Blog, Insights, and Announcements from Carolina Digital Phone

Flexible Workplace: 3 Essential Tools that Every Organization Needs

Motivational and self-help guru Brian Tracy has said that to succeed, it is necessary to “be clear about your goal, but flexible about the process of achieving it”. Indeed, these wise words are as applicable to organizations as they are to individuals. This is more true than ever in today’s business landscape where a flexible workplace is not just a profitable competitive advantage, but a basic requirement for long-term survival. Below, we highlight three essential tools for a flexible workplace that every organization needs to thrive instead of struggle: Cloud Phone Systems for a Flexible Workplace A cloud phone system

Nicky Smith May 21, 2021

Softphone vs. Deskphone: Which is Best for Your Organization?

Deciding to make the switch from a conventional phone system to a cloud (a.k.a. VoIP) phone system is a smart move when you consider all of the advantages, which include: Significant initial and year-over-year cost savings. A wide range of enterprise-grade Unified Calling (UC) features such as voicemail-to-email, auto attendant, live call transfer, and more. Seamless scalability. No maintenance, update and upgrade costs. No technical support costs. Reliability and uptime (if the power goes out locally, the system will automatically shift to another area of the state/country where power is operational). The freedom to provide employees with a softphone or

Nicky Smith May 7, 2021

4 Powerful Ways that Cloud Business Phone Systems Boost Customer Service

It is widely understood — frankly, it is axiomatic by this point — that good customer service is important. However, the enormous impact and influence of customer service on today’s business landscape is truly eye-opening. Consider the following: 52% of customers have made an additional purchase from a company after a positive customer service experience. (Source: Dimensional Research) 86% of consumers are willing to spend up to 25% extra for better customer service. (Source: Squaretalk) 61% of customers have switched brands due to poor customer service. And nearly 50% have done so within the last year. (Source: Microsoft) The moral

Nicky Smith April 30, 2021

5 Ways that Cloud Office Phone Systems Cut Costs

These days, the need for businesses to “do more with less” is not just important: it’s essential! And that’s why a growing number of companies — from small firms to large enterprises — are upgrading to cloud (a.k.a. VoIP) office phone systems. Here are the 5 biggest reasons why 1. No PBX Costs With Office Phone Systems Conventional phone systems require an on-site private branch exchange (PBX). These are extremely expensive. While the exact amount depends on the size of the organization, generally the cost is about $1,000 per employee. So, a company with 15 employees would have to spend

Neil Matson April 28, 2021

10 Tips to Engage, Motivate and Energize Your Remote Workers

Right now, tens of millions of people who would otherwise be working in a corporate office are working from home. This is a good thing. If the COVID-19 pandemic happened 20 years ago, remote working would be far less viable of an option. Yes, people had internet at home back then, too. But connectivity speeds were much slower, and many were still using dial-up modem technology. Imagine taking 15 minutes to download a presentation (and even longer to upload one). And as for real-time video conferences: forget about it! However, the fact that millions of people are working remotely right

Neil Matson April 25, 2021

Is 3CX Really Free?

No, nothing is ever really free, even if it might seem that way at first glance. Many businesses today are making the move to cloud-based telephone services, and you might be tempted to do the same. Most cloud-based services run on either SIP trunking or VoIP protocol, basically using virtual connections, instead of wires and cables and using existing internet connection cables to convert audio into data to be transported. This can have many advantages. Landlines are quickly becoming a thing of the past. You might not have one at home at all. But, at work, having a phone is

Nicky Smith April 23, 2021

North Carolina Named “2020 State of the Year”

While 2020 was a very challenging year for obvious reasons, there were some bright spots as well. And one of the most encouraging and uplifting stories was North Carolina being named “2020 State of the Year” by Business Facilities Magazine. This is the first time — but certainly will not be the last time — that North Carolina has earned Business Facilities’ top honor. A title that has been bestowed annually since 2007. North Carolina earned top 10 rankings in several key categories for the “2020 State of the Year”: Best Business Climate Workforce Development Manufacturing Employment Foreign Direct Investment

