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With residential households dumping their landline phone service in favor of their cell service in ever increasing numbers, business leaders are also evaluating their options for phone service.  However, there are several areas of consideration before making this decision, and simply dumping one for the other isn't always the best solution. It’s important to weigh all the factors before choosing either VoIP service or a slew of cell phones.  Things to take into account include:

Cost Considerations - Certainly, cost favorability would be a reason businesses would even consider dumping their landline for a cell phone.  However, even the smallest of businesses find value in what a phone system can do, especially a feature-rich VoIP system. It’s important to consider the shelf-life of cell phones versus that of business phone systems, and the frequency with which cell phone are damaged, stolen or lost.

Caller Experience - When a customer is calling your business, they need to be directed to the individual who can best handle their needs.  Deploying handsets with individual phone numbers to each employee would work for callers who call direct to those associates, but cell phones aren't designed to work together.  Transferring calls, establishing hunt groups, knowing if others are on the phone or not and dialing by extension are all functions that go away with cell phone only deployments.  Simply put, if call handling is not efficient for your staff, it certainly won’t be efficient for the caller.

Call Quality - Face it, you know when you're talking with someone on their cell phone.  The call simply isn't as clear as when you're talking on a landline or a quality VoIP connection.  It is subject to drops as well.  Further, if an associate needs to be working at a computer, a blue tooth or headset device for the cell phone would be necessary.  These tools for those type of phones can degrade the call quality even further.  This is probably not what most business would want as a reflection of their brand.

Using Cell Phones and VoIP Phones in Tandem

You don’t necessarily have to choose one or the other, as you can incorporate cell phones into the mix to enhance the caller experience.  Your staff can have a simultaneous ring of their desk phone and cell phone to improve the chance that they're available to take a call.  Or, the cell phones of certain associates can be provided an extension on the system to allow for easy transfer to that individual.  Finally, smart phones can download an application that will allow for their phone to have a direct dial / extension on the system.  When calling from the application, the phone delivers the company caller ID, not the cell phone caller ID.

Businesses deploying a hosted VoIP service can get all of the features of an enterprise level phone system, but at a very affordable cost.  The initial investment only includes the VoIP phones, as the system is hosted by the provider.  The monthly service cost can be less than traditional phone service as well.  And as noted above, there’s always an option to layer in cell phone service for added ease of use and off-hours availability. Unfortunately, there are too many flaws in cell phone only deployments for business to consider it a viable alternative to a business phone system and the service that comes with it.  Hosted VoIP service offers a savings opportunity and features your staff (and customers) will love. 

About the author:  Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of a variety of VoIP phone solutions 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. 

Everybody loves cupcakes, right? And while it may seem like a stretch to compare your business telecommunications service to a baked pastry item, all the best parts of cupcakes are right there in your hosted VoIP phone service too.

You can make as many as you want. Face it, baking a cake is complicated. If nothing else, cakes are pretty big, and they're going to take up pretty much all of your oven. But with cupcakes, you can make as many as you need. The same thing goes with hosted VoIP service. If you only need 11 phones, then you only provision 11 phones. And since your service is hosted in the cloud, instead of on-site at your office, there's no need for a big, expensive, and high-maintenance public branch exchange (PBX) that could handle a lot more phones than you'll ever need.

You can make them as simple or as complex as you need. Fundamentally, a cupcake is pretty simple, right? It's just a tiny cake. But if you've ever been to one of the cupcake shops that are popping up all over the country, then you've seen just how complex cupcakes can get. From exotic flavor combinations to elaborate frosting decorations, a cupcake can be a lot more than just a tiny cake, in the right hands. With your hosted VoIP service, you've got all the flexibility you need for an endless variety of custom configurations to fit your business needs. Whether you want a simple, no-nonsense phone system or all the bells and whistles, hosted VoIP can get you there.

Cupcakes are hot right now. No pun intended. But seriously, speaking of those boutique cupcake shops that seem to be showing up everywhere, cupcakes have never been more popular as a dessert item than they are right now. There are shows on cooking networks just about cupcakes, and you can buy magazines devoted to cupcake recipes in line at the supermarket. Similarly, hosted VoIP is rapidly becoming the industry standard for telecommunications services, delivering unparalleled value, quality, and reliability.

The right baker can make all the difference. Just like some people have a "green thumb" when it comes to gardening, a talented baker can turn out a perfect cupcake, while another baker may produce something that's flat and flavorless and much less appetizing. It's the same with your hosted VoIP service. While it may seem like phone service would be the same from one company to another, nothing could be further from the truth. The right hosted VoIP phone company will give you the service you expect, while also ensuring that you've got the crystal-clear call quality that you deserve.

Cupcakes are sweet! That's really the bottom line, after all, cupcakes are sweet and delicious, and that's why we love eating them. Hosted VoIP is also sweet! At least, if you've got a taste for saving money, upgrading technology, and enhancing your company production and customer service.

There's five reasons why everybody loves cupcakes, and five reasons why everyone will love hosted VoIP service from sipVine if they give it a chance. After all, there has to have been a first time you ever tasted a cupcake, right? So give hosted VoIP a first taste, and see if you've got a sweet tooth for better service, upgraded technology, and exceptional call quality.

About the author: Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of VoIP business phone 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.

The right VoIP phone service provider can configure your business phone traffic patterns for how you do business, thus improving your efficiency and customer communications. There are several options a business can deploy:

·    Incoming Line Options – The first variable in custom programming is determining how incoming calls to a company’s main line are handled.  If an automated attendant is not utilized, phone calls can be directed to a receptionist, ring a group of people simultaneously, enter a call queue, or be programmed to roll from selected individuals as desired.

·   Time of Day Call Schedules – Businesses can choose to program call routing schedules based upon the time of day.  The best example is before and after hours of operation.  Businesses can have their calls directed to alternative phone numbers (answering services, cell phones, etc.) or to an after-hours auto attendant. Businesses with branch locations in multiple time zones can direct incoming calls based upon staff availability for that time of day.

·   Hunt/Ring Groups and Call Queues – You can also designate groups of people to be eligible to take a specific type of call.  For example, you may have a customer service department with multiple representatives. Your receptionist or auto attendant can send new calls into this group list, which can be programmed for simultaneous ring, hunting for the next available attendant, or in an actual queue. These can be as numerous as your business has categories for customer contact and each can be uniquely programmed for the right ring pattern for the situation.

·    Automated Attendant – Customers can be routed directly to the right group of people to meet their needs through an automated attendant.  This eliminates the need for a reception or call screening resource. There are some good guidelines to follow for effectively utilizing an auto attendant, as if it is implemented correctly, it can enhance your customer satisfaction and drive efficiency.

These are just a few of the ways a VoIP phone service provider can streamline your communication patterns.  As you evaluate providers, ensure that as a part of their installation and service that you receive this type of programming customized to how you do business!

Make every interaction with customers count with the help of sipVine's complete business communication solution! sipVine provides Hosted VoIP services to businesses across the United States. A better phone system for your small business with advanced features to match your unique business needs! Make your company's business communications better by engaging better customer experiences at every touchpoint. Want to learn more? Our small business phone service representatives are here to answer any questions you have!