MSPNetworks Blog

Everyone knows that a telephone system is a core component of a well-functioning business. Unfortunately, many businesses’ telephone systems haven’t advanced, but the way people do business has. If your business is paying a premium for its telephone system and isn’t getting the collaboration benefits needed to stay competitive, the answer might be VoIP.

With communication rising to the top of many businesses’ priorities list, it’s no wonder that Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is one of the most powerful ways to revitalize your company’s communications infrastructure. If you’re still using your old traditional telephony solution, buckle up because you’re about to find out how to ditch it for good.

A business telephone system has picked up some pretty costly requirements over the past several years. Not only does your business need to have a clear and concise calling system internally, it needs to incorporate video conferencing and remote communications. This can get pretty costly if you don’t have the right technology in place. That right technology is VoIP and it can save your business money and present options that allow your employees seamless communication capabilities.

Effective communication often operates behind the scenes, yet it serves as a vital cog in the smooth operational ability of business, lending support to a multitude of functions. Consequently, making judicious investments in the right tools can markedly elevate your business. In the contemporary landscape, one such indispensable tool is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

Let's delve into VoIP and explore why it has emerged as the preeminent choice for businesses seeking a robust and feature-rich communication platform. VoIP, in a nutshell, delivers more value for less.

VoIP is a telecommunication method that harnesses your internet connection, removing the necessity for a dedicated phone line to cater to your business' communication needs. This not only reduces ongoing telephone service expenses but also confers access to a host of supplementary features, some of which would typically come at an additional cost or might not be available at all. By leveraging the power of the internet, VoIP offers a broader spectrum of capabilities compared to conventional phone services.

Naturally, VoIP emerges as the optimal solution for modern businesses. Furthermore, it's adaptable for mobile use, with user-friendly mobile applications at your disposal.

If you believe that VoIP could be a valuable asset for your business, don't hesitate to reach out to us at (516) 403-9001.

Voice over Internet Protocol, also known as VoIP, has revolutionized the way businesses manage their communications through the use of telephony. Employees who were once tethered to their landlines or their physical locations can now break free of these constraints, and it’s all thanks to VoIP and cloud-based communication tools. Here are some of the best features of VoIP solutions for small businesses.

More Cost Savings

If you want to save costs, then VoIP is the way to go. When you work with a traditional landline telephone provider, they are sure to bundle a bunch of services together that you don’t necessarily want or need for business purposes. Using VoIP means that you’re using an asset and service you already pay for—your Internet connection—so you aren’t paying for anything you don’t already use or need. Additionally, you likely already own all the hardware you need to make proper use of the VoIP solution, as it uses your desktops, laptops, and mobile devices to function. While you could go the route of acquiring more traditional handsets, the flexibility is there for those who want and need it.

Greater Scalability

Running a business comes with inevitable growing pains. Eventually, your business will outgrow its current communications infrastructure, which is a good problem to have, but not for your phone infrastructure. To add new lines or handsets, you might have to knock down walls or use other creative solutions to ensure the networking and routing of the phone infrastructure is sound, creating all kinds of disruptions to your operations and workflow in the process. VoIP is hosted in the cloud and run through a downloadable application, meaning that you are using your Internet connection and a program to access your phone line. This means adding new accounts or numbers is as simple as creating one and downloading the app.

Enhanced Flexibility and Mobility

With VoIP, you aren’t limited to your landline or even your desk. Thanks to the ability to download a hosted VoIP application on your smartphone, you can keep your work phone number on your mobile device for anytime, anywhere access to it. You can take work calls on your work phone number while out of the office, on business trips, or while working out of your home. With this kind of accessibility, imagine how much more work your organization can get accomplished. Your customers will also appreciate your team being more available than ever.

Ready to Implement VoIP?

If you want to commit to improving your business’ communications infrastructure, MSPNetworks can help. We’ll work with your business to integrate VoIP with its technology and collaboration platforms in a way which makes sense for you. To learn more, call us today at (516) 403-9001.

The landscape of telephony for small businesses has changed dramatically. It’s likely that you don’t rely on your phone nearly as much as you rely on other technologies, like your Internet, communications solutions, and email. Still, an antiquated phone system can hold you back, so let’s explore the other viable option for your business: Voice over IP.

Let’s break down why your traditional telephone is no longer viable for your business first.

Adding New Users is a Pain

When you first started your business, you were meticulous about finding the right space for the moment, just to get things off the ground. You may have had to run wires across your office for a specific number of employees, workstations, and handsets. When your business started to grow, suddenly you found yourself limited by the infrastructure you had spent so much time cultivating. Adding new users to your infrastructure becomes costly and time-consuming, which is something that only a traditional telephone business makes you suffer through.

Organizational Communication is Already Challenging Enough

When you use your office landline, you are, for all intents and purposes, stuck behind your desk if you want to use your phone. This is the opposite of what you want to happen; you want your employees to have the freedom to do what they need to do without being tethered to a physical location, and a solution which allows for this means that your company will have more flexibility for remote work and operations.

Your Telephone System Adds Hidden Costs and Services

More likely than not, you’re paying more for your landline telephone than necessary, and it’s all because of bundled services that you have no need for. You might be paying for cable television in addition to your phone service, for example. A service that allows you to customize your services according to what you need is ideal for businesses, particularly small businesses that cannot afford to waste their valuable budget on unneeded services.

There’s No Reason to Suffer with Old Technology

Using your landline is just like using any other old frustrating technology; it’s completely unnecessary. If you rely on outdated technology for too long, you’ll fall behind your competitors, which is something that no business can afford. You can get ahead of the game with a VoIP solution that uses your current IT infrastructure and Internet connection, effectively replacing your company’s landline by turning all of your desktops, laptops, and smartphones into your telephone system.

