Frequently Asked Questions: Part I

Well, these are some of the more frequently asked questions that I hear out in the field when talking to business owner. Whether you are a business owner or not, this could very possibly be a questions that you might have, so read on.

1) Why are you charging for VoIP, I thought it was suppose to be free?
answer: It is not free! I'm not sure how long you have lived in America, but I haven't seen anything that is actually "FREE" since I was born. VoIP is free long distance calling. That is what is free about VoIP. It is cheaper, which is why there are so many more features included for such an inexpensive price. There is still someone providing internet to your phone and servicing the lines that run over your internet. You still have to pay for that, but it is much cheaper to operate, which in turn, make it cheaper to buy.

2) What would I need IT support for?
answer: Well, first off do you have a computer? If the answer is yes (and I would assume that it would be yes, or you would not be reading this!), then have you ever had it stop working on you, or freeze up, or lose a file, or have something installed just to have no idea where it is or what file you downloaded it to, or have you ever had to take your computer to best buy to have it fixed? These are reasons to get IT support. The average household in America has 3.7 computers. The average computer has over 50 IT issues a year. That's almost 200 IT issues a year. If only one quarter of them require outside help, then that is 50 IT issues that you have to take to someone like best buy. The average IT issue costs $100 (well close to it). If all of these problems were resolved, that would be $5000 a year to keep up maintenance on your computers at the house. If you could get unlimited remote and on-site IT support for $99 per month oer computer, you would be looking at a little less than $5000 for a year to not have to take the computer in. Maybe not so beneficial for a residence (in some cases it is, especially if you use it for more advanced applications for work or school), but think about a business that has 20 computers, and 4 servers. Now were talking a lot of problems (much more than a residence, because they are used more and have way more advanced applications on them). This is why you need IT support.

3) What is a PBX system and how does it work?
answer: There is a long answer and a short answer. I'm going to address the short answer in this article. PBX phones are the phones that you see with the multi level extension dialing buttons running down the side. The older ones have tons of buttons, but the newer ones have become more user friendly and asthetically pleasing. These are phones that add new features that a service provider cannot. To name few: auto attendant, menu tree dialing, extension level dialing, extension level voicemail, customizable music on hold, call block, conference calling, voicemail to email, and much more. These systems add much more functionallity and efficiency to a business by providing features that reduce the amount of time that you are spending on the phones.

These are the top three questions, tune back in for more, but right now it is time to clockout!