Category Archives: Business Telephone

5 Signs It’s Time To Upgrade Your Business Communications

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Communication is vital in any business. Whether you are talking to customers or internally to employees, ensuring your company has an efficient and reliable local service provider is essential to make sure business operations run smoothly. Fortunately, communication technology has been advancing in recent years and in turn, giving your company more options for improving systems such as office phone solutions, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and extending flexibility within your organisation through virtual office solutions.

If you’re one of the many businesses that have felt trapped in current communications contracts or are unsure where to turn to compare services for your business, it might be time to consider the impact of upgrading your business communications to improve everything from productivity and reliability. There are several alternatives to RingCentral and similar Internet phone services for business. However, there are few things to weigh up before you decide on the right package for you.

Cost is one of the main features of IP phone providers, and it’s important to compare VoIP providers to see which package is the best fit for your company. But, there are some other areas to think about when deciding to switch including:

Expanding your current business communication requirements

If your company is growing, then you’ll need a package that can be tailored to your requirements. Many organizations have outdated systems that can’t grow with business expansion. If you’ve added new locations to your portfolio, employed more staff or need more advanced system options, an inflexible VoIP solutions provider could hinder your productivity.

Using your IT talent effectively

Your IT department is an invaluable resource. However, many companies are unable to realise its full potential if it’s continually fighting everyday administration due to inefficient systems. By upgrading your business communications, IT resource will be freed up for projects that improve your company and maximise its potential.

Changing needs of your business

The business world is ever-changing, and keeping up can be challenging. Some areas of your business may be more complicated with different vendors providing a variety of services. In this case, you could be using up vital investment to keep old systems held together when, in fact, upgrading to a hosted cloud telephony company could offer a flexible and reliable alternative.

Maintenance costs

Every area of your business requires costs for day to day running. However, if your central office phone systems cost more and more each year or a complete overhaul of older solutions is significant, it’s the perfect time to think about how new technology could help you save money in the long term. By holding onto older systems, you face substantial maintenance bills and significant outlay when things go wrong. Local service provider solutions can provide support and advanced technology within a package suited to your needs and budget with minimal downtime.
Training staff

Investing in company training is essential to ensure everything runs smoothly. However, if you’re running an older PBX system, on-going training can be complicated and largely a waste of time. New solutions require less training and are more intuitive compared to previous platforms. This, in turn, frees up employees to focus on innovating to improve your company.

Why doing business locally is important to the economy?

Historically, telephony systems were only provided by larger corporations and offered fewer options for growing companies. The advancement in technology is changing the business communication landscape and providing your business with reliable local service providers to support your business.

Our effective VoIP services are suitable for business that want to scale efficiently as your business grows. Plus, we provide a flexible API and all-in-one pricing structures so you can allocate appropriate budgets to keep an eye on those essential business costs.

Choosing a local VoIP provider also gives you a friendly and approachable solution to your IT requirements, and ensures you have someone on-hand to answer your queries. These solutions allow you to control costs and services more closely, and any extras or additional resource can be discussed to ensure it’s right for your company needs.

Due to the intuitive features of our UI, excess training will also be a thing of the past, which frees up your employees to concentrate on other areas to boost productivity. You may also be able to reallocate vital engineering resources to other projects to innovate throughout your company.

If your company is looking to upgrade and can relate to any or all of the above issues regarding your current communication systems, contact us today to find out more about how we can help you improve efficiency and productivity within your organization.

Slow Adoption of New Area Code 743 in the Piedmont Triad, North Carolina

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Back in 2015, North Carolina approved a second area code (743) for Piedmont Triad. This was primarily down to the fact that there was no more availability for (336) numbers. In North America, each three-digit dialing code can only be used approximately 8 million times. The trouble faced by most states is simply that they have exhausted the options for the initially designated area code.

Since the introduction of the 743 dialing code, there has been a prolonged rate of adoption, and it’s not difficult to see why. We are going to take a closer look at the people most affected by these phone number changes and why it’s affecting them.

Area Codes – A Brief History

While there may now be 335 US dialing codes in total, in 1947 when area code assignments were first put into place, there were only 86. Even back then, New York had five dialing codes, while some states had one.

The Numbering Plan Area (NPA) was put into place for a particular purpose, and it did live up to its purpose very quickly. The NPAs main task was to replace the convoluted system that relied on the skill of operators. AT&T and Bell laboratories had a shared vision. That vision was that anybody could call anyone, no matter where they were in the world.

The area code system also harbors some little secrets it keeps tucked away, here are just a few of those little secrets:

  • The NPA helps US territories in the Pacific keep hold of their American identity.
  • The NPA keeps all the best area codes for itself.
  • The NPA has also assigned dialing codes to some British territories and even some European ones.

Who It Affects Most

Why the introduction of a second area code affects more or less everybody, it pays most detriment to business and business owners.

The main issue faced by businesses in the Piedmont Triad is their telephone number generally identifies them. As with companies the world over, not just in the United States, a telephone number is one of the most significant identifiers for a business.

Over the years, businesses in the Piedmont Triad area have had to suffer at the hands of a new area code introduction. Most companies in Piedmont Triad have now seen four different area codes.

What seems to be the biggest frustration and play a massive part in the trepidation of taking up yet another area code is the cost involved for business. While many people won’t recognize that small changes like this can have enormous ramifications for a business, they really can.

One of the biggest ramifications for businesses is the hit that any advertising campaign must take. The majority of companies in the Piedmont Triad area rely on telephone communication, and people know these numbers because of advertising.

Advertising and marketing for businesses do not come cheap. Imagine having to completely replace everything that has your number on it, every time you have to uptake a brand new area code.

While some businesses in larger cities may not have the same issues when it comes to telephone requirements, mainly as these companies rely on digital solutions. Some of the Businesses of Piedmont Triad are small, and the telephone number is a vital part of retaining custom.

Why The Changes May Not Matter In The Future

While the changes can have some drastic effects on a lot of people, especially small businesses, there may be a solution.

One thing we should all remember is that we are slowly moving out of the analog age. At its core, the telephone system still has its analog connections.

We are now seated quite comfortably at the top table of the digital age, and with this age has come opportunity. The opportunities that have presented themselves to us, especially when it comes to communication are life-changing.

Businesses need not rely solely on telephone companies or NPA anymore. The digital age has presented us with options like voice over internet protocol (VoIP). With VoIP, you can make and receive calls via the use of digital data transmission.

VoIP has presented so many opportunities to businesses; the foremost opportunity is that of the ability to choose the number that suits them best and stick with it. VoIP lines provide business owners of all sides with a sense of security that they cannot get with the NPA system.

In Conclusion

The NPA system was always going to be subject to growth, and even back in 1947, this was abundantly clear. The system was developed as Bell laboratories new that with the constant population increase, operators would never be viable long-term.

Luckily enough, the age we live in has presented us with alternatives. These alternatives will help us protect essential businesses. Hopefully moving forward, the residents of Piedmont Triad will take to the 743 area code, but only time will tell.

About Carolina Digital Phone

Carolina Digital Phone is a North Carolina based pioneer of hosted phone services, and provides products that improve the capabilities of business, education and government telephony, while reducing their overall cost. The company’s offerings stand out for their excellent value, including very competitive pricing, the industry’s deepest feature set, ease of deployment, and many user-friendly packages – from a full turnkey setup including dial tone and VoIP phones to automated call answering and routing solutions that work with existing landlines, cell phones or VoIP phones. Learn more at CarolinaDigitalPhone.com