemail up to speed.

1.     Identify your business 

Have you ever called a business and been unsure if you dialed the right number – even after you reached a person or a voicemail message? You probably felt confused and frustrated. Clearly stating who you are (when applicable) and your company name will reassure callers they’ve reached the right number – while also reducing the number of hang-ups, redials and irrelevant messages from accidental callers. This is also a great opportunity to insert your marketing message/tagline. Take full advantage of voicemail as a customer touchpoint - why not? 

1.     Be personable

Your business voicemail must be professional, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Incorporating your brand's voice and tone will reinforce your brand image through the voice channel and is a great way to impress and engage your callers.

1.     Provide useful information

Sharing important information on your business voicemail greeting – like business hours, when you expect to respond, and where callers can find information to frequently asked questions – saves you time listening and answering to unnecessary messages, while also providing instant support.

1.     Ask for information

Asking for a caller to leave a name and number is standard in voicemail greetings. While this may suffice for some, other businesses require information like order numbers, best call back times or company names to effectively help a caller. Asking for this information up front saves you time, reduces the risk of phone tag (a very hazardous disease that plagues many small business owners) and helps you provide a prompt response.

1.     Remember: practice makes perfect

You’re not going to nail the perfect voicemail greeting on the first try, but that’s okay! Writing out your voice message and practicing your greeting will allow you to hear where there may be confusion – plus, the more you practice the wording the more natural and professional it will sound. Don’t forget to limit background noise, stay upbeat and on message!

1.     Make sure you have voicemail transcription

Setting up voicemail transcription is a breeze – and you’ll be glad you did. Just make sure that the business phone service you are using offers a voicemail transcription service that transcribes all voice messages into text, allowing you to read the message just like an email. Not only is this a time saver, but it’s also very convenient. Saving, reviewing, forwarding and deleting voicemail is easy, and best of all you won’t need to listen to long winded voicemails to get the details!

1.     Consider department-specific voicemail

If you run a business with multiple phone numbers or department ­­extensions (even if the department is one person), creating department specific voicemails that ask for and provide useful information will allow your team to act faster than if all messages are stored in a central voicemail box. Callers will also feel confident in reaching the specific person or department they intended.

1.     Keep it fresh 

When things change that impact your customers, like holiday hours, a new deal or a change of address, don't forget to update your voicemail. Noting if you’re out of the office and who to contact in the meantime is also useful. Keeping your customers in the know, especially when it comes to time sensitive information, is something they will appreciate.

From clearly stating information, to matching your voicemail message to your brand and of course, practicing before you hit save, applying these tips will help you create an effective voicemail message, like one you would want to receive. Now go ahead and get started! If you need some more pointers, connect with us by commenting here or on our social channels -- we're happy to help!

On this blog we’ve written a lot about the tools you need to launch a new business or grow an existing one. Some professionals, however, may have created a great new product or have a marketable skill they would like to monetize but they don’t want to give up the security of their current full-time job.

Image Courtesy of Flickr User Jeremy Levine

An “in-between” option for these workers is to start a side business, something that can be done during off hours or weekends. In fact, the New York Times recently published a piece by a finance reporter who maintained financial security during the recession by creating “money planners” and selling them, eventually growing revenue to about $5,000 per year.   

One of the challenges the author encountered when she began the new venture was finding time to juggle a family, a full-time job and a side business. Perhaps if Cloud Phone had been around at the time she launched her business she could have cleared those hurdles with less stress.

What Cloud Phone does, essentially, is help you turn your mobile number into an enterprise phone system. When you sign up—which takes less than a minute—you get a business-specific number that you can give to potential clients instead of your personal number. The system also makes it easy to set up auto attendants to greet callers, phone extensions if you work with more than one person, and even voicemail to email capability, just to name a few of the key features. The entire small business phone system is maintained by Voxox in the cloud, meaning you don’t have to worry about maintenance, repair or installation costs.

When you sign up for Cloud Phone—which starts as low as $14.95 per month—you make it possible to be more productive during your off hours, whether it’s on the train home from work or at your child’s soccer game. With almost no hassle, you have everything you need to start a successful side business. So what are you waiting for?

The one constant in a global marketplace is change. But business owners need not be afraid of it. 

Maybe no area is more subject to innovation and fluctuation than the communications space. Exponential improvements in technology and connectivity challenge even the most motivated business owners to keep pace. If you hesitate to adopt new business tools, you start to fall behind.

