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Many entrepreneurs are exiting their business incubators with a number of operational decisions to make for their start up organization.  One easy decision is to select a Hosted VoIP system for their phone services, as it carries a number of advantages and provides one less worry as they stand-up their company.

Low Cost of Entry and Scalable – Purchasing a phone system at a business start up phase is a guessing game.  Do you go big to match your five year plan or go small and risk being underserved from a feature perspective and having to replace the system as soon as it is stressed with growth?  The beauty of a Hosted VoIP system is that you are not buying a phone system at all!  You buy the VoIP phones as you need them, and the programming of the system is completely flexible and scalable as you grow.  You receive the same features as large companies enjoy but you don’t have to buy an expensive on-site platform to enjoy those benefits.

No Contracts – Most hosted VoIP providers offer a no contract based service.  If you are talking with one that has term contracts for “the best rate”, then keep looking.  Certainly, traditional phone services and cable providers require contracts to receive their best rates.  Finding a hosted VoIP provider that offers a no contract service will give you peace of mind if your business doesn’t take off as planned.

Features Are a Good Fit – Some of the features inherent in a hosted VoIP platform are very applicable to organizations in their infancy. 

• High Touch Requirements - Business owners and initial sales people need to be in high touch with the burgeoning client and prospect base.  Thus, being able to answer calls from a soft phone app allows you to be reachable anywhere.  Quickly transferring calls both internally and externally helps enhance the strong feeling of reachability to your callers.  Receiving voicemail to email provides you the ability to listen to callers needs and quickly forwarding along the message or calling them back with answers.
• Effective Use of an Auto Attendant – Whether an auto attendant is engaged at the start of a call flow or after a series of rings, it can be an effective way to quickly route callers to their desired destination.  There are several good tips for setting up an effective auto attendant, but clear options can be very beneficial to new companies.  Additionally, it can disguise your size.  Never set it up with “press one for Joe, press two for Jane, etc.”  Always use departments, such as “Sales” or “Service” even if those calls are routed to one or the same individual!
• Virtual Staff – Hey, the garage businesses are real for many start-ups!  Even if your business has an office presence, you don’t have to over commit on square footage at the outset.  As your business grows, you can deploy staff from their homes or other environments and still have them on your phone system!  The handsets connect to the hosted platform wherever they are located via a high-speed internet connection, but callers (internal or external) would never know they are not located at the office!  

Market Reach – Another advantage of going with a hosted VoIP provider is that you can grow into other markets and have each location on the same phone system.  Most hosted providers have a national footprint, therefore they can secure local phone numbers wherever you set up shop.  They can also provide local numbers in an area you are marketing to, but have the number ring back at your central location.  There are a myriad of ways to effectively expand your business through the utilization of this technology.  Additionally, you can recruit staff based upon affordability or ability, but have them work in a location outside of your headquarters.  You can choose whether they have a direct dial number that is local to them or your headquarters, or both!

Because sipVine’s headquarters is in Kansas City, a recognized hotbed for entrepreneurialism, we have helped quite a number of start-ups with the establishment of their communication platform.  Robert Conner, sipVine’s CEO, states:  “With services stemming from such incubation organizations as the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and with the entry of Google Fiber into our local marketplace, we have been in great position to understand the unique needs of start-up organizations.  We strive to provide guidance to their voice communication processes at start-up and nimbly address changes as they evolve.  It has been a pleasure serving such organizations.”

If you are starting up a new business and would like to discuss how a Hosted VoIP option will work well for your specific need, call us today and we would be happy to consult with you. 

Many businesses have found that VoIP phone service can improve their communications with their customers.  As opposed to antiquated phone systems, today’s Hosted VoIP platforms bring many technological advantages and improve your accessibility to your customers.  Whether your company is small or large, implementing a VoIP phone system can address many of the communication challenges you face.

VoIP phone service platforms allow your business to program your communication strategy to how you do business.  You can make it easier for your customers to reach you and/or ensure that their messages are routed for prompt response.  Below are some examples of ways your communications can be programmed for optimal customer communications: 

Accessibility – Your customers have called and their goal is to speak to someone immediately or at least receive a prompt response.  VoIP phone systems allow for several alternatives to ensure that this happens:

·    Soft Phone on Cell Phones – if your staff is remote or routinely away from their VoIP desk phones, you can have a soft phone application on your smart phone that works like your desk phone.  When the app is open, you can receive calls to your extension or direct dial just as if you were at your desk.  These apps can also be included in any ring groups you may participate in.  When calling out from the app, you deliver the caller ID of your business, not your cell phone.

·   Call Forwarding – This isn’t a new feature, but each individual user can program their phones to forward to a different number when away from their desk. 

·   Ring Groups – Whether you’re using an automated attendant or receptionist model, employees with similar functions (say technical service) can be placed in a ring group. Calls can be sent to a group where the all the phones ring simultaneously and are delivered to whoever answers.

·   Remotely based employees – home based or branch based employees can have a VoIP phone or desktop soft phone at their location that acts like an extension of the corporate office phone system. VoIP applications have opened up a world where phone systems no longer have to be within the walls of the corporate office!  

Unified Messaging – VoIP phone solutions have merged data and voice communications, again improving your responsiveness to customer needs.

·    Voicemail Routing – These applications allow for voicemails left on your business phone to be sent to your email.  If you are working remotely or if you have a smart phone, you will be notified of a message and can respond immediately.

·    Fax Routing – Inbound faxes can be delivered electronically to your business.  If you have one fax line serving your business, these faxes can be placed in one or more email boxes and can be routed to the individual quickly for viewing and action.  If you have multiple fax lines targeted for individuals or groups of individuals, the same benefit applies. 

Call Routing – Again, there are many ways a VoIP phone service can be programmed to match your business needs and customer demands.  Programmed actions remove all efforts that you previously had to take in making this happen each day.  Here are just a few examples:

·   Time of day routing – Your VoIP phone system can automatically route your calls based upon the time of day.  This may be simply your standard hours of operation, where after-hours calls are routed to your destination of choice – company voicemail, cell phone, or answering service as examples.

·    After-hours auto attendant – If you don’t deploy an automated attendant during business hours, you can deploy this for after hours so calls coming in can be routed to specific employees or employee groups.  This way, other programmable functions can kick in, like on-call programming, any call forwarding programs, or unified messaging.

·    Holiday routing – Your company-observed holidays can also be pre-programmed so that these calls can be handled like your after-hours program as well as have a customized message on the recording. 

Make every interaction with customers count with the help of sipVine's complete business communication solution! A better phone system for your small business with advanced features to match your unique business needs! Make your company's business communications better by engaging better customer experiences at every touchpoint. Want to learn more? Our small business phone service representatives are here to answer any questions you have!