Virtual PBX & Toll-Free Number, 800 Number Provider - 800PBX

Follow me feature offered in the Virtual PBX suite allows you to forward your calls to different phone numbers in the order of your choice. You can program the call forwarding list with the help of your online control.

800PBX Virtual PBX system calls all the desginated numbers ‘one after another’ until the call is accepted.

Many virtual pbx systems do not screen for live presence before the call is answered. As most of the cell phones are provided with voice mail at virtually no cost, the call is actually connected to your voicemail of the carrier. To prevent this, 800PBX confirms a human presence by asking for user input (”Press 1 to take this call”).

When the list is exhausted, the callers are sent to voicemail or as configured in the rules section of 800PBX’s online panel.

Pros: Follow me lets you never miss an important call.
Cons: Often the customer has to wait for two minutes before the call is connected. However, custom Music On Hold with information about the products or promotions can be used to better utilize the customer’s wait time.

Audio conferencing is now made possible directly via the online panel. Irrespective of whether you are a big company or a small entrepreneur, you often require to conference with several decision makers simultaneously before the closure of the sale.

With 800PBX’s new online panel, you can schedule audio conference calls with your customers. You can also send invites, which upon acceptance marks the participant’s outlook calendar with the conference time and date.

For privacy, users are prompted for a PIN number before they are accepted to the conference.

Audio conferencing is available in all plans except “Basic Plan”. With 800PBX, you can use your normal plan minutes for audio conferencing.

Advantages: Perfect way to invite and participate in the audio conferencing. Doing business from anywhere!

Are you looking for some software that lets you call your website visitor upon request? Web dial, sometimes referred as ‘Click 2 call’, is the best answer.

You allow customers to leave their callback number and a good time to reach. The sytem then automatically dials the customer.

Adding web dial feature is very simple and two step process.

1. Login to 800PBX’s panel and select ‘Web Dial’ from the list of options available on the top. The panel then provides a small HTML code snippet similar to

PS: Please do not copy the above code directly. The code provided in the panel is specific to your company.

2. Give this sample to your web administrator to place it in a convenient location on your web site.

Web dial logs also provides the information of customer’s name, number and the time designated by them to receive the call.

Choosing your virtual-pbx provider can become a daunting task if you are new to the concepts.

Below is a list of items you may wish to shop around before you finalize your service provider.

1) Virtual PBX Services: Many of the toll-free providers simply route the calls to a local number without presenting the various virtual pbx options such as call-hunt, follow-me, auto attendant, voicemail, dial-by-name, business hours greeting and non business hours greeting etc. Make sure these services are enabled and are provided free of cost to you.

2) Check for double-billing and cancellation charges: Most of them double bill and you may want to stay away from these providers. This will save you from surprises and hidden charges in future. Be sure to read the terms and conditions for hidden cancellation charges. They go as much as $100.

3) Auto-Attendant with voicemail: An auto attendant with an option to record your own voice as welcome greeting is a must for every business. 800PBX provides free greeting done by a professional artist.

4) Call-forwarding: Many providers forward calls however they are usually sent to your cellphone’s voicemail and not properly screened for a live person. 800PBX prompts for user input to avoid redirection to local voicemails.

5) Call-blocking and custom greetings: Expect lot of spam calls and your provider should be able to give you an option to prevent calls from user-defined numbers.

800PBX allows you to play a recorded message for the calls coming from user-defined numbers. The system hangs up after playing a message. (”XYZ corporation does not entertain calls from this number. Please hangup and call us from a different number if required.”)

6) Call-recording: Your business may require you to record all calls in order to maintain call records and for quality-training purposes. 800PBX offers this feature free of cost.

7) Fax: With an ability to send and receive faxes on internet, you save few dollars in buying and maintaining fax machines.

8 ) Dedicated local number: Your business will expand in future and you should be ready to add more numbers from each state.

9) Once you choose a service provider, look out if he is a reseller or someone who rents or leases the toll-free numbers. It is wise to opt your toll-free number from a direct seller.

10) Online panel and extension login: Be sure to enquire about the online panel features and check if each extension user can create his or her own rules.

11) If you have a website, make sure your provider gives your online customers to call you directly using web dial feature. If you use email for your business, an option to contact you from your outlook signature would help.

800PBX provides all the above features free of cost along with free minutes for each plan. Please evaluate the services for two weeks.

Good luck with your new provider and 800PBX looks forward to serving you. Click here to know why 800PBX is the best toll-free virtual pbx provider.

Corporate world is now using toll-free audio conferencing for various purposes. This feature has acted as a suitable cost cutting tool for the businesses. It has helped the executives sit down together to discuss important issues without travelling across the shores.

Audio conferencing is widely used for sales meetings, crisis management, auctions, press conferences, legal applications, training sessions and seminars, project management and coordination, meeting of board of directors, etc. One of the most striking features of audio conferencing is that it can be recorded for any future references. This means that minutes of the meeting are available via an audio file as well. Due to such wide implications of audio conferencing, it becomes imperative to know how to conduct an effective audio conferencing session.

You need to follow certain guidelines to ensure that you get the most out of your audio conference. Certain level of audio conferencing etiquettes must be followed to avoid any confusion. You can start with holding an audio conference in a quite room to avoid any external or back ground disturbances. You can also request everyone to put off their mobile phones or cordless phones.

It would be a good idea to avoid speaker phones that tend to pick up background sounds including rustling of papers and shifting of chairs, etc. Use phone lines that are hard wired into the telephone lines.

Every one should have the written agenda prior to the meeting including the date, time and conference number. If it is an international audio conference, it is important to include the difference in the time zone or specify the local time in individual agenda sheet.

