Home Office Telephony

Welcome to Home Office Telephony

Hi, there. Welcome to my blog! My name is Victoria Santiago and I created this space to share with the world my passion for telecommunications services, especially those designed for the home-based/micro business market. Feel free to peruse my posts. You will find lots of information that will help you choose the right phone system and services for your small business.

If you are in a hurry, I've created a Communications Resources page which lists my favorite products and services. Click here to go to my resources page. 

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave me a comment or E-Mail me. Thank you for stopping by and come back again soon.   

Network Magic Rocks!

Ok.. so this post is not technically about telephony but it is about communications - network communications.

If you work from a home office and you use more than one computer you really should take a look at Network Magic .

Network Magic allows you to easily network your computers so you can share files between computers and even print remotely.

For example, I have a desktop with a printer and a laptop. Both are connected to the Internet by a wireless router. I rarely sit at my desk. I mean, one of the of the great advantages of working from home is not being tied up to a desk for 8 hours a day.

I usually take my laptop to the couch or the back patio if it's nice out. But when I needed to print something I had to save it to a jump drive or e-mail it to myself so I could print it from my desktop. Now, I send the print job straight from my laptop. Very cool.

I suppose you could accomplish the same thing if you use a router and you are technically savvy, but Network Magic makes it so much easier to set this up.

If you get the Pro version you'll have many other features like being able to make documents available from anywhere connected to the web.

I highly recommend it! They offer a free 7 day trial.

 

Your Telecom Advisor Press Release

(Thought I'd share my latest press release with you.)

(PORT ST. LUCIE, FL) March 29^th, 2008 – It’s easy for home based businesses in today’s global economy to suffer from image issues. Unfortunately for budding entrepreneurs, consumers often equate bigger with better making it difficult for the average solo-preneur to compete with large corporations. However, it is not only possible for a small business owner to present a bigger, better, and more polished image, it is extremely affordable to do so. This can be done simply by exhibiting a more professional phone presence.

Victoria Santiago, founder of “Your Telecom Advisor”, encourages her clients to study their current telephone image as if they were a potential client making contact for information about their company. “I have found that most home based business owners don’t put much thought into the impression their callers receive when they dial their number,” says Santiago. “On top of that, most hate being interrupted by their ringing telephone, and many feel tied to their desks when expecting an important call. These interruptions can wreak havoc on an already tight schedule, and who wants to sit around waiting for the phone to ring, which may or may not happen when you expect it to?”

For those business owners too busy to thoroughly assess their current image and or research new services that could improve their communications, Santiago offers Phone Image Makeovers. Through a series of consultations, she studies her clients’ existing communication services and provides detailed feedback and recommendations for services.

In addition to her popular phone image makeovers, Santiago has prepared a special report entitled ‘How to Sound Like A Fortune 500 Company Without Spending a Fortune’ which is now available as a free download at her website: www.YourTelecomAdvisor.com. This report explains how implementing a VPBX (Virtual Private Branch eXchange) in your business can improve your image while increasing your efficiency.

For more information, visit http://www.YourTelecomAdvisor.com, call 1-800-377-7454 or Click Here to Email Santiago.

Article about Virtual PBX’s in PC World

I just came across this article by Kathryn Vercillo of PC World discussing Virtual PBX's and wanted to share it with you. It gives a clear explanation of how these systems work and their benefits to small businesses. Read the article by clicking here: "Virtual PBX Puts a Professional Spin on VoIP".  

 

Victoria Santiago May Speaking Engagements

As I mentioned in a previous post, things have been quite busy for Your Telecom Advisor. To add to the fun, I have been asked to speak at two Virtual Assistant conventions. I am really excited about these so I wanted to share them with you.

For the first one, I'll have the opportunity to travel to Toronto, Canada for the Forum on Virtual Assistance (FoVA) on May 2^nd to the 4^th. FoVA is different from other conventions. The format is more workshop style to encourage maximum participation from attendees. I will be facilitating a discussion entitled: "Using Telephony, Technology and Software to be more productive and professional." I can't wait!

 

 

The second one will be the Online International Virtual Assistants Convention (OIVAC) on May 15^th to the 17^th. This is a huge virtual convention which every Virtual Assistant should attend. I will be speaking about "How To Make Your Home Based Business Sound Like A Fortune 500 Company", a subject near and dear to my heart. The presentation will be recorded and available for playback after the convention.