Nicky Smith April 15, 2021

How Businesses in America will Thrive after the COVID-19 Crisis

Building Back A Better America America is a very different place than it was just a couple of weeks ago. When the COVID-19 virus first emerged, we were all told to wash our hands properly and follow typical guidance for stopping the spread of viruses. Now we’re told to stay at home. While there have been many crises over the years, this has changed life as we know it significantly, and all in a short space of time. It’s truly an unbelievable turn of events. But as with any crisis, we will make it through the other side. The lessons

Nicky Smith April 7, 2021

mergers and acquisitions - why bigger is not always better

Acquisitions in the Hosted VoIP Industry

Why Bigger is Not Always Better Bill Gates once said that “success is a lousy teacher because it seduces people into thinking that they can’t lose.” Well, to this we would add that success is sometimes not just a lousy teacher for people — it can also be a lousy teacher for companies, too. Take for example the consolidation that is happening in the VoIP industry. A growing number of relatively small companies are being acquired by larger organizations. On the surface, this seems like a good thing. After all, bigger is supposed to be better, right? But if we

Nicky Smith April 2, 2021

5 Support Related Questions You MUST Ask a Potential Cloud Phone System Vendor

Best Technical Support is Always LOCAL When it comes to choosing a cloud phone system for your organization, naturally you will focus on things like features, functionality, installation/implementation, quality, scalability, flexibility, security, and of course, price and total cost of ownership. All of these factors are essential and need to be part of the evaluation process. However, there is another critical aspect that you simply cannot afford to overlook — because doing so means that your investment in a new cloud phone system will turn out to be regrettable instead of rewarding. What is this all-important piece of the puzzle?

Eric Lyon March 30, 2021

We’re Improving Our Cloud Phone System with Rich Call Data for Smartphones

At Carolina Digital Phone, we are constantly working on ways to improve our advanced and affordable cloud phone system. Today, we are thrilled to give you a sneak preview of an innovation that will be available to ALL of our customers at NO ADDITIONAL COST in the coming months: rich call data for smartphones. With this new feature, our customers who contact customers, suppliers, or any other party that has a smartphone will be able to: Display their logo or any other image (e.g. headshot) on the receiving party’s Caller ID screen. This can significantly increase the chances of a

Nicky Smith March 27, 2021

Creating Time Frames

Time Frames determine specific hours of certain days or a span of days when features such as answering rules, call queues or auto attendants will be active. For example, Monday-Thursday 5 pm-8 am, or July 7–July 25. It is a good idea to have one or more time frames ready before creating your answering rules. This feature may not be available to ALL users of our cloud-based hosted platform. You must have the role of Office Manager to create and change a timeframe. Give your time frame a name that matches the time frame and usage; e.g., weekends forward to a cell

Nicky Smith December 20, 2020

How Secure is Your Company’s Communication Strategy Right Now?

Let’s face it, COVID-19 has changed our daily routine a lot, this includes our communications strategy. We have adapted rapidly and generally with good results. Cloud-based communications have become an integral part of how we do business. While switching to a work from home setup brings many challenges, like finding a suitable workspace and juggling home-schooled kids and pets, one area we tend to ignore is security. The proliferation of phishing schemes and Zoombombing has increased seemingly overnight. For companies both large and small, learning how to implement security needs to be a primary concern for companies needing to change

Nicky Smith December 10, 2020

Solve 5 Big WFH Challenges with a Cloud Telephone System

Even before the pandemic, remote working was on the rise with an estimated 55% of people telecommuting full-time, and thus the rise in WFH challenges. However, these days everyone who can work from home is working from home; if not full-time, then at least part-time. What’s more, a recent survey by Gartner found that 74% of CFOs plan on permanently shifting at least 5% of previously on-site employees to remote positions post-COVID 19, and several companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Square, Box and Slack have already told employees that, if they wish, they never have to return to the

