Blog

Imagine this: You buy a car, but you can't drive it until you go to another company to get it turned on. And whenever there's a problem with your car, it could just as easily be the car itself—in which case you'd have to take it to a mechanic—or a problem with that second company that activated it. That's kind of what it's like to have phone service through a traditional phone company. The company provides the service itself, but the phones and any other related equipment are your problem. 

Doesn't it make sense to have your phone service provider be the same person who provides your phones and all the other related equipment? No more buying and maintaining bulky and expensive private branch exchanges (PBXs), and no more calling the phone company only to be told that the problem must be with your system, or vice versa. 

With hosted VoIP from sipVine, your phone service provider is also your phone provider! And there's no need for private branch exchanges or other bulky equipment. All that is handled in the cloud, meaning that all you need to invest in are hosted VoIP phones, which are completely supported by the same friendly and knowledgeable customer service staff who provide you with personalized assistance with your hosted VoIP phone service. That means no PBXs, no phone cabling, none of the hassle and expense that comes with installing and maintaining your own in-house phone system. 

Maybe best of all, it means that if something goes wrong, or if you have a question, or if you want to upgrade or make a change, there's only one number you call. Whether you're dealing with your phone system or your phone service, you'll always call the friendly folks at sipVine. And because sipVine specializes in providing hosted VoIP phone services to businesses just like yours, we know the importance of good communication. That's why you'll always talk to someone who knows the needs of your business. At sipVine, you won't be just another customer number, you'll be part of the sipVine family. 

Hosted VoIP offers businesses like yours unparalleled service, scalability, ease of administration, cost savings, and crystal-clear call clarity, not to mention all the features and options that you demand. Plus, it just feels right to get your phone service from the same place that you get your phone system. Tying the two together is just good business, keeping them separate just doesn't make sense. That's why there's no better time than today to leave the old phone company behind and follow your phone service to hosted VoIP. 

No matter what your company's needs, hosted VoIP from sipVine can deliver, so give us a call today, and let us show you what hosted VoIP can do for your business!

About the author: Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of hosted VoIP phone systems and services. Mark has extensive experience working for start-up or entrepreneurial organizations and has a passion for affordable, reliable, and purposeful technology solutions in those environments.

Here at sipVine, we're obviously big believers in hosted VoIP. We know that hosting your business telecommunications service in the cloud is one of the fastest growing trends in the industry because hosted VoIP phone service gives you options, amenities, and service that other providers just can't match. But we also know that switching your phone service is a big decision, and, like with any business decision, timing can be everything. So here are 5 ways to tell if your business is ready to make the switch to hosted VoIP:

1. Your current phone system is out-of-date. Maybe you've got phones that are falling apart, the numbers are wearing off the keypads, wires are fraying, or maybe your phone system itself is getting old and failing, and parts or replacement phones are no longer available. And when you do place a service call, you get hit with a fee. Maybe your current system simply isn't delivering the call quality or range of features that your business demands.

Whatever the problems with your current system, hosted VoIP can solve them, not just today, but down the road. With hosted VoIP, it's incumbent on your provider—rather than you—to keep the system and the handset line-up current. You'll never have to worry about obsolescence again. If your phone goes bad, you just replace it with a current model supported by your VoIP provider, rather than having to replace all the phones, or a whole system.

2. People get excited when they hear you can get caller ID. Difficult as it is to imagine, there are still plenty of phone systems in play that don't deliver caller ID to the phone! In this world of smartphones and mobile devices, that kind of feature seems so basic, but many people are over the moon when they hear that it's available from hosted VoIP. Imagine their excitement when they hear about the other enterprise level features you can get with your VoIP service, such as on-phone corporate directories, automated attendant features, customized on-hold music or messages, voicemail notification to cellphone, and many more!

3. You're ready to replace your on-site system. If it's time to replace your current phone system, you may find price-checking on-site systems to be a daunting prospect. You can pay more for an on-site phone system than you've probably spent on infrastructure for your whole office in the past two years. Not only that, but you'll have to dedicate internal resources to programming and maintaining the system. With hosted VoIP, all you buy are the handsets. Everything else, your dedicated VoIP provider brings to the table, and maintains for the long haul!

