June 22nd, 2010
VoIP Through the Ages
Last week we announced our exciting Phone Makeover contest (http://www.vocalocity.com/contest ) where small businesses can enter for a chance to win their own VoIP phone system! To follow up, here is a short blog about how VoIP has transformed through the ages. Another great post by Jessica Branson, our in-house Business VoIP Consultant. Enjoy!
“VoIP has come a long way since I’ve started working at Vocalocity. To be completely honest, over 3 years ago I had no idea what VoIP even was. I just remember my dad telling me, “VoIP is hot… it’s the new thing.” Now, I feel like everyone knows what VoIP is. Even if it’s through Comcast, or a local cable provider, people are now realizing there is a better alternative to the telecom giants that have always controlled phone service. Even as little as 3 years ago the amount of companies providing voice over IP service was low. Today, it seems like every time I turn around there is a new VoIP competitor popping up providing unlimited calling nationwide.
In the beginning, VoIP was spotty across the board and people were worried about sounding like they were under water. As VoIP has gotten older, it’s become more stable and viewed as a more reliable form of communication. In addition, more and more businesses are turning to VoIP because of the cost savings. It’s not just for your house phone anymore. It’s not just for Skype so that you can keep in touch with people living overseas or a few states away. VoIP is now a reliable business phone service that is being used globally.
Right now I think VoIP is in its teenage years. It’s grown a lot and become a lot more dependable but it’s not done evolving yet. I see this as VoIP’s awkward growing stages that will lead to bigger and better things. More features, like video-conferencing and more application integration, will be added to VoIP services in the future. VoIP has already passed the stage of stabilizing and quality assurance and now it’s ready to develop into a sophisticated form of communication that goes beyond just picking up a phone and dialing.”
June 14th, 2010
We are Launching Our Biggest Contest Ever
As a new member of Vocalocity’s marketing team, I am excited to launch our first Annual Phone System Makeover Contest. This contest is different than anything Vocalocity has done in the past, and this is a great way for us to spread the word about our company in an exciting way.
The contest is straightforward and should be a fun way for small businesses to interact with us. All you need to do is send us a video that shows us how a business VoIP service like ours can make a positive impact on your business! The Company with the most likes on their video submission will win a free hosted PBX phone system and free service for an entire year!!
From June 14th to August 1st, you can go to: http://www.vocalocity.com/contest where you can find out how to enter your video submission, as well as tips on video format. Explain to us why your business most needs Vocalocity and you could win! And, just by entering the contest you get 25% off your Vocalocity service!
-Melissa Levine
Online Marketing Manager
June 11th, 2010
Vocalocity Employee Spotlight 101
We usually post about new and exciting features, but this week we decided to do something new. So we asked our Business VoIP Consultant, Jessica Branson what her favorite feature was. This is what she had to say:
“So this week I was going to write about my favorite feature, and after giving it a lot of thought I couldn’t narrow it down to why one feature was my favorite over another. I started thinking about the hosted PBX in itself and while our phone system is hosted isn’t really a feature, it kind of is.
Since the system is hosted it allows our developers to do a lot more with it than would be available to an on-site system. For starters, the system can be accessed anywhere. I can take my phone home with me and work from home once a week. People in the office can still see my status on our dashboard feature, and can still transfer calls to me or reach me simply by calling my extension. Customers of mine call my direct dial number and have no idea I’m not in the office.
Another great aspect of the hosted system is that it allows our customers to get more involved with our product. How? Because our marketing team polls our customers and when they say, “Hey we want Outlook Integration!” we then go to our developers and ask very politely to roll out Outlook Integration. Once they’ve created it, all our customers have to do is download an application. It’s that simple. They don’t need to have someone come on-site and tinker with their PBX. They don’t have to pay for the installation. It’s just available for them. This means a hosted system will never become outdated; it keeps evolving as new features are introduced.
With businesses becoming more global having a hosted PBX makes things so much simpler. People can do business on trips, from their hotel rooms, from other countries and not miss a beat. As soon as you get to your destination, you just plug your phone in and you’re set! Good thing, because I really can’t see someone carrying an entire phone system with them every time they travel.”
May 24th, 2010
Vocalocity Features 101: Online Backup and Storage
Vocalocity offers dozens of features designed to help you get the most out of your phone system and we’re here to help you get acquainted.
What would happen if your computers and backup drives were stolen or destroyed? Don’t want to fathom the nightmarish possibilities? Neither do we.
