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...

When it comes to purchasing a VoIP phone system for your business, the last thing that you want to do is “roll the dice” or “hope for the best.” You want to KNOW that your investment and experience will be rewarding instead of regrettable. To ensure this happens, we have prepared the following business VoIP buyer’s guide, which covers four stages in the process: Discover, Evaluate, Demonstrate, and Select. Business VoIP Buyer’s Guide Stage 1: Discover Basically, there are three different types of VoIP vendors in the marketplace: “Do-it-Yourself” Mass Market Firms, Carrier Service Providers, and Dedicated Solution Providers. “Do-it-Yourself” Mass Market VoIP...

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?...

It is widely understood that a VoIP phone system (a.k.a. cloud phone system) is much more cost-effective than a conventional landline phone system — potentially saving tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in overall telecommunication costs.  However, there is another key reason why organizations in all sectors are upgrading to VoIP. They want to access a range of must-have unified communications and collaboration tools, including:  Unified Communications and Collaboration Tool #1: Video Conferencing During the pandemic, many employees went from never having experienced a video conference, to experiencing a few video conferences a week (or sometimes a day!). A...

It does not take long for some technologies to go from optional to essential. And, for the question to shift from “should we be using this technology in our organization?” to “how can we afford NOT to use this in our organization?”. Think of social media platforms. When they first hit the scene most corporations ignored these platforms. Now 97% of Fortune 500 companies use social media. Even cloud-based apps were initially treated with skepticism. Now 94% of enterprises use these apps across the world.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhTewwVCVWE What is the next technology to make the shift from optional to essential? Without a doubt,...

At Carolina Digital Phone, we have been installing and supporting VoIP phone systems for more than two decades. And while our customers come from a variety of industries and sectors, they all ask the same key question: is a VoIP phone system reliable? The answer to this relevant and essential question is an unqualified YES. After all, you do not survive for two decades — and earn hundreds of 5-star reviews — if you sell an inferior product. Eventually, the truth comes out and there is nowhere to hide. Of course, we do not expect our customers to accept that our VoIP...

The lingering effect of the pandemic is putting unprecedented pressure on schools to “do more with less” — while at the same time supporting and engaging teachers, administrators, and other staff. And that is why a growing number of schools - both public and private - are adopting a VoIP (a.k.a. cloud-based) phone system.  Below we highlight 7 key questions to help Superintendents, IT Directors, School Board Members, and other key stakeholders evaluate and choose the best VoIP solution for schools: 1. Will it deliver significant cost savings? The best VoIP solution for schools delivers significant and ongoing cost savings. While each school...

There are many important reasons why school boards across the country have switched from an expensive and inflexible old-fashioned landline phone system to a cost-effective and future-proofed VoIP phone system. However, when it comes to using a VoIP phone system on a day-to-day basis, what teachers, administrators, executives, and all other staff love the most are features, features, and yet more features!  Below, we highlight 7 key VoIP features for schools that have staff saying “wow, this is amazing — how in the world did we manage before this?”: Key VoIP Features for Schools: Auto Attendant Auto Attendant is an automated, customizable, and...

If your organization evaluates various VoIP (a.k.a. cloud-based) phone systems, you will naturally focus on factors like total cost of ownership, scalability, functionality, features, integrations, and security. All of these aspects are vital and need to be on your checklist. But another piece of the puzzle will ultimately determine whether your investment is rewarding and profitable or regrettable and costly: local tech support.  Below, we highlight five reasons why you should INSIST on local tech support for your VoIP phone system: 1. Local Tech Support Gives You Onsite Coverage Ideally, many of your support-related issues can be dealt with remotely. However, there might...