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Welcome to our News Blog!

From How-To’s and Tips, to Inspiring Stories and Solution Guides, and more – the Carolina Digital Phone blog has it all!

Blogs, Insights, and Announcements from Carolina Digital Phone

working from home desk
Nicky

5 Best Techniques for Working at Home

Welcome to lockdown! This is a weird time for everyone, and that’s putting it lightly/ so many of us are used to waking up early and rushing through morning exercise, breakfast, a coffee or two, and even kissing our partners on the cheek goodbye. Often, we may not see our family before leaving the house. However, with lockdown, everything has changed. Working from home is the new normal for many, and if you’ve never worked from home before, then it can be a challenge to adjust. To help you overcome this sudden and unexpected shift in your life, here are

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involuntary confinement
Nicky

Involuntary Confinement

The business executive had a busy life. He would get up at 5 AM every day to go for a run around the neighborhood. After his run, he’d take a shower, make a pot of coffee, and then he’d rush to the train station for a tedious 45-minute commute to the office. When work finished for the day, he’d take the same tedious commute back home, exhausted, and not in the mood to hang out with the family. And then, everything changed. All of a sudden, he was home every day with his wife, his three kids, aged three, ten,

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french west vaughan
Nicky

Success Story: French West Vaughan Working Remotely

A couple of weeks ago, our customer French West Vaughan was gearing up to transition their staff to work remotely, when they ran into an unexpected challenge: two of their key people responsible for answering calls didn’t have a wired network in their home office. As a result, they wouldn’t be able to use their IP phones. Understandably, FWV was concerned and reached out to us for help. Because time was of the essence, our Major Account Executive, Joan Wilkerson personally delivered two high-performance Wi-Fi dongles to FWV’s corporate HQ in Raleigh. Now, these two key employees are happily and

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mom and daughter working from home
Nicky

Working From Home Productively & Comfortably

Keeping your business up and running amidst the current pandemic sweeping the globe can seem like a somewhat impossible task, as there are so many obstacles that appear to stand in your way thanks to measures such as social distancing and working from home. However, there are several ways that you can continue to operate as normal despite the hurdles you face, and you can ensure that your business can thrive as usual with productivity at ultimate levels in every location. The experience may be one which is particularly stressful and negative, but it can also be a great learning

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success concept chalk board
Nicky

10 Steps To Help Your Business Survive and Thrive

Whether you’ve recently launched a startup or you’re the CEO of an established organization, these unprecedented times caused by COVID-19 have erected several unique obstacles. On a brighter note, though, it also creates the perfect landscape for opportunistic entrepreneurs that are willing to go the extra mile. With the right strategy in place, your business can thrive during these difficult times. Focus on the 10 pointers below, and you won’t go far wrong. 1| Positive Communication “You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life.” – Zig Ziglar. Great communication sits

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april fool's day
Nicky

Not an April Fools’ Gag: We Are SERIOUS About Our Free Offer to Support Remote Workers

Given the serious coronavirus pandemic, this year Google has decided to skip its April Fools’ Day gags. And speaking of taking things seriously: at Carolina Digital Phone, we are very serious about doing our part to make things better for businesses during this difficult time. That is why we have launched a special FREE OFFER to help your business stay successful in your business. HERE IS HOW IT WORKS: Until April 17, 2020 when you make a two-year agreement for services, you will also get TWO FREE MONTHS of service and BELOW COST PRICING on state-of-the-art Yealink IP-based telephones. And

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man working from home with dog
Nicky

Working at Home with Pets

With all the virus-related doom and gloom in the media, you could think that NOTHING good is happening in the world. But you’d be wrong. As with any catastrophe, there’s always a silver lining. And in the current crisis, it’s spending more time at home with your pets. With the rise of “stay at home” working, we’re seeing a whole new generation of co-workers come to the fore – or should we say, the “paw?” And while our animal friends might not be able to organize spreadsheets or fire off emails, they are, nonetheless, lending their support in our time

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gate county map
Nicky

Gates County Government Deploys Hosted Phones with Success

Our customer Gates County contacted us when the IP phones that their employees took home didn’t work. We quickly discovered the root cause: Gates County had Power-Over-Ethernet (POE) in their corporate office. This technology allowed them to power all IP phones without the need to plug each one into a wall outlet. The same ethernet cable that transmitted data also transmitted power. But guess what? Most employees didn’t have POE at home, and so their IP phones weren’t getting any power. That’s when Joan Wilkerson, one of our amazing Major Account Executives, sprang into action! She had several IP phone

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man packing up his office
Nicky

Where is the Power Supply?

