The Phone Booth

Phones Plus Helps Customers Combat Recession with Advanced Technology

2011-12-12T14:06:00.000-06:00

SMBs Leverage Solutions Designed to

Enhance Productivity and Profits

NEW BERLIN, WI - July 27,

2011 - Phones Plus, Inc., a leading

unified communications provider,

announced today that the company

is proactively protecting its

customers from antiquated

technology and providing them

with a competitive advantage in

their marketplace. By providing

extensive technical training to the

staff, Phones Plus has been able to

leverage the superior knowledge of

its workforce to detect and protect

its customers from aging

technology, all the while increasing

their profitability and providing

their customers with a competitive

advantage.

The latest technology that

Phones Plus has introduced to its

customers is Session Initiation

Protocol (SIP). The advent of SIP

has expanded the limits of

traditional telephony and has

enabled many business owners to

experience the benefits of

sophisticated IP Telephony. The

driving factor behind SIP is that the

technology cuts many redundant

costs associated with traditional

telephony systems. Additionally,

businesses are also attracted to SIP

because of the ease in which it

expands an organization’s overall

capabilities. For example, SIP

Trunking provides significant

improvements in call quality for IP

based telephony by dedicating a

separate “channel” to handle the

traffic. SIP Trunking also supports

multiple forms of communication

including video and instant

messaging so businesses can reach

out to customers through a myriad

of mediums. Phones Plus’

salespeople are technological

experts who consistently research

developing technologies, like SIP,

and bring them to customers in

order to enhance their profitability

and increase their competitive

advantage.

“By transitioning a number of

our telecommunications customers

from antiquated TDM, PBX and

Key Systems to more refined IP

Telephony systems we’ve chopped

many of our customers phone bills

in half,” states Thomas Sodemann,

Vice President of Phones Plus. “We

viewed this program as an

investment in our customers’

future. Basically, the bet we made

was that if our staff was constantly

examining and testing out new

technology, eventually we’d find

something that we could bring to

our customers before their

competitors even knew what was

on the horizon. Nothing makes us

happier than to see our customers

utilizing our technology to leave

their competitors in the dust.”

Phones Plus is also associated

with Technology Assurance Group

(TAG) which is an international

organization that collectively

represents approximately $350

million in products and services in

the unified communications

industry. Dale Stein, Partner of

TAG, comments “Phones Plus has

always been an innovator. We’re

thrilled to hear that their new

program has been a success and

we’re pleased to be associated with

a thought-leader in their prestigious

business community.”

ABOUT PHONES PLUS, INC.

Since 1981, Phones Plus has

committed to establishing lasting

business relationships with our

clients. Phones Plus offers

innovative voice, video, and data

networking solutions that increase

our clients’ profitability and gives

them a competitive advantage in

their marketplace.

Phones Plus recognizes the

critical need for a communications

company that combines leading

technology with top-quality service

and support.

Our mission is to provide

exceptional value through managed

services that eliminate

technological obsolescence, ensure

a fixed cost for our business

partners, and maximize the profits,

productivity, image, and

competitive advantage of those

partners. Highly trained and

motivated professionals give you

measurable results.

Undiscovered Errors on 80 Percent of Phone Bills

2011-06-24T15:04:00.000-05:00

A report by the Gartner Group shows that the vast majority of companies have errors on their phone bills that are costing them thousands each year because they do not report the mistakes and ask for a refund. The mistakes are happening on local, long-distance, conferencing, data, Internet, wireless, cellular and other communications services.

A report by the Gartner Group shows that 80 percent of phone bills from businesses have errors that are never found or reported.

Nearly every business shows the cost of telecommunications as one of their five highest business expenses. Salaries and benefits are one of the only greater costs. Phone bills are usually confusing, full of acronyms, making it difficult for companies to determine if there are errors.

It is common for companies to crunch their numbers assuring their business runs like a well oiled machine. However, according to Vice President Tom Sodemann “Many of our customers don’t realize that they have too many trunks, are spending last year’s prices on broadband, and last year’s prices on long distance. In addition to the report stating that 80% of all bills have errors on them, we frequently find large savings in the connectivity.

On occasion we find errors on past bills and get a complete refund, but it takes a trained eye to spot the mistakes.”

Tom Sodemann says “Our goal is to be able to save our customers enough money so they have zero out of pocket costs for service calls, partner programs, and new equipment. When we can essentially give someone technology and services at no cost, we feel like we accomplished our goal.”

Research indicates it is not just a matter of finding the mistakes. The phone companies are reluctant to give back money, so it usually takes a professional to negotiate the rebates.

Customers of TAG Members win because they do not have to waste time figuring out what errors have been made, and they do not need to spend more time learning how to report the errors and negotiate for a refund. TAG Members do it all for them because they value their customers, recognizing that without happy customers you might as well close your doors.

Summer Storm Season is Upon Us - Are You Ready?

2011-06-15T16:16:00.000-05:00

Lightning Safety Tips

Before Lightning Strikes

•Keep an eye on the sky. Look for darkening skies, flashes of light, or increasing wind. Listen for sounds of thunder.

•If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning. Go to a safe shelter immediately.

•Monitor weather forecasts.

When a Storm Approaches

•Find shelter in a building or car. Keep car windows closed.

•Avoid telephone lines, metal pipes, the telephone and electrical appliances.

•Avoid taking a shower or a bath or running water for any other purpose.

•Turn off the air conditioner. Power surges from lightning can over load the compressor, resulting in a costly repair job.

•Draw blinds and shades over windows. If windows break due to objects blown by the wind, the shades will prevent glass from shattering in your home.

If Caught Outside

•If you are in the woods, take shelter under shorter trees.

•If you are boating or swimming, get to land and find the nearest shelter immediately.

•Go to a low-lying, open place away from trees, poles or metal objects. Make sure the place you pick is not prone to flooding.

•Squat low to the ground. Place your hands on your knees with your head between them. Make yourself the smallest target possible.

After the Storm Passes

•Stay away from storm-damaged areas.

•Listen to the radio for information and instructions.

If Someone is Struck by Lightning

•People struck by lightning carry no electrical charge and can be handled safely.

•Call 9-1-1 immediately.

•The injured person has received an electrical shock and may be burned, both where they were struck and where the electricity left their body. Check for burns in both places.

•Give first aid. If breathing has stopped, begin rescue breathing. If the heart has stopped beating, a trained person should give CPR.

All of the health and safety tips listed above are good to know and a great way to keep yourself and your family safe this summer in case of stormy weather... Are you doing anything to protect the technology your business uses every day in case of lightning, flooding, strong winds, damaging hail, etc? Chances are good you may not have ever given it a second thought - you know that sometimes your phone lines go down, but that shouldn't affect your phone system, Right???
Wrong. In a severe storm, you run the risk of losing a big chunk of your technology investment along with customers when they can't reach you after the storm. Protect your investment with Disaster Recovery, Hosted On-Site Phone Systems (whcih provide full coverage of your equipment - including acts of GOD) and lightning protection. Don't leave your business vulnerable as we enter the sometimes stormy summer months. Contact Phones Plus today to learn more about some great solutions to summer storms and all the damage they can do.

Unified Communications Set to Explode in 2011

2011-06-01T14:29:00.000-05:00

New Berlin, WI --- May 26, 2011 --- Phones Plus, Inc., a leading unified communications provider, announced expectations of heavy industry growth for the coming year during an interview with Technology Assurance Group (TAG), an international organization of unified communication companies spread throughout the United States and Canada. The TAG organization monitors sales, financial performance and other economic indicators among technology providers. “It’s exciting to see that small to mid-sized businesses (SMB’s) are ramping up acquisition of the latest technology across the country and that even some of the toughest pockets of the nation are beginning to show signs of strong growth,” stated Thomas Sodemann, Vice President of Phones Plus. Several factors are contributing to the turnaround and technology is driving the next bull market. Historically, technology has proven itself to be one of the first sectors to pull the economy out of a recessionary period and business owners are investing heavily in disruptive technologies that cut costs and improve employee productivity.

One of the most influential and recent technological breakthroughs in business communications is Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). In simple terms, SIP supports any form of real-time communication regardless of whether the content is voice, video, instant- messaging, or a collaboration application. Additionally, SIP enables users to inform others of their status, their availability, and how they can be contacted before a communication is even initiated. “Sip is reinventing the way we communicate and out customers now have an upper hand on their competition,” commented Sodemann. Another powerful technology making its way into the SMB marketplace is Hosted Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Hosted VoIP serves the needs of entrepreneurs and enterprises alike, by delivering powerful features such as improved call quality, valuable disaster recovery tools, and applications designed specifically for telecommuters and remote workers. Included in the system are advanced features such as unified messaging, automatic call distribution, auto attendant, call recording, call flow reporting as well as traditional telephony features. A growing trend among business owners is to outsource the management of their IT networks with managed IT services. Consequently, this is stimulating the economy since these services are designed specifically to assist companies in maintaining and supporting their network and IT infrastructure. Types of services may include remote network monitoring and reporting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, firewall monitoring, intrusion detection, patch assessment and vulnerability scanning, preventative tasks, disaster recovery, data backup ad regular performance analysis. “Today’s marketplace demands excellence from all areas of a business and several of the products and services we provide are enabling our customers to increase their profitability and gain a competitive advantage,” stated Mr. Sodemann “Competition may be fierce, but we rest easy knowing that our customers can react more quickly and with greater efficiency than their competitors.”