4. Your business is relocating. If you're moving your business anyway, there's no better time to leave behind that bulky private branch exchange system and make the transition to hosted VoIP. Try pricing out what it'll cost to move your old phone system—it's probably more than you can sell it for on Craig's List. Instead, try selling it to reseller, or leaving it as an incentive for the next client.

5. You've called your current phone company and had to endure the voice recognition routing process. Everybody's experienced it, and everybody hates it. Calling up, wading through a sea of ever-changing menus that never quite offer what you need. You never talk to the same person twice, and whoever you talk to certainly doesn't know you, your business, or how your phone system is programmed. Luckily for you, hosted VoIP from sipVine is different. Because we combine the phone service and the phone system under one umbrella, we can diagnose and treat any problem you may have in the same call.  Additionally,because we put our service to our customers first, when you call us, you'll always be talking to someone who knows you, knows your business, and knows the ins and outs of your VoIP phone system.

Whatever your reasons, if it's time to switch your phone service, then it's time to give hosted VoIP from sipVine a try. We know that once you do, you'll never go back. In fact, we're so confident of it, there are no long-term contracts to sign. We believe that our superior features, service, and call quality will be enough to keep you as a loyal sipVine customer, without having to wave contracts or cancellation fees over your head.

About the author: Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of hosted VoIP phone systems and services. Mark has extensive experience working for start-up or entrepreneurial organizations and has a passion for affordable, reliable, and purposeful technology solutions in those environments.

Moving is one of the toughest and most complicated things that your business will ever have to do, but at the same time, chances are just about every business will do it at some point or another. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, around 40 million people move every year, and while there's no similar statistic for businesses, there are a lot of reasons why businesses might consider heading to greener pastures. The five biggest reasons that businesses decide to relocate are the need for upgraded or expanded facilities, labor and workforce issues, new market opportunities, an attempt to lower costs or increase cash flow, and quality of life considerations.

Whatever the reasons, when it comes time to make a move, there's a lot to consider, and a lot to keep track of. As with any move, there's changing addresses, finalizing the deed or lease for the new place, selling or renting out your old location, managing the changeover, and, of course, moving all your stuff. But businesses face even more obstacles than homeowners when it comes time to move, and a business move can cost a lot if it isn't handled smoothly, not only in upfront costs but also in lost revenue.

After all, a homeowner just has to get all their stuff from point A to point B, unpack the boxes, get the phones and cable and whatever else all hooked up, and so on. A business move requires you to do all that—and more—while still keeping your doors open as much as possible, not to mention changing signage, letterhead, marketing materials, websites, etc. Nobody wants to lose income—or even customers—due to a lengthy and complicated move.

One of the biggest challenges businesses face when moving is staying in touch with their customers and business partners. You want your telecommunications access to be as uninterrupted as possible during the move, so that you don't miss any opportunities. That's part of why many businesses choose to leave their old phone system behind when they make the move to a new location.

There are a lot of good reasons to leave your old phone system behind when the time comes to make a move. For one, contrary to what you might think, it'll probably save you money. Moving a private branch exchange (PBX) is expensive and complicated, and leaving it behind means that you can use it as a selling point for future tenants or sell it to a reseller to get some cash-in-hand. Meanwhile, you also won't be worrying about the down time that comes with trying to haul your old phone system to your new location and get it set up. Instead, try a hosted VoIP phone service, which can provide you with all the telephony services that you've come to expect, along with the crystal clear call quality that you demand, all at a significant cost savings, both up front and in the long run.

Plus, if you're building out a new suite for your new location, you won't need to invest in phone cabling, as your hosted VoIP phones will share an Ethernet connection with your computers. Basically, all you'll need to buy are your phones, and the savings generated in the cable plant and not relocating your old system will often more than offset those modest upfront costs.

Businesses all over the country are switching to hosted VoIP for its scalability, ease of administration, cost savings, and unparalleled service. And if you're looking at a business move in your future, there's no better time to make the switch to hosted VoIP phone service, and leave your outdated phone system behind forever.

About the author: Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of hosted VoIP phone systems and services. Mark has extensive experience working for start-up or entrepreneurial organizations and has a passion for affordable, reliable, and purposeful technology solutions in those environments.

When you run your own business, one of the hardest decisions you'll ever have to make is choosing what work you need to handle in-house versus what work you need to hire out. Everything's got a trade-off. Having an in-house team means more up-front costs, but usually also more control. Outsourcing the work may save you money and get you access to better people, but you run the risk of becoming just another customer in a long list.

