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GDPR Compliance: Everything You Should Know

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#316138756 ID#27446420

Are you a company or enterprise doing business with an EU-related organization or client? If so, the GDPR compliance is something you need to be aware of. The EU brought a new regulation into effect on May 25, 2018, which imposes obligations on all organizations targeting and collecting data of people in the EU. And aspects of this regulation affect businesses’ data processing abilities as well as storing personal data, call recording, etc.

What is GDPR Compliance?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the strictest privacy and security law in the world. Advancements in technology and the invention of the internet have paved a new way for invaders and hackers to gain personal data. And this has brought light to the need for modern protection. In this day and age, individuals are more trusting of the internet and cloud services and are often sharing personal and sensitive information in places where they can be abused.

The GDPR regulation provides a strong stance on data privacy and security. Any company not paying attention to GDPR’s laws and in accordance with GDPR compliance can suffer harsh fines and penalties. However, because of its length and depth, it can be an overwhelming prospect to understand and follow, especially for small businesses.

Important GDRP Principles

If you are a company processing customer data on the daily, then GDPR compliance is a requirement for your business. Here are the seven principles that serve the protection of data as well as accountability:

  1. Lawfulness, fairness, transparency ‒ Process personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in relation to the data subject
  2. Purpose limitation ‒ Process and collect data for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes and not a manner incompatible with those purposes
  3. Data minimization ‒ Collect data that is adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary to be processed
  4. Accuracy ‒ Keep accurate and up to date information. Inaccurate data should be erased or corrected without delay
  5. Storage limitation ‒ Store for no longer than necessary unless stored for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical, or statistical purposes.
  6. Integrity and confidentiality ‒ Process in a way that ensures the security of personal data and protection of unlawful or unauthorized processing
  7. Accountability ‒ Controller should be responsible for and demonstrate compliance with all of the above

Call Recording and GDPR Compliance

These principles ensure that enterprises requiring data processing and retention follow GDPR compliance. Not many realize that call recording is one means to collect and store customer data. Call recording can serve as a highly resourceful tool to improve a business’ communication and customer interaction. With the ability to reference old calls, mistakes, and achievements, companies can use recordings to improve how they interact with their clients. Recording business calls is a form of data processing because these calls often contain the exchange and sharing of personal data.

GDPR compliance for call recording outlines when a recording may occur and how it should be treated. Tacit consent is not sufficient. Instead, individuals must agree and provide consent to have their call recorded. This consent should be clear, specific, and unambiguous. To justify their need to record calls, one of the below conditions should be fulfilled:

  • Individuals participating in the call have given consent — verbal acceptance during the call, consent after receiving a message, or consent as part of a customer agreement — to be recorded
  • Recording the conversation is necessary to fulfill a contract
  • Call recording is in the public interest
  • Recording the call is required to fulfill a legal obligation
  • Call recording is necessary to protect one or more participants
  • Recording conversations are in the recorder’s interest unless those interests are less important than the interests of all participants of the call

However, besides following these conditions and receiving appropriate consent to record, businesses also need to arrange and store their files in a way that is easily accessible. They should be able to recall audio files as requested and delete personal data upon request. Your company should follow these regulations to be GDPR compliant and avoid heavy fines.

Record Calls With United World Telecom

Now that you know what GDPR compliance entails, it is time to reconsider how and when you need to record calls with customers and clients. Contact us today at 1 (877) 898 8646 to find out how you can get call recording for your business.

MiFID II Definition, Regulations, and Requirements

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#267892186 ID#27446420

Want to know if the MiFID II regulation affects your business? MiFID II is legislation impacting the financial services industry with an attempt to increase transparency and reduce harmful financial practices. Let’s look at the communication regulations under MiFID II.

What is MiFID II?

The Market in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II) is a European Union legislation that came into force in 2018. This legislation builds on MiFID I and focuses on preventing breaches and abusive trading or financial services. It regulates firms offering financial services to customers like interdealer brokers, investment managers, venture capitalists, stockbrokers, Independent Financial Advisors (IFA), etc. And similar to the Dodd-Frank Act, a major part of this legislation is the requirement for financial institutions to conduct mobile and voice recording.

How Does MiFID II Affect Financial Services Companies in the EU

MiFID II dictates that certain telephone conversations and electronic communications must be recorded by firms. According to the MiFID II policy statement from Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), firms must record correspondences that “result in transactions concluded when dealing on own account and the provision of client order services that relate to the reception, transmission, and execution of client orders.” In addition to this, certain correspondences relating to firms offering corporate finance services may fall within recording requirements. Other types of communication that might fall under the MiFID II requirements include those between:

  • A bank and selling shareholder or bank and buyers relating to the purchase of a block of securities by the bank and the resale of securities.
  • A bank and its corporate client and bank and sellers related to the purchase of securities in “buy-back” transactions.
  • A bank and buyers regarding re-selling shares purchased by an underwriting bank.
  • A bank and its clients and the bank and a third-party seller or broker regarding the purchase of securities as part of stakebuilding.

MiFID II Call Recording Regulations

If you are a financial services company, it is highly recommended to comply with the regulations and requirements of MiFID II. However, traditional recording technology, as well as recording and storing all calls, can be expensive.

Fortunately, cloud-based solutions make call recording and storing processes easier. For many companies, MiFID II provides a good reason to switch to a cloud-based communication platform. One of the benefits of a virtual communication system is the ability to record calls and access them for future use. Additionally, having the ability to record communication over different channels and devices is exceptionally convenient.

With a virtual telecom services provider like United World Telecom, you can choose to record 100% of your calls. These calls are stored as MP3 files for later use. Additionally, you can get the feature with your virtual business number and so, you don’t need to purchase any additional equipment to record calls.

Other Call Recording Requirements

Call recording is often used to reduce business and personal liability and to record important transactions and maintain compliance. Besides recording your calls to comply with MiFID II, you can also use recordings to improve business-customer interactions. For example, you can review recorded calls for quality assurance by referring to them during training and performance analysis. Teach and train your employees to meet your company’s standards. Reward good customer service practices and highlight interactions that need improvements. Some advantages of call recording:

  • Improve staff performance
  • Receive customer feedback
  • Monitor marketing campaigns and ROI
  • Find and recover missed opportunities
  • Gather sales training material and more.

Record Calls with United World Telecom

United World Telecom’s Call Recording feature will provide you a safe space to record and store both incoming and outgoing calls. Record calls and store MP3 files that are easily accessible. Sign up for a business number or transfer your existing number to us and get this feature today.

Purchase Mauritius Toll Free Numbers, Available Now!

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#38345705 ID#27446420

Want to take your business to the island nation of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean? With Mauritius toll free numbers, you can now connect with significant businesses, contacts, and customers here and grow your business.

Mauritius Toll Free Numbers

In order to expand and grow a business, it is important to take steps towards gaining new and loyal clients and driving up sales. To do this, you need to have a good business plan and effective marketing strategies. But you also must consider ways of improving your existing customer base. And you need to provide reliable methods for customers to contact you. Think: which new markets and demographics can you target? And how can you provide easy communication channels that won’t increase expenses on your end or your callers’? Toll free numbers can help with that.

Can a Toll Free Number Help Your Business?

Mauritius toll free numbers open a new way to interact with contacts and consumers in Mauritius at inexpensive rates. Customers are not charged for calling a business with a toll free number, which incentivizes them to call. And furthermore, you can take advantage of other features that come with virtual phone numbers. These features help establish your business as a professional one that cares for its customers. For example, some of the features that United World Telecom offers include the following:

  • Call Transfer: Transfer calls with a pre-programmed digit sequence arranged by the account owner.
  • Customized Greeting: Create greetings for incoming callers to let them know about your business.
  • Advanced Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and Extensions: Design an automated greeting system that receives incoming calls. It can also direct callers to the right department through a menu.
  • Dedicated Account Managers: To ensure the service runs smoothly without any complications.
  • Fax to Email: Receive and forward faxes to your email.
  • Simultaneous Calling: This enables incoming calls to simultaneously ring on multiple phones, making sure no call goes missed.

Mauritius Business Scene

Mauritius is a country and island nation located in the Indian Ocean about 1,200 miles from the southeast coast of the African continent. Islands of Rodrigues, Mauritius, Agaléga and St. Brandon come under this country. Mauritius’ population is ethnically, religiously, and culturally diverse. And being a welfare state, it offers free universal healthcare and free education.

More importantly, this island boasts an innovation- and knowledge-driven economy. The most popular and successful industries in the country are information technology, telecommunications, healthcare, tourism, renewable energy, and hospitality. In fact, it has a strong reputation as an International Finance Centre with the presence of international corporate services, law firms, banks, and global investment. All of this makes this island an ideal location for foreign investment and business.

How to Get a Toll Free Number for Mauritius?