 

If you are a virtual professional, I hope you can make at least one of these conventions.

Busy… Busy… Busy….

It's been a little while since I've posted. There's been lots going on since I unveiled the Phone Image Makeover.

First, I have a brand new website! Go check it out at www.YourTelecomAdvisor.com. On the home page, I am now offering a free report entitled: "How To Sound Like a Fortune 500 Company Without Spending a Fortune." It's perfect for home based business owners who want to learn more about how to improve their business image using virtual phone systems.

If you are a Virtual Assistant, head over to VA Networking. They are running their WINsday giveaway on March 15 and the prize is a free Phone Image Makeover by yours truly. All you need to do is become a member (which is free) and post at least once between now and the 15^th. I just recently completed a makeover for Tawnya Sutherland, founder of VA Networking, and she was so pleased with the results she wanted to share this resource with the 8,000 people of her network. I am beyond excited about this exposure.

Talking about exposure, I have a couple of speaking engagements coming up in May. I will post them here once they are confirmed. I'm loving this momentum.

 

 

Ode To Ringcentral

 

"Ringcentral, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways." Following are the reasons why I remain faithful to Ringcentral as my virtual phone system:

Their Call Controller software rocks! - This little piece of genius software turns your computer into Mission Control. It allows you to:

• Screen your calls by showing you the caller ID or playing the caller's name.

• Answer your call from your computer.

• If you decide not to answer, you can type up a quick text response which the system will convert into a message the caller hears.

• Send the caller immediately to voicemail with the click of a button and retrieve the call back while listening to the caller leave their message if you decide to take the call after all.

• Record incoming calls. I use this (with the caller's permission of course) when I'm doing phone consultations and I want to review what the client said at a later time.

• Integrate with Microsoft Outlook so all my Outlook contacts are loaded to my controller and the system recognizes my contacts numbers and displays their name.

• Fax electronic documents straight from my computer to the recipient.

Super simple web-based control panel – RC has the most robust and easy to navigate control panel. You can add and delete numbers and extensions, route your calls to your land line and/or cell phone, access your voicemails and faxes from any computer with internet access, record your greetings, view your call history real time and much, much more.

"Ring Me" Website Button – Allows my web visitors to call me without having to pick up the phone. Feel free to check mine out on my About Me page. You give the system your phone number and it will call you and then connect you to me.  

Flexible Caller ID Options – I can choose which number to display when I call out from my system (my toll free or my local number) which helps me keep my home number private. I can also choose which number I want to see when someone calls me – the caller's number or the number the caller dialed. For example, if you have multiple businesses each with its own phone number you might want to look at the caller Id and see which one of your businesses is getting a call rather than who is calling.   

And don't forget, they offer a 30 day trial with 60 minutes included so check them out. Click here for your free trial.

More Quirky Things About VoIP

To continue the never ending saga of my love/hate relationship with VoIP (see my previous post "Things I Hate About Voip") I have yet another complaint. I've been using Voip Your Life for a few months now and I've been pretty happy with their service. However, there is one issue I didn't really expect to have.

I'm always attending webinars and tele-classes to further my knowledge and expertise. A lot of these types of classes happen over teleconference bridges. I recently attended a marketing tele-class and when I dialed into the conference bridge the system started to behave very oddly. It was bringing up menus (ie "press 1 for help" etc), muting me and un-muting me and acting a bit psycho.

What I realized is that the bridge line was translating noise in my VoIP line into commands just as if I had pressed a button. I couldn't hear any noise on the line but the system was obviously picking it up. It doesn't happen with every teleconference bridge but when it does happen it is very annoying.

I ended up ordering the flat rate unlimited long distance plan from my local carrier that I had canceled when I got the VoIP line. I was hoping not to need a back up but it's evident that my bad luck with VoIP continues.

How about those of you who use Voip services, have you had the same experiences? Or am I the only one who's jinxed?

Feature Of The Week: Virtual PBX Extension

As you shop around the internet trying to find the best phone system for your small business you may come across Virtual PBX's (VPBX) and decide to try this type of service out. When comparing several providers you may notice that they all offer a certain amount of extensions with each of their plans.

What is a Virtual PBX extension?

