Tech
Top Three Tips for Choosing Business Phone System
A business phone system is a vital part of any modern-day business’ communications with its suppliers, customers, and the world at large. Quite simply, no modern business can function without a phone system. However, choosing a business phone system can be challenging, as there are so many options to pick from.
Here are three tips that will help you to choose the right phone system for your business based on your needs and wants. So, read on.
1. Familiarize yourself with the available technology
Business phone systems have come a long way, and there’s an abundance of tech to explore. The variety can, of course, be mind-boggling, especially if you aren’t aware of what’s available in the market. That’s why, way before you even think of investing in a business phone system, it’s important to know the available options.
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Traditional landline systems: These systems were once among the most popular phone systems for businesses. However, many places in the world are slowly phasing these systems out. In this system, businesses use traditional landline phones, and the lines are operated by a regional or local company.
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Virtual phone systems: A virtual phone system connects a business’ employees and customers to each other. It typically features a main business phone number, and once customers call this number, their calls are connected to relevant employees’ home or mobile numbers. These systems come with features such as online faxing, automated receptionists, call screening, voicemail, toll-free numbers, and voicemail.
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Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems: VoIP systems allow phone calls to be made through the internet as opposed to copper lines that connect landline phone systems. The systems work through the conversion of analog voice signals, which results in the signals becoming digital. These systems also have sub-types such as cloud-based systems and on-premises systems.
2. Know the advantages and limitations of all the available systems
So, now that you have a rough idea of the types of business phone systems you should choose from, let’s get into their advantages and limitations. Knowing the pros and cons of each business phone system will allow you to select a system that’s best-suited to meet your requirements.
Landline phone systems
Let’s talk about landline phone systems first. The biggest advantage of these phone systems is that they have stood the test of time and are high on reliability. However, with newer technologies becoming more accepted for their increased efficiencies, unfortunately, the popularity of landline systems is steadily declining. As mentioned before, in many parts of the world, these systems are gradually becoming obsolete. However, in places where internet connectivity is non-existent or weak, these systems can still be of great use to businesses.
Virtual phone systems
Now, it’s time to turn our attention towards virtual phone systems, which leverage the internet to connect businesses with their customers conveniently.
Nowadays, there are numerous businesses around the world that operate with offsite employees, and for such businesses, virtual phone systems are nothing short of boons. The systems allow the employees of such businesses to stay connected with each other and with their customers round-the-clock. Virtual phone systems also come armed with a diverse array of features that aren’t available on traditional phones or mobiles.
VoIP phone systems
Next up, it’s the turn of VoIP systems. In general, their cost-effectiveness and their ease of installation and operation make them the best choices for businesses that want the most feature-rich tech. However, despite the cutting-edge technology and features, VoIP systems struggle in places where the internet connectivity is patchy.
- With on-premises VoIP systems, the advantages have mainly to do with control, i.e. it’s up to you and your business’ IT team to call the shots on how the system will be configured and run. The only major disadvantage of on-premises VIP systems is that they require you to shell out a significant sum of money for purchasing all the necessary equipment. Also, people are needed to maintain and operate the system, which further adds to the expenses.
- Cloud-based VoIP systems are provider-based services that you need to purchase without worrying about hardware and maintenance. Typically, providers take payments on a per-user or monthly basis. The only things you need are phones. While cloud-based VoIP systems are more hassle-free and less expensive than on-premises VoIP systems, they are entirely controlled by the providers. So, if a system encounters a technical issue, it’s up to the provider to resolve it.
3. Determine your requirements
We’ve taken you through the available technologies along with their pros and cons, and now it’s time for you to figure out what your business requires. Some of the factors you should consider to figure out what you need include:
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Internet connectivity: If your business location has high-speed internet connectivity, you should definitely opt for VoIP systems. However, if internet services in your area are limited to low speeds, it’s best to opt for a traditional landline system.
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Offsite or on-site: Does the majority of your business’ employees work offsite? If the answer is yes, it’s best to go with virtual phone systems. If not, however, you should aim for on-site solutions.