Working remotely has its challenges, especially when you usually rely on your office IT supplies to help you keep everything up and running! I work in medical supplies sales and need an IP based phone to do my job, so I was worried when my boss asked us all to work from home for a while. Nevertheless, I packed up my desk and set off, ready to work hard from home, whatever the challenges. Of course, when I got there, I found my IP based phone needs a power supply to work! What was I going to do? At the

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free-service-now
Nicky

FREE Working Remotely Solution to Help You Stay In Business

[vc_custom_heading text="Get Your Team Back to Working Remotely from Home With Carolina Digital Phone's Cloud-based Telephone Service. Get your business back online tomorrow!" font_container="tag:h2|font_size:30|text_align:center|color:%2300840f|line_height:30px" use_theme_fonts="yes" css_animation="slideInLeft"] To help small businesses get back in business during the Coronavirus outbreak, Carolina Digital Phone, a local Greensboro, North Carolina based business wants to help you! If you have been waiting to move your communications to the cloud, NOW is the time with our FREE month offer. Make a two year agreement for services and get TWO FREE MONTHS of service PLUS deeply DISCOUNTED pricing of Yealink IP-based telephones below our cost. Get your employees working for home tomorrow! Call us by noon (336) 850-5400 and we
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family arts and crafts
Nicky

Working From Home With Children

It’s comforting to know that we’ve all been thrown into the same situation as everyone else in the world. However, suddenly working from home for the foreseeable future seems like a blissful and satisfying situation for some people, but a terrifying and painful situation for others. So regardless of what industry you work in, how do you cope with remote working when you have children? Here are some tips that might just stop you from going stir crazy indoors. Keep To A Routine A routine is important because despite you having your home, as the workplace, you still have things

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Uplifting Message to Millions from Joel Osteen

During uncertain times we need to have a positive influence on what we do daily. Enjoy Pastor Joel Osteen giving uplifting message during these hard times to over 4.6 million viewers today. He has answers for how we can seek positivity when there is a lot of negativity in the world. Well worth sharing!   During these difficult times Carolina Digital Phone is offering FREE telephone services to businesses affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. Please visit https://digitalphone.io/working-remotely-free/ for more information.

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stop covid-19
Nicky

A Message from Carolina Digital Phone’s CEO Nicky Smith on COVID-19

To Our Valued Customers: With the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading around the globe so rapidly in recent weeks, I am taking this opportunity to share with you the key actions that we are taking in response: maintaining business continuity, maintaining high availability of services, offering our mobile app for remote workers, and introducing our next day telework solution for remote workers. Each of these is described below. [su_highlight]1. Maintaining Business Continuity[/su_highlight] Our office remains open, and our staff is ready to provide the exceptional support that you have come to expect from us. Should it become necessary for us to

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sleepy cat
Nicky

Help, My Cat Has Coronavirus

Working from home is not for the faint of heart. Where is the motivation to set the alarm in the morning? Wearing pants has become optional. I sit down to work and then remember the dishes in the sink, the lightbulb that needs to be replaced, and the plants that need watering. Pets become both a comfort and a source of distraction. Lack of human interaction has me wondering if I always had the urge to cut my own hair or if cabin fever is finally setting in for good. The internet is frothing with information about coronavirus: the symptoms,

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Remote Worker Solution

Get Your Team Back to Working Remotely from Home With Carolina Digital Phone’s Cloud-based Telephone Service. Get your business back online tomorrow! Get your employees working for home tomorrow! Call us by noon (336) 850-5400 and we can ship direct to their homes a digital phone that you can manage and monitor from the cloud. You can be back in business quicky with remote workers having access to each other by phone, chat, video and answering your customer calls, making calls and keeping your business operational! If hardware financing is required we have made arrangements with finance companies to help you make

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google verified customer reviews
Nicky

Carolina Digital Phone Earns 100th 5-Star Review from Satisfied Customers

Carolina Digital Phone, a leading hosted VoIP and telecommunications firm based in North Carolina that serves businesses, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and academic institutions nationwide, is proud to announce that it has received its 100th 5-star review from satisfied customers. The verified reviews, which were provided by customers through multiple sites including Google, Facebook, the Better Business Bureau, and Yelp, can all be accessed through the Carolina Digital Phone website at https://digitalphone.io. A sampling of some of the 5-star feedback includes: “Carolina Digital Phone answers promptly, solves our issues efficiently, and we have a personal contact with our own representative who

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carolina digital phone helps medical education and non-profit organizations
Nicky

Is your organization affected by the Coronavirus?