Thomas Sodemann was interviewed by TAG regarding his views on the future of technology because he is well-known in the industry, possesses substantial technical expertise and has built a strong reputation in his community. Dale Johnson, President of TAG added, “Thomas has always been able to peer around the corner and see what’s coming so he can help his customers take advantage of what’s on the horizon. His organization expends a tremendous amount of effort to reside on the leading edge of technology but he does it simply because it is the right thing to do. We are proud to be associated with a technology futurist like Thomas.”

ABOUT TAG (Technology Assurance Group)

TAG is a national organization of leading independently owned telecommunications companies. TAG provides its members with the competitive advantage necessary to achieve a dominant position in their marketplace. Members benefit from programs including strategic partnerships with communication solution providers, best business and management practices, and advanced sales training programs. TAG’s mission is to leverage its members’ combined economic power, to increase their sales and profit margins, and to bring advanced technology to the marketplace. For more information on TAG, please call 858-673-5800 or visit www.tagnational.com.

Lunch and Learn in May, 2011

2011-04-27T16:04:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone and happy spring (kind of). I wanted to share some news that I am very excited about for the month of May... We are hosting a lunch and learn on May 5, 2011 right here in Brookfield at the Doubletree Hotel and Conference Center. That is not the exciting part though, the part that I am excited about is the topic - it is a new product called Phybridge and I think it is going to change the face of IP telephony in a big way.
The basic idea behind Phybridge is that it will allow for easier, faster and more seamless transitions to IP technology from a legacy phone system. A lot of larger accounts are interested in IP technology, but are not interested in running thousands of feet of CAT5 cable to take advantage of that technology. This is the answer to that problem - Phybridge essentially works like a kind of converter that allows CAT3 cable to be converted into a CAT5 cable in a couple of very easy steps.
Anyone who has worked with IP technology would also tell you that the IT guy's NIGHTMARE is trying to make data and voice work together on the same network. It is a recipe for disaster at times and a minor irritation in some other cases - the problem is that you don't know in advnace if you are going to be the disaster or have a system that works flawlessly without a network assessment and possibly some costly upgrades. Again, Phybridge is the answer - this product allows you to keep the data and voice networks totally separate so your IT guy can relax and worry about what he is best at - data, while Phones Plus handles the rest.
Bottom line is that this could be an amazing tool for a wide vairety of businesses and is the easiest method of deploying IP technology without a major disruption to your work week. This lunch and learn is (as always) a free learning opportunity Phones Plus is extending to our customers, their guests and the community at large - best part is, lunch is on us! Come on out, learn about a great new technology and enjoy some lunch, just remember to RSVP soon - space is limited and it is filling up FAST.
Thank you very much and I look forward to seeing you there!

PHONES PLUS, INC. OFFERS CUSTOMERS VIRTUAL HOSTED OFFICE SYSTEMS

2011-03-31T10:57:00.000-05:00

NEW BERLIN, WI – March 28, 2011 – Phones Plus, Inc., an industry leader in unified communications, announced today that the company is providing its customers with Virtual Hosted Office systems designed to help small to midsized businesses take advantage of the latest in cloud-based technologies.

Cloud-based technologies are not only part of the future of technology, they have become an integral part of the present. Virtual Hosted Office systems provide secured access to company data and applications from anywhere in the world and small to mid-sized businesses are deploying this technology in order to remain competitive in today’s economic environment. The driving forces behind this growth are increased profitability and enhanced IT infrastructure security.

“Many small to mid-sized businesses have absolutely no need for on-site servers, and they can just as easily be hosted in the cloud for a fraction of the cost. Additionally, Virtual Hosted Office systems are continuously updated which provides dramatic cost savings over purchasing and repurchasing servers, comments Thomas Sodemann, Vice President of Phones Plus, Inc.. “Furthermore, these systems provide all hardware and operating system upgrades necessary for proper server upkeep, which translates into reduced costs for business owners.”

Virtual Hosted Office systems also bring an element of enhanced IT security to SMBs. Since systems are hosted off-site in multiple, excessively secure, “disaster-proof”, 24x7x365 monitored, “bunker-style” facilities, companies are able to operate with much greater levels of security. In fact, Virtual Hosted Office Solutions are compliant with all HIPPA regulations, Sarbanes-Oxley and other security regulation laws as well.

Cloud-based technologies have revolutionized the way today’s businesses function, and companies like Phones Plus, Inc. are adding value to their customers by introducing advanced technologies like Virtual Hosted Office systems.

Phones Plus, Inc. Increases Customer Profitability in a Down Economy with the Latest

2011-03-04T09:16:00.000-06:00

February 28, 2011 – Phones Plus, Inc., an industry leader in unified communications, announced today that the company is relentlessly educating its customers on the latest technologies designed to increase their profitability and enhance employee productivity, particularly in these tough economic times. The technologies that Phones Plus is focusing on helps companies do more with less. While the economic whiplash has sent many companies back to the starting block, others are capitalizing on these types of advancements to better position themselves for recovery. The financial gurus may try to convince business owners that a dreaded double-dip is imminent, but for the technologically adept, an uptrend is more likely. Phones Plus is paving the way by introducing businesses to leading edge technologies that drive profitability, now.

“We understand that the economy has mounted tremendous pressure on our customers to be more productive, with fewer resources at their disposal. We believe that it is our responsibility to proactively search and deploy solutions that drive our customers’ profitability and provide them with a competitive advantage. It’s up to us to make sure that our customers have technology that enables them to do more with less,” stated Vice President, Thomas Sodemann.

One of the ways that Phones Plus is boosting customer profitability is through an application called presence management. This application eliminates the guessing game of knowing where people are and what they’re doing, and allows individuals to indicate their status (in a meeting, “back at 2pm,” at lunch, “send calls to my cell”, etc.) and promises “you’ll never miss a call again.” By increasing the speed of communication, more opportunities can be seized; more current customers can be satisfied, and more profits can make it to the bottom line.

Similarly, Phones Plus is utilizing call recording technology in order to help organizations increase employee productivity. According to Dr. Jon Anton from Purdue University, “On average, employees answer the phone 19% faster, spend 29% less time on the phone and do after-call work three times faster when they know they’re being recorded.” Remarkably, many business owners have not adopted call recording technologies. Phones Plus, Inc. is looking to “bridge the gap” by educating their customers on solutions aimed to help small to mid-sized businesses come out on top.

Technology Assurance Group Invites Thomas Sodemann, Vice President of Phones Plus,

2011-02-18T09:38:00.000-06:00

Industry Leader to Lend His Expertise and Years of Experience to U.S. and Canada’s Top Technology Providers at TAG’s Annual Convention
NEW BERLIN, WI — January 30, 2011 — Phones Plus, Inc., an industry leader in unified communications, announced today that Technology Assurance Group (TAG), an international organization of leading independently owned unified communications companies representing over $350 million in annual sales, invited Thomas Sodemann, Vice President of Phones Plus, Inc., to present on the latest technologies impacting small to mid-sized businesses (SMB) at the 11th Annual TAG Convention. Mr. Sodemann will share his extensive industry expertise and company’s experiences with top technology providers located throughout the United States and Canada. TAG’s 2011 Annual Convention will be held on March 16th – 18th in San Antonio, Texas.

With the growth of cloud-based technologies, the theme of the 2011 annual Convention is “Find Your Silver Lining in the Cloud.” SMBs have begun to fully understand the true value of cloud technologies and the market is set to explode. According to predictions by IDC Research, “By 2014, sales of cloud computing products or services will generate almost $56 billion in annual revenues.” The expansion of cloud technologies will not only have a profound impact on the technology sector, but this growth will transform the manner in which SMBs conduct business across all industries. Sodemann will share his views on the future of cloud technologies, virtualization, hosted solutions, and managed services with other industry professionals. As a well-respected business leader in the industry, many of his peers will gain valuable insight on where the cloud is taking businesses.

“We’ve always placed the utmost importance on being on the leading edge of technology which is why we spend so much time and energy educating our employees,” commented Sodemann. “When we truly understand where our industry is headed, it makes it much easier to increase our customers’ profitability and give them a competitive advantage. An ancillary benefit to running our organization in this manner is that we are able to share our experiences with our colleagues at events like the TAG Convention.”

“The TAG Convention brings the brightest minds and most innovative thinkers in our industry together to share best practices, learn from one another and plan for a successful future,” stated Brian Suerth, EVP and Partner of Technology Assurance Group. “We are honored to have Vice President Sodemann at our event, and we all look forward to learning from him.”