VoIP Can Be the Solution to Your Communication Troubles

If you are ready to get started with VoIP, then MSPNetworks can help you make the transition. All you have to do is pick up that old dusty handset and use it one last time to call us at (516) 403-9001.

The telephone, as a technology, has been around for quite a while, more or less serving businesses for that entire time. Of course, we’ve seen quite a few advancements in telephony over the years, which has helped it to remain a cornerstone of modern business communications to this day in the form of Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.

Let’s take a few moments to consider just what it is that allows VoIP to remain a great business option.

What are Some Advantages VoIP Provides to Businesses?

A properly-configured VoIP solution will bring a variety of direct advantages to your operations, including:

Cost Savings
This is the big one. Think about it for a moment: how much do you spend each month for your phone services? Imagine if that just went away. With VoIP, this is possible, once you get past the initial set-up and equipment costs (and these are relatively minimal, regardless).

This alone can often be enough to convince business owners to make the switch over to VoIP services.

Operational Flexibility
One of the biggest issues with the landline is that it’s a little stuck in place, so if you or the team member receiving a call isn’t present at their desk, that message could easily be missed. VoIP enables you to leave the desk, answering the phone from wherever an Internet connection can be secured. This makes it far simpler for things like remote and hybrid work to take place, as your team will remain that much more communicative.

Intercompatibility and Capability
While VoIP is touted as an improvement to phone services, many modern VoIP systems offer far more features than just simple voice calling. Instant messaging, various voicemail capabilities, and far too many more to practically list here are all built into VoIP software.

In Short, VoIP is a Great Option Your Business Should Be Using this Year

We can help you get set up with it, too. Give us a call at (516) 403-9001 to learn more.

The following story and events are true, however, to protect the families of the innocent, all names have been changed. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or businesses, is purely coincidental. Enjoy and happy Halloween!

This is a transcript of a police interview with Stephen Corey. Taken by Det. Giles Gerald at 11:05 a.m. this morning. 

Det. Gerald - Please state your name and title. 

Mr. Corey - I’m the founder and CEO for North Shore Software Inc. 

Det. Gerald - Tell me what happened. 

Mr. Corey - We’ve been at the 1692 Osborne Ave location since May 10th. It was rainy, but it was actually pretty warm that morning, if you recall? I got to the office at 6:30; which is an hour and a half early as I like to have some time to myself before the staff arrives. I found it strange that there were several cars in the parking lot, but it’s not really unheard of to have cars in the lot from people that get a ride from the bar just across the street on Sundays this time of year. 

I didn’t think much of it as I gathered my things and went up to the office, but the first real curious thing was that the door to the office was already unlocked. This is Monday, mind you, ya’know, and there have been maybe one or two instances in the thirteen years I’ve owned this company that someone has beaten me to the office on Monday. I’m always the first one there; especially on Monday. So, I suddenly got a very cold feeling and was extremely worried that we’d had a break in. So instead of just barging in and potentially putting myself in a bad situation, I decided to go back to my car and call the office to make sure that I was just being paranoid and that there was, ya’know, people there who were, um, ya’know, were supposed to be there.

The phone rang twice and then Sarah answered. “Thank you for calling North Shore Software, this is Sarah, how can I direct your call?” 

Det. Gerald - This is Sarah Glanvill? 

Mr. Corey - Yes, she’s our receptionist.

Det. Gerald - Continue

Mr. Corey - I was immediately, ya’know, put at ease when I heard her voice, so I hung up without saying anything and headed into the office. Mind you, this was a very brief stretch of time; less than a minute or two. I got back to the door and went to open it and it was locked. Obviously, this was alarming, but I thought that, ya’know, it being Halloween and all that, someone was trying to mess with me a bit. So my first thought was to pound on the door. At this point, I wasn’t so much scared or annoyed, but was trying to be a good sport. I thought that Sarah, who is one of my longest-tenured employees, was just having a little fun with me. After a few seconds, there was an identical pounding on the other side of the door. 

I remember saying something like, “Okay, okay, this is fun,” as I went to unlock the door with my key. Mind you, the plan is to move over to electronic locks pretty soon, but right now we still have the wood door that came on the place with your typical locks, ya’know. Well I put my key in and it won’t turn. Now I’m starting to get annoyed, because all I want to do is start the day and I’m thinking this prank is going a little too far. I pound on the door again, and again the knocks are returned. You’ll see all this on the CCTV, but I tried to unlock the door a couple other times with no luck.  I then call to end the charade and have Sarah, who at that time I’m completely convinced is doing all this to mess with me, unlock the door.

So, as I went around the back to get in the building, I’m annoyed. I call up and she answers “Thank you for calling North Shore Software, this is Sarah, how can I direct your call?” I’m like Sarah, “This isn’t funny anymore. Let me in the building!” I get nothing, but “North Shore Software, this is Sarah, how can I direct your call?” At this point, I’m at the back door. I hang up, not finding the humor in this whole thing, and I go to unlock the back door. I unlock the door and I get halfway in and the door slams and locks. 

At this point I’m just standing there angry and dumbfounded. I try the lock and the key won’t turn. It’s as if the locks were magically changed. I start pounding on the door yelling and swearing. Just then I see headlights shining down the alley on the south side of the building. They are coming from the parking lot. I walk toward the parking lot and the lights go off and as I get to the front of the building. I hear: “Good morning, Mr. Corey. Happy Halloween.” It was Sarah. Even though I just saw her pull up, my blood is up, so I start yelling at her, asking her why she would keep the prank going so long? She has no idea what I am talking about. 