We Are Helping the Community by Offering 3 Free Months of Cloud-Based Services for Organizations impacted by Coronavirus   All healthcare providers, schools (K-12 and Community Colleges), and non-profit organizations who are new customers and impacted by COVID-19 get free access to Carolina Digital Phone’s Advanced Cloud-Based Telephone Services. This includes 16 participants per video meeting and our existing feature rich set of services. You can call us for fast setup (336) 850-5400 or complete the form below for a quick call back from one of our onboarding specialists.   IP based telephones and hardware purchased are not included in this offer.

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nicky smith ceo of carolina digital phone office
Nicky

The 3 Worst Pieces of Business Advice I’ve Ever Received

Anyone who knows me in my personal or professional life knows that I’m an incurable optimist. This doesn’t mean that I don’t face problems and challenges head-on, because I certainly do. And it also doesn’t mean that I “sugar coat” truth, facts or reality. Sometimes things aren’t good. And occasionally, they’re downright bad. But it does mean that I believe in focusing on the positives, and as the old and wise saying goes: when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And so, it may come as a surprise that a self-described optimist like me would want to share some of

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frustrated phone issues
Nicky

4 Reasons Why Landline Phone Systems Snap, Crackle and Pop — and What to Do About It

As we blogged about recently, the HD audio quality on business-grade cloud telephone systems is superior to landline phone systems, because the former uses wideband technology and the latter uses narrowband technology (learn more here). Today, we’ll look at another key reason why a growing number of businesses are upgrading to a cloud telephone system: they’re fed up with landline calls that sound like a bowl of Rice Krispies; that is, they snap, crackle and pop. Here are the key reasons why: 1. Corroded Phone Lines The plain old telephone system (POTS) uses copper wire technology that hasn’t been new

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extreme nonprofit makeover
Nicky

Carolina Digital Phone Gives Back to the Community

As part of our longstanding commitment to give back to the community and help make a lasting positive impact in the lives of our neighbors, we are delighted to announce that we are once again donating our expertise, equipment and services as part of the acclaimed Extreme Nonprofit Makeover program. Now in its 16th year and pioneered by Dr. Sue Polinsky, the President of leading web development firm TechTriad, the Extreme Nonprofit Makeover provides a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Guilford County with a complete technology makeover at absolutely no cost, so that it can expand and enhance its community-focused

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audio speakers
Nicky

Here’s Why Audio is Better — not Worse — After Switching to a Cloud Telephone System

Some businesses that want to reap the many advantages of switching from a conventional landline telephone to a cloud telephone system — such as saving thousands of dollars a year, connecting their remote workforce, seamless scalability, business continuity, and the list of goes on — are nevertheless hesitant to do so, because they fear that audio quality will suffer. This perception is understandable. Oversubscribed VoIP services like Skype and Google Voice are notorious for static, echo and dropped calls. There are just too many users. Think of it like a hospital designed to serve a region of 100,000 people, instead

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group celebrating
Nicky

It’s Not Fake News: Trump’s Pro-Business Agenda is Working

A well-established tenet is that it’s unwise to mix business and politics. However, there are exceptions to most rules, and this is one such instance because this article is about both business and politics. To start with, when it comes to politics, we are living in a very confusing and contradictory age. Despite the proliferation of political news and commentary that takes place around us 24/7, as a nation we are drifting further and further away from anything resembling thoughtful, political discourse. Personally, I don’t think this is because we spend too much time talking (and arguing) about politics. Rather,