ABOUT TECHNOLOGY ASSURANCE GROUP (TAG)

Technology Assurance Group, LLC (TAG) is an international organization of leading independently owned unified communications companies. TAG provides its members with the competitive advantages necessary to achieve a dominant position in their marketplace. Members benefit from programs including strategic partnerships with communication solution providers, best businessand management practices, and advanced sales training programs. TAG’s mission is to increase its Members' sales and profits through education and to ease their introduction of new technology tothe marketplace by leveraging their combined intellect and purchasing power. For more information on TAG, please call 858-673-5800 or visit www.tagnational.com.

INTERNET ABUSE CAN KILL A COMPANY – WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?

2011-01-06T14:20:00.002-06:00

NEW BERLIN, WI —

December 22, 2010 — The Internet has proven itself to be one of the most powerful tools known to man. It has completely transformed the way we interact, the way we learn, and the way that we do business with each other. However, with such a robust tool at our fingertips we’ve become so infatuated with technology that we no longer question whether or not it’s actually making us more productive. We can access anything we want, at any time, from any place, but is that actually a good thing?

According to most SMBs, the answer is “it depends.” Allowing open Internet access to any and all technology can reduce productivity, expose the network to security threats, jam up bandwidth, deteriorate the quality of service in IP based applications and slow down critical programs that are running the business. However, most organizations are finding the “happy medium” through Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs). Also known as policies of utilization, these are simply a set of rules and procedures by which all employees must adhere to when interacting with technology. By now large companies are expected in utilize AUPs, and small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are beginning to see the value in establishing a set of policies in their own right.

One topic that AUPs cover revolves around what software employees should be able to access during work. One suggested policy is that employees should be able to access whatever software they need in order to become more productive, as long as they receive approval from the IT department. This is one of the safest policies to have in place, but it is also one of the most time-consuming to enforce. One way to get around this obstacle is to utilize a Technology Advisor, who can recommend specific programs and applications to use, and which to avoid. Unless you’re working with an abundance of IT resources, many companies are looking to outsource these sorts of mundane procedures to Managed Service Providers (MSPs) at a much lower cost. Business owners are usually thrilled with these sorts of changes because their employees can now spend less time performing brainless Microsoft Office installations, and more time working on their primary objectives.

The Internet is another key area that needs to be regulated because SMBs need to make sure that they’re not exposing themselves to security breaches. According to Businessweek.com, “70% of Internet porn traffic occurs between the hours of 9am and 5pm.” Aside from its vulgar nature, this sort of content is plagued with all sorts of dangerous viruses, spyware and malware. Now as much as we want to plug our ears and shout “La-lala, I can’t hear you” this is a reality and needs to be dealt with.

SMBs can examine a few different steps to start to get back on track. Firstly, the obvious sites need to be blocked; this means anything that contains obscene, hateful, pornographic, unlawful, violent or illegal materials. Secondly, sites that require large amounts of streaming data, (ex: sites that stream television, videos or music) need to be monitored all the way down to the appliance and the system needs to automatically dump users off these sites if network performance is threatened. Similar capabilities should be required for social networking sites like Facebook.com and Myspace.com as they are detrimental to productivity and are huge distractions.

While many SMBs may be quick to blanket-ban all of these sites, there are consequences that may result in decreased morale. Imagine how frustrating it would be to be denied access to your online banking at work. Consider how helpful music can be for creative professionals, while how much morale could be improved by allowing employees to watch their favorite online television shows at work, provided that it was during the lunch hour of course. Other employees could benefit from having the freedom to learn from educational sites and heighten their expertise. All of these enhance the value of every employee and drive productivity and a positive company culture. While constant monitoring is non-negotiable, most of these types of issues can be easily resolved through compromise.

The key in establishing a successful policy is creating one that is complete, efficient and moves with the development of new technology. At the end of the day its purpose is to safeguard the company from risks and propel the company forward to a brighter, more profitable future.

Protecting Your Company Against Deadly Online Threats is Mission Critical Is Your Technology Provider Advising You on What to Do?

2010-12-02T13:36:00.000-06:00

NEW BERLIN, WI

While the US economy is still reeling from the recent financial turmoil, small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are driving the economic recovery. In today’s marketplace, the Internet is their gas pedal. Everything, ranging from website marketing, to online transactions, to web-based meetings, to industry research is taking place online. While the Internet has presented businesses with access to an unstinted array of resources, it also brings several dangers. We are all familiar with many of the standard security threats – viruses, SPAM, malware, spyware, etc. – but as technology continues to evolve, business owners face an entirely new set of issues. What are my employees actually doing with their time? Are my employees putting my business at risk? How can I protect my business from internal risks, external risks and risks I haven’t even heard of yet?

Many business owners are able to monitor employee web usage. One of the most prevalent issues facing business owners is the decrease in productivity due to the proliferation of social networking sites, such as Facebook or MySpace. When you walk by in the hallway and see your employees working diligently at their computers, they could very well be flipping through the pictures of their friend’s most recent Vegas trip, or chatting online with other friends. Web monitoring software is an easy fix to this type of problem.

Inappropriate sites, such as non-business related sites, and even adult sites pose an alternate risk in that they can be a reservoir for viruses, phishing, spyware and other malicious software. Internet filtering is a quick way to eliminate these risks, yet many businesses are unaware of the preventative steps one can take.

Phishing is the illegal capture of personal data for criminal use, and many times this can result in the accidental dissemination of sensitive information. The legal risks associated with sharing private information can be detrimental to an organization’s health and can be prevented through tools such as Web Defense Plans or Network Security.

Maintaining an adequate amount of Internet bandwidth for legitimate business use is also critical because different technologies require larger amounts of data to travel through a finite space. There is a myriad of different safeguards available, yet each technology demands different applications, which are why many SMBs are partnering with Technology Advisors and leveraging their expertise.

While many businesses are looking for ways to eliminate overhead, one fix is by increasing the number of virtual workers at their organization. Oftentimes there is a substantial difference between the amount of security at the office as compared to the security of a home office network.

These threats are dynamic. As long as hackers and criminals are in existence, new threats will follow. This is why many SMBs are taking a long term view of technology and aligning themselves with Technology Advisors through strategic partnerships. This allows business owners to alleviate their concerns with technology, delegate the management of their technology to a trusted partner, who can protect their organization proactively. In today’s global marketplace, leveraging outside resources are keeping SMBs on track and profitable.

Phones Plus Educates Customers on Mobile VoIP Technology

2010-11-09T15:57:00.002-06:00

Small to Mid-Sized Companies to Benefit

from Latest Advancements in Mobile

Communications Technology

NEW BERLIN, WI —

October 28, 2010 — Phones Plus,

Inc., an industry leader in Unified

Communications, announced today

that recent statistics by the

industry’s leading research firms

are showing that mobile Voice over

Internet Protocol (VoIP) is poised

to revolutionize the

communications industry. This

technological advancement is

increasing profitability and

providing substantial benefits to

small to medium sized businesses

(SMB) across the globe.

Juniper Research, who

specializes in appraising high

growth opportunities for the mobile

markets, “expects the total number

of mobile VoIP users to exceed 100

million by 2012.” Paired with

InStat’s prediction of “288 million

mobile VoIP users by 2013” it’s

easy to see that mobile VoIP is

making its way to the forefront of

communications. Thomas

Sodemann, Vice President of

Phones Plus, Inc. states, “As our

customer’s trusted technology

advisor, we feel obligated to

educate our customers about the

business benefits of mobile VoIP

and how it can enhance the way

they communicate. It’s up to us to

understand where the

communications industry is headed,

but more importantly it’s absolutely

vital that we find the technologies

that make our customers more

profitable.”

Traditional VoIP has been

around since the 90s, but until

recently the Internet has not been

able to adequately support VoIP.

Past developments have stabilized

VoIP’s performance and this

explains the dramatic increase in

demand for the technology,

especially among SMBs. VoIP’s

primary appeal lies in its sizable

cost savings for end users and in a

struggling economy, VoIP was the

blatantly obvious choice for most

business owners. However, for the

past several years SMBs were

limited to only using VoIP at the

office and at home, which deterred

a large section of the population

from deriving the technology’s

benefits. Mobile VoIP “cuts the

cord” and allows users to enjoy all

of the benefits of VoIP technology

from their cell phone. Mobile VoIP

enhances integrations with

applications such as Presence

Management, Find Me Follow Me

and Unified Messaging.

As smart phones, like Apple’s

iPhone and Motorola’s Droid,

continue to grow in popularity, so

does the market for mobile VoIP.

SMB’s are being educated on the

value of mobile VoIP and as a

result, demand for this technology

is accelerating.

ABOUT PHONES PLUS, INC.

Since 1981, Phones Plus has

committed to establishing lasting

business relationships with our

clients. Phones Plus offers

innovative voice, video, and data

networking solutions that increase

our clients’ profitability and gives

them a competitive advantage in

their marketplace.