I start barraging her with questions, and accusations, really. She starts to plead and cry, not only because she is being accused, but because she must have thought I was losing my damn mind. By now it’s 7 (a.m) or just after and I’m in a frenzy. I put my phone on speakerphone and Sarah, who is standing right in front of me, on the verge of tears, answers “North Shore Software, this is Sarah, how can I direct your call?”

I’m not so sure I’ve ever felt more insane and more sorry. She was as surprised as I was to hear her voice. I knew then that I was dealing with something I didn’t understand. I don’t believe in ghosts, but at that moment I thought for sure there was something paranormal going on, ya’know. I was, um, well, scared. Other employees began to pull up and I didn’t know what else to do so I called you guys and told them to go on home and work remotely until I knew what was going on.

Det. Gerald - What happened when the responding officers got there?

Mr. Corey - Obviously, I’m upset. At this point I was convinced there is someone in my place of business who isn’t supposed to be in there…or ya’know, something…There weren’t any lights on that I could see, but someone is actively trying to keep me out of the building. Officers Mather and Cotton came pretty fast and asked Sarah and I a bunch of questions about what was going on. I told them what I told you and they said if I let them in the building they would go in and see what is going on. I told them that the door was unlocked when I got there and then was locked and that someone slammed the back door on me after that. 

We went up to the door and the door unlocked fine. They went in and it was quickly pretty evident that no one broke in. They returned in minutes to say that there was nobody there and the place was clear. By then more officers had showed up and Sarah helped me by sending workers away as I looked around to see if I could figure out who the hell was there. The officers said the back door was not locked. Obviously, this surprised me. 

Det. Gerald - So who do you think was there?

Mr. Corey - That’s the thing, nothing is missing. I looked through the CCTV footage and I didn’t see anyone entering or leaving. The only thing I saw on those tapes was me struggling with the doors. Someone broke in; I’m sure of it, but I can’t tell you for certain who it was. 

Det. Gerald - Maybe you imagined it. Have you been dealing with more stress than usual?

(Just as Det. Gerald asked the question, an unknown number called Mr. Corey’s phone).

Mr. Corey - No. 

(Mr. Corey ignored the call)

No. I can’t really explain any of it, but I…

(Phone rings again)

Can I take this?

Det. Gerald - Yeah.

Mr. Corey - (into the phone) Hello? (inaudible; Mr. Corey then presses the speaker button on his phone) 

Phone - “...this is Sarah, how can I direct your call?” 

Mr. Corey - Who is this? Who is this??! (hangs up).

Det. Gerald - What was that?

Mr. Corey - That was Sarah the receptionist, but it obviously wasn’t. 

(Just then the phone rang again: Unknown number)

Det. Gerard - Give me the phone. 

(Mr. Corey handed the phone to the officer and he answers it and puts it on speaker)

This is Detective…

Phone - “...North Shore Software, this is Sarah, how can I direct your call?”

At MSPNetworks, we offer enterprise business telephone systems that have all types of features, including virtual receptionists that can help your business direct your calls to the people you are looking to talk to. You can gain the peace of mind that you will get the end-to-end telephone service your business needs without the chance of being haunted by a human or specter. Visit our VoIP page for more information. 

The software you choose to use for your business largely defines the capabilities of it. When it comes to communications there are some very standard options that you probably already have and then there are some more innovative options that can have significant benefits for your staff. Let’s take a look at some of the standard communications options a business might use and how they can use technology to crank it up a bit.

Standard Communications Tools

Most businesses today give their employees multiple options on how to communicate with other members of the staff, prospects, and customers. Some are typical of every business, while others are a little more advanced and come with larger price tags. Some of the most utilized communications tools for business include:

• Email
• Telephone
• Instant messaging
• Documents

For most businesses, communications is split into two categories: Written and Verbal. Most businesses should have systems in place to cover both types of communication. As for written tools the most utilized, by far, is email. It presents you with an accepted and respected way to communicate with almost anyone that you would need to contact. 

Email

Today’s hosted email solutions tend to have a litany of great and useful features that can not only provide a construct to clearly get your message across, but also manage incoming and outgoing messages. Most modern business email platforms include the following features:

• Daily backup of emails
• Virus protection
• Encryption
• Spam filtering
• Synchronization
• Push mail
• Archival

These options typically provide users with everything they need to do business using email. Not only do modern email platforms have features to make the process of sending and managing email easier, many of them have started to integrate a fair amount of security features. A business’ email system is extremely important and a well-maintained and managed email system can go a long way toward giving an organization a great business tool.

Instant Messaging

Instant messaging is one of the more utilized written communications tools. Not every instant messaging application is created equal, that’s to be sure, but for the most part the convenience and speed of instant messaging can be a major benefit for any business looking to outfit themselves with one. Some hosted email platforms will come equipped with one, while other stand-alone IM platforms are also available. Recently, there has been a big shift in the development of collaboration tools that feature instant messaging as part of a larger platform designed to keep your people on the same page. 

Documentation

One often overlooked communication tool your business may have is the ability to provide employees and customers with written resources like pamphlets, white papers, and other documents. Most businesses today want their staff and customers to be as educated as possible and creating a repository of useful information, whether they are in the form of pamphlets, FAQs, or some other useful documents can save time and be very valuable. 

Telephone System

Probably the most important communications platform your company has is its telephone system. The traditional telephone system that you would get through a dedicated telephone provider has some functionality, but if you really want to make strides with your business’ communications platform, consider switching to a VoIP system. VoIP can be hosted onsite or in the cloud and can provide a lot of powerful features that the traditional telephone system simply cannot. 