Say you have successful, long-standing delivery business. You are known around town and have worked hard to establish your reputation. But the advent of the internet and the onset of competition have increased your need for on-the-go capabilities and better tracking mechanisms to keep up with customer demand. Your legacy phone system simply won’t cut it. But with a cloud-based virtual phone service, you can put the answer to your problems in the palm of your hand.

Small business virtual phone technology gives you all the perks of legacy phone systems with none of the hassle. Consider some of the benefits:

• Auto Attendant: Never miss a message and have your calls and messages routed to the appropriate department automatically. This feature offers the highest levels of personalization and cuts out human error.
• Voicemail-to-Email Notification: If you’re on the road or in a meeting, you’ll never miss that important call. Monitor your voicemails anywhere at any time.
• Instant Conference Calling: Lets you connect with multiple colleagues or customers from anywhere at any time.

For all these perks, the best feature of small business virtual phones may be their price. Instead of expensive maintenance or replacement issues associated with legacy phone systems, the service is supported entirely by a third-party host and delivered wirelessly.

So even if changing your communications system seems like a frightening proposition, chances are it won’t be long before you’re smiling ear-to-ear.

In the winter months when roads are bad and the commute to work becomes dangerous, there's risk in requiring employees to show up at the office. High-speed internet access and email have increased opportunities for employees to work from home when driving conditions are dangerous, but what about businesses that rely heavily on phone service for their business communications? Virtual numbers may just be the answers. 

Virtual numbers are phone numbers that are routed to an existing calling device, for example your office phone and/or mobile phone. They can be set up temporarily for the winter season or permanently for your business. Business professionals can opt to have one or many virtual numbers route to a single phone or multiple phones, based on their business needs. For example, if you have a single work line (e.g., your office phone), you can route a virtual number to this phone line, as well as your home phone, mobile phone, and your business partner or manager’s phone. If you're the owner of a seasonal business, you can establish a single virtual number and route it to your employee's respective phones individually via extensions, no matter where they are. 

Once the virtual numbers are set to forward to the phone of choice, callers will be able to reach you and your team through your work numbers at their specified devices. If a call is missed, callers will be forwarded to voicemail, which can be personalized with a professional business greeting.

Virtual numbers not only allow employees to easily work from home when the weather is bad, but they also provide advanced features that will give your company the professional edge it needs. While features vary from virtual numbers provider to provider, here’s an example of what Cloud Phone offers:

• Auto Attendant
• Call Forwarding
• Call Screening
• Extensions / Users
• Fax (Inbound)
• International Call Forwarding
• Local Phone Number
• Management Portal
• Outbound Calling
• Professional Greetings
• Reach Me Anywhere
• Toll Free Numbers
• Voicemail
• Voicemail Transcription

Keeping the team connected (and safe from dangerous winter commutes!) is essential for productivity. Having access to your business phone by way of virtual numbers is convenient and can play a key role in maintaining a professional image – especially if anyone on the team is working from home. Here are some additional resources on the benefits of virtual numbers for business:

Make Your Small Business Look Bigger With Virtual Numbers

4 Reasons You May Want a Virtual Number

This summer, will your small business explode like a Roman candle on July 4, or fizzle out like a dud? Here are a few ways to light up your small business with a robust suite of cloud communications solutions:

Increase productivity:  You may be busy, but business continues even when you leave the office. Contacts need to be able to reach you wherever you go. The cloud will give you the ability to carry around your enterprise communications solutions at all times, so you never miss a crucial call or voicemail.  

Cut costs: The costs of maintenance and installation prices for on-premises phone equipment is staggering. It’s much easier—and cheaper—to pay a small monthly fee and gain access to fully baked feature set than to pay for new equipment and make upgrades. You will also avoid the hefty costs of network downtime, which is difficult for a business of any size to recover from.

Leverage big business features: When a customer tries to reach you, they should not be able to tell you are a small business with six employees or a Fortune 500 company. Features such as an auto attendant, voicemail to email transcription and the ability to route calls to other members of your team will add a processional touch to your operation that will let you look like a much bigger business. 

The stats don’t lie: In a recent study, 70 percent of respondents indicated that the cloud can deliver efficiencies and cost savings. So, are you ready to make the great migration to a cloud-based phone and watch your profits explode skyward like Independence Day fireworks?