Choosing a Business Phone System for a Virtual Company

11 Monday Jul 2016

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With the consistent growth and development of mobile technology, use of Cloud-based programs and data storage system, and the steady demand for reduced startup costs, several new businesses are looking for a better option for their offices. Office space should be utilized judiciously to accommodate essentials. The best way, however, is to go virtual – with the help of the Web connecting employees, customers, clients and business partners.

Experts suggest that there are plenty of advantages of establishing a virtual headquarter for your business. It includes reduced overhead costs, increased productivity, and overall environmental adjustment.

Communication System – How the Virtual Business World Functions?
One of the most vital aspects of a business is communication – the ability of all employees to keep in touch with one another and the company to communicate with its clients and partners. That is how business is generated.

Whilst not having a traditional office setup changes the way and mode of communication, it does not however mean that virtual offices are less effective in sharing or transferring information.

As a matter of fact, with improved mobile technology, the virtual business world is now sharing information across varied platforms efficiently, especially with the latest business phone systems.

Choosing a Business Phone System
One of the most important factors to ensure seamless and fluent communication across virtual networks is to pick up the right business phone system for virtual businesses.

Without having a physical office, there is no need to purchase an expensive PBX-based phone system or KSU, or landlines. These types of business phones require maintenance and are expensive too.

As such, the only choice is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone system. With VoIP, you can make regular calls via internet connection instead of using the traditional landline. Bear in mind, to get the highest call quality, you as well as your employees should have access to high-speed internet or broadband connection.

Overall cost savings for international calls and long-distance calls is significant compared with any traditional landline or telephone service. Most VoIP service providers now offer free local as well as long-distance calls anywhere in the world and they offer lower rates for international calls too. Thus, VoIP is ideal for companies with clients and employees based all over the country as well as around the world.

VoIP Features and Benefits
As a business phone system, VoIP is definitely a money saving choice for your company. However, there is a fierce competition amongst service providers which makes it difficult to choose. Some service providers are offering cooler features like high-definition video conferencing too.

Noted below are some of the important features you can find in VoIP business phone systems:

  • Local telephone numbers
  • Toll-free number for business
  • Auto attendant feature to help route calls to appropriate persons
  • Call forwarding feature for businesses, home phones or cell phones
  • Dial-by-name phone directory
  • Holiday and special greetings
  • On-hold music
  • Caller ID
  • Call screening
  • Virtual fax
  • Visual voicemail
  • Call recording
  • Call logs
  • Video conferencing
  • Instant messaging
  • Call encryption
  • Integrated messaging

With hosted phone services such as VoIP, you need not hire a person to maintain your business phone system or office phone – your chosen service provider would happily manage all technical and service related problems.

Ansatel Communications is one of the leading business phone system suppliers in Canada. For high quality services, you can rely on Ansatel.

5 Unique Features Every Business Should Leverage from Modern Office Phone System

14 Tuesday Jun 2016

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The telephony technology is continuously evolving. While we have seen major infrastructure changes like the switch from landline to mobile and shift from traditional office phones to VoIP, there are also several smaller functional changes that make the bigger transformations happen.

In this blog, we highlight 5 unique features of modern office phone systems that have brought in revolutionary changes over the past two decades. While some of these features facilitate smaller business efficiencies, others bring bigger and systematic improvements to how business phone systems are secured and managed. All these features are easy to implement, and if your business isn’t leveraging any of these, 2016 should be a year of change.

1. Give Your Business a Local Presence and Make Communication Easy
Businesses have varying needs and objectives. While one needs to have a stronger local presence, others may demand a global presence. Your phone system should be designed likewise. At the core, it should be important to make communication and connectivity easy and hassle-free. Modern phone system like Panasonic phone offers a variety of phone number options that can make it easy for consumers and clients to contact you, and improve your brand recognition. A wide range of options include Directory Listings, Local Numbers, International Numbers, and Toll-free Numbers. So, make the right choice that fits your business needs.

