Few things are as critical to your company as a business phone system. Even with the sky-rocketing percentages of people using social media and the steady rise of email correspondence; people still use the phone as a critical business tool. A phone call allows instant communication and response time. With a phone call you can pick up the subtle nuances of speech and timbre that do not translate in electronic communications. All the emoticons in the world can’t clarify the simple things you can pick up on a phone call. There is also something comforting about talking to a live person. You know they understand your need and that they are willing to meet that need.

The problem is that so many businesses are using outdated or home-use phones in a commercial environment. There are many options out there for Business-Class Phone Systems. Remember all phone systems are not created equal!

When selecting a Business-Class Phone System ask the following questions: (more…)

Via ars technica:

“AT&T today rolled out major change to its DSL terms of service, notifying its customers of new data caps, network management rules, and usage metering tools. Judging by company forums, many users aren’t pleased, but they had better keep their anger in check. The new terms of service also allow AT&T to cut off subscribers “who repeatedly harass or abuse our employees.”

The data caps are official: 150GB per month for DSL users and 250GB per month for fiber-to-the-node U-Verse subscribers. Repeated overages will result in a $10-per-50GB charge. The caps begin May 2…” more here

As many of you are aware, Verizon was unable to meet the typical delivery interval for T1′s during the month of December. To that end, Verizon has recently notified its CLEC customers that it will continue to extend T1 delivery intervals for the month of January.

While the typical interval for T1 delivery is 7 business days, we are currently receiving FOC (firm order commitment) dates that exceed 3 weeks. Business Partners should be aware of this issue when having conversations with customers, placing a new order, checking the status of an order, etc.

Why are Verizon T1 intervals being extended?

Verizon is working to address a significant volume of pending orders that are being prioritized for January delivery. As a result, Business Partners will see extended intervals for all T1 orders submitted in January. These extended intervals apply to all carriers ordering T1 services from Verizon.

What is Verizon doing about these extended intervals?

Verizon is focused on moving pending orders which will allow them to bring their delivery intervals back to normal. Verizon will continue to send Accessible Letters to the CLEC community providing status updates on the situation. Internet & Telephone will continue to provide Business Partners with updates as they become available.

What is Internet & Telephone doing to help improve the situation?

Internet & Telephone is working with Verizon on a daily basis to escalate select order types, including out of service issues, move orders and those that have TSP. Internet & Telephone maintains strong relationships with our counterparts at Verizon and we will continue to work with them daily to monitor the situation and when possible, improve the dates for critical orders.

Again, these extended intervals for T1 delivery impacts all carriers that work with Verizon and are not specific to Internet & Telephone. We will continue to communicate the latest information as it becomes available.

In recent weeks, many parts of the country have experienced regional outages from Comcast Data and VOIP services.  On November 29, for example, New England Comcast users (both business and residential) experienced a total blackout of services which were reported to be caused by large amounts of traffic on the network resulting from pre-election robocalling.

Now, just a few weeks later, widespread outages are being reported in the Midwest, with millions of users across 7 States being affected.

Give Productivity a Boost by Going Wireless

If you’re serious about lowering business expenses and increasing efficiency, you may already be among the growing number of SMBs using Voice over IP (VoIP) technology to offset telecommunications expenses.

But did you know that by blending VoIP technology with your existing wireless LAN, you can make another leap in productivity — through a new technology called wireless VoIP?

The idea may not be so strange.

In recent months, more and more businesses with 10- to 50-person networks are realizing Voice over Wi-Fi technology is within their grasp. By using it, these SMBs are leveraging the power of converged wireless communications to transport telephone traffic to and from mobile users. (more…)

Today’s small phone systems can run on your Internet Protocol (IP) network—the same network you use for data and applications. This helps your business save money, streamline network management, improve productivity, enhance customer service, and much more. In fact, when combined with IP networks, small phone systems are far more cost-effective and powerful than traditional phone systems.

Small phone systems on IP networks allow you to collaborate in real time using a variety of applications, such as video conferencing and instant messaging, all within one easy-to-use interface. Small phone systems enable your employees to conduct business with colleagues, partners, suppliers, and customers using video, voice, data, and mobility applications.

When evaluating small phone systems, consider one that provides easy access within a single interface to such tools as: (more…)