3 Phone Features Small Businesses Cannot Live Without

First impressions count, especially in business. Setting up (or adding) only a few key phone features can make any size business look and sound more professional overnight, while ensuring that customers reach you when they need to. With so many features to choose from, we narrowed down our top 3.

1. Call Forwarding

With Call Forwarding, you can forward calls to another phone number (including a cell phone or home number) so you never have to worry about missing an important call.

You can set up rules, menus, and queues based on your needs.

Call Forwarding categories include:

- All Calls
- When Busy
- Do Not Disturb
- No Answer
- Selective Forwarding
- When Out of Service

With Call Forwarding, you can also choose to have calls blocked all together, or sent directly to voicemail.

2. Auto Attendant

An auto attendant acts like a virtual assistant and replaces the need for an actual receptionist or operator. It automatically greets callers and directs them to the right person or department by simply pressing a button.

For example: for Sales, press 1; for Support, press 2; to dial by name, press 3.

You can customize your auto attendant with a number of options.

- Dial by name directory
- Dial by extension directory
- Transfer to user
- Transfer to a user’s voicemail
- Transfer to another Auto Attendant

You can set up multiple auto attendants, including an auto attendant for employees.

For example:
To speak with John, press 1.

Once the call is transferred, a second auto attendant can be set up with additional options.

To leave a message, press 1; to reach me on my cell, press 2; to speak with someone in Support immediately, press 3.

Benefits of an Auto Attendant:

- Look bigger and sound more professional
- Replace the receptionist and/or operator
- Route calls efficiently and effectively
- Customize (set up separate auto attendants for business hours, after hours, and holidays)
- Record directly from your phone or upload a pre-recorded greeting

3. Find Me Follow Me (also referred to as Mobile Office)

With Find Me Follow Me, your office doesn’t have to be restricted to your main place of business. This powerful feature allows your employees to receive calls anywhere, anytime and from any device while still connecting all of your employees under one corporate phone system. Calls can be routed to a cell phone, another number (like a home office or hotel room), or another person (like a receptionist or a co-worker). You can even customize how you receive calls by day, time and even caller.

Benefits of Find Me Follow Me:

- Give out one number and work from anywhere without missing a call
- Keep your cell phone and home numbers private
- Customize how you receive your calls by day, time, and even caller
- Have calls ring to multiple phones at the same time or in an order of your choice (for
  example: ring your cell phone first, and then your home office).

TouchTone Business VoIP phone service arms customers with powerful calling features like these to help them run their business more efficiently. 

The Business & Leisure Quandary:

5 Tips to a Stress-Free Vacation

A true vacation is tough for many small business owners and managers who feel the need to relentlessly check e-mail and texts from the beach. Many fear of missed opportunities, employees slacking off, or that business will not operate smoothly when they are away.
 

In a recent survey commissioned by Sam's Club, nearly 50% of small business owners only take major holidays off (if any days at all). And when they do find time to relax, many still find themselves attached to their laptops or smartphones and taking calls.
 
However, taking a vacation is an important component to avoiding burnout, relieving stress and re-energizing creativity. Here are a few steps that you can take to help you achieve a more enjoyable (and much deserved) vacation.

5 Steps to a Stress-Free Vacation
 
1. Plan your vacation around slow periods in your business
For those owners and managers who fear that going away will wreak havoc on the business, experts suggest scheduling a vacation in a historically slower time for your company. These ‘slow periods’ depend on your industry. If you are a florist, taking a vacation during any holiday season may not be ideal. However, if you have an office job, holidays may be the best time.
 
2. Tie up loose ends and complete any big projects
If you must, stay late for a couple of days and make sure that any big projects that you are working on are completed before you leave for your vacation. Not only will you have less weighing you down when you're away, but if you're able to start fresh, you'll also have a smoother transition back to the office.
 
3. Empower your employees and delegate
Put a good plan in place with your employees and don’t forget to delegate tasks and responsibilities. Start handing off assignments early so you can answer any questions well before you leave. If certain aspects of the business are of particular concern to you, ask for brief daily emailed updates to keep your mind at ease. 