Phones Plus recognizes the

critical need for a communications

company that combines leading

technology with top-quality service

and support.

Our mission is to provide

exceptional value through managed

services that eliminate

technological obsolescence, ensure

a fixed cost for our business

partners, and maximize the profits,

productivity, image, and

competitive advantage of those

partners. Highly trained and

motivated professionals give you

measurable results.

5 Reasons Hosted VoIP is Experiencing Explosive Growth

2010-09-30T12:46:00.001-05:00

NEW BERLIN, WI –

September 28, 2010 - Hosted VoIP is quickly
expanding its footprint in the small to mid-sized business (SMB)
marketplace because it dramatically improves an organization’s
profitability, reduces its risk and adds an unmatched level of
flexibility to its current operations. In layman’s terms, hosted VoIP is a
solution which enables businesses to utilize their Internet bandwidth
to handle their communications needs, rather than forcing businesses to rely on traditional
solutions, such as PBX hardware TDM switch that reside on site.
According to a report by AMI Partners, “Hosted VoIP in the
North American SMB market is projected to expand from 2%
market penetration to over 30% by 2014.” Adoption rates are keeping
pace with these aggressive growth projections and these can be
explained by five key reasons:

Cost Structure

In today’s unforgiving economic environment, business
owners are being forced to reexamine their expenses to see
what can be eliminated, minimized, or streamlined. The fundamental
reason that businesses are adopting hosted VoIP technology is because
of the profound effects it has on the bottom line. Since, hosted VoIP is
able to “piggyback” phone usage on top of Internet bandwidth,
SMBs are able to enjoy substantial upfront cost savings, as well as
recurring savings when they implement hosted VoIP. The
reason for this is because businesses don’t need to buy
expensive systems or hardware anymore, instead they’re just
purchasing individual VoIP handsets. Instead of purchasing
hardware products, (PBX systems, desk phones, new cables, etc.)
businesses are receiving softwarecentric value (Connectivity, Call
Tracking and Reporting, Voice-totext transcription, softphones, etc.).
This means that a new phone system is no longer a capital
expenditure, but it’s simply a lower level operating expense. Plus, the
ongoing costs associated with hosted VoIP fluctuates as a
function of demand. It Puts Your Communications on
Auto-Pilot… For an SMB, resources are
scarce. Businesses don’t have the time, nor the resources to spend
dozens of hours training or supporting employees with new
technology. Instead of learning how to program button commands
or memorizing extensions, hosted VoIP requires the most minimal
levels of supervision possible and can be remotely handled by the
unified communications partner. Since it’s run off a simple web
interface, businesses don’t need extra IT staff to manage their
communications. With most providers it takes about five
minutes for someone to explain how you use the interface, and
you’ll probably end up figuring it out for yourself before they even
finish talking. One person can manage all the features, add users
and subtract users, so the IT department can focus on fulfilling
its other duties. Not only does hosted VoIP free-up labor hours,
but since it’s web-based, it can update itself and keep pace with the
ever-changing demands of today’s business environment.

Business Continuity

Power outages and natural disasters are threats facing all
businesses but hosted VoIP provides a way for organizations to
minimize the negative impacts associated with these occurrence.
Businesses are attracted to hosted VoIP’s ability to handle these
situations smoothly. The box that runs an SMB’s communications
system is off-premise in a secure location, and is backed up several
times over. What this ultimately means for organizations is that in
the event of a disaster, the business can continue to operate just as if
nothing had happened.

Scalability

In today’s world, business owners are expected to know
what’s around every corner and they can’t afford to be locked into
inflexible technology. Hosted VoIP enables businesses to
neutralize the risk of the volatile economy. Where traditional phone
systems are affixed to a certain number of employees, hosted VoIP
can provide organizations with the flexibility they need to survive.
Whether scaling up, or scaling down, the costs of adjusting your
communications infrastructure to
meet your needs are miniscule.

Freedom

Emergent businesses in the SMB marketplace are using remote
applications to enhance their productivity, whether they’re in the
office or not. Technology such as softphones enable organizations to
work from any location, at any time and still preserve the same levels of
professionalism exhibited by the largest companies in the market.
Hosted VoIP is an absolutely powerful technology that is driving
profitability and improving employee productivity, while
providing companies with a unique competitive advantage. In today’s
rapidly changing business environment, organizations need to
be agile and they cannot afford to be held hostage by static, on
premise technology. Hosted VoIP gives business owners the freedom
to adopt the latest in communications technology and
the peace of mind that it automatically happens.

ABOUT PHONES PLUS, INC.
Since 1981, Phones Plus has committed to establishing lasting
business relationships with our clients. Phones Plus offers
innovative voice, video, and data networking solutions that increase
our clients’ profitability and gives them a competitive advantage in
their marketplace. Phones Plus recognizes the
critical need for a communications company that combines leading
technology with top-quality service and support.
Our mission is to provide exceptional value through managed
services that eliminate technological obsolescence, ensure
a fixed cost for our business partners, and maximize the profits,
productivity, image, and competitive advantage of those
partners. Highly trained and motivated professionals give you
measurable results.

If You’re Dialing a 1 or a 9 Before You Make a Phone Call, Something’s Wrong…

2010-09-02T08:15:00.000-05:00

Thomas Sodemann of Phones Plus Explains How SIP is Sweeping

the Industry Off Its Feet…

NEW BERLIN, WI – August 31, 2010 – Recent developments in technology have rapidly changed the way companies are communicating to their employees, customers and business partners. How can you tell? Try dialing an outside line beginning with the area code or the number first. Those calls that go through are utilizing today’s voice and data transport of choice, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). If you have to dial a 1 or a 9 before you make a phone call, you might as well be using smoke signals to communicate. Now ready for prime time, SIP has opened the floodgates for small to mid-sized businesses to benefit from greater business applications, reduced costs, and enhanced efficiency.

SIP is an Internet-based protocol that is enabling an unseen level of flexibility to end-users. Similar to the way Apple’s iPhone redefined what we expect from our cell phone’s functionality, SIP is on the leading edge of Unified Communications. The convergence of voice and data onto the same network has forced the demand in the marketplace for a single solution. SIP is the “missing link” required to connect these two networks and the cost justifications are supporting this transition.

What makes SIP so special?

In simple terms, SIP supports any form of real-time communication regardless of whether the content is voice, video, instant messaging, or a collaboration application. Additionally, SIP enables users to inform others of their status, their availability, and how they can be contacted before communication is even initiated. Due to the nature of IP communications, these benefits often cost justify and provide business owners the return on investment they need to run their businesses efficiently and effectively.

SIP grows up…

SIP is no longer in its infancy. According to Frost & Sullivan, SIP trunks will increase from 950,000 in 2006 to about 14.52 million in 2012. The early majority is beginning to see SIP’s value and adoption is increasing at an accelerating rate. The core reason SIP is here to stay is because it’s simple. Rather than having to track, analyze and spend money managing several different streams of communication, SIP gives businesses a single transport to focus on. A few years ago the market didn’t have the capability to properly support SIP, but technology has evolved.

For most companies, the transition to SIP will come with all new technology including a phone system containing all of the latest applications that drive profitability, employee productivity and competitive advantages. By eliminating traditional phone lines and turning to SIP, the ROI for new equipment comes in a matter of months rather than years. With the recent AT&T statement advising the federal government to move away from "plain-old telephone service", known in the industry as POTS and the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), SIP is eventually inevitable for all businesses. So the question becomes why not benefit from SIP now and gain a leg up on the competition, instead of waiting for the train to pass you by later. The SIP train is here… all aboard.

ABOUT PHONES PLUS, INC.

Since 1981, Phones Plus has committed to establishing lasting business relationships with our clients. Phones Plus offers innovative voice, video, and data networking solutions that increase our clients’ profitability and gives them a competitive advantage in their marketplace.

Phones Plus recognizes the critical need for a communications company that combines leading technology with top-quality service and support.

Our mission is to provide exceptional value through managed services that eliminate technological obsolescence, ensure a fixed cost for our business partners, and maximize the profits, productivity, image, and competitive advantage of those partners. Highly trained and motivated professionals give you measurable results.

New Webinar Series

2010-08-24T08:43:00.000-05:00

Hi again everyone. I wanted to write something today to give all of our current and potential future customers some information on upcoming events here at Phones Plus.
First of all, we are coming up with a monthly webinar series which will start some time this fall when all of the hustle and bustle of summer calms down a bit for us all. These webinars will focus on the very important offerings of our partners. We will most likely start with Do IT Smarter, our partner who provides on and off site data backup and recovery. They provide solutions that range from simple on site back up to a version with a year of data retention and a full virtual server for minimal down time if your network should happen to fail. We feel it is very important to supply you with information on this valuable service because of the research included in our press release on the topic which says that 70% of businesses that suffer serious data loss are out of business within the next 2 years. We are going the extra mile to expand our offerings so we can provide a more global approach to business, allowing our customers to come to us for help with a wide range of needs.
Other partners that will be included in this webinar series will be a conferencing service, our VoIP provider, disaster recovery for if your phones go down along with others as we see a need to provide further information on new technology. If there is something you would like to learn more about, please do not hesitate to let us know what you would like us to cover and we will do our best to provide that information.
In other Phones Plus news, our most recent addition to the Phones Plus family, Bryn, our new trainer is working on revamping all of our training materials to make them more user friendly. She has just been through some intensive Zultys training so she is well versed on not only features, but the administrative side of those products as well. She is also working on developing a web series of her own which will be called Feature Friday. As we get closer to deploying this series, I will be sure to give you some more information on what is going to be covered.
This is a busy time for us here at Phones Plus and we are thrilled to be helping so many people find great solutions to their telecommunications needs. If you have any questions about our products, our partners, or any service we provide, please feel free to contact us any time. We are here to help! Thanks so much for checking in and have a great week everyone.