2. Effective Call Management for Improved Caller Experience
Callers (and if they are your customers) hate to be on-hold. Therefore, you should strive to make their experience more pleasant and productive. Latest phone systems give you the option to customize settings to improve caller experience. Make sure that you do not miss calls or have long waiting times and call drops. Your team should have few advanced features at their command such as Call Forwarding, Answering Rules, Automatic Call Recording, Shared Lines, Call Screening, Call Flip, Intercom, Shared Lines, Call Park, Missed Call Notifications, Message Alerts, and Call Logs.

3. Devices and Phone Service
One advantage that modern phone systems, such as Panasonic phones, come with is Cloud service. This makes it easier to administer your calls across all locations, incorporates multiple calling options, includes all users, and integrates diverse devices seamlessly. Some of the key features that every business with Cloud phone service should leverage are Caller ID Control, Secure VoIP Service, Desktop App, VoIP Headsets, Analog Adapters, etc.

4. Cloud PBX
This is one important and unique office phone system feature that can revolutionize the way you manage your calls and contacts, and delightfully, at a fraction of cost. Some of the key elements that you should take into consideration are hosted PBX service, multi level IVR, auto receptionist, call reports, user templates, call monitoring, access control, extensions, on-hold music, seamless sign in, and much more.

5. Business SMS
One unique feature (and one that is not commonly used) of office phones that businesses should consider is the option to send and receive text messages via your business number and through your Smartphone, computer or tablet. You can also make unlimited text messages via your office phone number.

Ansatel Communications Inc. is one of Canada’s leading converged communications providers, offering a wide range of data and voice solutions via Panasonic phones, business phone systems, voice mail services, headsets, networking, Nortel/Avaya, and IP PBX/VoIP.

Choosing an Office Phone System: Buyers Guide 2016

14 Tuesday Jun 2016

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Well, you could use your mobile phone, but then, you are at the mercy of poor signal strength and short-lived battery life.

You could use your home phone, but then, be ready to receive calls all throughout the night.

While both seems cost effective and a lucrative solution to minimize your overhead costs, neither of them even come closer to the professionalism and functionality of office phone systems being used by some large organizations.

And here lies the biggest problem. Your phone is the gateway to your business, and choosing the right one that fits your need and company size is most important.

However, before you make the big leap towards making a hefty investment as that in a Panasonic phone, there are certain things you need to figure out first:

1. Do you need a comprehensive business phone system that includes physical office phones, or you could do with modern virtual phone services that are completely cloud-based systems unlike traditional phones?

Here it is vital to consider the pros and cons of both physical phones and cloud-based systems. Cutting-edge office phone systems like Panasonic have powerful features like VoIP, SIP ergonomic design, wireless operation, high definition audio, LCD display, multiple function keys, business applications, and conferencing that aid in effective business communication. Considering these smart features and the size of your business, buying Panasonic phones may be the best bet for you.

On the other hand, virtual office phone systems are one that are completely internet-based, and allows building communication with your staff, customers and clients using just one number. The biggest advantage of virtual phones is that you can access and manage the phone system via the Internet, anywhere and anytime. Moreover, you can have just one number for all your business needs, and pay one flat rate per month for the service.

So, what’s your pick?

2. Next, determine what kind of service you want? You can choose between traditional landline telephone system provided by your local or regional carrier, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system, which runs completely over the Internet. There are certain models of Panasonic phone that offer the best of both worlds – traditional business phone system complemented with VoIP service.

3. If you prefer VoIP, it is important to decide whether you want to host the VoIP system at your business location, i.e. premises based, or want to be hosted by your service provider, i.e. cloud based.

Buying a VoIP office phone system can be challenging. And one the biggest dilemma is to choose a premises-based system or a cloud-based solution. Here, it is important to consider certain factors like critical business communication features, your existing infrastructure, upfront cost, Total Cost of Ownership, and scalability.

Considering these important factors will help you choose the right office phone for your business.

Ansatel Communications Inc. is a leading provider of telecommunication solutions and services in Canada. The company offers a wide range of customized solutions that include Panasonic Phone, Nortel Business Communication Managers, Unified Communications, Voicemail Systems, Networking, Business Phone Systems, Conference Telephone, and Headsets.

How to Select a Small Business/Office Phone System without a Second Thought?

12 Thursday May 2016

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How to Select a Small Business/Office Phone System without a Second Thought?