Do not assume the worst, trust your employees.

If necessary, pick the right person to manage your small business while you're on vacation and train them to do it ahead of time. You should do this even if you're not planning a vacation just in case you are unable to work for some reason.
 
4. Set a Schedule (to check in, if you must)
If it makes you feel more at ease to keep tabs on things, set aside specific times during the day to check e-mail or make calls. But stick to only those times. For example, check your email first thing in the morning before your kids get up.

Use technology. It is your friend.
 
Many business owners and managers are able to take advantage of current technology and take their work with them when they travel (just in case something should come up). As long as you can work remotely and are vacationing in places with acceptable technological resources (such as electricity and wireless Internet) you can use your smartphone or laptop/tablet to check in.
 
Many business phone systems also offer advanced call routing so you can have calls forwarded directly to your hotel room or cell phone. You can even customize your settings by day, time and caller.
 
5. Manage Client Expectations
Tell any clients that you work with directly when you will be taking vacation well in advance so you can address any concerns before-hand. Also, inform them of who they can contact in case a question or issue should arise while you are away.
 
Planning a stress-free vacation takes a little planning on your part, but it will be well worth it in the end. And once you have your processes and procedures solidified you may be surprised by how many more “vacation” days you could actually take (and enjoy).

Find Me Follow Me: Intelligent Call Routing

Receive calls anytime, any place and from any device - never miss another important call again 

Find Me Follow Me, also referred to as Mobile Office, is one of the most beneficial features of a business phone system.

With Find Me Follow Me, your office doesn’t have to be restricted to your main place of business.  This powerful feature allows your employees to receive calls anywhere, anytime and from any device with the appearance of them being in the office. Calls can be routed to a cell phone, another number (like a home office or hotel room), or another person (like a receptionist or a co-worker). You can even customize how you receive calls by day, time and even caller.


Benefits 

• Give out one number and work from anywhere without missing a call 
• Keep your cell phone and home numbers private 
• Customize how you receive your calls by day, time, and even caller 
• Have calls ring to multiple phones at the same time or in an order of your choice (for example: ring your cell phone first, and then your home office).

More business VoIP phone service features

How Call Forwarding can benefit your business

Click here to view larger image

First impressions count, especially in business. That's why it's important to have a phone system that not only makes you look and sound professional, but guarantees that your customers reach you when they need to.
 
Call Forwarding allows you to forward calls to another phone number (including a cell phone or home number) so you never have to worry about missing an important call.

You can set up rules, menus, and queues based on your needs. 


Call Forwarding categories include:
-    All Calls
-    When Busy
-    Do Not Disturb
-    No Answer
-    Selective Forwarding
-    When Out of Service
 
With Call Forwarding, you can also choose to have calls blocked all together, or sent directly to voicemail.

Call Forwarding is included free with TouchTone’s Business VoIP phone service. To learn more, call 800-900-5474, or visit http://www.touchtone.net/business-phone-service.html.

More Business VoIP phone service features.

TouchTone Communications Offers 30-Day Free Trial of Business VoIP Phone Service

NEWS ALERT

WHIPPANY, N.J. (April 28, 2014) – TouchTone Communications, a nationwide voice and data provider, today announced a 30-day free trial promotion of its Business VoIP phone service.

Using existing Internet connection, Business VoIP delivers a complete turnkey business phone solution including unlimited local and long distance, faxing, conference calling, and full-featured VoIP phones.

The free trial was designed to help businesses who are considering making the switch to a VoIP service more easily evaluate how well VoIP technology can cut overall costs, increase productivity among employees, and simplify IT management. The 30-day trial includes TouchTone’s standard office Business VoIP voice plan plus rental of a VoIP phone. Those interested in participating in the free trial can sign up at https://www.touchtone.net/business-phone-service-free-trial.aspx.