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cloud based telephone
Nicky

5 Ways that Cloud Telephone Systems have Revolutionized Business Communication

These days, the word “revolutionized” gets thrown around rather loosely. It’s used to describe everything from kitty litter, to air fresheners, to apps that can help find a lost TV remote control (OK, that’s pretty useful, but revolutionary?).  However, there are situations when labeling something revolutionized isn’t fluff and hype: it’s an honest, objective assessment because it has re-invented a concept and established a new category of excellence and expectation. And without question, one such scenario is cloud telephone systems.  Here are five ways that cloud telephone systems have revolutionized business communications: 1. Cloud Telephone Systems Enable Small Businesses to

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happy worker marker board
Nicky

5 Business Technologies that are Essential in 2020

The year was 1991. The nation’s movie lovers flocked to see Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear (and after demanding their money back, took in The Silence of the Lambs). In pop music, C&C Music Factory promised to make us sweat, Madonna pledged to justify her love, and Bonnie Raitt gave us all something to talk about. In the IT world, Linus Torvalds (no, not the guy from Peanuts waiting for the Great Pumpkin) launched the Linux operating system kernel, while Bill Gates and friends released MS-DOS 5.0. And something else happened in 1991 that changed, well, everything:

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business owners reviewing
Nicky

3 Clear Benefits of Hosted Telephone for Small Businesses

Communication affects every part of your business. From reaching to new clients to interacting with customers, efficient communication ensures your business will reach its goals. Because of this, turning to Cloud-based Hosted Telephone Service can help your business grow by offering three distinct improvements over the standard phone system. Learn here about all three and how they can help your small business. How Can Small Businesses Benefit From Hosted Telephone Service? 1. Cost Saving With no need for a physical phone line a Hosted Telephone service doesn’t come with high installation costs or maintenance fees due to being online. Offering

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happy worker at desk
Nicky

5 Reasons Why it’s Smarter to Choose Cloud-Based Telephone Specialist vs. Generalist

When we consult with a surgeon, while seated on the examination table we don’t expect them to try and sell us a timeshare (“you’ll love the ocean view!”). When we board an airplane, we don’t expect to hear the captain get on the intercom and invite passengers to stop by the cockpit to purchase a state-of-the-art smoothie blender. When we meet with an architect about redesigning our home, we don’t expect them to peer up from their blueprints and say: “while I’m here, perhaps we can talk about your pet insurance needs?” In other words, when we engage a specialist,

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yealink phone
Nicky

5 Reasons Businesses Are Moving to Cloud based Telephone Services

For years, businesses have relied on traditional landlines to enable their customers, colleagues, and other stakeholders to communicate with one another. It’s a tried-and-tested method that works. Today, though, the world is moving towards cloud-based telephone services: ordinary voice-based calls routed through the internet instead of landlines. These systems offer a host of benefits that businesses love. Please take a look at them below. 1. Cost Savings Owning and running a traditional business telephone service is not cheap. Not only do you have to pay monthly fees to the line and interchange provider, but you also have to employ people

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carolina digital phone versus dialpad
Nicky

Dialpad compared to Carolina Digital Phone

When it comes to hunting out modern-day solutions to drum up growth within your business, you can often find yourself in a minefield of options without any serious guidance as to what can serve your company best. One solution that is becoming more and more popular with each passing year is that of VoIP service also known as as hosted cloud-based telephone services. We will go on to explain what a VoIP service is briefly in the next section, but the main focus of the article is to compare two companies providing cloud-based telephone solutions to businesses and see which

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Cloud-based Telephone Services for Accounting Professionals

Every Accounting Office should be using a cloud-based Telephone Service If you operate an accounting or bookkeeping firm and want more control over your communications, Carolina Digital Phone can help. With us, you get a local partner, dedicated to providing you with mobile communications that seamlessly integrate with your existing web infrastructure. When you choose Carolina Digital Phone, there’s no need to install expensive new landlines or rip up your old communication systems. We provide full integration through the cloud – and for less than you might expect. A Local Cloud Communications Company For Accounting Companies When it comes to

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salesperson on his phone
Nicky

5 Reasons Why a Cloud Phone System is a MUST for Sales Reps in 2020

Whether they’re selling swimming pools or semiconductors, what do the world’s most successful sales reps have in common? They’re self-motivated. They’re driven. They’re persistent. They’re persuasive. They’re competitive. And perhaps most importantly: they rely on potent (and beloved) tools like a cloud phone system to help usher customers forward across the buyer’s journey. If you want to elevate your organization’s sales reps in 2020 and beyond — so that they’re consistently surpassing targets instead of struggling to meet them — then here are 5 reason why adding a cloud phone system ASAP is the way to go: 1. Dramatically Improve