Chris Villa September 21, 2020

Four Rules for a Happier Life

We live in a complex and unpredictable world. Lately, our world has been even more stressful and out of control than ever – or so it seems. In tumultuous times, I center myself with some simple guidelines that I apply to my personal as well as business life. I am sharing these rules for a happier life in the hope that you may apply them to your everyday life and benefit from them. Rule for a happier life 1: Laugh and the World Laughs With You Try this – make an effort every day to make someone smile. It doesn’t

Nicky Smith September 16, 2020

Survival of Small Business Depends on Digital

It is no surprise that small and medium-sized businesses across the globe have suffered due to the global coronavirus pandemic. What is becoming evident, based on research, is that the companies that are surviving and prospering are making a concerted push toward upgrading their digital technologies to survive. This means survival of small business depends on digital. What the Experts say 2020 Small Business Digital Maturity study According to a new 2020 Small Business Digital Maturity study from IDC, 70 percent of small businesses are speeding up their push to switch to digital in the face of hurdles coming from

Nicky Smith September 14, 2020

Why County Governments are Choosing Our Hosted VoIP Solution

As noted by GovTech.com, county governments across the country are increasingly leading the way when it comes to deploying advanced technologies that matter and make a difference to everyday citizens. And one of the most important ways they are demonstrating technological, governance, and civic leadership is by switching to a hosted VoIP phone system (a.k.a. cloud phone system). At Carolina Digital Phone, we have extensive experience working closely with both large and small county governments to help them reap the advantages of a hosted VoIP phone system. Here are some of the most compelling benefits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYCnyN6RxCQ 1. Significant Year-Over-Year Cost

Nicky Smith September 10, 2020

cloud contact center - Businessman typing on keyboard at call center

5 Reasons Your Business Needs a Cloud Contact Center

Recently, we highlighted that during the coronavirus pandemic many businesses with legacy (on-premise) contact centers are struggling to pivot to a remote working setup. As a result, they are being inundated with unhappy customers who, instead of speaking to a human being, are being put on hold and told that “their call is very important” over, and over, and over again. Fortunately, the solution to this anti-customer bottleneck is simple and proven: switch to a cloud contact center. Here are the five key advantages: Instant Scalability Business Continuity Boost Employee Performance Increase Customer Satisfaction Strengthen Security 1. Instant Scalability Adding

Eric Lyon August 31, 2020

20+ Years Strong, Carolina Digital Phone, Most Reliable, Best Value

Local Service and Support, Most Reliable, Best Value, and Easy Setup We will start by providing you with a free comprehensive assessment of your current telephone services, including actionable steps you can take to improve it. Our sales engineers know their way around older telephone systems, and can help you discover what you might be missing with your current system. Be assured that you will NOT experience any disruption to your current phone system during our assessment. Next, we will provide advice on how a cloud-based telephone system supports your remote workers, and how you can leverage advanced features like

Nicky Smith August 19, 2020

Here’s Why Cloud Phone Systems Are Now Essential

Cloud-based phone systems have been viewed as important and valuable for a while now. However, in the last few months with the coronavirus pandemic, this perception has evolved, and a growing number of businesses of all sizes — from startups to enterprises — now believe that cloud phone systems are essential. What is the reason for this mindset shift? It’s all about flexibility. We have entered the Era of Uncertainty, which means that the ability to adapt is arguably a business’s most vital core competence and competitive advantage. Cloud phone systems drive flexibility on several levels, including: Capacity Flexibility: With

Nicky Smith August 10, 2020

Would You Rather Live in The New Normal or The New Exceptional?