“In addition to considerable cost savings, Business VoIP provides a disaster proof, feature rich and scalable phone system at the fraction of the cost of traditional phone service,” said Pino Bio, President of TouchTone Communications. “With dozens of enterprise-class calling features to choose from, even the smallest companies can look bigger and sound more professional overnight.”

The system allows users to make and receive calls anytime, anywhere and from any device, and also connects multiple locations, remote employees and home offices under one main number, one extension list and one set of unified calling features.

“We are a small business with several offices. Phone systems always required a ‘closet’ for the equipment and an expense commitment. Our problem was keeping in contact with employees when they were working out of the office,” said Bob DuVal, President of UCC, Inc.

“With TouchTone we have no equipment to house, our phones are portable and we have one telephone number no matter how many locations we use. Monthly usage charges are much less. Our employees are always linked with one phone system no matter where they are working. The TouchTone system is reliable, call quality is perfect and if we need help utilizing a seldom used feature, the customer support staff is knowledgeable and quick to help,” added DuVal.

The service eliminates upfront capital investments and ongoing overhead expenses by enabling businesses to leverage the cloud as a platform to deploy communications devices and applications.  Both the service and PBX are fully managed off-site by TouchTone Communications; so unlike traditional phone systems, customers do not have to install and manage complicated and costly equipment.

Although large communication providers like RingCentral, Vonage, AT&T and Verizon are in the hosted VoIP game, Bio believes that not only does TouchTone’s Business VoIP phone service compare in both price and features, but outperforms in customer service.

“TouchTone’s Business VoIP caters specifically to small and medium sized businesses and home offices. Many times with larger providers these types of customers get lost because of their size. SMBs are the bread and butter of America and we want to make certain that they receive the same great benefits of a Fortune 500 phone system, but at a price that they can afford,” said Bio.

Businesses and IT professionals can select from a choice of plans, may mix and match feature sets including advance calling and unified messaging features and choose from a variety of VoIP Phones from Cisco and Polycom.

TouchTone Communications offers a comprehensive portfolio of voice, data, cloud and managed services that can be customized to meet the communications needs of any size business.

About TouchTone Communications, Inc.:
Incorporated in 1993, TouchTone Communications provides a comprehensive suite of voice and data services  via its proprietary network and through multiple Tier 1 service providers. Serving residential, enterprise, SMB, government and wholesale customers nationwide, TouchTone prides itself on providing the highest quality service at the most competitive rates, while always maintaining first-class customer service.  For more information please call 1-800-266-4006, or visit http://www.touchtone.net. More information on TouchTone can be found at: 

Twitter: @TouchToneNet
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/touchtone-communications
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TouchToneCommunications
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TouchToneComm/feed

Increase Sales Without Spending a Lot of Money

One of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to increase sales is to keep your current customers happy. Sounds pretty obvious, right? However, as simple as it seems you'd be surprised by just how many companies don’t  execute a retention strategy.  If you haven't already implemented a retention plan or are looking to improve the one you already have, we've included a few simple and effective tactics.

3 Reasons Why to Implement a Retention Strategy Today

• It is 6-7 times more costly to attract a new customer than it is to retain an existing customer.  (White House Office of Consumer Affairs).
•  A 2% increase in customer retention has the same effect as decreasing costs by 10%. (Leading on the Edge of Chaos, Emmet Murphy & Mark Murph).
•  Depending on your industry, reducing your customer defection rate by 5% can increase your profitability by 25-125%. (Leading on the Edge of Chaos, Emmet Murphy & Mark Murph)