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Nicky

Porting Your Number to A Cloud-based Service Provider

Switching providers and services is a pain. At home, we all know that we should be switching insurance, utilities, cell phone, internet, and other service providers every time our contracts run out. You should never stick to the same provider out of loyalty. Their costs are often hugely inflated in the second year, as all of the best offers and perks are offered to new customers. Your providers don’t show you any loyalty, so why do you give them any? With Carolina Digital Phone we will never change your pricing after your contract is up. If you are a loyal

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stock market trends
Nicky

3 Key Factors Driving VoIP’s Booming Growth

The VoIP industry is booming — and there is no slowdown in sight: VoIP is now the fastest-growing industry in the U.S. (Source: IBIS World) Between 2017-2021, the global VoIP services market is projected to increase 10% (Source: Research & Markets) By the year 2020, there will be an estimated 204.8 billion corporate subscribers of VoIP systems around the world, and the industry overall will surpass $86 billion in annual revenue. (Source: Future Market Insights) Numbers like these are clearly paving the way for a new normal on the business landscape: one where a hosted VoIP phone system is the

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voicemail to email
Nicky

5 Tips to Make Voicemail Work FOR Your Business Instead of AGAINST It

Once upon a time, a thing called voicemail arrived on the scene — and it was great. Callers and recipients loved the convenience, the efficiency, and the results. Voicemail could do no wrong. Well, things have changed since then. These days, voicemail is generally regarded as a necessary evil; or by some people (especially millennials) as an outright evil. Instead of feeling glad that they’re being asked to leave a message, they feel frustrated, offended and insulted. What went wrong? How did voicemail go from being loved to loathed? Basically, it’s because businesses stopped using voicemail as a way to

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competitor warning
Nicky

Get Local Support for your Cloud-based Communications

Can you trust big companies to meet your telephony needs as a small business owner?  Probably not!  Most large companies offer generic, cookie-cutter products that do not meet the specific needs of your business. Their goal is to churn out as many services as possible and charge high rates to cover their capital costs, not provide solutions that fit their clients. Most will put you in a box, giving you what they want instead of cloud-based services that you actually need. The Popularity Of Cloud-Based Communications And The Importance Of Local Support The popularity of cloud-based telephone services is growing

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wiring
Nicky

Want SIP Trunks or Hosted Seats for your Business?

Are you still using your legacy phone system? Many businesses today are. We spend our days communicating with clients, suppliers, customers and investors over email, using online chat, and on the telephone. While in 2018 less than 50% of Americans had a landline phone at home, instead preferring to be wireless, using their smartphones for communication, most small businesses are still reliant on old fashioned, outdated and often costly legacy phone systems. These outdated systems can mean that you are missing important calls, facing static on the line, and other issues that really should be behind us as we move

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business people shaking hands
Nicky

In Sales? Are you IPAing Today?

What do you think of, when you think of the titular ‘salesperson’ achieving success and sweet-talking his or her clients? We might see a person with a certain kind of stride, an overconfident kind of swagger, a smooth vocabulary with many imperative phrases that incentivize a sale. This might look very impressive to those hoping to walk in those career-oriented shoes. But for others, especially those who are tired of being upsold and treated like a point of sale rather than a person, a salesperson may have that smarmy aura about them that we come to thoroughly dislike. Of course,

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planning 2020
Nicky

4 New Year’s Resolutions for Your Business in 2020

As a new year approaches, it’s time to relax, unwind, spend time with family and friends — and of course, make some New Year’s Resolutions that inspire us to make some positive changes in the year ahead. However, New Year’s Resolutions aren’t just for personal aspirations. They’re also for business goals. With this in mind, here are four New Year’s Resolutions for your business in 2020:   #1: In 2020, resolve to significantly lower overhead costs.   Cutting costs in your business — but without compromising quality assurance, diminishing customer experience or reducing sales — is even better than winning the lottery