Purchasing a toll free number with United World Telecom is easy. Follow these steps to get Mauritius toll free numbers:

Step #1: Select “Toll Free Numbers” on the order menu on the United World Telecom homepage.

Step #2: Under “Select Your New Phone Number,” select “Mauritius (+230).” Then, select “Toll Free (mobile accessible)” for your Mauritius toll free number.

Step #3: Pick a number from the options available. Or, transfer your existing number.

Step #4: Enter a destination phone number to direct the calls under the “Forward Incoming Calls To” on the right.

Step #5: Review and select a plan ideal for your business purposes.

Step #6: Choose from a variety of add-ons available for your specific number. You can choose “Outbound Calling” to make international calls with caller ID override or “Call Recording” to record 100% of incoming and outgoing calls.

Step #7: Choose the type of account you want: Business or Personal. Enter the necessary contact and payment information. Then, read and accept the Terms and Conditions and complete your purchase.

Get Mauritius Toll Free Numbers With United World Telecom

Purchase Mauritius toll free numbers from United World Telecom with no set-up fees or contracts. Businesses can even make use of our free trial to test and see how our service can benefit internal and external communications. Improve visibility and reliability by becoming more accessible to your clients and investing in customer care. Sign up or talk to an expert today!

Lebanon Toll Free Numbers Now Available at United World Telecom

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#141240730 ID#27446420

Looking to do business in Lebanon? United World Telecom announces Lebanon toll free numbers to help companies connect with contacts and clients in Lebanon at inexpensive calling rates. See how getting a Lebanon toll free number can benefit your business.

Lebanon Toll Free Numbers

For any enterprise to enter new markets, they must first develop a connection with the country. And one way to do so is through a mode of communication: phone numbers. With Lebanon toll free numbers, companies from across the world can open a channel of communication and make contacts in this new market. Lebanon toll free numbers are an inexpensive way to add Lebanon prospects to your list of clients.

Benefits and Features of Toll Free Numbers

Major corporations and businesses have toll free numbers. This is because toll free numbers charge the receiver instead of the caller, making them free for customers to call. With Lebanon toll free numbers, you provide customers an inexpensive and hassle-free way to reach you. Additionally, it makes it easy for your Lebanon contacts to stay in touch and communicate with you on a regular basis. Toll free numbers usually have a distinct two- or three-digit code at the beginning. Besides being free, callers have the option to call from any telephone device: smartphones, landlines, payphones.

United World Telecom offers virtual toll free numbers that route calls over the internet. This way, all your calls and communications are cloud-based. And these numbers can be connected to whatever line you want. Virtual numbers also come with a set of features that can improve the way customers interact with your business:

Business in Lebanon

Lebanon is a country in Western Asia and is surrounded by Israel, Syria, and Cyprus. Often referred to as the “Paris of the Middle East,” Lebanon has been attracting businesses and tourists for quite some time. It is situated in a strategic location at the center of the Middle East and the crossroads of the major continents Africa, Asia, and Europe. Because of this location and access to neighboring countries and economies, Lebanon has many diverse investment opportunities.

How to Get a Toll Free Number for Lebanon?

Step 1: Go to the United World Telecom homepage
On the homepage, using the drop-down menu, select “Toll Free Numbers.”

Step 2: Select your new phone number
Under “Select Your New Phone Number,” select the country “Lebanon (+961).” Then, from the options available, select “Toll Free” for your Lebanon toll free number type.

Step 3: Choose your number or port your existing number
Then, choose a number from the options available. You can also choose to port or transfer your existing number.

Step 4: Provide a destination phone number
Next, provide a destination phone number under the “Forward Incoming Calls To” on the right-hand side. This can be your home or office phone.

Step 5: Select your plan
Review the plans to see which is best suited for your business needs. Select whether you want a free business trial or you can go ahead and pay for a subscription plan.

Step 6: Select optional features
Below the payment plans, choose from a variety of add-ons available for your number, such as Call Recording, Outbound Calling, etc.

Step 7: Enter contact, account, and payment information
Choose account type: Business or Personal. Then, read and accept the Terms and Conditions and complete your purchase.

Get Lebanon Toll Free Numbers With United World Telecom

Corporations, call centers, and customer service companies seek toll free numbers because of their affordability and reach. If you want to boost your incoming call volume as well as tap into the Lebanon economy, consider getting a Lebanon toll free number. Call us at 1 (877) 898 8646 or sign up on our homepage and activate your new number today!

United World Telecom Releases Morocco Toll Free Numbers

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#54590431 ID#27446420

United World Telecom now offers Morocco toll free numbers to businesses with customers in this North African country. This is a good opportunity for corporations that want to enter the Moroccan market and make new contacts without incurring international calling charges.

Morocco Toll Free Numbers

In this day and age, if you are not making the most of globalization and technology to grow your business, you will be left behind. Every company should attempt global expansion. And one way to expand without relocating or worrying about extra costs is by developing strong communication channels with new markets. With Morocco toll free numbers, companies can add Moroccan clients and prospects to their customer base.

Why Get a Toll Free Number For Your Business

Morocco toll free numbers will provide your Moroccan contacts an inexpensive way to get in touch with you. Toll free numbers are virtual numbers that charge the receiver instead of the caller. Giving your clients a free way to contact you shows initiative and concern for customer care. These clients are more likely to reach out to do business with you. Toll free numbers can build trust and reliability because they make you accessible, even if you are not in that specific area. And so, you can participate in Moroccan trade without having to move to the country physically.

Business in Morocco

Morocco is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa and is officially known as the Kingdom of Morocco. To its north and west are the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, respectively. Morocco shares its east border with Algeria and south border with the Western Sahara. Rabat is the capital of Morocco and the largest city is Casablanca. The population is a blend of different cultures and influences such as Arab, Sephardi Jews, Spanish, West African, and Berber.

Recently, Morocco has put in significant resources for large investments in sectors that are prime for growth and increased productivity. These sectors include electronics, aerospace, the automotive industry, renewable energy, and more, and have successfully attracted foreign investment. Mining, manufacturing, and construction are also popular sectors in this country.

How to Get a Toll Free Number for Morocco?

Getting and setting up a toll free number with United World Telecom is easy. Follow these steps to get Morocco toll free numbers:

Step 1: Select “Toll Free Numbers” on the United World Telecom homepage.

Step 2: Under “Select Your New Phone Number,” select the country “Morocco (+212).” Then, from “Please select a number type,” select “Toll Free (mobile accessible)” for your Morocco toll free number.

Step 3: Next, pick a number from the options available. Or, port or transfer your existing number.

Step 4: Enter a destination phone number, where you want to direct the calls, under the “Forward Incoming Calls To” on the right.

Step 5: Review the plans to see which is ideal for your business.

Step 6: Choose from a variety of add-ons available for your number below the payment plans. Consider adding “Outbound Calling” with the caller ID of numbers you purchased or “Call Recording” to record 100% of incoming and outgoing calls.

Step 7: Choose the type of account you want: Business or Personal. Enter contact and payment information. Then, read and accept the Terms and Conditions and complete your purchase.

Get Morocco Toll Free Numbers With United World Telecom

Toll free numbers provide a convenient way for prospective clients and customers to reach a company. And the easier you make it for them, the more they will appreciate doing business with you. If you plan to move your business to Morocco, getting a toll free number will prove useful in maintaining contacts. Sign up with United World Telecom today or call us at 1 (877) 898 8646 to learn more about how we can help you expand your business.

Dodd-Frank Act: Information for Call Recording Compliance

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#67426687 ID#27446420

The financial services industry has heard the name Dodd-Frank bounced around a lot. However, not many understand what the Dodd-Frank Act actually is and how it particularly impacts business communications. If you run a finance company, this information is essential to the legal and appropriate functioning of your business.

Dodd-Frank Act: What is it?

In 2010, the then President, Obama signed a comprehensive set of financial restrictions and regulations into federal law. Called the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, this Act evolved as a direct response to the Financial Crisis of 2007 when many big names collapsed due to significant financial landslides. The Act, therefore, works towards encouraging financial stability and avoiding another financial crisis. And it does so through a series of measures:

  • Increasing transparency
  • Ending the “too big to fail” attitude
  • Protecting consumers from problematic financial advice
  • Protecting taxpayers by ending bailouts.

Interestingly, the Act’s rules and implications work quite similarly to the MiFID II Act announced by the European Union in 2018. The Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) was initiated in 2004. MiFID II, the latest version, aims to strengthen investor protection and make financial markets more transparent and efficient. And the Dodd-Frank Act works towards the same goal.