Simple & Effective Customer Retention Strategies

• Start a VIP Program. VIP programs make people feel special and give them a sense of status. Identify top customers and offer them specialized services, special promotions, incentives, or exclusive access to new products and services. 
• Exceptional Customer Service. Fact: 89% of consumers have stopped doing business with a company after experiencing poor customer service. (RightNow Customer Experience Impact Report). Besides having representatives that are knowledgeable and courteous, it is also important that your customers can reach you when they need to. Advancements in technology offer businesses of any size (big or small) the ability to look bigger and sound more professional overnight. If you don’t already have a business VoIP solution installed in your office/business, it’s time you looked at some of the benefits it can bring – such as cost savings and Fortune 500 calling features such as Virtual Receptionist, Voicemail to Email and Find Me Follow Me (which allows your customers  to reach you anytime, anywhere and from any device).
• Implement customer feedback surveys. Price is not the main reason for customer churn, it is actually due to the overall poor quality of customer service. (Accenture global customer satisfaction report 2008). Surveys can help you find out what your customers’ expectations are, what you are doing well, 
• Start a blog. A blog can be a great place to not only keep your current customers happy, but also attract new ones. Everyday people search the Web for answers – become an expert in your field. Cover topics that your audience would find of value and become the 'go-to-guy' in your industry. 
• Build relationships through social media. These days, people are glued to their computer screens and smartphones. You can use this opportunity to connect with your customers through social media venues like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. You can post things such as company news and pictures, promotions, tips, and contests.
• Referral programs. Start a program that rewards both your customers as well as their referrals. Show your customers that you not only appreciate their business, but that their referrals make a big difference in your business as well. 

Why SMBs are making the switch to Business VoIP

Many SMBs and home offices are walking away from their traditional phone service (AKA POTS) and embracing VoIP for its functionality and ability support their growing (and demanding) business needs.

Traditional phones systems can be complex and expensive. VoIP technology allows companies to cut costs, make offices and employees more efficient, and simplify IT management. Business VoIP delivers a complete office phone system including voice, dozens of Fortune 500 features, and IP phones for one low price (depending on your needs, many providers offer both an unlimited calling and metered/pay per minute plans).

How Business VoIP Works

Business VoIP is a hosted PBX solution that uses the Internet to transit calls. VoIP technology converts voice into little packets of data so that it can be sent over the Internet using high-speed or fiber connection.

Why Businesses are Choosing to Make the Switch

Saves money!
Saving money does not only mean getting great deals and discounts. It also means making smart business decisions that can save you more (both money and headaches!) in the long run.
 

• Lines and Service Fees - Business VoIP uses the Internet to transmit calls, which is significantly cheaper than standard phone lines (which average $50/per line per month). This doesn’t include any hardware or maintenance fees. With a business VoIP solution you’ll typically pay $24.99 per extension per month for an unlimited calling plan (and as low as $12.99/month for a metered plan), and $34.99 for unlimited calling and rental of an IP phone. 
• Hardware - Voice is provided over an IP backbone ("the cloud"). Since both the service and PBX are fully managed (“hosted”) off-site, companies don't have to install and manage complicated and costly equipment.
• Support and maintenance fees – Since the PBX does not reside at the customer’s location, any upgrades and updates are automatically provided by the service provider in the background so there aren't any costs to you.

Scalability
VoIP grows as your business grows.  Unlike traditional phone service, VoIP allows you to quickly (and inexpensively) add or remove users (lines), and enable and disable features as needed. While cost savings is a motivating factor for making the switch, business VoIP also allows businesses to connect remote employees and multiple locations under one calling group.

Features
Business VoIP delivers big business presence on a small business budget. You don’t have to break the bank to receive dozens of Fortune 500 features like Find Me Follow Me, Auto Attendant, Hunt Groups, Conference Calling, Hold Music, Time of Day Routing and much more. Even the smallest companies can look bigger and sound more professional overnight.

Conclusion
Many companies have already adopted VoIP technology to lower their overall office expenses, for its ability set up quickly and easily, and for its flexible configuration. We understand though that it can be difficult to make the switch to something unfamiliar. If you have any questions about business VoIP, one of our VoIP Specialists will be happy to assist you. To speak with a VoIP Specialist call 1-800-900-5474, or e-mail business.support@touchtone.net. 

What's Trending In Telecom

In this day in age, it is technology that stimulates our senses and gives us a feeling of innovation and creativity. In the world of telecom, innovation increases year-by-year.