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kid looking beyond
Nicky

5 VoIP Predictions for 2020

As we get ready to say goodbye to 2019, let’s gaze into our crystal ball and look at 5 VoIP predictions for the year ahead: Prediction #1: A record number of SMBs will cut the cord and switch to a hosted VoIP phone system. Over the last several years, SMBs have been switching in droves from an on-premise phone system to a hosted VoIP phone system. In 2020, we expect the velocity to increase given the undeniable advantages that include generating ongoing cost savings, scalability, flexibility, supporting remote workers, improving customer experience (CX), using advanced calling features, and accessing future-proofed

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angry woman
Nicky

Don’t get mad, Get in the cloud with your telephone services

Picture the scene, a successful North Carolina based business owner wants to add some new features to her existing phone service. Her clients expect to be able to get in touch with her whenever they need to, so all she wants is out of hours call handling and calls to be forwarded to her cellphone. These services mean that she can keep her business moving and functioning to the best of its ability. Hardly a tall ask you may say. After all, she is a customer with a company that has needs. And after what seems like days on hold

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excellent customer satisfaction
Nicky

The “3 R’s” of Our Customer Service Commitment

Recently, we published an article highlighting the unfortunate fact that North State is being acquired by Segra. Why “unfortunate”? Because not only do we expect to see many hard working and loyal North State employees get laid off in the coming months, but also because this is probably going to be bad news for North State’s customers in High Point, Thomasville, Archdale, Randleman, Jamestown, Trinity, Greensboro and Kernersville. We expect they will lose the “small business” relationship and dynamic they had with North State once the acquisition is complete (and probably well before that). In light of this development, we

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old school phone
Nicky

Cloud-based PBX – Top 7 Marketing Advantages Compared to a Traditional Telephone System

A hosted cloud-based VoIP system or hosted PBX services provide many significant advantages over the purchase or use of a traditional telephone system because they furnish advanced telephone system features as a service over the internet. Many of those advanced features are expensive to deploy as part of a telephone system. Hosted PBX service is delivered with equipment located on the premises of the provider. This means a business does not need to invest in a telephone system to take advantage of its rich features and capabilities. In most cases, only phones will need to be purchased or leased which

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payment methods laid out
Nicky

How Much Does an Office Phone System Cost?

Most small businesses are looking for ways to save money or reduce costs. Even those that are doing well, are keen to spend money wisely and never want to spend more than they need to. One significant expense that you might wonder if you could do without is your office phone system. A PBX phone system, on average, will cost between $800 and $1000 per user. These are the most popular choice for businesses that have over 40 employees, with different departments and offices, which need multiple lines and the ability to direct calls accordingly. A key system is often

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1040 income tax return scaled
Nicky

Carolina Digital Phone’s Hosted Cloud Phone System for Accounting Firms

Driven by strong economic growth, rising equity markets, and an increase in auditing, regulatory and compliance burden, the U.S. accounting industry is booming. According to research by IBISWorld, over 95,000 accounting organizations employ nearly 560,000 people, and generate over $114 billion in annual revenues. Industry Disruption At the same time, the accounting industry is under relentless pressure — from within and without — to adapt to an array of factors. As noted by Forbes: “Fee pressures, rising staff labor costs, and lack of quality staff will force [accounting] firms to carefully examine their mix of services, industry concentrations, and their

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local small businesses
Nicky

Local Hosted Cloud Company

In business, one of the main key factors to success is to keep costs down and to keep all expenses to a minimum without compromising on any quality down the line. Costs vary from brand to brand but when it comes to the main factors of business, it boils down to the very vital concept of communication which includes digital, telephone communication and internet. These three major methods of communication can bring costs up incredibly high especially if your company is within the realms of sales. It may just be possible though, to have less outgoings by switching a phone

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contact center handling customer calls
Nicky

Why Businesses are Switching to Our Hosted Cloud Contact Center Solution

In today’s hyper-competitive business landscape, consistently delivering exceptional customer experience (CX) isn’t just important — it’s essential. Consider these eye-opening statistics: One-third of customers say that they would consider switching companies after just one instance of bad customer service. (Source: American Express) 56% of customers say they have stopped doing business with a company because of a poor customer service experience. (Source: Microsoft) 40% of customers who receive poor customer service say they actively try and prevent others from choosing the offending business. (Source: Dimensional Research) The Growth of Contact Centers To ensure they deliver customer experience that is remembered

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static on television scaled
Nicky

Static on the Phone Line

Static on the phone line used to be a pretty common problem. Most of us have experienced poor quality calls at some time. You might have even experienced the bizarre phenomenon of being able to call the other side of the world without any issue. Speaking on a perfectly clear line, hearing them as well as you could if they were sat next to you on the sofa, but being completely unable to hear when you call someone that lives down the road. There’s often no rhyme or reason to why some calls are filled with static, buzzing and dropouts,

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network outage
Nicky

My Internet is Out! What can I do?

