Hosted VoIP Phone System for Business

Happy New Year from Nicky Smith, President of Carolina Digital Phone

Here we are at the beginning of a brand new year full of possibilities. It’s a fresh start, a clean slate, and an opportunity to turn an ordinary year into an extraordinary one. And of course, this is also when we make New Year’s Resolutions. And so, on behalf of everyone at Carolina Digital Phone, in 2022 we resolve: To continue delivering the industry’s BEST LOCAL CUSTOMER SERVICE. Some companies merely “go an extra mile.” We go an extra marathon! To ALWAYS have US-based Customer Service Specialists. We never wavered from this pledge, and we never will. To stay on the LEADING EDGE of the latest innovations and advancements — so that we can provide more value to our customers.…

20 Dec 21 Nicky Smith

A Special Holiday Message from Nicky Smith, President of Carolina Digital Phone

Our world is getting more and more complicated. Consider this: it is estimated that until 1900, human knowledge doubled once every 100 years. Then by 1945, it doubled every 25 years. And by 1982, it doubled every year. Now, experts are saying that knowledge doubles EVERY 12 HOURS. Why do I bring this up? Because as the holidays quickly approach, I urge you to take a break from the complexity and “noise” out there, and reflect on the SIMPLE and TRUE things that make life such a joyful journey. I am reminded of the lyrics to the classic song Happy Christmas by John Lennon, which asks: “So this is Christmas, and what have you done?” And so, I ask you…

10 Dec 21 Nicky Smith

Carolina Digital Phone Customer Spotlight – ArtsGreensboro

Laura Way became CEO & President of Arts Greensboro in April of 2019. She was clearly the right choice for the position. Having served as Executive Director and CEO at the GreenHill Center for North Carolina Art, as well as a member of the Greensboro Cultural Arts Master Plan Task Force, Way is intimately connected to the Greensboro and Triad arts scene. A year later, when Covid-19 turned the world upside down, she was there to help navigate the crisis and to look beyond it to see a promising future for the arts in the community. The pandemic was the cause of much angst and uncertainty among the arts community. Suddenly, concerts, performances, and artist exhibitions were canceled. Many local…

2 Dec 21 Nicky Smith

5 Ways that SMS Alerts Improve School Communications

Anyone who has worked “behind the scenes” in a school environment knows that efficient and effective communications are vital. Below we highlight 5 ways that SMS alerts (a.k.a. text messages) greatly improve school communications, and make things substantially better for students, staff, and parents alike. 1. Using SMS Alerts During Emergencies The number one priority for schools is to ensure safety. SMS alerts instantly notify key individuals or groups — such as school leadership, staff, and/or parents — of hazardous or potentially hazardous scenarios (e.g. outbreak of E. coli in the cafeteria, inclement weather, unauthorized intruder on school grounds, etc.). Follow-up SMS alerts can be subsequently sent to provide updates (e.g. “the National Weather Service has called off the hurricane…

30 Nov 21 Nicky Smith

Business Messaging: 5 Powerful Reasons Why it’s Essential vs. Optional

Business messaging through text, MMS, and SMS is no longer an optional nice-to-have option. It is now an essential requirement. Here are 5 powerful reasons why: 1. Customers Are VERY Open to Receiving Business Messaging A whopping 97% of Americans own at least one smartphone, and on average they check their device 96 times a day. What’s more, 91% of customers said they have or are interested in signing up for text messages from a business, and text message open rates are nearly 100%. On the other end of the spectrum, 90% of customers won’t answer their phone when a business calls them. And while email is still a somewhat effective outreach channel, 62% of customers said that they don’t…

15 Nov 21 Nicky Smith

Hosted Phone System: Features, Benefits, Pros & Cons

When a business grows, so too will its requirements for infrastructure like telephone line systems. The traditional way to provide phone services in an office environment, for example, is with a traditional PBX (private branch exchange) setup. Such setups are usually very expensive, inflexible, and complicated to install and administer. These days, a better solution is to use a hosted phone system (sometimes known as a virtual PBX). If you’re new to hosted phone systems, the following will explain more about them and how your organization could benefit: What Is a Hosted Phone System? A hosted phone system is a virtual PBX that operates through a permanent Internet connection. The most common is a cloud-based hosted phone system where all…

7 Nov 21 Nicky Smith

10 Key Benefits of Digital Faxing

Digital faxing (a.k.a. e-faxing and cloud faxing) is not just alive and well, but it is growing in popularity — particularly in the healthcare, legal, government, telecommunication, and education fields where hand-written initials and signatures are still the norms. What is behind the surge in digital faxing? There are 10 benefits: Affordability: Digital faxing is much more affordable than conventional faxing. Getting rid of an old copper line reduces costs by $20-$30 a month (and in some cases more). Plus, purchasing a business-grade fax machine can easily cost around $300, and on top of this, there are ongoing toner/inkjet, maintenance, and repair expenses. Convenience: Digital faxing is remarkably convenient. Employees can send/receive faxes from anywhere at any time — which…

26 Oct 21 Nicky Smith

Text Marketing Benefits

If your business is not taking full advantage of text marketing — also known as SMS and MMS marketing — then you are missing out on a massive opportunity to drive customer engagement, acquisition, and sales. Consider these eye-opening statistics: 69% of customers want the ability to contact a business through text messaging. Customers are 4.5x more likely to reply to text messages than emails. 12.9% of customers are more likely to support businesses that offer text-back capabilities. And just in case you think that “texting is obsolete” — think again: 50% of people sent more texts during the pandemic, and due to COVID-19 34% of businesses added text as a digital channel to connect with customers. The takeaway from…

12 Oct 21 Nicky Smith

Want Easy Video Conferencing in Your Business? Then Get a Browser-Based Solution!

Video conferencing has been steadily growing in popularity for years, but the pandemic massively accelerated adoption across all sectors and industries. Consider these statistics: The size of the video conferencing market surged 500% in the first two months of the pandemic. (Source: TrustRadius) The global video conferencing market is projected to grow from $6.28 billion in 2021 to $12.99 billion in 2028 — which is a CAGR of 10.9% during the forecast period. (Source: Fortune Business Insights) 79% of workers believe that video conferencing is at the same level, or is more productive, than in-person meetings. (Source: Owl Labs) Difficult vs. Easy Video Conferencing While video conferencing has shifted from an optional nice-to-have into an essential must-have, not all solutions…

26 Sep 21 Nicky Smith

Video Conferencing Solution: 7 Undeniable Reasons Why Your Business Needs One

Before the term “COVID-19” entered the vocabulary, a video conferencing solution was largely viewed as a nice-to-have. But now, as we shift into the post-pandemic world that is dominated by remote working, a video conferencing solution is no longer optional. It is essential for ALL businesses, including mid-sized firms and SMBs that aim to thrive in the new normal. Indeed, the video conferencing market increased by 500% in the first two months of the pandemic, and the overall size of the video conferencing market is expected to surpass a whopping $50 billion by 2026. Below, we highlight 7 undeniable reasons why your business needs a video conferencing solution: #1: A Video Conferencing Solution Improves Productivity Nearly 4 in 5 workers…