Phones Plus, Inc.
2745 S Calhoun Rd
New Berlin, WI 53151
262-784-2311

Customer Advocate

2010-08-16T13:02:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday everyone! Todaqy I am blogging about the addition of a new position at Phones Plus... We have moved someone into the Customer Advocate position to better serve our customers here at Phones Plus. The idea behind a Customer Advocate is to help our existing customer base optimize their communication to make their business more profitable and productive. The ways this is accomplished is through taking a global approach to looking at business. That means if you are seeing your customer advocate, they should be collecting your phone, cellular and internet bills so he or she can optimize every part of your telecommunications.
A Customer Advocate is important to your business because they are meant to keep your technology on the right track as well as keeping you educated on what is happening in the world of telecommunications technology. If there is a new technology available that would benefit your business, it is your Customer Advocate's duty to make sure you are aware of that technology so you can decide if now is the time to look into it or not.
A customer Advocate can help you with moves, adds or changes to your system - meaning that if you need to move a phone from one desk to another or add a phone or some new technology or make changes to call flow, etc. Your Customer Advocate can help ensure that you do not recieve any invoices from Phones Plus other than for new equipment (and you get a discount on that!) by showing you our Partnership Plan and explaining to you how it works.
The most important thing for you to remember is that your Customer Advocate is meant to help you keep your competetive edge in business, so take advantage of the help and knowledge your Advocate is ready to offer you. If you have any questions regarding Customer Advocacy or would like to speak to a Customer Advocate at Phones Plus, please call 262-784-2311. Thanks for taking the time to read the post today and have a great week everyone!

The Value of Call Recording

2010-08-04T12:37:00.000-05:00

Want to Streamline Your Business and Provide a Better Customer Experience?

Using the Right Communications Technology Will Help You Do Just That

Phones Plus Explains the Value of Call Recording and Why Businesses Should Care

NEW BERLIN, WI – July 30, 2010 - When a business owner is looking to set up the phones within his company, he can’t help but be overwhelmed with complex terms like VoIP, SIP, Hosted VoIP, PBX Systems, Managed Services, and Unified Communications. In today’s world, a business owner is expected to understand the relevance and significance of every single feature that their Unified Communications provider offers. However, many business owners don’t receive the proper explanation as to how that feature can be applied to benefit their organization. Some of the usages of the Call Recording feature make it one of the top features a business owner should take into consideration when examining their communications needs.

The most obvious application of Call Recording is in situations that deal with liability. Professionals who deal with the dissemination of sensitive information should be using Call Recording at all times, it is the easiest way to ensure compliance to procedures and reduce the risk of litigation. Call Recording is indispensible to both the Medical and Legal fields and it would be reckless for an organization to continue to run itself without implementing this technology.

One of the other usages of Call Recording, which is often overlooked, is as a training tool for a sales team. When a salesperson is given the opportunity to record his or her calls, they can review their recordings to improve their skills and understand how they really sound when they’re communicating with prospects. This easy to use tool helps managers coach salespeople in a constructive manner and improve the overall health of the company. Customer service representatives are also well suited to take advantage of this type of function when working with customers. When a conversation takes a turn and needs to be recorded, contemporary Call Recording technology provides users with a way to record a conversation even after a call has been initiated. Users can then add their own comments and send that recording as an attachment in an email. This simple, but necessary technology, is allowing professionals to collaborate, create accountability and improve their businesses like never before.

From my experiences, most companies would be shocked by what their employees are saying, how they’re saying it, and what message they’re communicating to the outside world. I couldn’t imagine running a sales force without giving our salespeople the ability to listen to their own recordings. This tool is as valuable as it is practical, and it has provided our organization with a much-needed competitive advantage even in today’s markets.

As the world continues to flatten, more companies are entering existing markets, while even more competitors are extending their reach into new markets. The added pressure of the financial crisis is pushing businesses harder than ever to find new ways to differentiate themselves. In order to stay competitive, businesses need to leverage technologies in order to create competitive advantages for themselves. Call Recording is one the simplest and most cost-effective ways to accomplish this, so it’s only a matter of time before this becomes an industry standard. In sum, if you haven’t started using Call Recording … you will.

ABOUT PHONES PLUS, INC.

Since 1981, Phones Plus has committed to establishing lasting business relationships with our clients. Phones Plus offers innovative voice, video, and data networking solutions that increase our clients’ profitability and gives them a competitive advantage in their marketplace.

Phones Plus recognizes the critical need for a communications company that combines leading technology with top-quality service and support.

Our mission is to provide exceptional value through managed services that eliminate technological obsolescence, ensure a fixed cost for our business partners, and maximize the profits, productivity, image, and competitive advantage of those partners. Highly trained and motivated professionals give you measurable results.

Training Information for Business Telecommunication System – Helpful or Horrifying?

2010-07-27T09:54:00.002-05:00

Anyone who has worked in a business with a professional telecommunication system knows that these systems occasionally experience technical issues. From having to program the phone for the first time to reprogramming the phones for new staff to general troubleshooting, I think most people who have had to deal with those issues would agree… Telecommunication system manufacturers’ handbooks and training materials can be pretty scary.

As an example, I met an office manager whose office has an old Merlin system or something (it was a system that I had never heard of at the time I was speaking to her) and she was talking about how frustrating it is to have small issues with that Merlin system arise. The reason was that whenever something small and seemingly easy to troubleshoot happened, she would go to the admin phone and follow the directions in the manual to get her desired result. She said that it appeared as if something different happened each time she performed the same function on that admin phone and eventually, she would just give up and call in the IT person.

There is no good reason why it should work that way… Training materials and manuals should be straightforward tools that help you get the job done without having to call your IT person to come out (and charge you for the visit) for basic functions on your system. Good news! Here at Phones Plus, our training department is coming up with innovative (and best of all simple!) training tools and quick reference guides to help our Toshiba and Zultys customers through the basic functions of their telecommunication system. I have seen the material myself and I think it is going to change the way our customers view their telecommunication systems – they will no longer be this huge challenge to manage and work with. Instead, there will be understandable material that showcases how easy making simple changes to your phones can really be. Don’t get me wrong, for the big stuff it is still a good idea to have an IT person on standby, however there is a lot that you can do for yourself too.

So, what does one do if they are not our customer, or do not have a Toshiba or Zultys system in their office? Well, jump on the bandwagon friends! These are great phones, great platforms and if you already have a Toshiba or Zultys system in place, you can make us your authorized retailer and you will get the training materials along with access to great Partnership Programs to protect your investment. For more information on anything in this blog, please contact Phones Plus, Inc. at 262-784-2311 today and we will be happy to help you out with all of your business telecommunication needs!

Data Backup and Recovery

2010-07-19T11:41:00.000-05:00

You can never be too careful when dealing with data that needs to stay safe and secure, but also at your fingertips in the office. What happens if your computers crash or if someone breaks in and steals equipment from your office? Where is that data going to end up in the long run? In the hands of some hacker that is going to find every way in the book to use that information to not only steal from you, but from your loyal customer base as well? It has been published that 70% of businesses that suffer a serious data loss are out of business within just 2 years… You don’t want that to be you, right?

So, what can you do to protect this ever important data from being lost or stolen from your office? You can certainly handle it yourself… Taking care of data backup the “old school” way – using tapes that need to be changed out sometimes several times in a day. You have to assign someone to handle the upkeep of the tapes so you are sure that you aren’t losing any data along the way. Then, there is the storage issue. Where do you keep them? Offsite - so they are perhaps safer, but then it will take longer to retrieve the data if your system goes down. You could keep them onsite, but that kind of defeats the purpose in terms of safety if there is a break in.

I would propose that you find a solution that would store all of the data for you both onsite and offsite. It should be an automatic storage system so you don’t have to worry about changing tapes. There should be ample storage and you should have the option of longer term data retention – maybe even up to a year? This should all be affordable and should provide you with a minimum amount of time that you have to live without critical information in your office.

Great news! Just such a solution exists! Phones Plus has recently partnered with Do IT Smarter, a company that specializes in data backup and recovery with several options that can limit your downtime to just minutes by using a virtual server. They will manage your data backup for you and you can store your data for up to a year using this solution. I have attached the specs for their different solutions and for more information you should contact Phones Plus at 262-784-2311. Thank you and have a great week!