One of the features you can buy through any VoIP provider is seamless video conferencing. For remote teams, or even extremely busy teams, a powerful video conferencing solution will give you access to a tool that will allow you to spin up meetings in seconds and provide you with integrated options in line with standalone video conferencing tools. This will help you save money and standardize the entire calling experience. Some other VoIP features you can take advantage of include:

• Automated attendant with advanced call management
• Caller ID
• Call queuing 
• Call following
• SMS and MMS integration
• Mobile device integration
• Analytics 

…And many more.

If your business needs help going over your communications options or if you simply need help getting the platforms you already have to function as you need them to, give the technicians at MSPNetworks a call today at (516) 403-9001. 

Communication solutions are especially important in today’s world of remote and hybrid work, and we are here to tell you that the traditional telephone solution you’ve known and loved for all these years is simply not viable in today’s business environment. Thankfully, a viable replacement is widely available, and it’s all thanks to Voice over IP technology.

What is VoIP?

Your traditional telephone solution involved working with your local telephone company to run lines and cables all over your business’ office and installing handsets for your employees to use. There was a lengthy implementation process that heavily relied on the physical setup of your office and the number of employees your company employed.

VoIP, on the other hand, uses a service you already have—your Internet connection—rather than your traditional telephone infrastructure. Through the use of smartphone or desktop applications, VoIP helps to eliminate barriers of entry for telephony solutions and instead focuses on making services accessible to all types of businesses, regardless of infrastructure or current setup. Since VoIP is a software solution rather than a hardware solution, it is more dynamic and flexible than your traditional telephone system.

What Benefits Does It Bring?

VoIP is notable because it offers comparable services to your traditional telephone system but without the limitations that come with it. Here is just a short breakdown of what you can expect from a VoIP phone system:

• All the features you know and love: VoIP is capable of all the features you use for your traditional telephony system, plus some that you might not normally get, such as video conferencing and instant messaging.
• Quick setup: Instead of running cables and knocking down walls, you just download an application and set up your accounts. Because of this, it’s an easy and efficient way to leverage telephone solutions to your benefit.
• Accessibility and flexibility: Since VoIP applications can run on smartphones or desktops/laptops, you have control over how you choose to use VoIP.
• Cost savings: Oftentimes you might encounter telephone providers who try to lump together services in an attempt to squeeze as much out of their customers as possible. With VoIP, you don’t get any of this—you purchase the solutions you need and nothing more.
• And more!

Don’t Wait Any Longer!

If you are ready to take your business’ communications infrastructure to the next level, we are confident that VoIP will help. To learn more about what VoIP can do for your business, reach out to us at (516) 403-9001.

Nothing changes the fortunes of a business faster than having clear lines of communication, especially after operating with less-than-effective communications for a time. Today, there are options that provide businesses with enterprise-level communications without the massive price tag and commitments that they typically bring. 

Business is moving faster and from many more places, and with that, antiquated communications strategies just don’t provide the sustainable features and benefits that hosted VoIP can provide. Hosted VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a dynamic communications platform that is accessed through an app and uses your company's existing bandwidth. This means that all that bandwidth you pay for is repurposed to support your phone system. Let’s talk a little bit more about Hosted VoIP:

You know how you get all the productivity applications, email, and a bunch of other software from the cloud? Well, Hosted VoIP is also purchased as a cloud service. You don’t have to make any large hardware purchases, maintain and manage a PBX server, or any of that. You simply call MSPNetworks to get a VoIP provider and it doesn’t take long to get your whole business the crystal-clear calling and dynamic features that today’s VoIP platform offers. 

What's great about it is that each user can be added in seconds and once connected, they will be able to use their personal smartphones as a business phone. It allows companies that have  teams working remotely to have a feature-rich and reliable communications platform in a cost-effective way. In fact, you are sure to save up to 40% off of your current phone system. 

Benefits of Hosted VoIP

We’ve already outlined the cost reduction that’s possible with VoIP, but there are some other benefits as well. They include:

• Easier to Manage: Switching to VoIP eliminates your relationship with the phone company. More than that though, VoIP doesn’t need special hardware, it can use the same wiring and switches as your LAN.
• Unified Communications: Installing a VoIP platform likely means that you are able to unify your organization’s communications platform, giving your staff the option to communicate multiple ways at the click of a button.
• Functionality: A VoIP platform can integrate with all types of business-management software to provide easy access to the communication capabilities that often make a business run better. VoIP also has innovative features like Voicemail-to-email transcription, interactive voice recognition, and integrated chat.
• Scalability: When you onboard new users and need to add a line to your business, it’s as simple as a couple of clicks.

You should at least have a conversation with an IT professional about Hosted VoIP. We want you to get the best value out of your IT and Hosted VoIP is a good option. Give us a call at (516) 403-9001 today to learn more.

Business has changed, so the tools your organization uses must evolve as well. One element of your business that has not only got more affordable, but also offers robust integrated features is your telephone system. Today, you can get some pretty impressive features as a part of a hosted VoIP implementation. With collaboration being more important than ever to keep costs down, having the tools you need at the ready is more crucial than ever.

What Exactly is Hosted VoIP?

Voice over Internet Protocol is a powerful business telephone system that uses the Internet to do everything (and more) that a traditional telephone system can do. Not only do you get the crystal clear calling that you demand, you can also gain a load of features designed to provide value and help spur collaboration. Additionally, since a hosted VoIP system is hosted in the cloud, you basically eliminate the need to purchase expensive hardware and time-consuming setup. Let’s take a look at some of the most useful features you can get with the modern cloud-hosted VoIP system.

Automated Attendant

One of the most useful features for any business is to have an automated answering system attached to your phone system. This not only eliminates the cost of having a live receptionist (or worse yet, interrupting your production team with phone calls), it also provides reliable call routing so that people get connected to the department or individual. Some VoIP providers feature interactive voice response which provides a certain customization to the auto attendant feature that can come in handy if your business has high call volumes. 

