Having Difficulty Taking a Summer Vacation?

July 1, 2011

Working Remotely on VacationBy Morgan Spencer

Do you find it’s difficult to take a vacation or work from home because it’s very important for you to be accessible to clients, partners or work colleagues?   Are you concerned about missing important client phone calls while you’re on vacation?  The challenges associated with being away from the office are not resolved by simply taking your mobile phone with you.  However, with a little effort and thanks to some of the advanced hosted VoIP phone features that are available today, you can leave the office and make yourself available to others without advertising that you’re going to be out of the office.

Over the years I’ve received several email messages from individuals that feel it’s important to notify me that they are taking a family vacation and they will be out of the office for several days.  Often times these email messages will explain which days and times would be best to reach them in case of an urgent work related matter that would require me to contact them.  Because most of these individuals are concerned about being accessible, some of the email messages will also explain that on certain days they will not be accessible (it’s rather difficult for them to answer their mobile phone while swimming in the ocean or hiking in the Grand Canyon).  Occasionally these messages include additional instructions like… “please don’t leave a voice message on my mobile phone, I will only be checking messages that are left on my office phone voice mailbox.”

As I read these types of email messages, I truly appreciate the effort they have made to make themselves available as they are simply
trying to take a well deserved vacation. Fortunately some of the advanced features that are available from some of the hosted business communications providers make it much easier for us all to stay connected (accessible if and when we chose to be accessible) while we’re going
to be away from the office.

Below is a partial list of my personal favorite ways to use Hosted VoIP features to “stay in touch” with my work responsibilities when I’m out of the office:

Tip #1 – Some Hosted VoIP features allow you to  direct either all incoming calls or only certain calls that fit within your selective criteria, to your mobile phone.  For example,  you  can selectively direct incoming calls from certain phone numbers to your mobile phone and/or chose certain hours of the day to have incoming calls ring to your mobile phone.  You might not want a work related incoming call to ring your mobile phone before 9:00am or after 5:00pm (be aware of time zone changes affecting your criteria when traveling).    It is strongly recommended that you test any of these call settings prior to leaving the office.

Tip #2 – Are you worried that you will miss an important call because your mobile phone will be outside of your mobile provider’s
service coverage area while you’re hiking or driving in a remote area of your favorite national park?   Or that you might miss an important call when the flight attendant requires you to turn off your mobile phone while traveling on a commercial airplane?  There is another feature that will allow you to receive an email notification of all incoming calls so you can easily identify those calls that you missed, even if the caller doesn’t leave a voice message.

Tip #3 – If you answer an incoming business call on your mobile phone (that originated to your office phone),  you’ll also be able to place the caller on hold, or transfer the caller to others that you work with by using the # and * keys on your mobile phone.  Being able to transfer a call from your mobile phone is much more professional than asking the caller to hang-up and dial the other person that they need to speak
with.

Obviously there are many ways to use technology to more effectively be connected and accessible to your clients and business associates when you’re out of the office.  If you’re interested in learning more about how to most efficiently use technology when you’re on-the-go, please inquire about having a member of the Concierge Team assess your needs and provide you with additional recommendations. Morgan Spencer is an Executive Account Manager with Concierge Communications.

Posted in Hosted Services, Hosted VoIP | Leave a Comment »

How to Use C&T to Improve Your Company’s Marketability

July 1, 2011

By Elyssa Dull

We all know our sales people here at Concierge Communications can talk. A lot. But this month, you have the pleasure of hearing from our Marketing Department.

No matter your company’s size, business owners are always on the lookout for low risk, high results marketing ideas. Maybe you have a blog, a LinkedIn account, a Facebook page, a Twitter, and even a Myspace page. You socialite you. Yes, social media is important. But what else is in your marketing mix? Are there any basics you might be missing to make your marketing and branding more effective?

Here are four Communications and Technology solutions to help you do just that.

1. Get Real

A business email address is a necessity, not a luxury. If a sales person gave you his home address in order to contact
him, would you  continue to do business with him? Same rule applies when you hand out business cards with a Yahoo email or Gmail address.

I am constantly shocked by the amount of professionals, including doctors and city officials, still using free email service providers such as Yahoo, Google, and Hotmail for their business accounts. Don’t get me wrong; these free email service providers offer great options for personal accounts. However, not only are they unprofessional for business purposes, they are not secure. Unsecure, web-based mail servers are constantly hacked with no regard for a company’s size. Don’t put your confidential information at risk to save $10 each month.

Here is the good news. The company that you use to host your web site probably offers free or low-cost email addresses based on your domain name.  If you don’t have a web site… well, that’s a problem. Even if you only go as far as to set up a Facebook Business page, make yourself searchable. If someone types your business name into a search engine and cannot even find an address or phone number, they will move on to the next option which is likely your competitor.

2. Make Yourself Available

One thing that social media’s success has taught us is the value of communication with buyers. Being able to connect with a company on a personal level increases a person’s brand loyalty. People want to do business with people, not an entity. Go the extra mile with clients,
whether they are across town or across the globe, and set up video conferencing. There are new social-media inspired conferencing programs which allow you to set up a “room” which anyone can enter at any time. Set up a room for someone in the customer service department in the room so your clients can see AND hear the person to whom they are speaking. Or there’s always the more professional option of conference rooms with a focus on client presentations which feature screen shares, document shares, video cameras and chat space.