Over the past 25 years, technology, especially in the world of telecom, has changed the way we work and play almost beyond recognition. We want, and expect, more powerful devices and applications to help us do things faster, better and with more ease. 

But keeping up with technology trends can be overwhelming, and you may find yourself asking, "which technology trends are for me."

The obvious answers are to determine your needs, read and research (we've helped you with that one, read below!), try it out (many companies offer free trials), and if you don't understand it, don't be afraid to ask questions. 

Here's a list of some of today's trending topics in telecom and technology. 

Telecom Trends

1. IP services- More and more companies are moving away from TDM and switching to IP services, such as SIP. Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) provides many benefits for businesses including lower calling costs and a large capacity to serve an entire organization regardless of its size.    
2. Mobile Device Management (MDM)- As the use of personal devices in the workforce increases, the need for businesses to incorporate mobile device management becomes a necessity in order to protect corporate information and reduce security risks. If you’re looking for a MDM vendor, here is a list of the 10 leading vendors in the market today, drawn from the leaders and visionaries in Gartner's 2013. Magic Quadrant for Mobile Device Management Software.
3. Apps, apps and more apps- Chances are that you have a smartphone, a tablet or maybe even both. These devices have transformed the way we communicate, especially in businesses. Mobile apps prove to be especially useful in businesses because they can help manage day-to-day activities (schedule meetings, manage contacts, set reminders, money/account-managing, etc.). If you haven’t done so already check out these great apps: Brewster (personal address book), Contactually (contact management), Asana (plan, organize and stay in sync with your team), and Basecamp (project management). There is an app for almost anything nowadays!
4. The Cloud- With today’s dynamic office environments, cloud services are proving to be a surefire way to reduce costs and streamline operations. So what does it mean exactly ‘to move to the cloud’? 

For some, the cloud means a storage locker in the sky; a place to save documents, pictures and videos online so that they can be stored, accessed and even shared whenever and from where ever there is Internet connection.

Not only has this made our personal lives easier (we no longer need to e-mail documents to ourselves or burn a CD of vacation pictures for family and friends), but businesses are looking into cloud-based data storage in support of protection efforts such as replication, backup, archiving, and disaster recovery. 

For others, the cloud serves as a way to provide cost effective and scalable voice and data services. Commonly known as hosted communications or business VoIP, voice is provided over an IP backbone (the cloud) – the PBX and service is fully managed offsite by the provider. Cloud-based phone service provides more robust functionality beginning with crisp, clear voice quality and an abundance of features not available with traditional phone service. Since the service is completely outsourced and the PBX does not reside at the customer’s premises, upgrades are automatically provided by the provider in the background so there aren't any costs to upgrade. Learn more about cloud-based phone service.

Customer Service Tips For Your Small Business

As a small business owner you know the importance of keeping your customers happy. However, many businesses fail in doing so simply because they don't know how to develop and implement "good customer service" strategies.

Here are some useful tips on how you can apply good customer service strategies that will keep your customers happy and your business booming!

• Identify your target customers- What type of customers will your business attract? Who are they? What are their needs? Start by doing some quality research on your customer demographics. The key to making your customers happy is to understand what they really want.
• Anticipate your customers' future needs- Not only is it important to determine what your customers want now, but also what they will need in the future. This will help generate loyalty and repeat customers. You can find out your customers' wants and needs by:
• Conducting online customer service satisfaction surveys. (Some free online survey sites: http://freeonlinesurveys.com/, http://www.surveymonkey.com/, http://polldaddy.com/) 
• Phone/email survey 
• Product testing- Find out what your customers prefer by allowing them to try free testers or even allowing your employees to do the testing. For example, find out which flavor is in more demand, chocolate or vanilla. Have people taste the flavors and gear your business accordingly. 