Call Recording Compliance Under the Dodd-Frank Act

For this extensive list, regulations relating to voice recording are the most important and most difficult rules to adhere to. The motive behind the Act’s voice recording regulations is to encourage record-keeping and increase accountability and transparency. And these regulations apply to almost every organization within the financial services industry. Key call recording requirements state that:

  • Communications regarding trade information must be recorded across all channels: telephone, voicemail, text messages, email, etc.
  • Records must be organized efficiently for easy searching.
  • Files must be stored for the duration of the transaction and for up to five years after.
  • Records must be time stamped.

Swaps and Call Recording

Additionally, this Act legislates and regulates the monitoring of the swaps marketplace. Now, what are swaps? A swap is a derivative contract or future, involving the exchange of liabilities or cash flows between two financial institutions. Such contracts usually occur over the phone and have so far been unregulated. In 2012, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) required future brokers to record phone conversations. And so, the Dodd-Frank Act aims to bring transparency to these financial transactions. Firms receiving more than $5 million through swap or futures must store the information for five years, even after the termination of the swap. Furthermore, these records must be accessible and tagged for easy search.

Call Recording Compliance

Whether your business falls under financial services or not, it is a good idea to comply with the regulations of this Act. However, it is difficult to determine which calls are going to lead to a transaction. So, how do you decide which calls to record or not? One solution is to record all calls. But the cost of recording calls and storing them can be expensive. This is because traditional call recording technology works with hardware. And that can generate higher costs as well as limited access to data. Additionally, you will need storage space upgrades.

Fortunately, cloud-based solutions exist to make call recording and storing processes easier. By choosing a virtual provider, like United World Telecom, you can set 100% of your calls to be recorded. And then access them with ease without needing to store them “physically.” You can get call recording with your virtual business number, which eliminates the need for equipment costs, etc.

Closing: Get Call Recording with United World Telecom

You can take advantage of our Call Recording feature to record and store incoming and outgoing calls. Stored as MP3 files, you may access these recordings easily, as they are accessible through our control panel. Sign up for a business number today or call us to find out more.

Pay Per Call Marketing: 12 Tips For Success

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#52256289ID#27446420

If you’re not using digital marketing to promote your business, it is safe to say that you’re making a big mistake. There are a variety of ways to build brand awareness and let your customers find your business online. Pay per call marketing is one of them. Discover how you can create a strong pay per call strategy and increase sales.

What is Pay Per Call Marketing?

Pay per call marketing is similar to pay per click (PPC) advertising. With PPC, your ads get placed in search results and you pay only for the ads that visitors click on. In the case of pay per call, ads are placed with the option to call a company. And so, when a customer clicks on the ad, they place a call for the service or product. This way, companies pay for calls made through call ads. The goal of such marketing is to connect with customers quickly over the phone.

With this strategy, businesses can increase their inbound call volume across different channels. This also increases brand visibility and awareness. To make your pay per call advertising successful, you need to consider:

Does your company work on a high incoming call volume?
Will talking to someone make your target customer feel comfortable to make a purchase?
Will your target customer be searching for your business on their smartphone or mobile?

Based on these, you can start to design and develop a strong pay per click strategy to boost sales. Here are more details to focus on.

1) Choose a Platform

The first step to designing a good pay per call strategy is to decide where you want to post ads. Most PPC ads are placed on Google Ads, Facebook, Yahoo, and Bing. And so, the platform you choose is significant to the success of your strategy.

2) Fix a Budget

Be reasonable when budgeting for your marketing needs. You don’t want to overestimate or underestimate your costs. Start with a small budget and then increase it as needed.

3) Bid Well and High

Basically, with pay per call, you bid an amount that you will pay for each call that comes in. The higher the bid the higher your ad appears in search engine results. It is recommended that for every new strategy, you start by bidding high. This will immediately put you on the top. Then once you get a better sense of the market and responses to your ads, you can adjust the bid.

4) Create a Compelling Call-Only Ad

This is extremely crucial as it is your ad copy that will encourage your target clients to click the call button. Call-only ads shown on the search results are not like other items on the search result page. Usually, a search result item has a hyperlinked headline, a brief description of the webpage, and a URL. However, call ads have no headline and no landing page. The headline is your phone number, followed by a brief ad copy. You have a limited space to draw attention, so it needs to get the message across clearly. Something to the effect of: “Need to fix your bathroom tiles today? Call a local home repair shop now.” This copy works best when highly targeted and concise.

5) Find the Right Keywords

Keyword targeting is important across the board. Whether you are working with search engine optimization (SEO) or PPC marketing, keywords are important. Conduct market and keyword research to identify the right ones for your services and ensure that your ads target them.

6) Schedule Ads Smartly

This is important so that someone is always available to answer incoming calls. Schedule your ads during office hours. Or, if you utilize after-hours call center services, then have your ads run around that time. This leads to fewer voicemails and better customer service. Identify peak call times so you can benefit from consumer behavior and preferences. When are consumers looking for services like yours? And so on. Good customer interaction is essential to the successful running of any company.

7) Target Locally

Location targeting is key for local businesses. Get a local phone number from United World Telecom for different areas that you want to target. You can do so by purchasing a virtual number with local area codes. And since virtual numbers route calls over the internet, you or your consumers won’t pay long-distance charges. Additionally, they are more likely to call or answer a local number they are familiar with. And so a local number can boost your incoming call rates. You can then note which geographical areas are responding better to your ads and increase bids for those areas.

8) Calculate Call-Through Rates

So, pay per call works as: a customer searches for a service similar to yours and finds your ad with a phone number in the search results. They then click on the ad and this counts as a click to be charged. However, after clicking on the ad, they are taken to their phone’s dial pad where they have to click on “Call” to make the call. And so, if they change their minds here, the call does not go through. It is, therefore, important to find out how many clicks actually convert to calls. Rethink your strategies if you find a large gap between clicks and converted calls.

9) Retarget Unconverted Calls

Utilize the information found regarding the disparity between clicks and calls and retarget clicks that go abandoned. You do not want a high call abandon rate. Keep track of unconverted calls and encourage them with a retargeting ad offering a discount or other incentive.

10) Track Call Quality

Use call tracking software to keep a record of clicks, calls, and calls that convert to customers. With this information, you can understand consumer behavior patterns and preferences which will help you better target ideal customers. Then, optimize your bids for areas with good responses.

11) Improve Caller Experience

Any business with a high inbound call rate knows that caller experience is a significant factor in gaining clients. Do callers have to go through a series of menus to get their questions answered or resolved? Are calls directed to different locations? A personalized and non-complicated experience is highly preferred and will increase the chances of gaining new customers.

12) Maintain Your Marketing Strategies

Don’t stop or give up on your marketing strategies. Some strategies take longer than others to bear fruit. However, maintaining them and keeping them up to date is required to ensure they lead to success.

Improve Your Incoming Call Rate With Pay Per Call Marketing

Pay per call can effectively put your business on the map and bring it closer to target customers. And so, if you think your company can benefit from this kind of promotion, it may be time to experiment with call ads. With pay per call advertising, you can increase your call rate and convert calls to sales with excellent results!

Marketing Business Cards: Balancing Information and Design

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: Depositphotos.com Lic#169626148 ID#103471204

It’s a beautiful and proud moment when your baby business idea turns into a legitimate company. You filed the paperwork, decided on a name, registered it, set up the website, and now set out to print business cards. But what do you need to know about marketing business cards and how to create the perfect card that reflects you and your business?

Marketing Business Cards: Pay Attention to Design and Content

Contrary to common belief, business cards are still considered important when getting the word out and building contacts. It’s a traditional means of passing down information about your business physically and tangibly. Business cards assist in creating and building your company’s professional image. They make your business seem legitimate and credible. Also, remember, not everyone has a smartphone or easy access to the internet. Here is where sharing information through a business card comes handy.

However, people can go overboard sometimes when marketing business cards. A crowded and shabby card can push customers away instead of enticing them towards your business. So what can you do to design the perfect business card?

Stick to the Basics: Keep Only Necessary Information

Keep your business card simple. Include the name, your name, phone number, email address, and 1-2 important social media links. It may seem like a good idea to mention all your social media accounts and multiple points of contact information in small font sizes, just to have it all there. However, believe us, it is not. Don’t make it harder for potential customers to read and decode content in small fonts. Even the description of the business shouldn’t be longer than a few words. If you have a tagline or slogan, that’s the way to go.

Make it Clear and Legible

You may be tempted to experiment with various fancy fonts to make your card stand out. But overdoing it can backfire. Pick a font, size, and color that is legible and not too loud. And one that is in line with your logo’s font would be a good option, too.

Market Your Contact Information

Most importantly, you want to ensure that they know exactly how to contact you. And so, include your email address and virtual or business phone number on your business cards with your email address. Since this is the way customers are going to interact with you, make the number and email address simple and not too complicated or confusing.

Place Your Logo Strategically

Your logo represents your business and potential clients will associate the logo with your company. So, it is important to place your logo on the card. It shouldn’t be too jarring. Instead, it should create the right impression. You can situate it on the top corners or the center of your card. Either way, make sure it is visible.

