Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a cloud-based phone system technology that enables businesses to make internet calls using a phone. It is quickly becoming the preferred choice for businesses that are looking to streamline their communication and reduce their costs. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of VoIP, how to choose the right VoIP provider, setting up VoIP, and getting the most out of it. What is VoIP? VoIP is a type of technology that allows voice and multimedia communications to be sent over the internet. It works by converting analog audio signals into digital data packets, which are...

Goodbye operator, hello self-service AT&T has given customers advance notice that it will end its Operator and Directory Assistance services on January 1, 2023. The company attributes this decision to cutting-edge technology, such as online directories and voice recognition software. AT&T decided to change its policy in response to the rising popularity of online search engines and digital directories. Customers can now only access directory information by using voice recognition software on mobile devices or through AT&T's online directory. Although this may be an inconvenience for some, AT&T will still provide operator services for emergency calls and collect calls. Who does this affect? This...

At Carolina Digital Phone, we have been proudly serving customers for more than two decades. And one of the most frequent things we hear from our prospective customers goes something like this:  “We are really impressed by various aspects of your VoIP phone system, such as the cost savings, off-site system management, scalability, flexibility, and features. But we aren’t 100% sure about dependability, because we aren’t familiar with VoIP in our environment. So tell us, is VoIP reliable?” For Carolina Digital Phone customers, the answer to this pivotal question is an unqualified YES. Here are the 5 reasons why: 1. Is VoIP Reliable?...

There are some solutions on the business landscape that are not just beneficial, but they are fundamentally transformative — and switching to VoIP phone service is definitely on this list!  Below we highlight 5 game-changing benefits of VoIP phone service: 1. VoIP Phone Service Unleashes Total Mobility  With a conventional landline phone system, employees need to juggle multiple phones - each with a different number: the corporate office phone, their home office phone, and their personally-owned smartphone (and in some cases, a corporately-supplied smartphone as well). Not only is this tedious, but it leads to frustrated colleagues and angry customers who never know the...

An Internet Protocol (IP)-based phone system is much more than a few new phones plugged into your network. It transforms your phone system into a next-generation communications hub, complete with cutting-edge technologies that let your organization deliver better customer service while cutting costs. An IP-based phone system piggybacks on your IP-network, connecting to the public-switched telephone network (PSTN) via your internet connection. Use this checklist to sell management on a new IP-based phone system: Reduce the cost of phone charges.IP telephony can significantly reduce the cost of your long-distance charges. It also reduces the number of circuits to the PSTN you...

While many of us are used to our hard-wired phones and the reliability they offer in communications, this channel does not offer easy integration into the all-IP network. A number of companies have already made the move to deploy IP phones in order to leverage VoIP capabilities in the enterprise, yet the recession halted some of that spending.You may not realize just how big of a business it is, though. According to the latest statistics, there are one billion people using VoIP services by the end of 2017. Given that there are only 7.5 billion people in the world, that...

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 ScalabilityBusiness ContinuityBoost Employee PerformanceIncrease Customer SatisfactionStrengthen Security 1. Instant Scalability Adding new customer service agents to the roster...

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 paid...

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 customers...

Now that it is integrated with G Suite, there is a lot of buzz these days about using Google Voice as a business telecommunications solution. Unfortunately, some businesses that have headed in that direction have found the experience frustrating, costly and regrettable. Here are 10 key reasons why: 1. No Business Caller ID Every business knows that caller ID is an absolute must have feature. In fact, it shouldn’t even be called a "feature" at all. It’s a basic staple that simply can't not be an option. This is not 1992 anymore. There are three major problems with Google Voice caller ID: The...