4 Ways to Keep Your Hosted Phone VoIP System Running During an Internet Outage While it doesn’t happen frequently, there are occasions when your business may temporarily lose internet connectivity due to issues with your Internet Service Provider (ISP), or problems/damage to underground cables. However, this does NOT mean that you will lose access to your hosted VoIP phone system! Here are four methods that will keep your phone system “on the grid” while your ISP or the phone company works on repairs: 1. Use Automatic Failover Automatic failure uses an on-premise router (which we install and configure for you)

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antique old phone
Nicky

5 Signs that it’s Time to Upgrade Your Business Phone System to the Cloud

There are many situations in life when all signs point to a change for the better. When we heed these signs, we’re always rewarded. When we ignore these signs, we always regret it — and wish we had a time machine to “know then what we know now.” With this in mind, if your business is seeing any or all of the following signs, then it’s time to elevate your business phone system to the cloud — so you can enjoy rewards, instead of lament regrets: 1. You’ve outgrown your current on-premise phone system. Your business isn’t static and unchangeable.

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robot fixing
Nicky

My Telephone Equipment just Died

Traditional phone lines have had their time. They are over. Dead. Sure, they have had advantages in the past, and you might be fond of your on-premise PBX and equipment. But, if you want to take your company into the future, taking your telephone systems into the cloud can be a big step forward. Do You Like Wasting Money? The average on-premise PBX lasts for around ten years, less with hard use, or a lack of care. During this time, phone lines go down, cables and wires need maintaining, office equipment needs servicing, and IT support is needed to correct

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Side by Side Comparisons – Carolina Digital Phone vs Jive, 8×8, Twilio and Nextiva

In business, one of the main key factors to success is to keep costs down and to keep all expenses to a minimum without compromising on any quality down the line. Costs vary from brand to brand but when it comes to the main factors of business, it boils down to the very vital concept of communication which includes digital, telephone communication and internet. These three major methods of communication can bring costs up incredibly high especially if your company is within the realms of sales. It may just be possible though, to have less outgoings by switching a phone

Read More »

Side by Side Comparison – Carolina Digital Phone vs RingCentral

Are you having a hard time choosing a cloud-based telephone provider? If so, you are not alone. So many people find themselves in the same position that you are in right now, but this review should help you to make your decision. The Benefits of RingCentral Some of the major benefits that RingCentral are able to offer include voicemails, greetings, internet faxing, audio conferences, a cloud-based PBX, call recording, call forwarding and even an auto-receptionist too. This is ideal if you operate a small business because you can essentially get everything you could ever need through one service. RingCentral also

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geo-redundancy
Nicky

How Our Geo-Redundancy Infrastructure Drives High Availability

At Carolina Digital Phone, we know how essential it is for our customers to communicate with anyone, from anywhere, and at any time. That is why we utilize a state-of-the-art geo-redundancy infrastructure to drive high availability. Below, we explain how this technology works, and why it is so beneficial for our customers. What is Geo-Redundancy? Geo-redundancy involves distributing key infrastructure components (e.g. servers) across several data centers, which are located in different geographic regions. As a result of this setup, if one component falls below acceptable performance standards due to heavy usage or fails due to a local power outage,

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North Carolina Based Carolina Digital Phone Voted #1 Best in Overall Customer Satisfaction
Nicky

Don’t let Your Telephone System Cause Poor Customer Service

This just in; customer service is fundamental to success! Okay, so that might not be news (at least we would hope not), but did you realize that businesses currently lose around $75 billion to poor customer service? Many companies perform so badly here that around 67% of customers are becoming what’s known as ‘serial switchers.’ As if that weren’t worrying enough, 51% of consumers report that one negative experience is enough to stop them from ever doing business with a company again! In an age where more companies are concerning themselves with 24/7 web chats and speedy social media replies, phone calls are