Sorry, the excel sheet doesn't lend itself to a blog post - for a better copy, please get in touch and I will be happy to e-mail it to you so it makes more sense.

Aurora Series

A150 A500 A1000 A2000 A3000 A5000 A10000

Storage Capacity 150GB 500GB 1TB 2TB 3TB 5TB 10TB

Storage Configuration 1x 500 GB HD 1x 1TB HD 2x 1 TB RAID 1, 1 TB OS Drive 3x 1 TB RAID 5, 1 TB OS Drive 6x 1 TB RAID 10, 1 TB OS Drive 10x 1 TB RAID 10, 1 TB OS Drive 12x 1 TB RAID 6, 1 TB RAID 1 OS Drive

Processor 2.8 Ghz 64 Bit, AMD Dual Core 2.8 Ghz 64 Bit, AMD Dual Core 2.8 Ghz 64 Bit, AMD Quad Core 2.8 Ghz 64 Bit, Intel Quad Core 2.8 Ghz 64 Bit, Intel Quad Core 2 X 2.6 Ghz 64 Bit, Intel Quad Core 2 X 2.6 Ghz 64 Bit, Intel Quad Core

Memory 4GB 8GB 8GB 12GB 16GB 24GB 36GB

Gigabit Ethernet 1 2 2 2 4 4 4

Form Factor MicroATX Tower MicroATX Tower MicroATX Tower 2U Rack Mount 2U Rack Mount 3U Rack Mount 3U Rack Mount

# of machines that can be backud up 1 Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Simultanious VMs 1 2-3 2-3 3-6 4-8 8-12 8-12

Server Licenses included 1 2 2 2 4 6 6

G & Z Series

G/Z 250 Z 500 GR/ZR 500 Z 1000 GR / ZR 1000

Storage Capacity 250 GB 500 GB 500 GB 1TB 1TB

Storage Configuration 1x 250GB 1x 500GB 2x 500GB RAID 1 1x 1TB 2x 1TB RAID 1

Processor 1.5 Ghz VIA 1.5 Ghz VIA 1.5 Ghz VIA 1.5 Ghz VIA 1.5 Ghz VIA

Memory 1GB 1GB 1GB 1GB 1GB

Gigabit Ethernet 2 Ports 2 Ports 2 Ports 2 Ports 2 Ports

Form Factor Mini ITX Mini ITX Mini ITX Mini ITX Mini ITX

GX Series

GX2000 GX3000 GX4000 GX5000

Storage Capacity 2TB 3TB 4TB 5TB

Storage Configuration 3x 1TB RAID 5 4x 1TB RAID 5 5x 1TB RAID 5 6x 1TB RAID 5

Processor Dual 2.6 Ghz Dual 2.6 Ghz Dual 2.6 Ghz Dual 2.6 Ghz

Memory 2GB 2GB 4GB 4GB

Gigabit Ethernet 3 Ports 3 Ports 4 Ports 4 Ports

Form Factor 2U Rack Mount 2U Rack Mount 2U Rack Mount 2U Rack Mount

Product Comparison

G Series GX Series Z Series Aurora Series

On-Site Backup √ √ √ √

Off-Site Backup √ √ √ √

Windows Domain Support √ √ √ √

Free US Based Technical Support √ √ √ √

3 Year Hardware Warranty √ √ √ √

No Incidental Fees √ √ √ √

No Recovery Fees √ √ √ √

FTP Access to Off-Site Data √ √ √ √

Centralized Management Console √ √ √ √

Free Roundtrip Seed Drive √ √ √ √

Free Data Recovery Service √ √ √ √

Point to Point Replication Optional Optional Optional Optional

1 Year Off-Site Daily Data Archiving √ √

Bare Metal Restore Capable Optional Optional Optional √

Installation Service Optional Optional Optional Optional

Daily Monitoring and Management Optional Optional Optional √

Secure Linux Based OS √ √ √

On-Site Virtualization Capabilities √

Off-Site Virtualization Capabilities √

Instant Virtualization √

Exchange Message Level Recovery √

Data Deduplication √

Granular Sharepoint Recovery √

Advanced Off-Site Image Verification √

Unattended Virtualization √

Why the holdup?????

2010-07-13T15:41:00.000-05:00

Hey there everyone... You may be wondering why we are stalling on posting any new information lately. The answer is simple - we are currently working on a "for dummies" series of posts. These will be posts that deal with decoding some of the tech-talk you have probably heard and perhaps don't understand. This is not so much a "for dummies" as it will be a "for the rest of us" series and we hope you will find it helpful!
So, please be patient while we are working on translating things into a format that is easily understood and we will be back in the phone booth again before you know it! Thanks!

Phones Plus, Inc. Offers Innovative Data Backup Solutions to Protect Their Customers' Critical Information

2010-07-01T09:53:00.000-05:00

Region’s Leading Unified Communications Provider Supports Business Continuity Planning While Enhancing Peace of Mind Among Small to Mid-sized Companies

NEW BERLIN, WI — June 24, 2010 — Phones Plus, Inc., an industry leader in unified communications, announced today that the company is offering innovative, off-site, data back up solutions to protect their customers’ critical information. In an effort to enhance business continuity planning among the region’s small to mid-sized companies, Phones Plus, Inc. provides owners with the peace of mind, knowing that their valuable information is continually backed up in the event of a natural disaster, power outage, or virus attack.

More than ever before, today’s market is pressing owners to reexamine the threats that could cause business interruption. According to an information security breaches survey conducted by DTI/PriceWaterhouse, 70% of businesses that suffer a serious data loss are out of business in 2 years. Many risks are unavoidable but technological advances have created a way for businesses to continue to run smoothly, even in the midst of uncertainty.

Organizations of all sizes are generating and depending on larger amounts of data that must be readily available and easily accessible. Consequently, companies have to effectively manage more infrastructure resources, including servers, networks, and storage, to ensure data is protected in a timely manner while at the same time providing adequate performance and capacity and securing data for access when needed. Unfortunately, the archaic data backup method for most companies is to backup vital information on a data tape and let an employee such as an IT manager take it home for safe keeping. Today’s latest technology enables the backup of information to take place on the “cloud” instead of servers on-site. Therefore, if an event should occur the business can keep running as if nothing happened.

“The concept of business continuity is experiencing a growth in popularity, and experts are attributing this primarily to its simplicity,” Thomas Sodemann, Vice President of Phones Plus. “As a business owner, operating without a data backup solution in place is simply a risk I would not be willing to take. The pace of today’s business environment is faster than it has ever been, and business owners cannot afford to lose their valuable data. In my opinion, it’s like driving over 100mph without wearing a seatbelt,” commented Sodemann.

All businesses face a certain degree of risk, but most intelligent business owners are looking to eliminate unnecessary risks as well as uncertainty. Disaster recovery solutions provide business owners with a safety net that enables organizations to get back up and running before anyone notices that there was a slip-up. Whether a natural disaster, virus attack or power outage, remote data backup provides businesses with the assurance that they will be able to compete in today’s markets.

ABOUT PHONES PLUS, INC.

Since 1981, Phones Plus has committed to establishing lasting business relationships with our clients. Phones Plus offers innovative voice, video, and data networking solutions that increase our clients’ profitability and gives them a competitive advantage in their marketplace.

Phones Plus recognizes the critical need for a communications company that combines leading technology with top-quality service and support.

Our mission is to provide exceptional value through managed services that eliminate technological obsolescence, ensure a fixed cost for our business partners, and maximize the profits, productivity, image, and competitive advantage of those partners. Highly trained and motivated professionals give you measurable results.

Disaster Recovery

2010-06-21T13:58:00.000-05:00

Even with all of the new technology made available to businesses in this day and age, there is nothing that can prevent phones from occasionally going down and not working. Every business owner knows that every minute that goes by with no phones working not only feels like an eternity, but equals the loss of business. So, as we in Wisconsin enter into the season of storms and flooding and tornadoes, what do you do when the inevitable happens and your phones go down?
You could turn off your system, reboot and hope for the best. You could call a technician that just got about 100 other frantic calls at the same moment, because, let's face it - the chances of you being the only one with phones down is just slim. You could try to reach your service provider to see if they know anything about this and how to fix it. Truth is, all of those are things that people who aren't fully prepared have to do. You are far wiser than that though, so you got yourself a disaster recovery provider and your phones will experience minimal down time and your customers (or potential customers) will have no idea that your system is even down.
The way it works is very simple... You get yourself a provider of disaster recovery services who will let you knwo how to set up your main voicemail box and everyone's private voicemail box. From there, you set everything up in house so that when phones go down your customers will get the previously set up system when they call in. There is an Automated Attendant in place that offers them the option to be connected to anyone with whom they need to speak. Once they make that selection of who to speak to, the call gets forwarded to that person's pre determined number at which they can be reached (this is usually a cell phone number).
All it takes to activate the disaster recovery system is to call your phone service provider and ask them to forward all of your calls to the designated number that the automated attendant is connectied to. It is just that simple and the disruption to the flow of calls and business as usual is very minimal so you don't have to lose business over the loss of your phone service in your office.
For more information on disaster recovery please contact Phones Plus at 262-784-2311 and speak to one of our sales representatives to answer any questions you may have. Have a great week everyone!