We’ve all heard that we are living in “The New Normal.” It’s a term tossed about by the news media and anyone else trying to wrap their heads around how much the world has changed seemingly overnight thanks to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic and, not too long ago, the recession of 2007-2009 – often referred to as “The Great Recession.” The dictionary defines the word normal as “conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; average.” As a business owner, do you want the label of average? Being average doesn’t make much of an impact nor does it drive

Neil Matson August 6, 2020

5 Reasons Cloud Phone Systems Are More Secure Than Landline Systems

Security is a top-of-mind concern these days and for good reason. The costs of a data breach can be significant — and in some cases enormous. For example, the Target breach in 2013 ultimately ended up costing the company a cool $162 million. And who can forget the Epsilon breach back in 2011? The price tag for that incident? Four (cue Dr. Evil voice) BILLION dollars. Of course, most data breaches aren’t as staggeringly expensive as these notorious cases. However, all breaches are costly and can take several weeks, months, or even years to investigate and clean up. And we

Nicky Smith August 4, 2020

Why Customers HATE Having their Call Transferred & What to Do About It

A survey by Consumer Reports found that a whopping 70 percent of customers become highly upset — and some outright hate it — when they hear the following phrase (or a variation): “I need to transfer your call.” – People hate having their call transferred. What’s behind this dread and loathing? Surely, it can’t be the simple act of transferring a call. After all, customers don’t have to lift a finger, and transfers are instant. There must be something else that infuriates customers. It’s not that customers inherently hate having their call transferred, it’s that they hate what usually happens

Nicky Smith July 31, 2020

Make BLF Your New BFF!

In the business world, there too are many acronyms to try to remember them all. The same goes for electronics. But there are a few that will make your workday so much easier. One is “BLF” which stands for Busy Lamp Field on your IP business telephone. While it doesn’t sound very sexy, the BLF indicator just might be your new BFF (Best Friend Forever). The BLF has been around for quite some time but is more useful now than ever on cloud-based phones. On most modern telephones, the BLF is usually a small Light Emitting Diode (LED). Great, another

Neil Matson July 27, 2020

Total Computer Solutions – A Trusted Resource

Carolina Digital Phone endorses and highly recommends Total Computer Solutions as a valuable resource for technical support. We are very happy to have them as a trusted partner. — Nicky Smith, CEO Carolina Digital Phone The analysts and staff at Total Computer Solutions (TCS) are experienced, capable, and care about your organization’s success. They understand that a reliable IT infrastructure can elevate your bottom line and give you a competitive advantage in your industry. Genuine concern for you and your organization paired with their expertise in the use of Microsoft cloud and on-premise solutions makes TCS unique. TCS helps provide

Nicky Smith July 23, 2020

Cloud Phone System Feature Spotlight: Music-on-Hold

First things first: we all know that customers don’t like being placed on hold, and some of them downright hate it. But what you may not know is WHY customers find this experience so dreadful. As with many things in life, this reaction has less to do with reality and more to do with perception. It’s All in the Mind Research has revealed that what rankles people so much about waiting on hold isn’t actually waiting: it’s that they have nothing to do, which makes them feel that they’re waiting much longer than they truly are. For example, a customer

Nicky Smith July 21, 2020

10 Great Reasons Your Business Should Move To The Cloud

While there have been advances in the telephone industry over the years, the basic concept has not changed much for over a hundred years. However, in the 21st Century, a major shakeup in the business phone industry means you should seriously consider updating your business phone system.

Nicky Smith July 15, 2020

Cloud Phone System Feature Spotlight: Auto Attendant

One of the most important — and also the most loved — features of a cloud-based phone system is Auto-Attendant. Much more than an answering machine, Auto-Attendant is an automated, sophisticated, customizable, and VERY easy-to-use virtual receptionist. Key Benefits Here are some benefits of Auto-Attendant that will make your team wonder how they managed without it: Answer calls with a professional and customized company greeting. You’ll never miss a call again, even during busy times and after hours. Route incoming calls based on business hours, date, date range, or specific caller ID. For example, you can automatically direct calls from

