Nicky Smith, Author at Hosted VoIP Phone System for Business

GUIDE: How to Choose the Best Business Phone System

Before we look at how to choose the best business phone system, let’s highlight why many businesses are frustrated with their current landline (i.e. on-site PBX) phone system: High Up-Front Costs: Landline phone systems are very costly to purchase, install and maintain. No Cost Certainty: Costs can fluctuate significantly from month to month based on factors like domestic long-distance calls. This makes budgeting and forecasting difficult and risky. Lack of Scalability: If the maximum number of lines are in use, then it is necessary to purchase another system — which can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Lack of Business Continuity: A landline system uses a network design with a single point of failure. This means if part of the…

6 Aug 21 Nicky Smith

Cisco Unified Communications Manager EOL (End of Life)

“And now, the end is near…” for Cisco Unified Communications Manager v11.5 When it comes to updating software and hardware for either personal or business applications, not everyone makes it a priority to be the first on the block. After all, the rule of “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” serves most of us in our day-to-day lives. It only becomes a priority to replace our car, television, computer, and such when they are no longer functional for our needs or flat out stop working. One of those milestones is approaching for Cisco Unified Communication users. Cisco announced on November 30, 2020, the End-of-Life (EoL) timeline for their Version 11.5 Software of Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Cisco Emergency Responder,…

24 Jul 21 Nicky Smith

How the United States will solve an International Cyberwar?

The facts on the frequency and cost of cyberwar and data breaches all speak to the reality that the current cybersecurity approach is fundamentally flawed, and the problem appears to be worsening. Hackers recently gained access to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's computers and targeted the energy sector, with the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack affecting 45 percent of the East Coast's gasoline supply. Recent rhetoric from a member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and representative of the Second District of North Carolina would have people believe that more federal oversight is the solution. However, the federal government lacks the foresight and innovation that the private sector possesses and is not well-suited to make significant strides in solving…

21 Jul 21 Nicky Smith

Features in Our Cloud Business Phone Service Offers That You Might Not Know About

4 Surprising Features in Our Cloud Business Phone Service (Hint: They Have Nothing to Do with Phone Calls!) Surprises come in two versions. There is the “wow, how exciting and wonderful!” variety. And then there is the “oh please let this be a bad dream that I’m about to wake up from!” kind (otherwise known as the “birthday party from hell”). Well, here at Carolina Digital Phone we are all about giving our customers delightful surprises. And with this in mind, we are pleased to highlight four surprising features that are included in our all-in-one cloud business phone service. Why are they “surprising”? There are two reasons: because they have nothing to do with making and receiving phone calls, and…

20 Jul 21 Nicky Smith

Everything You Need to Know about Hosted PBX Service

As a small business owner, you will be happy to know that you can get all the big business telephone features without the extra costs or worries – all you need to do is to use a Cloud-Based Hosted PBX from Carolina Digital Phone. A good network will connect all of your staff to each other and to your customers, regardless of their location. Headquarters, remote offices, home offices, and employees who are always on the go can be reached via a single telephone number. With the good quality Cloud-based Hosted PBX solution from Carolina Digital Phone, all you will need is the provider’s phone and a connection to the internet. The best part is that you do not have…

19 Jul 21 Nicky Smith

GAME-CHANGER: Queue Callback Feature Dramatically Improves Customer Satisfaction

There are very few things that customers dislike more than being placed on hold. Research has found that 31% of customers will not wait on hold for more than five minutes. Even worse, many of these unhappy customers are unlikely to come back and give a business a second chance. Separate research has found that after a single bad experience: 58% of customers stopped buying from the business. 52% of customers switched to a different business for that particular product or service. 52% of customers told others not to buy that particular product or service from the business. 48% of customers were unlikely to consider that business when making future purchases of any kind. Ideally, businesses would always be able…

18 Jul 21 Nicky Smith

10 Reasons NOT to Choose Google Voice for Your Business

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 first problem is that when you make outgoing calls through the Google Voice app, your business’s phone number…

15 Jul 21 Nicky Smith

Video Conference Security is More Important Than Ever

In today’s current climate, video conference security has become more important than ever before. More people are remote working in light of the coronavirus lockdown. Getting used to remote working isn’t easy. You need to get your routine figured out and you need to get used to the different tools you will be using while working from home. It’s a big shift! And, this is represented effectively when it comes to the different statistics out there in regards to collaboration tools and the usage of online video context. Let’s take a look at the case of Zoom… We only need to look at the statistics regarding Zoom participants to see the massive changes that have happened. In December 2019, the…

14 Jul 21 Nicky Smith

Why Switching to a VoIP Small Business Phone System is a HUGE Money Saver

While some larger organizations can afford to waste money (at least for a little while), most small businesses do not have much margin for error. If they fail to keep a close eye on the bottom line, then they eventually will fold. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics: Approximately 20 percent of small businesses fail within 12 months of launching. A further 10 percent disappear within 24 months. Another 20 percent are gone within 36 months. Yet another 20 percent bid farewell within 60 months. By the end of a decade, a staggering 70 percent have entered the dustbin of history. While there are many reasons why small businesses fail, cash flow problems will always be the number one…

9 Jul 21 Nicky Smith

Customer Service Above and Beyond

Fleet-Plummer is a family business that was founded in 1949 as a hardware store in Greensboro, North Carolina, and remains one of the Triad’s oldest retail stores. Over the years, Fleet-Plummer has grown into an eclectic lifestyle retail destination that offers anything you need for gracious living with Southern style. https://videos.files.wordpress.com/tcG8u9gQ/fleet-plummer-testimonial_mov_hd.mp4 While they offer everything from grills and patio furniture to greeting cards and jewelry, the one thing that Fleet-Plummer was lacking was a dependable telephone system and provider. So, when their telephone system was down for three days, they were desperately trying to find a solution. After a Google search on the internet turned up Carolina Digital Phone and a large number of five-star ratings, Manager Reid Plummer made…