3. Be Reliable

Having a reliable service or product is a given in the sales world, but is your office equipment reliable? What happens if your internet service provider has an outage? What if your phones are down for an hour? What if one of your employees accidently deletes all of the company’s client files?

At the Concierge office, the answer to all of these questions is simply – we’ll continue doing business like nothing happened. If our internet goes down, we failover to another internet service provider. If our phone system stops working, we can forward calls to our cell phones. If our files get deleted, they’re backed up in the cloud. As a marketing person, do I know how that works TECHNICALLY? No. Why do you think I
work with smart people? They take care of these things for me.

4. No Elevator Music

No one likes being put on hold, but when your customer service representatives are busy, you don’t always have a choice. Want to make it more irritating for your clients? Interrupt that elevator hold music every 60 seconds with a hopeful pause only to play a recording saying, “Your call is important to us. Please continue to hold.” OR, try to make it a little easier on the customer. My favorite option allows a client to leave their name and phone number, keep their spot in “line” and receive a call back from a representative within 10 to 20 minutes. If your company isn’t big enough for a call queuing option, but still find yourself putting customers on hold frequently, at least use a service that allows you to create a unique script. Many hold-recording providers allow you to choose professional voice talent and background music,
assist you with ideas, and can even help you with your script. Use hold time to sell to people who are already interested in your product. Or use it to make your clients laugh. Just stop irritating them.

Posted in Cloud Services, Marketing, Providers | 2 Comments »

Is Cloud a Beautiful Thing for Business or a Technology Storm?

July 1, 2011

Cloud ServicesBy Clark Atwood

At the end of last year we saw a flurry of activity from state and city governments signing cloud-based and premises-based licensing services with companies like Microsoft.  Here are some key cloud points:
  • Small businesses are not the target market for cloud-based technology like many in the media would like you to believe. It’s true that small business can move to cloud technology quicker but the advantages scale to enterprise and government.
  • The idea that cloud is less secure is being debunked quickly.
  • There are dramatic cost savings of moving to cloud technology in many cases.
  • Compliance is driving many industries to the cloud. HIPAA, PCI, and many more.
  • The cloud is getting increased reach from an explosion in mobile computing.

The information below is a sample of how the cloud is impacting the world of business. While there are many who say that cloud technologies are not ready for prime time, have too many issues to pursue at this time and are less secure, we believe differently. The right solution in the right hands gives our clients competitive advantages and increased productivity and we strive hard to decrease costs wherever possible.

The Cloud is More Secure.

“Known as the “Wall of Shame,” the HHS website details 281 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) security violations that affected more than 500 individuals as of June 9, 2011. Overall, physical theft and loss accounted for about 63% of the reported breaches. Unauthorized access / disclosure accounted for another 16%, while hacking was only 6%.” - Software Advice

The State of Minnesota turns to the cloud.

“Microsoft’s crusade to convert earth-bound customers into cloud floaters has landed an army of 30,000 government email and collaboration users in the US state of Minnesota.” – The Register

The City of New York added 100,000 employees to the new technology / licensing option.

“Yes, it’s a way that we save $50 million,” Stephen Goldsmith, deputy mayor of operations, said of the Microsoft deal, “but more importantly it adds a substantial building block and transforms the way we work.”  – New York City 2010 Annual Report

Microsoft is rolling out cloud solutions to large customers.

“Microsoft touted several big customer wins for BPOS, including Volvo (18,000 end users), DuPont (58,000 end users), Australia’s Spotless Group, Sunoco and Godiva.” - PC World

Mobile access to the cloud is exploding. Over 10 new tablets are being released in 2011 making it easier and easy to be mobile, compute on the go and access existing and emerging cloud technologies. Find a sample here.

Posted in Cloud Services | Leave a Comment »

Wins of Change

May 1, 2011

Provider Mergers and AcquisitionsBy Chris Leaf

We can assume that bigger must mean better for the providers in the telecom sector since we’ve seen flurries of mergers and acquisitions throughout the past several years, like the most recent ones of AT &T and T-Mobile, and CenturyLink and Qwest. But what does this mean to you the client?

I experienced this phenomenon from the provider side about two years ago as an employee of a small company acquired by an up-and-coming organization backed by very strong growth funding.   While it was evident that this exciting new venture was well planned and would almost perfectly complement the strengths, and compensate for the weaknesses of the other, I witnessed first-hand how easily lost the vision for the client can become during a business merger.  This article is meant to provide you with some guidelines to ensure that your company stays on your provider’s radar, while they’re busy building their new empire.

Whether you like it or not, you’re at the mercy of the contract you signed with one of the merging companies, and you are locked in rotation with them despite the new direction in which they have decided to take you.  Even though the right positive energy level might exist among the employees of the two organizations, personnel will be nervous about their futures, and most mergers invariably do end up with reductions in numbers.  This means that there is a good chance that the account manager that you’ve been working with may no longer be there, or perhaps not for very much longer.  This is especially true if the new headquarters is located in another city or state, where the more remote markets outside of that area can quickly become disconnected from the changes that are taking place.