Call Recording

With so much of today’s business being done remotely, collaboration can be a little bit harder. With call recording accessibility, individuals can choose to record calls for use in project management, team collaboration, and quality assurance. The system works great as a tool to enrich the employee review process as well. Many hosted VoIP platforms will provide cloud storage space (often for an additional cost) so no additional setup will be required.

Caller ID and Screening

One of the best attributes of a hosted VoIP system is the ability to see who is calling and have options on what to do with incoming calls. Not only can you see the number (and if the number is saved in the account’s contacts, the name), you also have control over what to do with the call. You can choose to answer it, send it to voicemail, or decline it altogether. These features really cut down the time spent in unwanted or unnecessary calls. 

Call Forwarding and Flipping

Another set of great tools that you get with most VoIP platforms is the ability to simply forward a call to another user or transfer calls to a separate device on the same number. The former can help immensely as often calls are made that need to touch multiple points of your business. With call forwarding, this is as simple as transferring to a defined employee line. Call flipping is a feature that enhances your employees’ ability to take important calls on the go when they need to. In this process, the user will just flip from their workstation-based VoIP phone to their mobile device without dropping the call. 

SMS Text Messaging

Hosted VoIP provides the means to communicate through SMS. It’s proven that for small issues that text messaging is an important part of the business communications process and with hosted VoIP, your team will gain the ability to send text messages from their work accounts.

Video Conferencing and Bridging

Since your hosted VoIP platform is hosted in the cloud, you can get some seriously dynamic features. One of the most important is the addition of conferencing. Today, more people use Internet-capable solutions to meet than ever before, and the hosted VoIP platform can play an integral role. VoIP providers now offer video conferencing systems integrated with conference bridging that can help keep the people that need to meet on the line without having to waste time and effort. 

Analytics

Like most cloud-based platforms, hosted VoIP provides administrators the ability to see all the metrics (and assign their own) to analyze the phone system, user profiles, and more. Being able to have metrics at your disposal can help you modify your VoIP platform to the needs of your business and help you control communications costs. 

Go Mobile 

In what could be the most money-saving feature that a hosted VoIP platform provides, each account can be accessed from a dedicated mobile app. This means the days of paying for service plans for employee devices are over. Since each user can access their work phone from their individual mobile device, less calls will be missed and more can be done than ever before, for a fraction of the cost. 

Hosted VoIP is one of the technologies that we’d label “a no-brainer”. It cuts your organizational communications costs and provides you with loads of features that can help promote better business. If you would like to talk to one of our IT professionals about getting a VoIP system for your business, give us a call at (516) 403-9001. 

The average person spends hours a day on their phone. For the average business, finding a way to support this trend is extremely important. This is why many businesses have begun to do away from their traditional telephone system for the massive benefits that Voice over Internet Protocol brings. Today, we will outline four major benefits of hosted VoIP to help you understand that if you aren’t using VoIP, you are probably leaving money on the table. 

Benefit #1 - Cost Reduction

The cloud has helped millions of businesses get the technology they need without having to pay the high upfront costs that many software developers require. Beyond that, the cloud-hosted software is typically managed and maintained by the provider, further reducing the cost of running the software. For hosted VoIP, companies can get a powerful PBX platform, hosted in the cloud, with all types of advanced features that would cost them much more if they chose to host their telephone platform themselves. Furthermore, companies don’t have to spend money on additional phone cable drops for their business. VoIP-enabled phones plug right into the workstation making the hardware easy to set up and easy to maintain, or they can use your existing network cabling.

Benefit #2 - Flexibility

One of the major benefits of VoIP is the flexibility it gives a business. Not only do you pay per user per month for the service, you also are provided the ability to use the softphone app on Android and iOS-supported phones. This removes the need for registration or year-long contracts that can be prohibitive for a business’ budget. If you need to set up a new user, you simply add an account and set the phones up and you are ready to go in minutes.

Benefit #3 - Mobility

As mentioned above, each VoIP account comes with the ability to sync up a mobile device to the number. This allows users to use their own personal device for business calls from the same number they have on their office phone. Some businesses pay a premium to get their employees on their mobile platform, including buying devices, paying for service and data plans and more. With VoIP and a well-concocted Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) strategy, each user can get a built-in mobile platform without creating new costs for the business. 

Benefit #4 - Options

One of the biggest benefits that a VoIP platform presents a business is the ability to get the communications and collaboration tools they need through their hosted telephone system. Many businesses today are leaning heavily on their video conferencing system for meetings, as many employees are still working remotely. A Hosted VoIP platform integrates video conferencing and a lot of other useful features that enhance the ability to do business seamlessly. 

Choosing to move to a VoIP platform could be one of the best decisions you can make for your business. The IT professionals at MSPNetworks can help you get set up with an enterprise-grade telephone system for your business that will change the way you communicate. Give us a call today at (516) 403-9001 to learn more about the VoIP platform we have available.

What kinds of communication tools does your business utilize on a daily basis? Chances are that your communication infrastructure can benefit from some of the latest and greatest solutions on the market. Communication is one aspect of your business that you definitely do not want to skimp on, as failing to implement the proper tools can bleed into other aspects of your organization, including operations and, in return, your bottom line.

Here are three technology solutions that all small businesses should implement for their communication infrastructures.

Email & Instant Messaging

We know what you’re thinking—obviously a business needs email to communicate properly both internally with its team and externally with clients and vendors. However, we urge you to reconsider the way that your email solution is currently set up. Do you host it yourself on-premises? Is it properly secured? Can you access your work email on any approved device? Are you able to access it through the cloud? These are important questions to ask for the sake of productivity and efficiency. We at MSPNetworks recommend that you work with us to set up a cloud-hosted email solution so that your business can focus on maintaining operations rather than managing an email server.