Utilize White Space

People often underestimate the power of white space. White space, from a design perspective, draws more attention to spaces including the text and logo. And you want potential clients to focus on these elements. So, avoid making your card too crowded. Allow white space for recipients who’d like to jot information down or make quick notes.

Design Differently for Each Profession

Now, if you’re a freelancer with different skills or have various side or part-time jobs, then you need to create different cards. Don’t advertise all your skills, jobs, qualifications on one small card. Instead, design for different audiences and highlight your skillset accordingly.

Include a Call to Action

Another thing that you may want to consider is encouraging the recipients to do something after receiving your card. You can do this by incorporating a QR code that they can scan to learn more about your company or enter some kind of promotion. Research and use the best QR code generator available in the market to create such codes. Or, you could include a coupon or discount on it as well. Basically, give them incentives to participate in your business.

Add a Link to Reviews

A simple but often overlooked tip when designing your business card is to include a link or QR code that directs prospects to your online customer reviews. This is an excellent way to build social proof and manage your reputation. When prospects see that others have had a positive experience with your business, they’re more likely to trust and reach out to your business. You can use a short, memorable URL that takes users directly to your Google reviews, Yelp page, or another third-party review platform. Even better, if you regularly hand out business cards to satisfied customers (especially after service calls or consultations), you can use this as a subtle yet effective way to request a review.

Don’t Forget The Back!

A lot of people intentionally or unintentionally leave the backside of the business card blank. However, this is a missed opportunity. When marketing business cards, be as creative as you can to support your company. And the back of your business card is one space where you can showcase your talent or quirkiness. For instance, if you are a photographer, you can choose to display one of your best photographs. A content or creative writer, on the other, can display their talent with words. The back should reflect what you do, who you are, and showcase your skills, if applicable.

Check out the following creative routes you can take:

  • Blow up your logo and include a tag line
  • Photographs
  • Creative content
  • Graphics for graphic designers
  • QR codes that recipients can “scan for news and special offers”
  • Social media links
  • Maps or directions to your business
  • Using a professional picture of you
  • Promotions, discounts, coupons to draw attention
  • Loyalty card like a stamp card where they “Buy 9, and get the 10th free”
  • Add a magnet at the back so you can find a spot on their fridge!

Don’t Cheap Out on Marketing for Your Business

Marketing is essential for any business because it is the main way to let target audiences know that your business exists. Furthermore, your product or service is what they need. Putting effort into marketing business cards is a good way to get started. Use the cards to not only spread the word but make contacts and create networks with others in your industry or related fields. Have your name physically attached to your business and watch it grow!

Growing Your Business Online: 10 Reasons Why Your Business Isn’t Expanding

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: Depositphotos.com Lic#169527502 ID#32402753

With the growth of digital commerce, many companies and entrepreneurs are looking to go digital. A lot of consumers are going online not only for their shopping needs but also to research and find quality services. So, growing your business online can help you gain access to a wider audience for your product or service. However, if you are not taking advantage of everything the online world has to offer, then your business probably isn’t reaching its full potential.

Your Business isn’t Growing Online Because . . .

Growing a company online can be difficult and competitive. However, with the right resources, tools, and decisions, it is not an impossible task. Here are 10 reasons why your business isn’t expanding:

1) Are You on the Right Platform?

Choosing the right online platform to situate and promote your website depends on the type of business you have. Consider what elements can boost your image. For example, do you need a platform that highlights visual media or one that highlights content? Writers looking to promote their writing skills won’t find much success on a social media platform like Instagram. Photographers and other visual artists, on the other hand, can use Instagram to showcase their talents and skills. Similarly, for a business providing complicated services, a website producing informative content can be very useful to potential clients. Keeping these in mind, research to identify where your online company belongs and can gain traction.

2) Targeting the Wrong Crowd

It is crucial to identify the right customers for your business. If you are focusing on the wrong crowd, you will be missing valuable sales. Determine your ideal customer and then also consider other potential client profiles. Keep an open mind so that you can target different types of customers and use that to your advantage.

3) Complicated and Slow Web Design

If you’ve gone the website route, then reevaluate your web design. Is there too much happening? Is important content ― like information about services or products offered ― difficult to locate? Or are there many stops between finding a product and the checkout page, allowing customers opportunities to reconsider and drop the item? Is your website slow? These are important questions to consider. Since most users are going to find your website on their phones, you want your website to be mobile-friendly and quick to load.

4) Bad Website Rankings in Search Results

Next, check if you are ranking well in search results. If you are on the second or third page (or further behind), then there’s a good chance that customers are not aware your company exists. And of course, this does not help with growing your business online. Optimizing the website should be a priority. Invest in search engine optimization (SEO) tools that will help you appear higher in search results. Identify relevant keywords for your product and target them in posts. Publish educational and informative content that focuses on your services and the industry in general. This will show users that you have expertise and experience. You can also use an AI SEO content generator to build SEO-optimized articles with focus keywords in bulk

5) Not Providing Multi-channel Communication

Don’t limit communication to just phone or email. Provide your customers with different ways to get in touch with you and interact with your service. Phone and email are the basic means of contact. However, you should also use social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Build your profile on career sites like LinkedIn so that customers can look up your credentials and references. SMS and chat services are growing popular as customers are increasingly choosing text over phone calls. Callback services could be another way to connect with customers. United World Telecom offers a CallMe-Click button for your website. Visitors can click on this button and enter contact information to immediately receive a call from you. Multiple channels give customers more opportunities to interact with your brand.

6) Ignoring the Importance of Email Lists

Email lists are important for growing your business online. Don’t just rely on people coming to your website or social media channel and then making a purchase. Customers need to be nudged with offers, reminders, and more incentives. And email lists is one way to do that. And a personal one too because you can personally respond and interact with them. Use pop-up sign-up forms. Offer “subscribers only” incentives. Make your email easily accessible and shareable.

7) Limiting Your Marketing to One Platform Only

Next, use all these communication platforms to market your services. Consider paid and social media ads. Create email campaigns and send out newsletters updating customers on new products or features, upcoming promotions, membership opportunities, etc. Use these tools to stay on your target customers’ radar and encourage them to use your product or service.

8) Staying Local

Get a virtual number and open an “online office.” Virtual numbers can be local, international, or toll free numbers and United World Telecom offers these numbers in more than 160 countries. This way, you can get local numbers in different states or countries and expand your business there as well. And so, you are not limited to your city or state and can start attracting an international clientele. Local numbers will put your business in local directories. Also, customers recognize local numbers and are more likely to call an area or country code they know.

9) Not Tracking Your Progress

Use tools like Google Analytics to see how much traffic your website or social media is getting. These tools will show you how many users are visiting your site and where they are coming from. This way, you can identify which strategies are working and drawing more customers. You can use this information to improve other platforms or update your marketing strategy.

10) Not Considering Pay-Per-Click Advertising

Another way to grow your business online is by executing pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. Pay-per-click ads are sponsored ads on the top of a search result. These ads charge you only when someone clicks on the sponsored ad. You can easily run PPC campaigns on a small budget through Google Adwords or Facebook Ads. You can also insert your phone number in the ad, making it easier for customers to call you from search results.

Learn and Improve

With these tips in mind, start growing your business online by fixing current mistakes and opening new channels of interaction. As they say, change is the only constant, and the digital world is constantly changing. And so, you have to keep up with the demands of the digital world. Stay up to date, improve, adapt, and soar higher!

Looking for more information about virtual phone numbers and how they can boost your online business’ growth? Contact United World Telecom at 1-(877)-898-8646 or sign up for a number today!

Who Are The World’s Largest Tech Companies?

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

June 8, 2019 Mountain View / CA / USA - Googleplex map and office building at the campus in Silicon Valley; The "double o's" of the logo are decorated in rainbow colors in honor of LGBTQ Rights

This decade has seen a gradual rise in tech companies across the board. From new phone models to social media to smart homes. The largest tech companies have changed our lives at home, at work, and at play. In every aspect, tech is making processes more convenient, effective, and fun.

Top 2021 Largest Tech Companies

Most of the companies on the list below have been in action for quite some time and have been gradually expanding. They are common names and their services are known and used by many, even if people don’t realize it. So, who are some of the largest tech companies of 2021?

Alphabet / Google

Country: United States
Business Type: The leading search engine. Side projects: innovative tech developer Google X, smart home projects Home and Nest, phones, and life-extension company Calico.

An obvious contender, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has been strategically growing over the past several years and is one of the largest tech companies expanding its coverage. Google started as a search engine and now has grown into much more, dipping its toes in home security, smart home tech, phones and network coverage, and biotech with Calico. And Google has even greater plans for growth and expansion.