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Three quarters of small businesses have been significantly affected by internet outages
Nicky

Effects of Internet Downtime to Your Organization

You only have to glance around you at a coffee shop to notice that we’re more heavily dependent on technology than ever before. While many of us use our phones to catch up with friends and keep abreast of the news, businesses rely on the internet for a whole host of reasons. Even the briefest window of downtime can have a ripple effect, costing organizations both financially and in terms of their reputation and brand image. Did you know that around 60% of IT executives have to contend with downtime at least once a month? With downtime a real threat

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call center agent at desk
Nicky

Does Your Business Need to Switch to a Hosted Cloud Call Center?

In theory (which is always an ominous way to start an article) a call center is supposed to help businesses save money, improve productivity, increase compliance and governance, and most importantly: enhance customer experience and satisfaction. However, many businesses that use a conventional premises-based PBX to support their call center aren’t reaping these rewards. Here are the three key challenges they face, and how they can permanently solve them by switching to a hosted cloud call center: Excessive Overhead Costs Premises-based call centers are very costly to operate. Reps and agents must be housed on-site, which drives up leasing, infrastructure

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robocalls
Nicky

Agreement Reached on Robocall Prevention Legislation

On Friday, November 15, 2019, it was announced that an agreement had been reached on legislation to fight back against the growing number of robocalls in the US. Six legislators have been working around the clock to try and move the proposed bills through the legislative process. Friday’s announcement was a considerable step in the right direction, with many believing that this new act can be signed into law by the President in the upcoming months.  The Pallone-Thune TRACED Act The new legislation is called the Pallone-Thune TRACED Act, and it actually combines two different acts that previously passed through

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2019 Member Triad Business Journal Leadership Trust
Nicky

New Member of the Triad Business Journal Leadership Trust

Nicky Smith, President of Carolina Digital Phone, Invited to Join Triad Business Journal Leadership Trust Triad Business Journal Leadership Trust is an Invitation-Only Community for Top Business Decision Makers in the Triad  PRESS RELEASE: GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA— Nicky Smith, President and Founder of Carolina Digital Phone Inc. has been invited to join Triad Business Journal Leadership Trust, an exclusive community for influential business leaders, executives and entrepreneurs in the Triad (Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point, NC). Nicky was chosen for membership by the Triad Business Journal Leadership Trust Selection Committee due to his experience, leadership and influence in the local

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google reviews
Nicky

Why You Should Post Good Reviews on Businesses You Do Business With

The age of technology has given us a world of information at our fingertips, for some of us though we take for granted the importance of the information we do have available to us and how we can add to this to make it more beneficial. In today’s world, we seem to follow the same patterns when it comes to the internet; we use it to either prove a point, or we use it to make one publicly. The trouble with this is, we have become a world of complainers, and what we need is to support each other. While

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office desk
Nicky

Driving the Growth of Cloud-Based Phone Services in North Carolina

Over the last few decades, growth in the cloud-based (VoIP) phone service industry has been massive. Here are some of the statistics:  By 2020, VoIP will have approximately 204.8 billion subscribers worldwide. (Source: Future Marketing Insights) VoIP is the fastest-growing industry in the world. (Source: IBISWorld) Total revenues for U.S. VoIP service providers reached $14 billion in 2019 (Source: IBISWorld)   VoIP is now the #1 telephone choice by U.S. businesses. (Source: Software Advice) 70% of businesses have already deployed Unified Communications (UC) in the cloud, or plan to do so in the near future. (Source: InformationWeek) The hosted VoIP industry

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Law books
Nicky

Cloud Technology in the Legal Industry

According to research by IBISWorld, the law firm industry in the U.S. has grown over the past five years at an annual growth rate of 2.3%, and in 2019 surpassed $330 billion in total revenue. There are over 440,000 law firms that support over 1.3 million jobs, with operators ranging from sole practitioners with a local and regional focus, to large multi-service firms with a state-wide or national footprint.  Industry Disruption Despite the fact that the law firm industry is growing — largely due to the strengthening overall economy in the years since the Great Recession of 2007/2008 — it

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