Instant messaging is another great tool that modern businesses can leverage to great effect. It’s perfect for moments when you don’t want to wait for a response to an email or for more urgent matters. That said, you need to be careful with how you implement instant messaging, as improper setup and training can turn this great productivity tool into a distraction.

Intranet Solutions

Consider this scenario: have you ever been neck-deep in a project only to find that important documents detailing the process for a certain task simply cannot be accessed for some reason? Unfortunately, this is often the case; documents can get scattered all over, and some employees simply won’t know the needed workflows or how to access certain accounts. This is why an intranet solution is such a valuable tool. 

An intranet solution is a great place to house internal documents for helpful information such as workflows, portals to various services or tools you utilize on the regular, and more. Don’t discredit the value of having a single place you can go to locate just about everything your employees need to succeed in their day-to-day duties. Think about it as the “single point of contact” for any resources your employees need.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

Similar to email, all businesses have a phone solution that they use for both internal and external communications. The unfortunate truth, however, is that the landline is a tool of the past. Whenever you have to add a user to the network, you have to run new phone lines, hook up new hardware, assign extensions, and so much more. This makes for a solution that is not growth-friendly and can work against your business’ interests.

VoIP has the potential to change the way your organization handles telephony in the workplace. Essentially, it takes your entire phone infrastructure and shifts it to the cloud where it can be accessed on any device through a desktop or smartphone application. This allows you to use your work phone number to make calls on a personal device through the Internet. All of the features of traditional telephony solutions are present here (and completely scalable), including call forwarding, routing, conference calling, and even some features that might not be present in your ordinary landline, such as video conferencing, IMs, and more.

Not sure how to get started thinking about your own business communication infrastructure? MSPNetworks can work with your organization to implement the best tools for its specific needs. Don’t wait any longer; get started with a phone call to MSPNetworks at (516) 403-9001.

For many businesses, their telephone system can be extremely expensive, especially considering the need for extra mobility as many people are still working remotely. VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, presents a cost-effective solution for any business’ telephone needs. Let’s take a brief look at VoIP and how it can be a game changer for your business’ communications.

About VoIP

Despite its popularity for residential users over the years as cable and telephone service providers have been making the switch, VoIP is all business. It is a telecommunications platform that uses your company’s existing broadband Internet connection to send and receive calls, texts, video and more. Many popular communications tools use VoIP for their communications purposes including Facebook Messenger, Skype, and Apple’s Facetime.

In a business sense, however, you may wonder how those tools could handle high call volumes. After all, how can it be a business tool if it doesn’t support the needs of your customers and staff? Today, there are enterprise-level VoIP platforms with all the bells and whistles a business operating in 2021 requires.

What Makes Hosted VoIP Different? 

Obviously, if you’ve been using a telephone system through a telecom provider, you may think that this tool can’t possibly fit your needs. You may think that telephone systems are all the same. They are going to cost your business an arm and a leg and will cause you to make some pretty tough decisions. 

Nothing could be further from the truth. Here are three features that make VoIP a better option for the growing business. 

Overall Cost

Dollar for dollar, VoIP systems are simply less expensive. Not only will you be using infrastructure you already have in place to fuel your phone system, you immediately reduce your recurring expenses. Apart from the platform set up and the purchase of some Internet-capable telephones, your upfront costs are minimal. What’s even more valuable is that many hosted VoIP platforms offer a softphone option that allows any smartphone to potentially be used as a business phone. This all but eliminates the costs that your business would be looking at on the mobile side of things. 

Simplicity

The simplicity of adding and removing lines from your VoIP plan makes managing a VoIP plan for several users easier. No cables, no office renovations just to get people phone lines. Simply plug your VoIP-enabled phone into a workstation and it is ready to configure (which also takes just minutes). As mentioned earlier, the softphone option makes mobile calling much simpler and takes very little time to set up.

Functionality

VoIP stands out in so many ways that you never really hear about the superior functionality made possible by using an Internet-based phone. Not only are your calls clear and crisp, with VoIP your business can add from a whole list of features that include:

• Audio and video conferencing
• Call forwarding
• Personalized extensions
• Call routing
• Call recording
• Automated receptionist
• Call queues
• Instant messaging
• Text messaging
• Integrated voicemail

...and much more.

If you are in the market for a change, and would like to cut your monthly communications costs and get a valuable tool for your business that works both in and out of the workplace, call the IT professionals today to talk about our VoIP platform at (516) 403-9001.

By now you’ve heard of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), the telephone system that runs through your Internet connection rather than a phone line. VoIP can save your business up to 60 percent off your current phone bill. What many people don’t know—even ones that utilize a VoIP platform—is that there are many available options that can have major benefits for your business. Companies that have VoIP typically only use between one-third and one-half of the available options. Today, we wanted to showcase five VoIP features that you may not be taking advantage of.

Call Screening

Of course, nobody will ever really admit that they are screening their calls, but most people are guilty of it. Whether you just don’t cop to it or not, it can keep you from having to have conversations that you just don’t have time for. With VoIP, you can send the call to voicemail, disconnect it without giving the caller the chance to fill up your email with solicitation, or you can push it to your mobile phone. Either way, you have complete control. 

Auto Attendant

One useful feature is the auto attendant. It’s basically a simple automated receptionist that can facilitate call transfers, send callers to voicemail, or even provide basic information and support. A lot of businesses completely forego having an actual receptionist and use the call attendant feature as a call hub to direct calls. It’s extremely useful. 