Neil Matson July 9, 2020

5 Secrets of Turning a Crisis into an Opportunity for Success

At the height of World War II, Sir Winston Churchill said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” Think about it. On the surface, what possible good could arise from a crisis? The answer is that it gives us an urgency to examine and rethink how things are working and how we can improve. With that in mind, here are five ways companies can learn and benefit from the coronavirus crisis: Embrace and Encourage Working From Home Naturally, some businesses cannot implement a distributed workforce. However, allowing some employees to work at least partially from a home office is

Neil Matson July 7, 2020

Helping the Arts Community in North Carolina

Carolina Digital Phone, a locally homegrown business based in Greensboro North Carolina is committed to helping Arts of North Carolina in uniting people and communities to strengthen and celebrate a creative North Carolina. The arts and culture industry, an essential economic driver as well as a vital cultural asset for North Carolina, has been devastated by COVID-19. Along with airlines, restaurants and sports, the arts and cultural sector took the first major financial blow dealt by the coronavirus. In the earliest days of the crisis, nearly all performances and festivals were canceled, and museums shut their doors to comply with

Neil Matson July 3, 2020

Why BYOD for VoIP is a Must!

When you’re hosting a party, the acronym that fills your heart with joy is “BYOB,” which stands for “Bring Your Own Beer” (or other preferred adult beverage). But if your company is planning on upgrading to a cloud phone system, there’s a different acronym that is even more worthy of your love: BYOD. BYOD stands for “bring your own device,” and it allows your company to enjoy three massive advantages: 1. If you have pre-existing compatible phones, routers, and POE switches, then you can integrate these into the cloud phone system. This will save you a significant amount of money

Nicky Smith June 30, 2020

Is Your Business Hot-Desking? Then You Need a Cloud Phone System

As we emerge from the COVID-19 lockdown, millions of people are preparing to return to the corporate office (and many have already started the migration). However, we are likely to see a significant shift in the workplace landscape: the popularity of hot desking. What is Hot-Desking? Hot desking refers to a layout in which employees don’t have assigned workstations or offices. Instead, when they’re in the corporate environment (as opposed to their home office), they simply sit at any available desk and start working. It’s similar to hotel business centers or shared workspaces like WeWork, Impact Hub, etc. Post-Conavirus Hot-Desking

Nicky Smith June 25, 2020

Study: Most School Districts Failing to Support Students During COVID-19 — and How We Can Help

On the educational landscape, typically students fear getting an “F” on an assignment or test. However, an eye-opening new study reveals that most school districts around the country are not making the grade during the coronavirus pandemic. The study carried out by the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CPRE), looked at the policies of 477 school systems across the U.S. and discovered that only 33% of districts expected teachers to remotely provide instruction, track student engagement, and monitor academic progress for all students. The gap was especially pronounced in economically disadvantaged communities. As the study’s lead researchers soberly concluded: “This

Nicky Smith June 24, 2020

A Brief History of VoIP and Why You Need it Now

Since the beginning of recorded history, communication has been an essential part of everyday life. From individuals to major corporations, hospitals, and schools, being able to share information is critical. But we’ve come a long way since cave drawings, the adaption of the modern alphabet, and smoke signals. A communications revolution began with the invention of the telegraph in the 1840s and the telephone around 1876. It wasn’t until well into the 20th century that we began to move away from the analog telephone. With the creation of ARPANET in 1969 and the internet in the 1970s, a new communications

Neil Matson June 22, 2020

Do This Before You Reopen Your Business

As businesses worldwide begin coming out of their coronavirus induced hibernation, the world is a very different place. Having a plan for reopening your business is imperative. Also critical is having a plan to communicate with your customers what to expect. Even before they walk in your door, your customers are faced with a laundry list of do’s and don’ts. They must be made aware of any services you may have (temporarily) modified or discontinued as well as precautions you are taking and procedures they must adhere to. It’s not enough to make sure your business has taken the necessary

