School districts across the country are facing serious financial hurdles in the months and years ahead. Declining enrollment rates, mounting staff retirement costs, and widespread teacher shortages have added a whole new (and wholly unwelcome) meaning to the phrase “doing more with less”. Fortunately, there is a proven and cost-effective way for school districts to unify school district communications: upgrade from a conventional landline phone system to a VoIP phone system.  Here are four key reasons why an all-in-one VoIP phone system enables school districts to tie their school communications together:  A VoIP Phone System Connects All Staff Members and Locations Throughout...

Your school (or school district) has decided to upgrade from a costly and inflexible landline phone system to an agile, feature-rich, affordable, and future-proofed VoIP phone system. Smart move. Or, as your students might say: “it’s a no-brainer!” Now, you need to carefully choose a vendor that is going to make your experience straightforward, safe, and successful. From initial implementation to ongoing support. Well, here is another no-brainer: that vendor is Carolina Digital Phone! Here are 5 reasons why we deliver the best phone system for schools: 1. We have in-depth experience serving schools. Unlike most other vendors, we deeply understand that...

For many things “Google is your friend” is good advice. But there are exceptions. And as many businesses have unhappily discovered, using Google Voice is on the list. Here are 7 reasons why:   No Calls to Emergency Services Shockingly, Google Voice does not support calls to emergency services. This enormous limitation alone should make it a non-starter as a business phone system. Picture this nightmare headline: “Business Fails to Call Fire Department Right Away Because Its Phone System Won’t Dial Emergency Services”.   No Business Caller ID When making calls with Google Voice, a business’s regular phone number does not appear on Caller ID. Instead,...

If you are planning on adding locations now or in the future, then here are 10 reasons why VoIP is — by far — the BEST multi-location phone system for your business. Getting The Best Multi-Location Phone System You’ll dramatically reduce your telecommunications costs. There is no expensive on-site phone system to purchase and maintain, and domestic long-distance calls are always free.   Your phone bill will be predictable. No more fluctuating from one month to the next, which helps you with budget management and financial forecasting.  You can connect multiple locations on a single, centralized system. Yet at the same time, each location can...

For people who have no idea what Tar Heel Blue is, have never experienced the refreshing bliss of Cheerwine on a hot summer day, and who fail to grasp that Bull Durham is one of the greatest movies of all time, then “the Triad” is simply a trio of people or things — like musical notes or siblings.  But for folks who are intimately familiar with Tar Heel Blue, Cheerwine, and Bull Durham, then “the Triad” is, of course, a unique region in north-central North Carolina anchored by Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. It’s also home to some of North Carolina’s...

For stockbrokers — and day traders whose multi-monitor home office setup rivals NASA Mission Control — the mantra for success is: “buy low, sell high.” For real estate investors, it’s: “location, location, location.” And what about small business owners? Well, their key to success is: “DO MORE WITH LESS!” And one of the simplest and smartest ways to achieve this goal is with a web-based softphone. Below, we highlight 3 must-have small business benefits of a web-based softphone: 1. Support Remote and Hybrid Workers The pandemic dramatically accelerated the number of people working remotely full-time and hybrid (i.e. switching between home office/corporate office)....

“Doing more with less” has always been a mantra on the business landscape. However, in the aftermath of COVID-19, it is not just a piece of good advice: it is a mandatory requirement. Simply put, businesses that find innovative and sustainable ways to do more with less will thrive in the months and years ahead, while those that don’t will struggle — and eventually, disappear. What does this have to do with unified communications benefits? In a word: everything! The Basics of Unified Communications  Unified communications (UC) refers to the integration of voice, data, and video communications on a single and centralized...

If you’re searching for a smart and safe way to improve your business — which means a bigger bottom line, more productive employees, and happier customers — then here are three eye-opening facts about a hosted PBX phone system that you need to know: 1. Hosted PBX costs far less than a conventional landline phone system. Hosted PBX offers enormous cost savings for three reasons: There is no need to purchase and install an expensive physical telephone network at your location. You do not have to buy a separate maintenance and support agreement . Your hosted PBX solution should include these items.You do not...

From left to right: Nicky Smith, Eddie Balla, Matthew Hutton and Mitchell Smith As the owner of Carolina Digital Phone, I like to keep in touch with every facet of my business. Since I am busy with meetings and other business-related duties, I am not in the office every day. Like so many people nowadays, I work remotely much of the time. However, I make it a point to work from our offices in the historic Guilford Building on Elm Street a couple of times a week. In particular, I look forward to being in the office every Friday that I...

It has been said that business leaders should never comment on politics - not because it's the wrong thing to do, but because it usually isn't good for business. Well, I'll level with you: the second last thing I want to do is anything that would damage my business. For more than 20 years, I have put my heart and soul into Carolina Digital Phone. But the VERY LAST thing I want to do is sit by and stay silent when I firmly believe that standing up and speaking out is the RIGHT thing to do. And so, here I go: For the past several...