For every small business, a comprehensive office phone system is a basic necessity. These phone systems have improved communication as well as efficiency by providing valuable resources and reducing call processing time, thereby ensuring that employees are available during hours of work. With a customer relationship management (CRM) system, business phones can help provide improved customer service. Hence, installing the most suitable office phone system can reduce communication expenses over the long haul by offering shared resources while eliminating ongoing costs of multiple lines for individual devices.

How Does It Work?

Business phones comprise of multiple telephones, numbers and lines, all of which should be interconnected to cater to improved functions like conferencing and call transferring. Such systems may consist of a handful of phones or even have hundreds of phones running on private branch extensions (PBX). There are systems working over public switched telephone network (PSTN) or the ones that work over the internet called voice over internet protocol (VoIP).

Analog VS Digital – The Better Choices

There are certain pros and cons of both analog and digital phone systems.

Analog office phones are less expensive, simple and straightforward. The entire communication system is built on copper wire using plain old telephone service (POTS) phones. Thus, they are more reliable and offer excellent voice clarity as well as line stability. However, because the network is simple, they offer few additional advanced features with no scope of expansion.

Digital phone systems, on the other hand, have higher initial expense, but greater features and flexibility. These are expandable systems that can be upgraded in accordance with the business growth. Using modular technology, these systems are easier to repair compared to analog systems. Panasonic phones, in this range, are really impressive, straightforward and effective.

Is IP Phone A Good Choice?

The latest in the business is IP (Internet Protocol) phone system that uses packet-switched connections through the internet for transmitting data instead of conventional PSTN and circuit-switched connections. These systems feature computer integration and could be highly expensive. Whereas configurations vary, features like unified messaging, single line with multiple numbers, call forwarding, simultaneous calls, on-hand directories, and automated attendants are all included.

It depends on what you choose.

What is the Cloud-Based System?

Cloud-based phones have come up in a big way. These are virtual business phone systems usually hosted in the supplier’s cloud network. There are some standard features of digital, analog and IP systems, but all communications are to be made through the internet. There are online portals associated with these phones, which can be accessed from anywhere with a high-speed internet connection.

Cloud-based phone systems are the ultimate choice because it keeps your cost low while it provides higher degree of versatility.

Ansatel is a leading Canadian communications and technology based company that offers high-end telephony solutions to the world. Depending on the location and business needs, the company offers office phones, which includes Panasonic phones and other branded systems to businesses. Apart from product supply and installation, Ansatel takes pride in providing 24/7 customer service.

7 Key Tips to Choose VoIP for Small Business Telephone Systems

12 Thursday May 2016

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7 Key Tips to Choose VoIP for Small Business Telephone Systems

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the protocol used to communicate and transmit techniques involved in delivering sessions to communications and multimedia. Businesses, both big and small, need this vital phone system to transmit voice over a particular protocol – the internet. Every other internet based system is termed as VoIP today including names like IP telephony, broadband phone, internet telephony and broadband telephony. Panasonic phones are the most desired business phone systems to be used in offices today. These types of phone systems offer excellent communication features, clarity of voice calls and minimum maintenance costs.

VoIP service, in today’s time, is responsible for wireless connection and SMS messaging sent to and from smart phones as well as internet devices. The devices commonly used are not just standard phones but also portable types. VoIP, as a service, was introduced in 2004 using broadband access to the World Wide Web. Through this mode of communication, users can now receive phone calls, make phone calls and stay connected. When it comes to the selection of telephony systems for offices, too many options lead to confusion. However, brands like Panasonic phones have become an integral part of businesses today.