Nicky Smith June 17, 2020

The #1 Mistake Businesses Make When Buying a Cloud Phone System

Learning from our own mistakes is smart. But learning from the mistakes of others is wise — and also a heck of a lot less painful, tragic, awful…you get the picture. If your business has decided to switch from your conventional landline phone system to a cloud phone system, here is the biggest and costliest mistake that others have made, but that you can wisely avoid: underestimating the importance of OUTSTANDING SERVICE. Don’t ignore factors like features, functionality, scalability, and price. But without a doubt, service is going to determine more than anything else whether your investment will be rewarding

Nicky Smith June 15, 2020

What NOT to do When You Move to the Cloud

Cloud migrations have been increasing rapidly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, companies have been moving more data, services, and applications to the cloud as a means to become more streamlined and productive. Businesses migrating information to the cloud is not a new trend. The move toward cloud adoption, however, has been picking up steam during the worldwide lockdown with some interesting results: A major shift to remote working Reduction in capital investment Innovative business models adapting to a major shift in consumer habits Welcome to the Cloud Worldwide demand for cloud services is swelling as more people

Neil Matson June 12, 2020

Take a Good Look at Your Remote Work Infrastructure or You’ll Be Sorry

Many municipalities were caught off-guard when the COVID-19 pandemic required them to make a swift change to remote work. Businesses at all levels, but particularly in local government, were forced to address a host of concerns from a shortage of secure infrastructure and increased risks of cyber-attacks to untrained staff managing critical information without the help of their IT team. Let’s take a look: Infrastructure Without pre-planning for a teleworking-friendly structure, many offices were ill-prepared for the stay-at-home orders at the outset of the pandemic. Lacking reliable communication and collaboration tools like VoIP or a committed hosting platform, many didn’t

Nicky Smith June 10, 2020

5 Things Leaders Never Do In A Video Meeting

Now that it has been a few months since the COVID-19 pandemic forced many of us to change our daily routines, it’s time for a refresher course in video conferencing etiquette. If sweatpants have become your new office attire, and your daily commute has moved to a stroll from the bedroom to the kitchen to the sofa, you don’t want to let your guard down. Even though we may have become accustomed to working from home that doesn’t give us a pass from looking presentable for the onslaught of web meetings we still must attend on a weekly and often

Nicky Smith June 9, 2020

Greensboro Strong – Support Local Businesses

Carolina Digital Phone is proud to be a locally owned Greensboro NC business. We share in the struggles of our neighbors, friends, family, and community as a whole. While we welcome peaceful protesters working towards a change, we will never welcome violence and hatred. Randomly attacking local businesses that are already struggling to stay afloat only causes more injustice. We are posting these images to show support for our hometown businesses and the community affected by a few random acts of destruction and looting during otherwise peaceful protests for change. These businesses are not just our customers. They are our

Neil Matson June 4, 2020

How to Future-Proof Your Business

The global demand for cloud-based communication has been increasing at a rapid pace recently. It is estimated that the global cloud PBX market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 13%, reaching a value of 6.36 billion dollars by 2027. If you don’t switch to cloud communications, your competition will have an advantage. Many organizations have either already switched or are beginning the move to cloud technology. The benefits of switching your business to cloud include increased flexibility, improved performance, and lower cost. Nevertheless, there are still businesses that have not taken the final step to convert

Nicky Smith June 4, 2020

Charting a Course to Safely Restart the North Carolina Economy

With signs that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may finally be receding into our rearview mirror, it’s time to focus our attention on restarting North Carolina’s economy. But where do we start on the roadmap to recovery? Certainly, we don’t want to do anything to fuel the second wave of potentially more severe infections or mortality. However, we need to recognize the catastrophic economic hardship inflicted on businesses and workers. A slow road into a recession is one thing. It’s different to go from a record low unemployment rate to slamming on the brakes and losing 36 million jobs

Neil Matson June 2, 2020

Is Your Business Delivering the 3 R’s of HIGHLY PROFITABLE Phone-Based Customer Support?