Make sure to reach the audio conference room at least half an hour and be prepared to welcome the participants. If you are the moderator then welcome everyone and reiterate the purpose of the meeting as well as specify the time the meeting shall end. You can also carry out a roll call or attendance for the participants so that everyone knows whoever has joined in. This would also ensure that everyone is acquainted with one another. You should remind everyone that every time a participant speaks he should identify himself before speaking.

You should tell everyone that in no case they should put their numbers on hold as it will ring throughout all the numbers and shall create a disturbance. In case anyone wants to put the call on hold, coordinate to ask for the operator assistance.

Lastly, make minutes of the meeting and distribute the same to everyone to let them know the issues addressed and the outcome of the meeting. You can read out the minutes in the end and then distribute the hard copy or the soft copy via email.

Why Toll-free number?

Toll free numbers impress customers and are more successful than normal telephone numbers in generating new sales. They boost up the image of your business and sound more professional and organized. Furthermore as they are easier to remember, they increase the probability for your customers to call your business again.

Vanity Number or not?

It becomes important to choose your toll free number very carefully. Make sure you opt for a toll-free vanity number as people tend to remember words more easily than numbers. Your vanity number should be easy to spell and should exemplify your business. For eg: 1-800-CAR-WASH is easily remembered rather than 1-800-346-7834.

800, 877, 866 or 888?

As of today, 800 number pool is exhausted which means that your chances are very very slim to get a toll-free number starting with 800. However, do not lose hope. Many of our clients have found that the other series (866, 877 and 888) have similar advantage in brand exposure. You may find your keyword or combination with these numbers.

I didn’t get my number. What next?

Well, we understand. Many of our clients approach us and we always suggest that they look for their keyword (job activity) while choosing the number. While your company name may sound cool to you, the customers will soon forget it. Remember someone who knows your company by name will not mind calling your business looking it up in the yellow pages. However, someone who has forgotten (everyone does, including your customer) will easily correlate your business with the job activity. How many times did you remember (1-800-LOCKSMITH as opposed to 1-800-BARRON-LOCKSMITH)?

Finally

Remember to integrate your toll free number actively in all phases of your business activity including brochures, letterheads, visiting cards and promotional marketing campaigns.

Make your toll free number is visible at every possible place where your target audience sees or hears about you.

Charges

Please note that providers charge at least $69 for searching and another $49 for assigning the number on your name. Few of them (we do) provide free of cost. Why? Because, we are confident that your business will help us compensate the associated number costs in long term.

Conclusion

Please sure to ask your toll-free provider with the questions here before making a decision to subscribe to their services.

Toll free vanity numbers are unique combination of alphanumeric characters that help your toll free number to stand out in the crowd. They speak about your trade and act as independent advertising tool for your business. Vanity numbers are combination of words and numbers which are easy to remember for your customers. They are provided from the series of toll free numbers like 888, 800, 877, etc. The alphabets can be the words that define your business for example 1-800-FLOWERS or 1-800-CARLOAN.

It is important to ask yourself if your business really needs vanity number. How important are vanity numbers and why should you spend more time on getting a vanity number when a toll free number can satisfy all your business needs?

Having a toll free vanity number means adding more sales avenues. Toll free vanity numbers act as an additional channel to reach more customers and boost your sales. Although a toll free number in itself can help your customers to reach you, an alphanumeric number will make it easier. 1-800-FLOWERS is easier to remember than 18003569377.

Many companies rely heavily on strong brand recognition of their product or services. Toll free vanity numbers attached with a product or the company endorses the professional image of the company as a brick and mortar business. It adds to the credibility and prestige of the company to own an alphanumeric number rather than a simple numeric toll free number. This strong presence in the market results in larger response rates from the customers.

“Toll free vanity numbers act as a strong marketing and advertising tools. They tend to leave a longer impact on customer’s mind and can be recollected easily. It would be a good idea to opt for a toll free vanity number if you wish to create a strong brand image in customer’s mind.”

800PBX introduces a new feature of Toll-free Call Recording for its users. This feature now lets you record all the conversation between you and your clients. 800PBX aims to provide you the best of our toll free services at the most cost-effective rates.

If you had been thinking of training your young professionals to handle the customers, 800 number call recording facility will prove to be helpful. You can now record all your real-time conversations between you and your customers.

800 numbers call recording facility helps the call centers in their training sessions for quality improvement. This feature also helps them to analyze agent performance and verify the number of transactions carried out by him. 800 number call recording facility acts as an important tool for analyzing sales performances. It helps the call center management to assess which agent is converting leads into sales more effectively and efficiently.

Toll free call recording facility also lets you monitor your employees. It also acts as a log of their working hours and helps you to keep a virtual eye on their work as per their daily schedules. Toll free call recording feature also enables you to monitor if the employees are not taking their personal calls at your expense. After all, you are the one paying for each minute spent on any answered call.

Several industries and corporate businesses are interested in toll free call recording facility. You can manage the toll free call recording facility with the online control panel provided from 800PBX for your toll free number. More and more businesses ranging from health care, financial institutions, education institutes, government agencies, real estate firms etc. are opting for 800 number call recording facility to capture their niche market and address their customer needs.

Financial institutions find this toll free call recording facility very useful to maintain a log of conversation for regulatory purposes. These recorded calls can be transcripted and can be presented during audits. These transcripts are taken up as legal documents during any audit process. The company may also need to produce the recordings for these audit purposes.

Legal firms and government institutions also find 800 number call recording facility very helpful looking at legal implications of any information exchange.

These recordings are saved as audio files and are conveniently accessible from the online control panel. To signup, please visit www.800pbx.com/plans .