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Budget: Virtual phone systems and VoIP systems are much more affordable compared to landlines. So, if you’re operating on a strict budget, you should steer clear of landlines and adopt virtual or VoIP communications technology.
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Hardware requirements: Cloud-based VoIP systems take the cake as far as hardware requirements go. Since they are entirely supervised by their providers, you don’t have to concern yourself with the hardware side of things.
Takeaway
It’s important to weigh the pros and cons when taking all these factors into consideration. Ideally, you shouldn’t focus on a single factor – you should pay attention to all of them and figure out the best solution for your business. It’s also important that you don’t compare your business with another, as every business has varying requirements.
So, these were our top 3 tips for choosing business phone systems. If you’re planning to invest in a business phone system soon, we hope these tips come in handy for you and your business, both in the short and the long term.
In the ever-evolving landscape of modern commerce, small business owners find themselves at a crossroads of opportunity and obsolescence. Enter Artificial Intelligence (AI) – once the exclusive domain of tech behemoths, it now stands as the great equalizer, offering small businesses a competitive edge previously unthinkable. The emergence of AI as a wingman for small businesses is not just a fleeting trend but a fundamental shift in how entrepreneurs can leverage technology to revolutionize their operations.
The 24/7 Customer Service Hero: Chatbots
In the digital storefront, customer service is the heartbeat of business survival and success. Chatbots emerge as the indefatigable heroes of this domain. Envision a customer service agent that never clocks out an entity that requires no sleep or sustenance yet delivers consistently and instantaneously. These AI-driven chat interfaces embody the essence of your brand’s voice, capable of handling a barrage of customer queries with a speed that outpaces the swiftest of typists. They are the embodiment of efficiency – ensuring that customer satisfaction is not just met but exceeded around the clock.
Unearthing Market Treasures: Data Dive
AI’s prowess in pattern recognition has catapulted data analytics into a realm once considered the stuff of science fiction. Small business owners armed with AI tools can sift through vast swathes of data to extract actionable insights. These algorithms act as modern-day oracles, predicting market trends, discerning customer behaviors, and offering sales forecasts with remarkable accuracy. Equipped with: this knowledge, small businesses, can navigate the market with the foresight and precision of an experienced captain steering through foggy seas.
Personalization at Scale: Customize Like a Boss
The age-old business mantra of the customer is king is given new potency with AI’s personalization capabilities. Tailoring the customer experience is no longer a luxury but a necessity. AI enables small businesses to offer bespoke experiences to consumers, making them feel like the sole focus of their attention. It’s personalization executed with such finesse that customers are left marveling at the thoughtfulness and individual attention, fostering loyalty and establishing deep-rooted brand connections.
Offloading the Mundane: Task Slayers
Repetitive tasks are the bane of creativity and innovation. AI steps in as the ultimate task slayer, automating routine chores that once consumed disproportionate amounts of time. From scheduling appointments to managing inventory, AI liberates entrepreneurs from the drudgery of administrative duties, freeing them to refocus on the creative and strategic endeavors that propel business growth.
Mastering Social Media: Social Savants
Social media – the pulsing vein of modern marketing – demands astuteness and agility. AI emerges as the savant of social media, capable of demystifying platform algorithms to optimize content delivery. It knows the optimal times to post, the types of content that resonate with audiences, and the strategies that convert passive scrollers into engaged customers. By automating your social media presence, AI transforms your brand into an online sensation, cultivating a digital community of brand ambassadors.
The Verdict: Embracing AI
For a small business owner, AI is not about an overnight overhaul but strategic integration. The goal is to start small, allowing AI to shoulder incremental aspects of your business, learning and scaling as you witness tangible benefits. The transition to AI-enablement does not necessitate a background in technology; it requires a willingness to embrace change and a vision for the future.