That’s why we provide every Vocalocity small business VoIP customer with a free 2 GB of space on our servers to use as backup for critical data. Because this space is on Vocalocity servers and not in your office, you can be sure that your information will never be stolen or destroyed. Vocalocity Online Backup and Storage allows you to:
-Automatically backup crucial documents and information
-Retrieve valuable data should your equipment be damaged or stolen
-Organize valuable documents without the hassle of CDs, thumb drives, and e-mails
If 2 GB isn’t enough, just let us know. Additional storage is available so that you’ll never have to lose a wink of sleep worrying about your business data.
May 13th, 2010
Vocalocity Features 101: Dashboard
Vocalocity offers dozens of features designed to help you get the most out of your phone system and we’re here to help you get acquainted.
We here at Vocalocity pride ourselves on our easy-to-use dashboard that allows our small business VoIP clients to monitor activity and keep track of calls, clients, and coworkers. The intuitive dashboard feature is available with every extension and allows you to:
• Create customized views at the click of a mouse
• Gather real-time status of coworkers and see which extensions are in use
• Utilize the click-to-call function for the company-wide directory
Administrators have the ability to modify views for each user and adjust user dashboards accordingly. Start using your dashboard today and monitor your company in real time.
May 5th, 2010
Vocalocity Features 101: Follow Me
Vocalocity’s Follow Me feature allows incoming calls to be forwarded to multiple numbers that will ring in a designated sequence.
Not in the office? Have the call forwarded to your cell phone. Not near your cell phone? Program the call to be forwarded to your home phone. Not at home? Just have the call rerouted to your office or voicemail. This feature of Vocalocity’s small business phone system allows you to:
• Establish a sequence of locations to which the call will ring
• Set a time limit for the number of rings in each location
• Remain connected even when you’re not at your desk
It’s time to make missed calls a thing of the past. The Follow Me feature seamlessly transfers incoming calls to different extensions and allows you to pick up whether you’re at the office or on the go.
May 4th, 2010
Vocalocity Features 101: Music on Hold
Music on Hold is just one of the many features our hosted VoIP solution offers that allows you to get the most out of your phone system.
Caller wait time is the perfect opportunity to advertise to a captive audience. Use the Music on Hold feature to upload information about your business, special deals, or upcoming changes. Included with every account, it’s one of the easiest, but sometimes underutilized, ways to communicate with your customers.
• Promote discounts and deals
• Announce a change to your business, location, or hours
• Advertise your business or service
Music on hold doesn’t just have to be about melody anymore. Take advantage of this feature and let Music on Hold do the talking.
May 4th, 2010
Vocalocity Receives Atlanta Pacesetter Award
The Atlanta Business Chronicle recently recognized Vocalocity as a leading-edge company that has experienced rapid growth over the past few years. Read more here.
April 20th, 2010
Vocalocity Features 101: Custom Tagging
Vocalocity offers dozens of features designed to help you get the most out of your phone system and we’re here to help you get acquainted.
We know that many business VoIP users may run more than one business out of the same location, and that’s why Vocalocity offers the Custom Tag feature to every one of our accounts. This allows you to easily identify the origin of incoming calls by adding a unique tag to each published phone number, ensuring that calls are answered in the appropriate manner using the correct company name. Now you can answer the phone with complete confidence that customers are intending to reach “Marketing by Mimi” or “Eric’s Insurance,” even if the two businesses exist in the very same room. Set up your custom tags today and reap the benefits:
• Easily identify origin of incoming calls
• Add a tag to distinguish incoming calls for various departments, companies, and functions
• Ensure that calls are answered with the appropriate response
• Quickly and easily manage Custom Tagging through the online interface
You no longer have to timidly answer the phone with an ambiguous and generic “Hello, how can I help you?” Apply custom tags through our online portal and answer with assurance.
April 15th, 2010
Vocalocity Features 101: Outlook Integration
Vocalocity offers dozens of features designed to help you get the most out of your phone system and we’re here to help you get acquainted.
Are you a current or potential Vocalocity customer who uses Outlook on a day-to-day basis? If so, you’re in luck because we offer the Outlook integration feature that seamlessly combines Outlook with your hosted PBX phone system. With this feature, you can:
• Easily sync your contacts with your phone system
• Click to dial straight from Outlook
• Initiate calls from various Outlook views
The Outlook integration feature is easy to install, included with every extension, and there’s no need to even export and import contacts — we’ll do the work for you so you can get to business.