We all know that in recent years, an increasing number of customers — especially millennials — want text-based customers support, such as live web chat, email, mobile SMS, and online knowledge portals. Long Live the Phone However, this doesn’t mean that customers are anti-phone. On the contrary, research by customer feedback platform company Usabilla found that 55 percent of customers prefer speaking to a live agent or representative because doing so is faster, easier, and ultimately more beneficial; particularly if they have a complex challenge to solve or detailed questions to ask. What’s more, a survey by CRM system leader

Nicky Smith May 29, 2020

Is the Kitchen Table the New Work Cubicle?

Will your morning commute from home to the office be forever replaced with a bleary-eyed stroll from the bedroom to the kitchen in your fuzzy slippers? Maybe — the COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses to rethink how to manage their employees and remain productive, and a physical office setting isn’t a necessity anymore. Notable employers like Twitter and Facebook are giving notice to workers that they will be able to work from home permanently. Others, like Barclays and Nationwide, have announced intentions to reduce their office space. “We’ve been investing in our technological capabilities for years, and those investments really

Nicky Smith May 28, 2020

How COVID-19 Makes Small Businesses Better

Is your company ready for not just survival but growth as we enter the “new normal” after COVID-19? Withstanding the weeks of change and uncertainty have given businesses some challenges, to say the least. But as multiple states reopen in phases, there are some promising lessons we can learn. It would be quite a stretch to suggest there is a “silver lining” in a pandemic. There will, however, be innovative, and newly discovered ways to bounce back from this event. Many businesses can exceed their recovery expectations and emerge stronger. Moving ahead, we will know how to be prepared for

Nicky Smith May 26, 2020

Still Unsure About Switching to a Cloud Telephone System? Read This Now!

If you are a business owner or executive, then obviously you want to find ways to save money — especially these days with so much uncertainty about the future. Switching from a landline telephone system to a cloud telephone system will save your business anywhere from around 20%-50% per year (and possibly more). Plus, your staff — regardless of whether they are in a home office or workplace location — will have access to a full range of enterprise-grade calling features like voicemail-to-email and auto attendant that will help them be more productive and efficient. On top of this, your

Nicky Smith May 21, 2020

10 Great Things You May Not Know About Our Softphone App

There is growing — but cautious — optimism that the very worst of the coronavirus pandemic is behind us, and we can start looking forward to a summer filled with fishing, golf, barbecues with family and friends, and other things that make life worth living. And speaking of inspiring news, here are 10 great things that you may not know about our softphone app: It is offered FREE to all of our valued customers. There is no additional charge of any kind. It is available for iOS and Android devices (smartphones and tablets). It installs quickly, and the streamlined clutter-free

Neil Matson May 20, 2020

You Must Have Thermal Analytics For Your Business To survive

As the world advances toward reopening from the COVID-19 pandemic, your business needs to be prepared. Carolina Digital Phones has solutions to your communication needs through our dependable, affordable Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone services. Our partners at AT&T IoT (Internet of Things) are preparing integrated solutions for businesses with public spaces in need of real-time monitoring of body temperature through Thermal Analytics. In the new economy, being able to monitor a large number of people without bringing your company to a halt will ensure your business or institution runs smoothly without major bottlenecks or delays. Being able to

Nicky Smith May 18, 2020

The Time for Action is Now: A Wake-Up Call for Business

This week, Twitter announced that many of their employees will be allowed to work from home not just for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic shutdown, but forever. Other companies are grappling with when to reopen their physical offices and, how many of their employees to allow to work remotely. Barclays and JPMorgan Chase & Co may not bring all employees back at the same time. Austin, Texas-based Dell Computers says that more than 50% of their more than 160,000 employees may never return to the office. The decision by Twitter and other employers signals a growing shift in attitude

Nicky Smith May 14, 2020

Five Facts to Learn from Telehealth Early Adopters

Medical institutions and professionals are constantly looking for ways of evolving and being able to give the best possible healthcare and treatment to patients. The need for more readily accessible healthcare is growing. One in five adults in the United States is believed to live with some sort of mental illness or mental health problem. For three years running, life expectancy has dropped in the US, which only serves to highlight the need for greater access to behavioral care and treatment in day to day life. Telehealth is one of the greatest tools available to behavioral healthcare providers when it

Nicky Smith May 4, 2020

Why my Local Community Bank is the best!