Noted below are 7 tips to help you choose the best telephone system for your business:

  1. It’s always better to consider telephone companies offering VoIP outbound-inbound services together with direct inbound dialing. These services come with a flat subscription fee to be paid for domestic calls, unlimited.
  2. Always consider higher bandwidth efficiency and lower VoIP costs when you choose. This is one of the reasons to choose or migrate to VoIP system from a standard telephone system in which copper wire is used. The latest system is a great help as it reduces telephone costs on a monthly basis.
  • If you opt for VoIP subscription for business, you can make international calls to some countries using the same pack. If VoIP providers are same, then phone calls could be free (in general) when flat fee service is unavailable.
  1. VoIP uses one single network for both voice and data calls, which reduces infrastructure costs dramatically.
  2. It also simplifies the process of configuring internet calling systems as the user interface is intuitive easier to use.
  3. Various communication services such as phone calls, web conferencing, faxes, emails, and voice mails are provided by VoIP service providers.
  • Different types of technologies are also offered by VoIP services such as competitors of different kinds competing for space. For large enterprises and medium or small businesses has different sets to focus on, thus streamlining the process of communication.

Ansatel is a leading Canadian company, offering an array of Panasonic phones and telephony solutions for businesses. Panasonic, confirmed as the global leader in communications, offers latest and most enhanced methods of communication for all kinds of businesses. These phone are easy to configure, seamless to expand, offers reduced costs and centralized features. Voice mail systems like KX-TVA50 and KX-TVA200 are the latest products from Panasonic, available with Ansatel.

Tips to Evaluate Office Phone for Business

12 Thursday May 2016

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Tips to Evaluate Office Phone for Business

Work culture and trend has been changing for the better with mode of communication expanding across platforms such as emails, instant messaging, video calls etc. However, office phones or voice calls still remain an integral part of modern business.

If your business has also followed the trend and moved your files and important data to the cloud, it’s likely that your phone system is also prepared for the big transition.

Finding a perfect office phone system that could go through this transition very easily, helping you and your team to operate smoothly is the greatest achievement. In fact, it is one of the major factors to have an impact on the success of your business venture. You should always   look for a system that is easy to deploy and manage as your company grows. For end-users, your system should be friendly to use and compatible.

So, whenever you are considering phone systems, you should follow some of these important points:

 Call Quality

Don’t compromise with the call quality of the system you want to install. Even if it is a lucrative deal, you cannot compromise with the quality of calls, which is also the lifeline of your business. Ensure that office phone system you select, gives you consistent and reliable call quality.

Ask several questions like:

  • Is the telephony infrastructure of the solution reliable?
  • How has it been designed?
  • Does it employ any of the latest technologies like HD and WebRTC calling?
  • Can the chosen platform scale and meet the company’s requirements now, as well as in the future?

Easy Administration

There are 2 important steps after setting up the office phone system – implementation and maintenance. It doesn’t really have to be difficult. If you move your telephone system to a new, cloud-based solution, it can enable your administrators to set up as well as manage things easily using the web. In fact, your choice of solution should be good enough to free up time of working on value-added projects. Understand a few things:

  • Implementation process – What is it and how long does it take?
  • Is someone going to come to install the equipment? Do you need a consultant to port and setup the system?
  • How is it going to impact the business process of your team?
  • Can the system support your business as it scales?

 

Team Mobility

You have to consider whether your team needs hardware on their desks or they would need mobile phone system. You have to choose a system that provides better access to information needed and ability to make voice calls, instant messages, or SMS to colleagues.

Ansatel is the leading converged office systems and communication provider in Canada. The company offers voice and combined data solutions to businesses, both big and small. The company is not only integrated, but innovative too. It provides converged data and voice solution to address specific technologies and budgets. In fact, considering the changing technology, Ansatel has come up with business phones that fits every need, having multiple powerful features for excellent communication.

Top Office Phone Trends to Keep an Eye on This Year

12 Thursday May 2016

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Top Office Phone Trends to Keep an Eye on This Year

Irrespective of the industry you are in, having the ability to identify the latest trends in business communication can give you a competitive advantage. Office phones make it easy and convenient to reach out to customers for effective one-to-one communication. Whether you are a startup with a home office or a well established organization with a strong workforce, communication is the key to build a long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationship. And that should be fast, simple and effective.

If your business is up on the benefits offered by the latest technologies, you definitely achieve a leg up over your competitors who aren’t paying close attention. Naturally, expert knowledge of business communication and phone systems may not be your core competency. So, here are the top trends to keep an eye on in 2016.