Apple

Country: United States
Business Type: Phone/ technology company

Apple, founded in 1976, now has over 115,000 employees and more than 468 stores in 17 countries. Also one of the largest tech companies in the world, Apple has an annual revenue of $29.2 billion approximately. Apple offers phones, iPads, iPods, its music streaming service, Apple TV, Macbooks, and more. And its products and services are preferred by many across different age groups.

Samsung

Country: South Korea
Business Type: Electronics, electric appliances, and phone company

Samsung was founded in South Korea in 1969. And it has grown to be one of the largest tech companies offering reliable electronics, phones, and electric appliances used the world over. The company has over 319,000 employees in about 80 countries and an estimated annual revenue of $211.9 billion.

Microsoft

Country: United States
Business Type: Software/tech

Founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975, Microsoft began by inventing computers and then expanding to more tech-related services. Microsoft, an American multinational tech company, now develops, manufactures, and produces computer software, PCs, and electronics. The company offers operating systems, its office software suite and tools, and cloud computing solutions. And, Microsoft products are used by businesses and individuals worldwide for basic to advanced purposes. All of this makes Microsoft one of the largest and most valuable tech companies.

Facebook

Country: United States
Business Type: Social media platform

Facebook, founded in 2004, still is one of the highest-ranking social media platforms. Originally developed as a social networking site, the company has grown to do more. It is now also one of the biggest advertising platforms and is used for marketing efforts. Facebook has purchased over 70 companies including WhatsApp, which was one of its biggest purchases. And it has done all of this in only 15 years of existence, making it one of the top tech companies in the last two decades.

Amazon

Country: United States
Business Type: E-commerce giant

Everybody knows and uses Amazon’s services across the world. Amazon started as an online bookstore and has grown to become much more. Since it was founded in 1994, Amazon has continuously been making it easier for users to gain access to products and services from anywhere in the world at reasonable prices and with quick deliveries. Now, Amazon plans to utilize automation to make its service quicker and more efficient. The e-commerce giant hopes to achieve this by using robots in its manufacturing and packaging plants and by using drones for delivery.

Tencent Holdings Limited

Country: China
Business Type: Tech products and internet-related services

Founded in 1998, Tencent specializes in internet-related products and services, AI, and entertainment tech. It is also the world’s largest gaming company as well as social media company. And the company’s services include mobile and online games, e-commerce, social networking, music, smartphones, and more. Tencent has more than 700 million active users and 120 million subscribers, making it one of Asia’s most valuable tech companies.

Intel

Country: United States
Business Type: Microprocessor, semiconductor manufacturing company

Intel was founded in 1968 however, it did not become a part of primary business till the development of personal computers in 1981. Then when Intel’s stock price rose dramatically in the 1990s, the company grew tremendously. And now Intel’s products have become an essential component of PCs and laptops used by millions. More recently, Intel has been entering the artificial intelligence (AI) market.

Hon Hai Precision / Foxconn Tech Group

Country: Taiwan
Business Type: Multinational electronics manufacturer

Hon Hai Precision Industry was founded by Terry Gou in 1974. The company’s original trade name was Foxconn. It currently employees more than 1.3 million individuals. Hon Hai Precision manufactures and produces electronic products and components for other companies. Popular clients served by Foxconn are Blackberry, Nintendo 3DS, Xbox One, iPhones, iPads, iPods, and Playstation 3 and 4.

Largest Tech Companies: 2021 Forecast

The question remains, will these remain the largest tech companies in the new decade? Many of these companies have enjoyed their time in the sun for the past few years consistently. However, tech companies like IBM, Oracle, and so on are slowly making their way to the top. Let’s see what the new year and decade has in store for our favorite tech giants.

Virtual Answering Service: How To Start Your Own

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: Depositphotos.com Lic#169432052 ID#76342417

Every business needs to maintain good relationships with its customers. And one way to do this is through customer service — by having someone personable to interact with your clients and resolve their issues. Whether it is to simply direct calls to different departments, answer simple questions about the company, or assist with complex tech support, customer care is necessary. A virtual answering service is a new way to engage with a company’s prospects. And businesses, especially small ones, are looking for answering services that can take some of the burdens off of them. So, is a virtual answering system something you can start on your own, and from the comfort of your home? Yes!

A Virtual Answering Service: The New Trend in Customer Care

Many small businesses are unable to hire someone to answer company calls 24/7. These companies, therefore, choose to outsource their office calls to a call center or an answering service that can do the job for them. With someone else handling customer calls, businesses can focus on other areas that require more immediate attention.

Now, starting your own answering service is easy. However, it is even easier when you consider going digital with it. A virtual answering service lets you create an online office with remote employees and cloud communication tools like cloud numbers. Let’s have a look at the different steps required when starting your own home-based answering service.

1) Create a Business Plan

The first step to starting any company or enterprise is to create a business plan outlining goals and market projections. This plan will take into account market research, ideal customer profiles, budget and expenses, and a plan of action. You may want to include potential investors you’d like or how many employees you want to hire, and so on.

2) Open a Business Bank Account and Start Budgeting

Once you have a business plan ready to go, you can reach out to investors for funds or start funding yourself. Either way, you would need to open a business bank account and start planning your budget. Think about how much you want to spend on employees, phone bills, equipment, and so on. This will later help you determine how much you should charge for your service.

3) Register the Business

To ensure potential customers take your company seriously, you need to take it seriously first. This means legitimizing your enterprise by registering it with the secretary of state or county clerk. Obtain a tax identification number and an employer identification number (EIN). These aside, make sure you get the necessary licenses and permits for your location.

4) Purchase Necessary Equipment

This is a necessary step because to properly run a virtual answering service, you need the right equipment and software. The best part about starting a digital answering service is that you are not limited to traditional phone lines. That means that you do not have to spend funds on getting several phone lines that connect to your public telephone network (PTSN). Instead, you can set up a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phone system. This allows you to work with multiple cloud phone numbers that run through the internet and, therefore, just one traditional line. Calls made to virtual numbers can be answered anywhere in the world and on any device, which makes them an ideal fit for a remote answering business. This aside, research and purchase a call management software that works best for your needs.

5) Hire Remote Employees

If necessary and depending on the scope of your company, you can choose to hire a few remote employees to share the workload. This can also be done after your business starts growing.

6) Decide Your Service’s Rates

Based on the expenses incurred, plan out how to price your services so that you make a profit. Rates would depend on the number of hours you work out with your clients. You can charge various prices for standard work hours and additional for after-hours. Similarly, provide different packages with additional features or incentives. And if you extend your services to include other virtual office duties, you can increase your monthly income.

7) Market and Network

Once you have everything set up and ready to go, start promoting your service everywhere. Optimize your website by making it informational and educational. Then, utilize social media to get the word out. Market your website, your services, and everything you have to offer. Advertise your virtual number on billboards, business cards, and more. Also, consider email marketing and paid ads as ways to stay on your target clients’ screens. Build your professional profile and engage in networking on career sites. Look for job opportunities on major job boards and seek places that can utilize an after-hours answering service.

Offer Communication Solutions to Your Clients: Get a Virtual Phone Number Now!

Begin your process of starting your own virtual answering service with virtual numbers from United World Telecom. Sign up today or call us for more information about business numbers and how they can benefit your new company.

15 Useful Advertising Techniques for Any Business

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#231857266ID#27446420

Business owners need to do everything in their power to pull customers towards their products and brand. And the best way to do so is advertising and marketing what your company stands for. Effective advertising techniques can change the way potential customers interact with your brand and increase its presence in the market.

Make Your Business Visible: Effective and Creative Advertising Techniques To Try

Marketing your product and business includes creating a company profile and informing potential customers that you exist. It involves showcasing your talents or services and how they are useful and resourceful. From creating a logo to investing in social media marketing, there is a range of advertising techniques you can experiment with to see which grabs the most attention.

1. Create a Business Profile and Brand it

Just having a name and website or storefront is not going to work. You need to create a brand, a story, a connection. Think: logo, tag line, backstory, images, merchandise, etc. Hire a graphic designer to help you out with designing a logo that represents what your company stands for. Additionally, write up a story that emphasizes how and why you started this business. Customers who can relate to your story or idea or struggle are already one step closer. Use compelling images to get the message across. Then, capitalize on all of these elements and advertise everywhere.

2. Develop Your Website

In this digital age, having a website for your company is a must. Yes, word-of-mouth advertising works, but there’s no harm in doing more. Most customers will first Google a service or product they need before deciding on where to get it. A simple website that only highlights the service or product won’t be enough. Showcase your brand, include old and current portfolio, maintain a blog with educational and informational articles that show your expertise. Let people know that you are legit and understand your industry. And so, if you have a website and are actively posting on it, there’s a good chance that these customers will come across it and open it. And based on your experience, skillset, and expertise may choose your services over others.