Find Me, Follow Me

Some members of your staff are always on the move and it can be difficult for clients and other people to get them on the phone in their office. The find me, follow me feature is a sophisticated form of call routing. It provides a person to go where they are needed and still get the calls that come through for them by calling multiple phones at one time. 

Hold Music

Many VoIP platforms don’t just make the people you put on hold listen to the same ol’ elevator music, you can pick your own. This may be a completely aesthetic feature, but it can be a benefit and fit in nicely with the company culture you are trying to cultivate. Insert marketing messages, promotions, and helpful advice for your callers.

Do Not Disturb

This is a feature that is not used enough. If you want to stay productive you need to be able to eliminate distractions. Nothing is more distracting than your phone blowing up constantly. In fact, studies have shown that people take over ten minutes to get back into the flow after a call. If you want to shut it down and focus on the task at hand, using the do not disturb feature can help you get in the headspace you need to be truly productive. 

With other features like text messaging and video conferencing, VoIP can add a lot of value to your business’ roster of communications tools. If you would like to learn more about VoIP or other productivity-boosting tools, give us a call today at (516) 403-9001.

With all the communication tools that businesses use today, there still is no more important option than the telephone system. Unfortunately for small businesses, the telephone system can be expensive and hard to manage. However, there is a way for you to get a fully featured telephone service with some of the most important tools your business needs, at a fraction of the price you currently pay for your enterprise telephone system.

With that, we’d like to introduce you to VoIP.

What Is VoIP?

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a telephone system that uses your business’ Internet connection to fuel its telephone system. Rather than paying the antiquated telephone company an arm and a leg, you can now use your existing Internet connection to host a dynamic and reliable telephone platform. There are different tiers of VoIP, but today’s most cost effective, and popular, is a VoIP platform that is hosted in the cloud. 

Using a VoIP system can frequently provide a business with a variety of operational perks:

• VoIP is easily manageable - Your VoIP solution will either be hosted on your in-house infrastructure or in a dedicated cloud server, making management simpler and reconfiguration possible in just a few clicks.
• VoIP enables mobility - A VoIP system doesn’t restrict your employees to only using their business telephone while physically at their desk. While it will work with a dedicated business phone, your employees can also leverage a mobile device via a dedicated application.
• VoIP provides cost reductions - One of VoIP’s most attractive benefits is how it can scale back your communication costs in multiple ways. VoIP eliminates the need to pay for phone services on top of your Internet service, and most “premium” features are generally included.
• VoIP incorporates integrations - VoIP solutions can be integrated into your other management and line of business solutions. 
• VoIP offers advanced features - VoIP has some built-in options that can really be a huge benefit for your business. These include call waiting, call forwarding, instant and text messaging, and video and audio conferencing. 

Naturally, higher-tier plans will have a greater selection of these features available, allowing you to boost your operations even further.

Would you like to know more about VoIP? Call MSPNetworks and our IT professionals today at (516) 403-9001 to get more information.

Social distancing has more or less confined many to their homes, and so many people have begun to adopt remote working to stay busy and to keep their workplaces operational. One way to assist these activities, VoIP (or Voice over Internet Protocol) is a massively helpful tool that many businesses use. Here, we’re going over why this is.

We’ll begin by reviewing the current situation.

As COVID-19 continues to make the workplace too risky to spend time in unless it is absolutely necessary, many people have committed to isolating themselves in their homes. Fortunately, we have the technology today that allows work to still be done in this situation. Thanks to the capabilities of VoIP technologies that lean on cloud solutions, remote work and collaboration become possible.

Let’s explore how:

Remote Work is Easier with VoIP

If they’re going to work from home effectively, your employees will need the tools for the job, just like they would in the office. This includes a workstation, whether it's a laptop that travels with them or a workstation capable of accessing their resources remotely. It could also include a desk phone, which is something that is much more difficult to transfer from location to location, or at least, it once was.

VoIP now allows for this, as it runs the phone through the Internet instead of a separate dedicated line. Thanks to VoIP, your employees can make business calls with the same number they have in the office, without needing to be in the office itself. Software on their workstations, or an application on their mobile device, gives them access to their calling capabilities--along with many other features--even from home.

VoIP Offers Secure Information

Furthermore, it isn’t as though your employees will no longer need to discuss business operations as they are working from home. Communications will still be critical, but residential services just aren’t secure enough to freely talk about these matters over the phone or even a personal Internet connection. Efficiency just isn’t worth sacrificing your security for.

VoIP can help you to mitigate these challenges. By using a VPN (virtual private network) in tandem with your VoIP solution, your conversation will be shielded by a tunnel of encryption.

VoIP Plays Nicely with Other Collaborative Solutions

Many VoIP platforms will incorporate additional communication tools, such as video conferencing, to increase their functionality. Conferencing allows you to have a face-to-face discussion with the other parties involved. This can help reduce the isolated feelings that many remote workers can develop, on top of improving the quality of your communications.

Find out more about VoIP solutions and how you can adopt them yourself! Give MSPNetworks a call at (516) 403-9001 today.

There are many reasons that your team may want (or need) to work from home, and there are many reasons to allow them to do so. A 2019 survey by OwlLabs indicated that 71 percent of remote workers are happy with their job (as compared to 55 percent of on-site workers); remote workers responded that they are 13   percent more likely than onsite workers to stay in their current job for five more years than onsite workers will; and when respondents claimed to be working longer than 40 hours per week, onsite workers were doing so out of necessity, while remote workers did so out of desire and enjoyment.

These statistics outline that by allowing employees to work from home, your company will see some very tangible benefits. Like any human resources strategy, however, you’ll need to keep a few considerations firmly in mind to get the most out of it.