Hosted IP PBX

2010-06-16T12:02:00.000-05:00

Taking advantage of a hosted environment will not only give you the benefit of utilizing new internet telephony technology, but it will offer you a host of valuable features. You can take advantage of such features as “under one roof” functionality which makes multiple locations appear to be all under one roof with extension dialing, call transfer between locations and several other features. Another great feature of a hosted system is the built in disaster recovery which is automatic with a hosted system because of the way it is put together.

Some additional benefits of a good provider of a hosted system are that your monthly phone bills can go down by about 40-70% per month. That means that if you wanted to get a whole new phone system with a hosted provider, the system will be paid for out of your monthly savings in no time flat! There are also bundled calling plans to fit every business’ needs including plans for international calling that include 34 destinations now and that are growing all the time. Perhaps the best part of having a hosted solution with a Phones Plus partner is the fact that their customer service is based in the US. No more calling and talking to someone who isn’t even in the country – we all know how frustrating that can be!

Since this is still a relatively new technology in telephony (even our partner for hosted systems has only been working with them since 2001) lots of people have concerns about call quality. It is amazing what can happen in just 9 short years. This technology started out as a great idea that needed a lot of tweaking, but has become a very reliable source of great call quality with very few interruptions to your service.

Some other important features of a hosted system are Internet faxing and conferencing capabilities, making it even easier to communicate with customers, other offices or prospects. All of the features I have spoken about can be scaled up or down to fit the needs of an office with 2 people to an office with 2,000 people. This is a great solution that is easy to use, quick to set up and offers a great variety of features to users. For additional information on hosted systems please contact Phones Plus at 262-784-2311 or check out our website at www.askphonesplus.com.

Why hosted VoIP is a good choice for small to mid sized companies

2010-06-04T08:43:00.002-05:00

Advancements in Technology & Cost Reduction Is Driving Demand for Popular Business Communications System

NEW BERLIN, WI — May 27, 2010 — Phones Plus, an industry leader in unified communications, announced today that hosted Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is experiencing tremendous adoption by small to mid-sized businesses. A number of distinct benefits such as superior quality of service, reduction of cost, flexibility, built in business continuity and advanced applications are driving the demand for hosted VoIP technology.

Unlike a traditional phone system, hosted VoIP requires no on-site PBX hardware. Instead the technology uses VoIP service to place and receive calls using the Internet. This service is frequently hosted remotely by a 3rd party VoIP provider. As a result, an end user’s communication via VoIP service is handled by redundant enterprise servers offsite. In addition to the profound upfront cost savings this presents, hosted VoIP technology enables one’s phone system to be completely scalable and flexible. An organization can add or remove phones on a hosted system any time.

Hosted VoIP serves the needs of entrepreneurs and enterprises alike, by delivering powerful features such as improved call quality, valuable disaster recovery tools, and applications designed specifically for telecommuters and remote workers. Included in the system are advanced features such as unified messaging, automatic call distribution, auto attendant, call recording, call flow reporting as well as traditional PBX features.

The U.S. business hosted IP voice services market is expected to grow from 828,350 seats in 2008 to 4,910,499 seats in 2013, a CAGR of 42.8%, according to Interactive Data Corporation (IDC), a market research firm specifically focused on the IT segment. “The SMB marketplace has started to really embrace hosted VoIP because it dramatically increases their profitability and gives them a competitive advantage,” said Thomas Sodemann, Vice President of Phones Plus. “For many customers off premise communications technology is preferable. In a hosted environment, companies can take advantage of flexible technology knowing that if a disaster occurs, whether a power outage or natural, the system will remain up without interruption.”

“After we understand our customers’ strategic business objectives we recommend the right technology to support all of their needs and in many cases that means a hosted solution,” added Mr. Sodemann. “Hosted VoIP is quickly becoming more than an acronym, it’s raising the bar for Unified Communications providers, while giving businesses the edge they need to compete in today’s marketplace.”

ABOUT PHONES PLUS, INC.

Since 1981, Phones Plus has committed to establishing lasting business relationships with our clients. Phones Plus offers innovative voice, video, and data networking solutions that increase our clients’ profitability and gives them a competitive advantage in their marketplace.

Phones Plus recognizes the critical need for a communications company that combines leading technology with top-quality service and support.

Our mission is to provide exceptional value through managed services that eliminate technological obsolescence, ensure a fixed cost for our business partners, and maximize the profits, productivity, image, and competitive advantage of those partners. Highly trained and motivated professionals give you measurable results.

An Update

2010-06-01T12:42:00.001-05:00

Just to keep everyone up to date, I wanted to let you know that we have unfortunately had to cancel our SIP trunking lunch and learn. We plan on rescheduling it, we just aren't totally positive when that will be just yet. So, keep on checking out our social media pages and we will be sure to keep you posted on what is happening with that event.
Thanks very much and have a great day!

Zultys MXIE Demo

2010-06-01T12:20:00.001-05:00

This week, we are trying to really focus on learning all we can about Zultys products. It was fairly recently that we became a Zultys authorized dealer and we want to make sure that we are experts on their products as we start selling more of them. These products are designed to be very advanced and cutting edge - they are designed from SIP up. Also, these systems are designed to give you as many features as possible with minimal licensing so that once you buy the phones and all of the equipment you will not have to make a huge investment to get the features that you want.
You can pretty much get any number of users on a single system - these systems will get really big if you need that, or you can get a small system for a business that has plans for growth. The MXIE is the Unified Communications solution offered by Zultys - it would be the Zultys equivalent of Toshiba's Strata Call Manager (NetPhone) and it is extremely easy to use once you get the hang of it. Check out the video above and you will see how MXIE can increase productivity by offering a very simple format for call handling and voicemail options.
If you have any questions regarding MXIE or any other Zultys product, please feel free to contact Phones Plus at 262-784-2311 and we will be happy to answer whatever questions you may have. Have a great week everyone!

Transparency – Just a darn cool tool

2010-05-24T10:50:00.002-05:00

I am sure that there are a fair few people out there who have no clue what network transparency means or how it can be used to make life much easier in businesses with multiple offices. What transparency does is make many physical locations appear to outside callers to be under one roof, rather than spread about in different towns, cities, or even states.

Transparency is a great tool because it makes life easier in offices that work closely together even if they are not geographically close together. Say we have a building in Milwaukee and another one in Chicago where management has to work together on a deal. When they need to ask questions of one another, the manager in the Milwaukee office can simply dial the extension of the manager in Chicago to whom he wishes to speak and they are connected. No call had to be placed, no secretary had to pick up or transfer the call – it was all done as an interoffice page.

The same holds true with transferring calls and conferencing in additional people who need to consult on what is being discussed. An example is that a call comes into the Chicago office but the person actually needs to talk to someone in the Milwaukee office. Rather than having that customer hang up and call the other office, Chicago can just transfer the call to Milwaukee with no disruption to the call. It makes the flow of business very smooth and seamless. Another example is now that the caller is talking to the right person in the Milwaukee office, they need to ask some questions of someone in the Chicago office. The person in the Chicago office can easily be conferenced in to the call so everyone who needs to be in on the conversation is there and contributing.

Having this tool makes life easier for everyone – especially your customers. Just think of how frustrated you get when you call to try and get something taken care of and you are told to hang up and call this other number for another department. It is frustrating and in this day and age, totally unnecessary for businesses to have to function that way. Transparency is a tool for not only making your life easier as an employee, but makes life easier for the people you need to survive in business… Your customers. That is really the key to the whole thing - giving your customers the easiest solution to communicating with the people they need to reach in your company. It will make your business much more productive and your customers happy that they don’t get the runaround when just trying to get things accomplished.

Understanding Your Phone Bills

2010-05-17T11:54:00.004-05:00

It seems that these days, service providers make our bills as confusing as possible so we won’t keep a close watch on what we are being charged and why. It is very true that a lot of people look at their phone bill, get frustrated with the way it is laid out, and give up on trying to figure out what all of those charges are. This is how people end up with third party billing charges and unnecessary service charges for insurance among other things.

The best way to stay on top of your phone bills whether they are your own personal bills or the ones at work is to occasionally call your service provider and talk to them. It is hard to get through and frustrating to spend what feels like a month on hold every time you call, but it is well worth the time it takes when you see your bill not getting out of control. I will usually call from work when I need to talk to a service provider because I know it will be a quick conversation to just touch base with them and I can put the call on speakerphone while I am on hold so I can do something else while I wait.