3. Get Social (with Social Media)

Similar to the need for websites, social media is a must for enticing digital shoppers. Post, tag, comment, interact with your target client base. Here too, you can demonstrate your experience, improve customer service, and draw attention with promotions or discounts. Active social media posting reaches customers much faster than any other means. You can also invest in social media marketing so that your ads and posts can be displayed as sponsored ads on target clients’ feeds.

4. Design for the Smartphone

This, too, is to satisfy your tech-savvy clients. Mobile-friendly websites or apps are easy and fun to use. If your website or app is lagging and not user-friendly, it could cause frustration and customers may head elsewhere for their needs. Make sure your website is responsive and not slow. Make information easy to locate. Buttons should be large enough to work on the phone without issues. And so on.

5. Include Humor: Be Funny

A little humor never hurt anyone. Don’t be afraid to lighten the tone by including various humorous elements such as funny graphics, GIFs, memes, puns, etc. Something that sticks out and is funny stays with people. And if you stay on their minds long enough, they’ll consider investing in your company. In other cases, a funny caption can attract attention for customers who weren’t even looking for your product. As a result, you can increase brand visibility this way too.

6. Swag Hurrah!

Everybody loves free stuff; that’s no surprise. So, swag is a great way to get the word out and to promote different products you offer. You can do this in a couple of different ways: offer free samples, free swag, merchandise, or swag at a discounted rate. The point is to get customers excited and curious about your service. So giving them a sneak peek along with goodies will definitely pique their interest.

7. Creative Business Cards

One of the most popular advertising techniques is designing and marketing digital business cards. It’s hard to imagine that a tiny business card can do so much. But, if designed well, you can increase your email and call list quickly. When creating your card, ensure you include your logo and tagline, use a legible font, and provide contact information (business number and email). Leave enough white space so that attention is drawn towards the brand. Additionally, the back of the card is also an opportunity to advertise your product or service. For example, if you are a photographer, include one of your best photos. Let’s them see what you are capable of.

8. Consider Advertising with an Annoying Jingle

We all hate those annoying commercials with jingles that stay ringing in our ears forever, and ever, and ever! But those are the brands you remember. You can have a jingle with words or taglines highlighting your product. Or, you can capitalize on holiday music or popular music that customers enjoy and relate to. For example, a lot of ads have separate commercials for the Christmas season with Christmas visuals and music. Some even change the words to popular Christmas songs. These are some ways you can customize your ad with music.

9. Visuals in Commercials

Depending on the size of your business and budget, you may also want to consider making a commercial. You can use this to provide information about your service or create an emotional appeal by sharing your company story and vision. Or, you could use humor and misdirection to surprise viewers. For example, you could have a commercial showing polar bears sweating to talk about climate change. Or, have a commercial filled with tens of cats running around to promote the need for a lint remover.

10. Emotional Appeal

Emotional appeal is also one of the most important advertising techniques. This is because most customers will look for a good reason to purchase your product. So, you need to give them as many reasons as you can. For example, a commercial about quitting smoking that shows lung cancer or the debilitating effects of emphysema is much stronger than a commercial that simply says “Don’t Smoke.” Similarly, an ad that establishes and discusses a problem and then offers a solution makes for an effective marketing technique.

11. Bribe Them (with Promotions and Discounts)

Give customers that extra push or nudge towards purchasing your service by offering promotions and discounts. First-time customers appreciate a “first-time user” discount so that they can test the service out. You could also have a loyalty program where customers who recommend your service to others get extra points or credit. Similarly, you could implement a membership program for returning customers to get more discounts on bigger purchases.

12. Highlight Facts, Statistics, and Customer Reviews

Prove that your service, system, or product works. Include statistics, facts, product reviews, customer reviews, and testimonials. Use evidence as well as customer opinions to drive your sales. Respond to bad reviews to show that you are open to feedback and criticism that will improve the service.

13. Consider Color Psychology

Effective visual advertising techniques boost the way viewers and recipients perceive and interact with your business. An important factor in visual advertising is color. Pay attention to the colors you use for your logo, text, photographs, and the background. The colors should blend together and not appear jarring or loud. Think about the color palette when designing your flyers, business cards, etc. Something as simple as choosing a bold or dark color on a call-to-action button like “Submit” or “Click here” can influence click-through-rates.

14. Balance the Composition

Similar to color, notice how you organize and compose your copy or advertisement. You can arrange items to draw attention to specific areas or elements Or you can just arrange them in the most eye-pleasing way keeping Gestalt principles like simplicity and synchrony in mind. These principles focus on perception and how we perceive and absorb information.

15. Track Eye Movement and Create Visual Paths

A visual path is a design technique used on the journey of the content, pulling attention to specific elements. In other words, it is how a person moves along the content on your page. For example, left to right, top to bottom, and so on. You can estimate the visual path to highlight elements that you want them to focus on more.

16. Appeal to the Search Engines

Optimize your website content by adopting search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to rank higher in search results. This way, when people search for services related to yours or include certain keywords that relate to your business, they will be able to find your website quickly. You can also look into Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising. These are sponsored ads that appear on top of search results. And you only pay for them when a viewer clicks on the ad. These are some advertising techniques that have proven to be successful for many marketing campaigns.

Increase Familiarity and Comfort Through Effective Advertising

Advertising techniques that are transparent and don’t try to trick customers are highly appreciated. Customers don’t want to be bullied or manipulated, but they do want to be informed and surprised. Keep your marketing efforts simple, educational, and supportive. And soon, you’ll drive your sales higher!

61 Local Businesses Directories for Backlinks and Marketing

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: Depositphotos.com Lic#167812372 ID#70423961

Every business owner wants their business to attract new customers on a regular basis. And one of the ways to ensure that your target audience is aware of what you have to offer is to list local businesses in online directories. Doing so brings more backlinks to your own website, generating more website views. Learn how to use online directories for marketing purposes and to increase brand awareness.

How Can Local Directories Help Your Business: What to Keep in Mind

Having your company’s description and information on business listings is an important step in getting the word out. This is a good way for potential customers to come across your brand when looking for similar products or services. And so, this is a good marketing strategy to consider implementing. To ensure your listed business does well, you should:

Build a Company Profile: Have a clear and detailed description of what your organization offers, the company’s mission, and its core values.

Maintain Consistency in NAP: When adding local businesses in different directories, make sure that the basic information — that is Name, Address, Phone Number (NAP) — is the same across the board. Don’t provide contradictory information.

Utilize Visual Media: Include photos and videos of your product, service, office, or employees to showcase your talent and expertise.

Create Relevant Backlinks: Backlinks are inbound links that link back to your website. This way, visitors can get to your website quickly. Additionally, if you put a tracking link at the end of your URL, you can track how many customers are reaching you through the directories.

Pick Directories With a Good Domain Authority (DA): A DA is a ranking score for search engines and tells you how a website will rank on a search engine result page. The higher the DA, the higher the website will rank, which is good for marketing purposes.

How  To Increase Your Local Businesses Visibility: 61 Business Directories to Get Listed in

Here’s a list of local businesses alongside their domain authority so that you can select the right ones for your company:

Google My Business (100)
Facebook (100)
Apple Maps (100)
LinkedIn Company (98)
Bizjournal
Glassdoor
Crunchbase
Yelp (94)
Merchant Circle
WhitePages
Bing (94)
Better Business Bureau (93)
MapQuest (92)
Foursquare (92)
Yahoo! Local (91)
HubSpot (91)
Yellow Pages (91)
Angie’s List (91)
Manta (87)
Merchant Circle (86)
Super Pages (84)
Yellow Book (83)
Thumbtack (82)
Chamber of Commerce (79)
Bing Places (79)
Local.com (77)
Hot Frog (76)
Communitywalk.com (75)
Blogarama (74)
Brownbook.net (73)
Tupalo.com (72)
La Cartes (68)
ezlocal.com (67)
ebusinesspages.com (67)
2findlocal.com (67)
Cylex USA (66)
Spoke (66)
City Squares (66)
World Web Directories (65)
BOTW (65)
Fyple.com (63)
ibegin.com (63)
Finduslocal.com (60)
Call Up Contact (60)
Company.com (60)
Hub.biz (59)
My Huckleberry (59)
City Insider (58)
where2go.com (58)
n49.com (58)
My Sheriff (57)
opendi.us (56)
Smartguy.com (55)
Wherezit.com (55)
Bizhwy.com (55)
DiscoverOurTown.com (54)
macraesbluebook.com (52)
USdirectory.com (50)
Tripadvisor
Bizadee (48)
Wand.com (47)

Should You List Your Business Online?

There are countless benefits to including your organization in online directories to generate local citations (online mention of your business’ NAP).