In summary, as the digital revolution marches forward, AI stands ready to partner with small businesses, providing them with tools once deemed the province of giants. This partnership promises to elevate the small business landscape, ushering in an era of democratized technology where every entrepreneur can harness the power of AI to write their own David vs. Goliath success story. AI, the once-distant dream, is now the most loyal wingman a small business can enlist in its quest for growth and innovation.
Tech
Apple’s October Scary Fast Event: Everything revealed about the new MacBook Pro, iMac and M3 chips
It’s time for another Apple event, with a spooky twist. The company announced a surprise “Scary Fast” event last week, prompting the rumor mill to speculate that Apple would be revealing new chips to power a new lineup of Macs.
As our resident Apple expert Brian Heater wrote, a new 24-inch iMac and a MacBook Pro refresh would be the most likely new announcements to expect from the October event, and as it turns out, he was spot-on. Apple’s new M3 chip lineup was the focal point of the event, powering each of the devices Apple showcased in their half-hour prerecorded event that had some fog, some bats and ominous choir music…but no big surprises for those following the rumor mill.
Since the event kicked off off at the uncharacteristically late time of 8pm ET / 5pm PT, so you might have missed out out on the reveals while putting the finishing touches on your Halloween decorating, or watching Monday Night Football. No judgement, we’re here to recap everything the October Apple event showcased in one spot.
New M3 chips
Credit: Apple
The “scary fast” part of the Apple event, as expected, are the new M3 chips. Apple has announce a M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max, which will be included in Apple’s new 24-inch iMac, MacBook Pros.
This time around, Apple has placed an emphasis on graphical horsepower, with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, mesh shading and Dynamic Caching, which Apple claims “dramatically increases the average utilization of the GPU” by allotting exact amount of local memory to given tasks. These new chips were frequently benchmarked against their M1 predecessor, with Apple claiming the M3 renders at 2.5x the speed of the M1 and its CPU is 30% faster than the M1.
Check out the full rundown of the three M3 chips right here.
New MacBook Pro models
Credit: Apple
Yes, the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros come with upgraded internals, but the first thing you might notice is the new color: Space Black. Beneath that color, you’ll find that new line of M3 chips. The 14-inch MacBook Pro can contain any of the trio, while the 16-inch model will only come with the M3 Pro or M3 Max chips.
As we’ve noted, the M3 chips packed into both models are putting an emphasis on getting the most out of the new GPU, though Apple also boasts that both form factors’ battery can last 22 hours on a single charge.
Both are available for preorder tonight, with the 14-inch MacBook Pro starting at $1,599 and going to $1,999 with the M3 Pro. The baseline 16-inch MacBook Pro goes for $2,499 and the pricing for the M3 Max chip upgrade for both models has yet to be disclosed.
And that space black color is exciting news for any Mac fan still pining for the 2006 MacBook, whose dark tone hadn’t been replicated in the MacBook iterations that followed, even those Midnight MacBook Airs.
Check out the full rundown on the new MacBook Pros here.
New M3 iMac
Credit: Apple
Apple’s iMac line is getting a colorful refresh, with an added M3 chip to add horsepower to the palette change. Apple is sticking with the 24-inch form factor, and upgrading the screen with a 4.5K retina display, 1080p FaceTime camera and a six-speaker system supporting Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio. The new iMac will be available for preorder with green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue and silver options starting tonight.
The $1,299 baseline comes with a 8-core GPU and 8-core CPU, with a $1,499 version upgrading you to a 256 SSD.
For more info about what else is new in the M3 iMac, head here.
An sneaky iPhone showcase
You may not have noticed it, but at the very end of the event, Apple dropped a quick note on the stream: “This event was shot on iPhone and edited on Mac.” It’s a bit of a victory lap, but as our other Apple expert Darrell Etherington notes, it’s a pretty impressive flex for Apple to shoot its half-hour hardware showcase entirely on a phone.
Recap the full Scary Fast event
If you want to just dive right in and experience the October event all over again or for the first time, you can catch the entire archive via the YouTube embed below right on Apple’s website.
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