Once I (finally) get a real, live person on the phone, I will ask them any questions I have about my bill and make sure that I am getting the lowest rate for my service plan. Surprisingly, if you haven’t spoken to them in a while, usually the person will tell you right away where savings are available without you even having to ask. Taking the time to call and speak to a person at the phone company will give you the chance to make sure that you know what you are actually getting charged and what those charges are for.

Some phone companies will try to sell insurance on your cabling in your building which is generally pretty unnecessary. If you feel better knowing you have it, go ahead and pay for it, but it won’t help you if you have a problem – the phone company will send someone out who will tell you there is a problem and leave without doing anything to fix it. Then, there is the third party billing. You can generally tell when this is taking place because you will be looking through your bills and suddenly the logo at the top of the page will change. That is because all of the charges on that page are coming from a third party and really have nothing to do with your service. These are easy enough to cancel and usually you can even get a refund for the entire time you were being charged for that bogus service. Just hang onto those bills so you can prove when it actually started.

If you are willing to invest some of your valuable time into making sure you look over your service provider bills carefully each month, you can save a lot of money in the long run. It is very important to let your service provider know that you would like slamming insurance and protection against third party billing. These are free account guards that will protect you from getting charged for bogus services that do nothing for you. You also need to make sure that your service provider knows that you look carefully at your bills and that you will call them about anything that looks different or strange. Quite often, the tactic is to call later in the afternoon or evening to catch a part time employee who doesn’t know any better and get them to authorize adding unnecessary service to your account.

If you are smart and proactive about your service provider bills, you can have great success in saving money and time both at home and at work, so make that call and start saving!

Phones Plus :: RSVP

2010-05-11T09:40:00.000-05:00

Phones Plus :: RSVP

Here is a link for you to sign up for our SIP trunking lunch and learn. Sign up soon - space is limited and this is going to fill up fast! Hope to see you there!

How emergency mailboxes can increase productivity while saving money

2010-05-10T11:53:00.002-05:00

Many businesses today are worried about how their customers or patients are going to reach them after normal business hours in case of an emergency. Many times the solution ends up being the sleepy, detached voice of a nighttime answering service or receptionist. The problem is that they are not a part of the day to day activities in your office – that nighttime answering service has no idea that customer A has been experiencing problems all day and needs to be handled delicately to avoid further frustration. In letting someone so detached from what goes on in the office all day be the voice of your business at night, you are potentially opening yourself up to a host of issues.

The solution to all of this is using a feature already built into several voicemail systems. Emergency mailboxes put your customer/patient in rapid contact with someone who knows what is going on with them and is aware of what they are looking for. They also allow the employee to hear the tone of the customer’s voice so they know if this is a serious issue that they had better have some solutions for, or if it is a simple question. The advantages of this direct contact are immeasurable because employees get direct contact with customers even after hours and customers feel comforted to know that they are reaching someone who knows them and their situation.

The sequence of the emergency mailbox function is as follows… A customer calls your main office number at night and selects the emergency mailbox prompt from the auto attendant. The customer is either given a directory of mailboxes or leaves a message in the general emergency mailbox. From the point that the customer hangs up after leaving the voicemail the mailbox will call the person assigned to that mailbox at a designated number and let them know that they have a message waiting. Now the employee can either listen to the message via a keystroke on their cellular phone or they can call the office to listen to the message. Now the employee knows how urgent the situation is and can deal with it accordingly. If the employee would not listen to the message, the mailbox could be set to hunt to another designated number until someone listens to the message or repeat call the same employee until that person listens to the message.

As you can see, this is a very effective tool to help your customers reach the correct person to deal with the issue when they need help, even if it is a night. The system ensures that someone is going to hear the message as quickly as possible and that the customer gets to be the one delivering the message. This will eliminate the need for a night receptionist or a costly answering service to try to handle your very important customer’s needs.

SIP Trunking Lunch and Learn

2010-05-06T11:04:00.000-05:00

Phones Plus, Inc. is hosting another lunch and learn on the topic of SIP Trunking. The event is going to take place on Thursday, June 10th at the Doubletree Hotel in Brookfield from 11:45am to 1:00pm. We have 3 delicious lunch options - A french dip sandwich with fries, a cobb salad with a dinner roll or a grilled chicken caprese sandwich with fries.
Keep an eye on our website because the sign up form should be up there within the next couple of days. We look forward to seeing you there! Our last lunch and learn on this topic was an amazing success and very informative for a lot of people.

Have a great weekend all.

FreedomVOICE® and Phones Plus, Inc. Announce Strategic Partnership

2010-05-04T10:32:00.000-05:00

Companies Join Forces to Raise Awareness for the FreedomIQ Hosted VoIP PBX

NEW BERLIN, WI - April 29, 2010 – FreedomVOICE®, creators of the industry leading FreedomIQ® Hosted VoIP PBX, and Phones Plus, Inc., today announced the formation of a strategic partnership. The companies have aligned in order to distribute and promote the popular FreedomIQ Hosted VoIP PBX.

“We couldn’t be happier with the new partnership,” said Eric Thomas, CEO of FreedomVOICE. Phones Plus, Inc. understands the true value of the FreedomIQ Hosted VoIP PBX. They’ve demonstrated that they are a qualified, mature company and we are looking forward to working with them.”

As a unified communications provider, Phones Plus, Inc. has many years of experience and has built a solid reputation as the region’s leading technology organization. Now an authorized dealer for the FreedomIQ product, Phones Plus, Inc. will be responsible for business development and representing FreedomIQ in the community.

“We’ve been interested in the FreedomIQ hosted VoIP PBX since day one,” says Mr. Thomas Sodemann, Vice President of Phones Plus, Inc.. “Hosted VoIP phone systems are being adopted by business owners at an increasing rate, and FreedomIQ is a top product option for this segment.”

With powerful features designed to serve entrepreneurs and enterprises alike, FreedomIQ offers industry leading call quality, impressive cost savings, valuable disaster recovery tools, and has become priceless to telecommuters and remote workers.

FreedomIQ was named by Unified Communications magazine as a recipient of the 2008 Product of the Year Award and by TMC’s Communications Solutions as the 2007 Communications Solutions Product of the Year.

Find out more about the FreedomIQ Hosted VoIP PBX by visiting www.freedomiq.com or by calling (262) 784-2311.

ABOUT PHONES PLUS, INC.

Since 1981, Phones Plus has committed to establishing lasting business relationships with our clients. Phones Plus offers innovative voice, video, and data networking solutions that increase our clients’ profitability and gives them a competitive advantage in their marketplace.

Phones Plus recognizes the critical need for a communications company that combines leading technology with top-quality service and support.

Our mission is to provide exceptional value through managed services that eliminate technological obsolescence, ensure a fixed cost for our business partners, and maximize the profits, productivity, image, and competitive advantage of those partners. Highly trained and motivated professionals give you measurable results.

ABOUT FREEDOMVOICE

Founded in 1996, FreedomVOICE® develops and markets FreedomIQ®, a hosted VoIP PBX service allowing businesses and professional offices to interact more effectively with their customers, clients, patients and associates. FreedomVOICE® also offers a comprehensive slate of integrated virtual office solutions, enabling business owners to enhance company image, communicate seamlessly with customers, track marketing effectiveness, and increase profitability.

Something I learned today...

2010-03-25T11:46:00.000-05:00

So today, we went out on an appointment and I discovered something interesting about AT&T. They allow charges to be put onto your phone bill that are totally bogus. It is like the spam in your e-mail inbox... Except that you have to pay for it. A word to the wise, check your bill closely for charges that don't make sense and if there is anything there, call the number and get them dropped asap. No reasaon to pay for something totally useless, is there?

Learning all kinds of things

2010-03-18T15:29:00.000-05:00

I don't know if anyone noticed the cool sharing widget added to our blog just a few minutes ago (I don't think anyone knows about the blog yet, but my guess is that it hasn't been noticed yet)... I was directed to the coolest site for making sharing via social networking sites so much more accessible. It is called addthis.com and I highly recommend it to people who are working toward utilizing somial media to it's fullest. This is a great tool and I wanted to let our friends and fellow bloggers know that it is out there and it is a free service.

Getting Started on Utilizing Social Media Tools

2010-03-18T11:08:00.001-05:00

Here we go! Entering into a new time where social media is going to become a more prominent part of our business to help us share more easily and seamlessly with existing customers and future prospects. Today finds us with a new Linkedin business page, a Twitter account and hopefully (if the confirmation e-mail ever shows up) a Facebook page as well.
This is the result of a lot of good intentions to start using social media for a while. Everyone seemed too busy to actually devote the time to getting it all started for real, so when I attended a seminar about how to best use social media I decided the time had come. This is going to be an interesting journey and I look forward to not only a creative outlet, but to hopefully putting a lot of very technical stuff into terms that even I can understand!
Thanks for your interest in our blog and I promise that we will be posting as often as possible with upcoming events, news, and anything you need to know about innovations in telephony. We also very much look forward to getting some feedback, so please comment and let us know of anything you would like to hear about or have questions on.
Thank you and we will see you here again soon!