Fortunately, when it comes to your business phone service, hosted VoIP can give you the best of both worlds! After all, you're going to have to contract your phone service with someone. Even if you invest in a bulky and expensive private branch exchange (PBX) system to handle your telecommunications needs, you'll still be getting service from one of the major telephone providers. With hosted VoIP in the cloud from sipVine, your phone system and phone service providers are blended into one. That means no more bulky PBX, but it also means that no matter what you need from your business phone service, you've got one number to call, and you'll talk to someone who knows your business and your needs.

Cloud telephone services are a growing trend all over the world because, quite frankly, hosted VoIP can give benefits that "traditional" phone services just can't match. Not only does hosted VoIP save you money on maintenance and installation, it's also completely scalable to your needs as your company grows, and it's 100% portable, so you can take it with you wherever you go, without having to worry about hauling a bunch of equipment around. And of course, hosted VoIP from sipVine gives you the crystal clear call quality that you need, along with all the amenities that you've come to expect, such as call waiting, call forwarding, voicemail notification, and many more.

But maybe the biggest benefit of outsourcing your business phone service to hosted VoIP from sipVine is simply this: You'll get the best customer service in the business. Try calling one of the big service providers and you're going to find yourself on hold for who-knows-how-long, before you finally talk to someone who has no idea who you are, or what you do. Everyone's been through it, and everyone hates it! At sipVine, we put our customers first, and as business owners ourselves, we know how valuable your time is to you.

When was the last time you called your telephone service provider and spoke to someone who actually knew you? At sipVine you will! And while it's nice to talk to someone to whom you're more than just a customer number, that's not the end of the benefits of personalized service. When you're dealing with someone who knows your business and also manages the administration of your phone system, we can tailor your services and your features to your needs, and help to ensure that your telecommunications package is doing everything that it can to benefit your business!

About the author: Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of hosted VoIP phone systems and services. Mark has extensive experience working for start-up or entrepreneurial organizations and has a passion for affordable, reliable, and purposeful technology solutions in those environments.

Anyone who has ever worked at an office knows that it pays to keep the IT guys happy. After all, they run the networks and computer systems that run everything else, so whether you're a secretary or the big boss in the corner office, sooner or later you rely on the IT guys to keep things humming along for you.

Luckily, there's one really easy way to help keep your IT guys happy, while also saving your business a bundle of money and a ton of hassles: switch your phone system over to hosted VoIP. There are a lot of good reasons to make the switch to hosted VoIP. It's simple, reliable, and affordable, and provides the kind of customization and call quality that you've come to rely on. But one of the best things about hosted VoIP phone service is that your IT guys will love it!

One of the reasons that IT guys love hosted VoIP phone service is because there's no internal administration required. If there's a problem with your hosted VoIP phone service from sipVine, then it's handled immediately by our team of experts. That frees your IT department up to use its resources for true IT needs and not internal phone support. And anyone who's ever worked in IT will tell you that time is the most valuable resource that an IT department has. Keeping all those systems running smoothly takes a lot of man-hours, and every moment that you can free up for actual IT needs means better functionality for your systems, top to bottom.

Hosted VoIP also helps keep your business on the cutting edge of technology. There are few things more frustrating for an IT department than having to try to work with outdated technology and systems. With hosted VoIP, you can follow the trend of outsourcing infrastructure, while also getting technology and feature upgrades for your business direct from your hosted VoIP provider. At sipVine, for example, our VoIP phones feature all the functionality that you've come to expect—from call waiting and forwarding to call logs and ad-hoc conferencing—while also offering programmable features like unified messaging, corporate directory, time-of-day routing, call center queues, and many others.

For smaller companies that use outside IT support vendors; ask them about hosted VoIP! You'll find that they love hosted VoIP, and are happy to promote the technology. At the end of the day, hosted VoIP does more than save your business money and keep its communication system running at the top of its game, it provides a vast assortment of options and functionality in a system that is deceptively simple, and it will keep your IT guys happy while also pleasing your pocketbook and letting you stay in contact with your customers. That sounds like a situation where everybody wins!

About the author: Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of hosted VoIP phone systems and services. Mark has extensive experience working for start-up or entrepreneurial organizations and has a passion for affordable, reliable, and purposeful technology solutions in those environments.