SIP Trunking Continues to Gain Popularity

SIP Trunking is a unique feature of modern office phones that allows organizations to switch to cutting-edge IP-PBX technology without the need to overhaul the entire communication infrastructure. Typically, a Panasonic phone designed for office purpose is powered by SIP trunk technology, which facilitates both data and voice communications. This means, businesses can actually cut costs by minimizing the number of phone lines they have to install and pay for. Moreover, multi-location businesses can connect all their offices in differed regions more quickly and easily. With these superb advantages, experts bet that SIP Trunking will continue to gain momentum in years to come.

Use of WebRTC is on the Rise

Presenting a smart combination of web-based, mobile, and unified communication trends, the rise of WebRTC usage as a powerful business communications platform is definitely something that businesses should keep a watch on. It has emerged as an open standard for unified peer-to-peer communication that empowers organizations to embed rich media communications in websites and apps without the need for hardware, plug-ins or other proprietary technology. More and more businesses are embracing WebRTC technology as a cost-effective and simple process to deploy unified communications.

According to Smith Point Analytics, a market research firm, the global market for WebRTC will reach a whopping $4.8 billion by 2018 with more than 2 billion users by 2019. Make sure your office phone isn’t missing out on this powerful feature.

Organizations Tend to Unify Communications More

Unified Communication is the buzzword today. Organizations of all sizes and across different sectors are already leveraging this technology for good reasons. Recent trends reveal that even in the years to come, they will continue minimizing costs, simplifying business communication infrastructure, and improving collaboration with smart features such as unified messaging, chat or instant messaging, web conferencing, and presence.

6 Employee-friendly Features in a Smart Office Phone

12 Thursday May 2016

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6 Employee-friendly Features in a Smart Office Phone

Along with computers, which is the other most utilized device at a workplace? The answer is the office phone system which establishes the essential level of communication and aids in a number of day-to-day operations. It means that the choice of business phone would decide the efficiency and productivity of your employees in a big way. In that case, you must invest in a multi-featured phone and the good news is that there are many such options available in the market. Let’s highlight what top features of these modern devices would inspire your staff for better performance.

Ergonomic Design

KX-NT366 is a Panasonic phone which boasts of ergonomic designs for comfortable prolonged usage by your employees. For example, its body as well as display can be tilted to a number of angles that add convenience to the user’s eyes, back and joints. It also adds to the speed of performing different tasks.

Wireless Operation

With the integration of Bluetooth technology, it is possible to use wireless headsets with these phone systems. It means that an employee gets to enjoy hands-free operation and it is indeed an advantage for those who perform multitasking like talking while browsing internet or searching for customer information.

LCD Touch Display

A distinguished feature of the top-rated Panasonic phones like KX-HDV330 is their color LCD display with touch facility. KX-UT670 is another model which is known for its 7-inch touch display offering convenient access to various applications and installed features.

Multiple Function Keys

KX-NT366B offers function keys like Call Forward, Do Not Disturb, Conference, Auto Answer, Mute, Pause and Auto Dial. In addition, there are 12 dual color programmable CO keys that extend the ease of call handling. Your employees would love various operations literally on their fingertips.

High Definition Audio

Sound quality matters a lot when your employees interact with your clients and customers on phone. This is why you need office phones with support for HD voice and the phone systems of today deliver well in this direction as well. Along with top-quality speakers and microphones, these devices have echo cancellation facility which adds dramatically to the voice quality.

Navigator Pad

This is one feature that can significantly enhance the speed and efficiency among phone users. If you have a lot of customers or clients, it allows fast and easy programming of their numbers and names without demanding much human effort. Quick-deal numbers can be easily searched and many other tasks can be performed easily using it.

The team of experts at Ansatel Communications Inc. Vancouver advocates the use of ergonomically designed Panasonic phones for offices and contact centers of all kinds. One of the reputed telecommunication product and service provide in the region, the company deals in handpicked models of Panasonic business phone systems with features like multiple-character LCD display, multiple self-labeling function keys, Bluetooth modules, wireless headset support, dual Ethernet ports, SIP support and a lot more. Call hold, waiting, transfer, forwarding, multi-party calls and many similar features too make the company’s solutions great for increasing employee performance. By investing in these solutions, you would achieve the important target of employee satisfaction.