Treat It Like Business as Usual

When you are working with your remote employees, it is important that you don’t focus exclusively on your in-house staff. Maintaining communication with every one of your staff is necessary for your operations to continue, so if anything, you need to encourage your in-house workers to regularly check in with your remote employees and involve them in their processes. You should also avoid the temptation to hold off on meetings. Again, don’t act like anything has changed as a result of your employees working from home. If you have regular meetings at a given time, continue them, and simply use the technology available today to include your remote staff members.

Provide the Means to Communicate

Speaking of which, it is also important that your remote team members have the tools that allow them to communicate with their contemporaries. If you haven’t already done so, consider switching your telephony to a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) solution. This will enable your remote staff members access to your business’ phone system, rather than using their own for professional purposes. Other useful collaboration tools include things like video conferencing, instant messaging, and (of course) business email.

Give Them Access and Tools

Your remote workers aren’t going to be capable of being productive if they don’t have access to the necessary resources and applications required to carry out their assigned tasks. Make sure they have this access, either by enabling remote access into their workstation or by providing them with a laptop that they can take with them. It is recommended that, if you elect to take the remote access option, this access is secured through the use of a virtual private network (or VPN). This tool ensures that whether your files and applications are stored on-site or in the cloud, that access to data is available from anywhere a connection can be established.

Don’t Forget About Security

It is critical for the health of your business that you uphold remote workers to a higher standard for data and network security. Remote work brings increased risk. Using the aforementioned VPN is just one of the many tools that will work to maintain the integrity of your business’ digital assets. Another important security measure is to be sure that your remote users are forced into using password best practices for authentication. 

Some Suggestions:

• Hosted VoIP for using phones from any device and anywhere.
• A VPN for secure connections to the office network.
• Remote access policies to ensure compliance and security. 
• Remote terminal access to keep files and applications centralized.
• Email accessibility for internal and external communication.
• Conferencing and meeting applications to keep your team engaged.
• Messaging applications to facilitate easy coworking.
• G-Suite/Office 365 for document publishing and collaboration.
• Disaster Recovery solution to prevent productivity-loss issues.

Our IT professionals are here to help you extend the reach of your business and do it to ensure that your assets are protected. Reach out to MSPNetworks today to kickstart your remote workforce on a path to productivity. Call (516) 403-9001 to learn more.

It’s not uncommon where a situation arises and you will find yourself working from home. To make this work, it is important that you keep a few additional issues in mind so that you can make the most of it. We have put together a few simple best practices that you should keep in mind as you operate remotely.

Security Considerations

Even though you aren’t in the office, you still need to follow the same security protocols and the processes you would need to follow if you were working in the office. In fact, these processes become even more important, as your home network is likely less secure than the one in the workplace. Here are some tips:

Be Hygienic
We aren’t telling you to brush your teeth or wash behind your ears, we are talking about practicing good security hygiene while you work remotely. Don’t reuse your passwords, use multi-factor (or two-factor) authentication to secure all accounts, and don’t share out information over email if you don’t know for certain who will read it. In other words, all the basics still apply.

Be Mindful
For similar reasons, you also need to be extra careful of online scams or phishing attacks while working remotely. Lost business data is lost business data, regardless of where you were when it was left vulnerable. Make sure you are up-to-speed in terms of identifying and mitigating breach attempts.

Use a VPN
Finally, because you will not be protected by the defenses on the company network, you need to implement a few extras, such as a virtual private network. A VPN uses encryption to conceal the contents of any data you transmit over the Internet, protecting the contents from virtually all attacks.

Business Practices

Again, as you aren’t in the office, your remote work needs to follow the same processes as it would if you were in-house, and you will need to be more deliberate about carrying them out. For instance:

Use Communication and Collaboration
Since you are not working alongside your colleagues and coworkers while you are working from home, you should be extra diligent about remaining in contact with them. Use your email, instant messaging, and phone capabilities to keep the rest of the team apprised as you progress with your tasks.

Follow Processes
As we don’t want anything falling through the cracks as we continue our operations, it is important that each team member sticks to procedures with every task they touch. This will help ensure that all the ‘i’s are dotted and each ‘t’ is crossed, and that things progress productively.

Schedule Strategically
While you should still work the amount of time you would be in the office, you may have a little more freedom and autonomy as far as your schedule is concerned. Don’t be afraid to arrange your tasks around any scheduling conflicts you may have, or shuffle your tasks to better fit your productivity levels throughout the day.

Personal Wellness

Finally, it is crucial that you are able to manage yourself and your time while not in the office environment. Here are a few tips to help you do so, that may be useful to keep in mind.

Set Limits
While the assumption surrounding remote work is that employees are prone to slacking off, it is also likely that you may be tempted to push yourself a little further than you should with your day to try and accomplish as much as possible. While this is an admirable goal, it isn’t effective if you overwork yourself one day and accomplish almost nothing the next as a result. Moderate yourself and stop when it’s time.

Build Patterns
Process is crucial to working effectively from home. This means you need to actively make sure you get into a work routine (even one that resembles the one you follow normally). Get up on time. Make yourself breakfast. Make sure you get dressed (at least most days). Establish a place that becomes your work area. Consistency will help keep you on task and feeling sharp.

Resist Temptation
There are a lot of things at home to help distract you from doing what you need to do. Hobbies, that TV show that you always meant to watch, even household chores can tempt you away from getting down to business. Shut these excuses to procrastinate out, and if you must procrastinate, do so in a beneficial way. Meditating can help you refocus, or even switching to another task briefly can help you refresh your mind.

Remember, your team is here to support you, but they also need that support to be reciprocated. Make sure your remote work is just as productive as your in-house work would be.