Photo courtesy of: http://startupramp.typepad.com/

Click to enlarge:  http://www.touchtone.net/promotions/know-your-customer.jpg

• Don't make promises you can't keep- A lot of the times a business will lose a customer because of unfinished promises. You want your customer to be able to rely on your business and trust that whatever promise you make, you will complete it in a timely manner. For example, imagine if you were promised that your bedroom furniture will be arriving on Monday, but instead arrives on Thursday. You have every right to complain and be one not-so-happy customer. The same applies to your clients and customers. 
• Be a good listener- It's important to hear your customers out. They have a voice too. In addition, listening to your customers will not only help your customer, but will also help your business. Talk about a win-win situation. By listening, you get a better understanding of what it is that your customer really wants. A good practice is to repeat back to them what your comprehension of their needs and wants are; this way you both are on the same page.
• Get your customers to interact with you- Use your social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter to talk to your customers. 
• Deal with the complaints- You're a business, and you're bound to get a couple of complaints here and there. You can't please all people, but you definitely shouldn't ignore the complaint. This can be a deciding factor of whether your customer is satisfied with your business. 
• Apologize when needed- It can be difficult to apologize sometimes. But remember, you're a business, and every business makes mistakes. If you make a mistake, it's okay, it happens. Just make sure that you acknowledge it and make it right by the customer.
• Answer your phone- You don't want to be that company that rarely answers phone calls. Answering the phone is your biggest advantage. A customer then knows that he/she can rely on your business and that they will always be helped. These days, technology makes it easy to be accessible 24/7. A cool feature offered by many phone companies is Find Me/Follow Me. It allows you to have calls forwarded to anyone and to any device - your place of business, your cell or another person.     

Customer service can either make or break a small business. Customers are not only looking for service, but also value. Show them that your service (or product) does just that by implementing customer service straegies that make them feel unique, and not just another number.             

Business VoIP: Stay Organized, Be Successful

Staying organized in a business can get a bit tricky, especially if your day-to-day activities consist of running around, doing errands and making important phone calls. From the numerous calls you receive and need to make, to all the people you need to meet with, it can all get very hectic.

So what can you do to ease up this hectic life and get a bit more organized? Try considering TouchTone’s business VoIP phone system, a perfect solution for small businesses (2-10 employees) who want to gain a competitive edge. Business VoIP provides powerful calling features to help you stay organized.

Unlike traditional phone service, Business VoIP provides your business with enterprise-class business features, as well as professional and advanced service (including unlimited calling). And the best part is, it’s a lot cheaper than traditional phone system and service.

TouchTone’s Business VoIP system would work perfectly for you if:

1. You prefer to pay less and get more out of a phone system (i.e., enterprise-class calling features, unlimited talk).
2. You prefer to use newer technology versus old and outdated traditional technology.
3. You don’t want to invest in an IT person to handle the maintenance and the setting up of your phone. TouchTone covers all that for you; from maintenance to setting up, we got you covered!

Some features to help you and your business get organized and keep up with your fast-pace environment are:

• Call Forwarding- Allows you to redirect incoming calls to another number, voice mail, or block the call all together. You choose what type of calls, as well as when calls are forwarded. Call Forwarding categories include: All Calls, When Busy, Do Not Disturb, No Answer and Selective Forwarding.
• Selective Call Management- Also known as call screening, with selective call management you can selectively reject or accept calls made from specific numbers so that you can manage your time more efficiently.
• Web Management/Web Portal- You can make adds, changes or moves 24 hours, 7 days a week through the self-managed Web Portal. Access all your contacts, voicemail messages, call logs and much more. Organized business here you come!
• Hunt Groups- One of your worst nightmares is probably losing your valuable customers and clients. This could be an outcome of poor customer service. When a customer or client calls your company, you want to make sure they are being taken care. The Hunt Group feature is extremely helpful when multiple lines are in use. For example, when a line goes unanswered or is in use, the call is automatically routed and transferred to another user, and so on and so forth. This powerful feature will ensure that your phone is answered by someone in your company at all times.

The type of phone service you use for your business plays an important role on the functionality and future success of your company. Take your business to the next level with Business VoIP.

Any questions? Feel free to leave comment!