Whether you work directly with the provider or through a broker like Concierge Communications, you may want to check in with your provider frequently during the weeks following the merger.   You will want to have information about the advantages of any new services that might be available as a result of the two companies coming together – after all this was the point of the merger itself.  Management is dealing with compounded amounts of new information, and you need to be diligent in reaching out to your provider’s local office as soon as news of the merger is released.

You should expect to see a consolidation of back-room operations, including qualified support, meaning those who are able to provide clear and accurate information to clients of either company involved in the merger.  You should not assume that informal solutions to customer care issues will survive. Even though it may seem like a no-brainer from your end, in the first six months after a merger has taken place,  the person you are speaking with may be unfamiliar with the services your company is using from the other provider in the merger .  If that is the case, request to be transferred to someone else within the support organization.  This will help set the expectations for your provider, and align you with internal contacts until more training has taken place for the support staff of both merging companies.

In the longer term as the passing storm subsides, you should realize rewards in the form of negotiated pricing at the time of renewal on your contract, and a larger portfolio of valuable services within their newly created collaboration.  The reality is that you should ask for, and expect to receive a metaphorical Medal of Honor in the form of greatly improved communications with your provider, and for having helped to save yourself when the winds of change come a blowin’.

Posted in Acquisitions, Providers | 1 Comment »

How to Recognize “Me Too” Hosted VoIP

May 1, 2011

"Me Too" Hosted VoIPBy Gregory Garbero

What is “Me Too” Hosted VoIP?  Being able to distinguish a true business class Hosted VoIP provider from a “Me Too” provider can be challenging.  A Bing or Google search of “Hosted VoIP” will return over 200 hundred different options. Most all of them will point to the CapX vs OpX value proposition, the superior scalability combined with the coolest features and the benefits of non-obsolescence.  They will have high quality websites and some will include compelling testimonials along with fancy ROI / TCO calculators to compare with a premises-based phone system purchase.  You must dive deeper to know if this provider will be a good solution for your business.

There are two primary indicators of a “Me Too” Hosted VoIP
provider:

  • The service will normally come from a provider that has a primary solution offering in a different area of communication
    technology, such as bandwidth, regional voice & internet providers, business phone system and software integrators, etc.  This factor by itself is not a bad thing and could represent one step in the evolution of another great communication technology provider.
  • The company is adding Hosted VoIP to only expand their offering in an effort to capture new and existing clients, without allocating proper resources, architecture or development.

So how do you recognize a true business class provider of Hosted VoIP from the grand illusion of “Me Too” providers that may only be some sort of simple hardware with better marketing? The two key factors are highlighted below:

  1. Private IP vs. Public Internet:  Overall, the right way to deliver true business class Hosted VoIP is over private IP architecture with Quality of Service (QOS).  To be fair, delivery of Hosted VoIP over “bring your own bandwidth” public/shared internet has greatly improved over the past few years.  If done right, this can be an excellent solution for small offices or remote home offices, provided the Internet speed is consistent and meets the provider’s bandwidth guidelines.
  2. Data Centers: The provider should have their primary VoIP switch and connections hosted in multiple regional data centers and follow all best practices of Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery.  Verify that they have geographic separation. Ideally the switches should be mirrored for fail over rather than only designed for fail over.

There are many imposters in the tech world trying to jump on the Hosted VoIP bandwagon.  In addition to the above points, there are other critical areas to evaluate before determining if any Hosted VoIP  solution is an option  for your business.  You’ll want to clearly understand the features included without additional charge, know the Long Distance plan, define which VoIP software platform is being offered and identify the type of managed premises hardware (phones & switches) are included with the solution.  Hopefully, we have been able to provide some insight so the wheels won’t fall off your wagon in the process.

Posted in Cloud Services | Leave a Comment »

Introducing… The Concierge Client Newsletter

May 1, 2011
Perry Chrisler

Perry Chrisler, President of Concierge Communications

By Perry Chrisler
As founder and President of Concierge Communications, I am  pleased to present our first electronic newsletter. Because of you, our valued  clients, we have a thriving business. It is your trust in Concierge that has  allowed us to grow dramatically over the past 10 years. Thank you for being the  reason for our success.

We could not think of a better way to celebrate our  anniversary than to share our knowledge and insight. Each newsletter will  contain valuable tips and articles about current changes in communication and  technology solutions. We know you are busy managing your business and you rely  on our consultative approach to help you embrace change. Our newsletter goal is  to offer some “did you know” common sense.

We’ve asked our team to help with this project. Each month,  there will be a lead article by either Jana, Clark, or myself. In addition,  there will be two articles written by our talented account managers.  All of us are fully involved in the sales and  support of our clients. We understand your challenges, your needs, and your  desire to know more.

Thank you for being our client and we hope you enjoy our efforts.

Posted in Around the Office | Leave a Comment »

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