Before the era of virtual phone systems, an extension was typically a physical phone wired to a phone system and assigned its own extension number. Callers who dialed that specific extension number would get ring that particular extension.

These days an extension is best thought of as a routing path. In other words, when a caller dials a number what path does that call take and where does that path lead? If a VPBX service provider offers you 5 extensions that means there are 5 paths a call can be routed.

For example, my virtual pbx for Your Telecom Advisor has 5 extensions. My main extension (Extension 0) is the auto-attendant, the traffic cop of my system. It gives people options according to who they want to reach.

If they dial my extension 1, the system is set up to find me. It rings my home office number and my cell phone simultaneously. If I'm not available to take the call it goes to my personal voicemail.

If they dial my extension 2, the caller goes to a recorded message explaining my Phone Image Makeover service and giving the caller instructions on how to sign up for the service.

People who dial extension 3 do so because they are interested in hiring me as an Associate Virtual Assistant, the other side of my company. The caller goes to a message explaining the virtual assistance services I specialize in and gives them the option to leave me a message – a separate voicemail from my personal voicemail box.

Another way to use extensions is to assign a separate phone number to each extension. For example, many entrepreneurs have multiple businesses each with its own separate identity, target market and branding. A separate phone number and extension can be assigned to each one of those businesses. You can answer with the appropriate greeting and each can have its own voicemail. Multiple business entities – One phone system.

There are other ways to use extensions in businesses. Leave me a comment if you are using extensions in a way I have not mentioned.

Home Office Telephony Pick Gets Top Prize

Phone.com - one of my picks on the Top 5 Virtual Phone Services Companies list - has been awarded Internet Telephony Magazine's 10^th Annual Product of the Year Award for 2007. I am currently trialling their Virtual Office product and so far I am very impressed with their features and capabilities. A more detailed review of the product will follow in a future post.

I have "met" Ari Rabban, CEO of Phone.Com on the phone (very fittingly) and discussed what he believes to be his company's main differentiator – a clear focus on the needs of home based businesses. Judging from this award it appears they are most certainly on the right track.

You can click Here to read the full announcement. Congratulations, Ari. Keep up the good work!

Home Based Business Connectivity Primer Part 1 – Broadband Internet Connection

(This post has been slightly delayed by the overwhelming interest in the Phone Image Makeover service shown by you – my fellow independent professionals. I am thrilled and I thank you.)

When I speak with home based business owners, especially ones during the start up phase of their business, I am often asked what I consider to be the essential products and services for the well connected home office professional on a shoestring budget. In this multi-part series I will share what I consider to be the basics of the well connected independent professional. Several are not telecom services – strictly speaking, but they are related enough to warrant writing about in this blog.

1. Fast Access Broadband Internet Connection – Nothing will make a bigger difference in your productivity (and your sanity) than the speed of your internet service. This is an area in which frugality does not pay. I recommend you shop for a DSL or Cable broadband service that offers at least 1.5 Mbps downstream speed and 285 Kbps upstream. Anything slower than that will have you pulling your hair out while you wait for web pages to display and your e-mail to download.

   The fastest and most convenient way to shop around is using a comparison shopping website such as ShopForDSL.Com. You enter your name, e-mail and telephone number (make sure the number you input is a physical land line at your location since that's what the system uses to search) and the system will give you several options of companies that service your area and the available plans. Unfortunately, this service will only work for US based consumers.

   Note: Even if you already have fast access internet you wouldn't lose anything by shopping around. You may find that you could get a much better deal by switching providers.

Now, if you are one of the unfortunate souls who live in an area where fast access broadband is not available I suggest you move.

Nah! Just kidding! There are other options available to you:

• Dial Up Internet – Not the ideal, by any means, but any internet connection is better than none. The choices abound in the marketplace for this kind of service. Look for providers with plenty of access numbers in your local area. You wouldn't want to add insult to injury by having to pay a long distance charge on top of a monthly fee.
• Satellite and Fixed Wireless – being lucky enough to live in an area with available cable and DSL broadband services I did some research to find other options for my more distant counterparts. I found this great article by ComputerWorld titled Rural broadband: Finding alternatives to DSL and cable where it discusses fixed wireless and satellite alternatives. Check it out.

Whatever services you have available I suggest you get the fastest you can afford. You'll thank me later.

Stay tuned for the next installment where I'll discuss E-Mail and it's role in the well connected home office.