When the going gets tough, local businesses get going As a longtime business owner in the Triad, I have always been a big supporter of backing local companies and following the principle of “give where you live.” But as we all know, relationships are a two-way street. And right now, as we grapple with this unprecedented crisis caused by COVID-19, I am seeing local businesses step up and give back to their customers in ways that are both practical, and inspirational. As the saying goes: In bad times, you find out who your real friends are. Since the beginning of

Nicky Smith April 30, 2020

Video Conference Security is More Important Than Ever

In today’s current climate, video conference security has become more important than ever before. More people are remote working in light of the coronavirus lockdown. Getting used to remote working isn’t easy. You need to get your routine figured out and you need to get used to the different tools you will be using while working from home. It’s a big shift! And, this is represented effectively when it comes to the different statistics out there in regards to collaboration tools and the usage of online video context. Let’s take a look at the case of Zoom… We only need

Nicky Smith April 30, 2020

VPN, Personal Online Security, Virtual Private Network

7 Tips to Increase at-Home Virtual Private Network (VPN) Speed

A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts traffic between a device (e.g. computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone) and a network. Since hackers don’t have the encryption key, they can’t snoop and steal data. That’s the good news. The bad news is that because millions of people are working from home right now due to the coronavirus pandemic, VPNs are getting overloaded with traffic. Reports show that the global use of some VPNs has increased by 165 percent since March 11. This is causing some remote workers to experience sluggish data connectivity speeds, which is making it frustrating (and sometimes impossible) to

Nicky Smith April 28, 2020

Local Economy Reboot 2.0

As COVID-19 continues to sweep across the United States, government bodies, commercial organizations and individuals are already looking forward to how we’ll build a new future. The impact of COVID-19 may be unprecedented in living memory, but the compassionate and courageous response is nothing new. Like everyone, my outlook has been changed by COVID-19. As we’ve seen the speed at which a previously unknown threat can affect our country, it’s natural to feel shocked and wary. Now that we find ourselves reaching the peak of the outbreak, however, these initial emotions have given way to altogether more positive ones: optimism,

Nicky Smith April 20, 2020

There is good news. You just need to look for it.

Most of us have more time on our hands than ever before. We’re locked down in our homes, with nothing to do. We’re probably reading the news more than we ever have been, actively searching for updates on the coronavirus and information on how many people have died and when we will be able to resume to normal life again. It can be easy to become wrapped up in all of the doom and gloom that is on the television and the internet. However, there are plenty of great news stories out there at the moment; you simply need to

Nicky Smith April 19, 2020

COVID-19 Crisis: 3 Reasons Why America Will Triumph

The look on people’s faces is asking the same thing: How could this happen so rapidly? In just a few weeks, we have gone from being advised to wash our hands properly — which, frankly, is something that we should always be doing regardless — to being ordered to stay in our homes for all but the most vital activities, like buying essential groceries or going to the drug store. True, our nation has faced larger catastrophes before. But we have never experienced so much remarkable change in such a small period of time. This isn’t merely dizzying. It’s staggering.

Nicky Smith April 13, 2020

Positive News Stories You May Have Missed During The Coronavirus Outbreak

In a rare move – one that has only been done four times for the monarch – the Queen delivered a speech to the country amid the Coronavirus pandemic. Speaking from Windsor Castle in a pre-recorded message where only one camera person wearing protective clothing was present, the Queen rallied the country saying we will ‘succeed’ in overcoming Covid-19 and thanked NHS staff and key workers for their tireless sacrifice. One of the most stirring comments was one of hope from the 93-year-old Queen: ‘We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will

Nicky Smith April 11, 2020

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