1) Increase visibility and discoverability: Since most customers are going to be looking for services/products like yours on the internet, having your business listed online can help them find you easily. This is also a good way to make target audiences aware that your brand exists.

2) Develop your reputation and credibility: When prospects see your organization is different and trustworthy in directories, they begin to feel more confident about it. They see your business as professional and established and not a new, shell company.

Online Directories Helping Local Businesses Grow Brand Awareness

As owners, it is important to keep your local businesses present everywhere so that customers find your service easily and quickly. Consider using online listings to boost your digital presence and attract new customers to your service. Don’t forget to use your business phone number for call metrics.

5 Practical Marketing Tips for an Accountants Office

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: Depositphotos.com Lic#167459246 ID#223455848

With a rise in globalization and growing economies, tax environments are becoming more and more complicated. And because of this, accounting services are in higher demand. This is why your accountants office should be doing everything it can to promote your services and garner customer attention.

Marketing for an Accountants Office: 5 Things You Need to Do

Marketing is absolutely essential for any firm or organization. Marketing allows businesses to present their services to the public. It is a way of showcasing what you have to offer and why target customers should come to your business over competitors. Let’s look at 5 marketing tips that are a must for any accountants office looking to stand out among the crowd.

Make a Plan: Establish Goals

It is important for everyone to be on the same page when it comes to determining how to market your company and services. Promoting, if done right, is the best way to create and maintain a business’ professional image. And so, make a plan and, together with your team, set goals and milestones to achieve. This way, every member of your team is working towards the same objectives.

Research the Market: Identify Targets

With any business or service, conducting market research is significant. You need to know what other similar services exist and how they are succeeding or failing. Learn from their achievements and failures and model your office accordingly. This way, you can also identify what services are lacking and choose to offer those, making you appear as the only office offering something different. Additionally, research target customers to determine how to market to them. If you don’t know who needs your services, you will not know how to get their attention. Marketing strategies will differ for various target groups. And so, it helps to be specific when identifying your accountants office’s ideal customer.

Draw a Budget: A Reasonable One

If not careful, marketing expenses can sneak up on you. Set aside specific budgets by the month or each quarter and keep tracking it. Often times, people overdo their marketing budgets. So, create one that is practical and won’t make a large dent in the office’s overall expenses. This way, you can measure and consider increasing or decreasing the amount based on return on investment (ROI).

Market Everywhere: Content, Social Media, and Email Marketing

It is alright to start by experimenting with any one form of marketing such as content marketing, social media marketing, or email marketing. However, over time, tapping into every form of marketing will be more effective. Content marketing focuses on developing the business’ website by improving information and content published on it. It’s necessary to establish expertise, explain difficult concepts, and demonstrate processes. Potential customers need to know that your accountants office knows its stuff and can actually help them. And content marketing can help you achieve this image.

Additionally, social media is also an effective way to get on target customers’ radar. Use paid social media ads to your advantage and keep your social media accounts up to date and informative. Also, use social media to provide promotions and other incentives to get clients. Email marketing can be used for the same: promotions, offers, membership discounts, newsletters, and more. These are some good methods of staying on customers’ phones and inboxes.

Let Them Reach You: Provide Different Communication Channels

Business numbers: they are a necessity. Get a business phone number and advertise it everywhere: website, emails, business cards, billboards, social media, and more. A virtual number from a reliable service provider can ensure you are always accessible by routing your calls over the internet. This way, wherever you are and whatever device you are using, clients can reach you. And customers will appreciate that.

You can also get local numbers in different states and countries and expand your business there. Local numbers make it easier for international clients to contact you as they don’t have to pay long-distance charges. The same goes for toll free numbers: they charge the receiver instead of the caller. All of this makes calling your accountants office attractive as customers don’t have to pay extra.

Customize your business number by getting a vanity number from United World Telecom. Personalize it by adding memorable patterns or letters. For example, 1800-432-4322 or 1-866-ACCTNTS. This makes your number easier to recognize and remember.

Measure, Track, Improve, Repeat

Finally, measure your success by tracking metrics and watching incoming profits. Identify areas that are successful and ones that can use tweaks or improvements. The most important aspect of effective marketing is to maintain strategies and stay up to date. Invest in a marketing team that looks over strategies and ensures they are continuously running. And before you know it, you will have customers seeking your services.

Why United World Telecom and Grandstream are Perfect for Customer Support Teams

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#117746974 ID#27446420

Trying to make your company’s customer service better? Look no further. Combine the services of two powerhouses: United World Telecom and Grandstream to make your customer relations approachable and manageable.

What Is Good Customer Service?

Good customer service involves time and effort. A strong sales or customer service team will make and answer calls in an efficient way and increase the company’s sales. But it is also important to assist them in their endeavors. Here’s where call center technology, software, and communications solutions come in. United World telecom and Grandstream Networks are two such companies that can facilitate your business’ customer interactions.

United World Telecom and What They Offer

United World Telecom offers international call forwarding as well as local and toll free numbers in more than 140 countries worldwide. UWT can easily hook you up with a virtual number that routes your calls through the internet. Since they operate digitally, you can use them with any device, smartphone, VoIP line, or landline. Virtual numbers can be purchased as local, international, toll free, or international toll free numbers. Calls made to toll free numbers are charged to the receiver instead of the caller. This makes calling your company free for your callers. Additionally, toll free and local numbers reduce calling costs for long-distance and local calls.

Grandstream customer support
Source: DepositPhotos.com – Lic#:312319048 ID#27446420

Virtual Communication Solutions

UWT continues to find virtual communications solutions that make the correspondence between businesses and their clients easy and cost-effective. And so, besides phone numbers, they also offer other virtual solutions to improve communication. All of their phone numbers come with free features such as:

  • Time of Day Routing: to route calls to alternate destination numbers during certain times of the day.
  • Black and White Lists: to block unwanted calls and prevent wasted minutes.
  • Simultaneous Calling: to enable incoming calls to ring on multiple phone numbers ensuring calls are answered anywhere.
  • Advanced IVR: interactive voice response (IVR) that handles high volume calls and assists callers by helping them navigate to the right
  • departments.
  • Customized Greeting: to boost your company’s professional business and add a personal touch.
  • Call Transfer: transfer calls to other departments in different office locations.
  • Voicemail to Email: access voicemail from computers, mobiles, or fixed phones.
  • Fax to Email: save electronic versions of your faxes.
  • Dedicated Account Manager: to assist your company’s every need.
  • 24/7 Customer Support: chats, phone lines, email, support tickets, etc.

But these aside, you can also get Rollover Minutes, Outbound Calling, an SMS Plan, and Call Recording for additional prices. The services provide businesses and companies with large volumes of inbound and outbound calling with tools to support their work.

Grandstream And What They Offer

Grandstream Networks is a leading manufacturer of internet protocol (IP) communication solutions. Their products are assisting businesses in over 150 countries across the world. Grandstream offers a variety of products and services to benefit communication between two parties. Some of the products and features are:

  • IP Phones: for voice calls
  • IP Video Phones: for video calling
  • Audio and Video Conferencing: to encourage team conferencing and collaboration
  • Extension Modules: additional modules that connect to the main system
  • Cordless and Wireless Devices: additional devices connecting to the main system that mobilize communication
  • Cloud Management: allow the ability to monitor and manage networks across multiple locations
  • IP intercoms and speakers: for office buildings, enterprises, etc. that require a mode of mass communication.

Grandstream Networks’ phone systems are easy to use and contain useful features. They provide voice and video phones to encourage collaboration between different parties. Additionally, with cloud management, you can access your business’ network anywhere and on any device, making it extremely accessible.

Perfecting Customer Service: UWT and Grandstream

Grandstream provides the medium and UWT provides the service and together they can revolutionize your customer support team. You can help customers not just through voice calls but video calls as well. Imagine collaborating using video with your international customer through a virtual number! Customers appreciate efforts made by businesses to make processes easier for them. If you can find a way to do that, your company can develop quite a fanbase.

With UWT’s easy-to-use control panel giving you access to all your phone lines online and Grandstream’s cloud management, the internet can improve your communications exponentially. You can keep track of and manage your calls and phone system from anywhere in the world. Businesses with customers spread over the globe can utilize international call forwarding or time of day routing to ensure that someone is always available to answer calls.

Good customer service depends on good customer service agents or reps. You can use call recording and call logs to conduct quality assurance. Call recording lets you record calls for the future, which is helpful when doing performance analysis. And call activity logs will help you track metrics. For instance, calls per month, average time per call, average answering time, etc. You can also create phone surveys with IVR to collect feedback on your company and its services.

The Sky’s The Limit

With these two services, you can do so much to improve your enterprises’ customer interaction. Purchase a virtual number from United World Telecom today and combine it with Grandstream, to give your clients the highest level of customer service possible!

How To Set Up Your Business VTech Phone

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: Stockphoto.com O#100060107233- ID#100067081677

VTech provides phone systems with different components to help organize internal and external communications. An efficient VTech phone system combined with resourceful features of a business number from a reliable phone service provider can help improve the quality of your company’s customer interaction. Learn how to set up a VTech phone system and how to use United World Telecom’s service with it.

Setting Up Your Business VTech Phone

Before you purchase equipment, it is important to purchase a business phone number for your company. Your customer interaction depends on the type of phone number and line you choose to invest in. United World Telecom offers multiple virtual local and international numbers with international call forwarding. Virtual numbers route calls over the internet and with call forwarding, you can direct calls to whichever number you desire. With this service, you can access clients across the world with a reasonable payment plan and a good internet connection.

Once you have a business phone number and phone lines purchased, you can start setting up your VTech phone system. VTech systems come with a main console connected to analog phone lines and additional devices that are connected to the console wirelessly. VTech offers a variety of devices that you can choose from depending on your preference and company size. The main devices included are a main console, extension desk sets, and extension handsets. You can also get cordless headsets and cordless speakerphones.

Setting Up The Main Console

The Main Console is the main component of the business phone system. And other systems cannot work without it. The console can be expanded with up to 9 extension desk sets, extension handsets, cordless headsets, or cordless speakerphones. With these options, you can customize and create a phone system that best suits the needs of your office.

The devices communicate with the main console over wireless DECT technology. Therefore, you do not need to plug telephone lines into cordless devices, but only into the main console. You can also use the main console as a telephone with a single user using up to 4 telephone lines. You can purchase multiple telephone lines through United World Telecom.

To install the main console:

Step #1: Install the optional backup battery by inserting 4 AA batteries at the back of the console. This will be useful in case of a power failure.
Step #2: Next, install the mounting bracket for tabletop use by inserting fixed tabs on the mounting bracket into the desired slot. There are two locations for high or low visibility.
Step #3: Connect the handset cord by plugging one end of the cord into the handset jack on the side of the console.
Step #4: Then, connect telephone lines at the back of the console, open the line jack cover, and plug one end of the telephone line into the telephone line jack (L1, L2, L3, or L4). Plug the other into the telephone wall outlet.

Note: Repeat this for all the telephones lines you wish to connect. If you have two two-line wall outlets, plug one line in L1/2 and the other in L3/4. Do not connect a fifth or sixth line in the empty L2 or L4 jacks.

Step #5: Next, connect the power by inserting the smaller end of the power adapter into the power jack at the back of the console. Plug the other end to a power outlet not controlled by a wall switch.
Step #6: Finally, test for a dial tone. Give the console a few minutes to start up and enter idle mode. When it is in idle mode, press each of the available line keys to test for a dial tone. If you hear a dial tone for each line, the installation was successful and you can now make and receive calls.

vtech phone how to
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Connecting the Cordless Extension Deskset

In order to use the cordless extension desk set as part of your VTech phone system, it must be registered to the main console.
First, install the rechargeable backup battery by plugging the battery connector securely into the socket inside the battery compartment.
Then, install the mounting bracket, connect the coiled handset, and connect the power.

To register the cordless extension desk set to the main console:

Step #1: Press Menu/Select on the main console.
Step #2: Select Registration.
Step #3: Then, select Register Extension.
Step #4: Then, press # on the extension desk set.
Step #5: The desk set screen will display Registering. Registration may take up to 60 seconds.
Step #6: Once registration is complete, both desk sets will show Desk set X Registered, where ‘X’ is the extension number of the device. This is unique across each system and cannot be changed.
Step #7: While the desk set is in idle mode, lift the corded handset. If you hear a dial tone, the registration was successful.
Step #8: Repeat the same steps to add another extension desk set to your business VTech phone system.

Installing the Cordless Handset

Cordless handsets are not stand-alone phones and must also be registered with the main console. Here’s how to install the cordless handset:

  • First, plug the smaller end of the power adapter to the handset charger and the larger end into a power outlet not controlled by a wall switch.
  • Then, install the battery by connecting the battery connector into the socket inside the handset battery compartment.
  • Next, place the handset in the charger to charge.

To register a cordless handset with the main console:

Follow the instructions for registering extension desk sets (mentioned above) as the registration process is the same. Once registered, test for dial tones. And repeat these steps to add additional handsets.

United World Telecom with VTech Phone Systems

Once you have all the devices ready to go, you can customize your phone service and lines with United World Telecom. Get additional benefits of call forwarding, call recording, unlimited extensions, call transfers, and more. You can make use of an interactive voice response (IVR) system to automatically direct calls to voicemail or other extensions. With all of this setup, all you will have to do is answer or make calls and focus on your business. These systems together make communication manageable and convenient. Sign up for a business phone number with United World Telecom today and get your phone system all sorted out.

Samsung Galaxy A20 Review: Samsung’s Most Affordable Phone

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#:21434637 ID#27446420

This holiday season, gift a loved one (or better yet, yourself!) a new phone with quality specs and a reasonable price! Samsung’s new A series phone is under $250 and makes for a very usable budget phone. No wonder, it’s been getting some serious attention. Let’s look at what makes the new Samsung Galaxy A20 so appealing.

Samsung’s New Model: Samsung Galaxy A20

The fifth model in Samsung’s A series’ 5th generation, the Samsung A20 is not very different from most smartphones available. Before you purchase a new phone, it is important to consider its specifications to determine which is most suitable for you. Do you need a large screen? Or the latest android version? Or a fingerprint scanner? Or a high res camera? Here’s a list of the Samsung A20 specs:

  • Display: 6.4 inch AMOLED Infinity-V Display (1560 x 720)
  • Width: 2.9
  • Weight: 169 g
  • Version: Android 9.0 (Pie)
  • Rear Cameras: 13 MP, 5 MP
  • Front Camera: 8 MP
  • Memory: 32 GB ROM / 3 GB RAM
  • Battery: 4,000 mAh battery, Fast Charging
  • Fingerprint Scanner: Yes
  • Processor: Samsung Exynos 7884 Octa (International) or 7904 Octa (US)
  • Wireless Network: 3G, 4G, LTE
  • Ports: USB Type C, 3.5 mm audio jack

As you can see, the specs are quite impressive for a phone under $250. But certain features make the phone stand out more. So, why should you consider buying a Samsung Galaxy A20?

Outstanding Battery Life

A 4,000 mAh battery gives the Samsung A20 power enough to run for a full day. This phone also comes equipped with Samsung’s lightning-fast charging, which is usually reserved for the pricier phones. The phone lasts for about 13 hours, which is more than the average 10-hour battery-time for most smartphones. The Samsung A20 also utilizes a USB Type C charger. It is a good switch with the USB Type C, as it revolutionizes charging cables with adapters connecting it to HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort, and other major connectors. It is slowly replacing the need for regular USB ports/cables.

Sharp Camera for a Budget Phone: Live Focus Camera Mode and Impressive Selfie Camera

The camera is Samsung A20’s most attractive feature. The phone features a slightly protruding dual-camera module with a 13 megapixel lens and a 5 megapixel wide-angle shooter. Having the second camera gives the A20 the ability to capture depth-of-field photographs. For lovers of portrait modes, the phone features a Live Focus option ― a feature from Samsung’s more expensive models. The Live Focus gives users control over what to focus on and how to manage the blurry background. Additionally, the 8 megapixel selfie camera’s depth option provides extra depth for selfies.

Galaxy A20 review
Source: DepositPhotos.com – Lic#68566097 ID#27446420

Performance Lag: No Good For Gaming

Considering this is a budget phone, it is not as powerful as Samsung’s other flagship models. The Exynos 7885 processor brings in an acceptable and workable amount of power. The same goes for the Exynos 7904 processor. These less powerful chips keep the phone’s cost low while providing decent power. But the downside is that demanding apps don’t perform well and lag as a result. This is why this phone is not recommended for mobile gaming.

And Yet, It’s Good For Your Pocket

Even among budget phones, Samsung has been working its best to include features from its pricier phones. And this is why these low-cost phones get so much attention. You have access to useful features and a decent camera for a comfortable price. In fact, you can pay as little as $10 a month plus tax for 24 months through T-Mobile or other providers.

Buy The Samsung A20 To Be Your New Business Phone

So, what do you think? With the Samsung Galaxy A20, you can get a phone that has relevant features and that doesn’t dig a giant hole in your pocket. And if you decide to buy the phone to work as a business phone, you can get a toll free number from United World Telecom! We can hook you up with a phone number for your company to keep your personal and work life separate. Freelancers and remote employees find this most useful to balance between their personal and business calls. Sign up for a business number today or contact us at 1-877-898-8646 to learn more.

How to Build a Local Sales Network From Any Location

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#9016491 ID#27446420

To successfully sell and promote any product or service, you need a strong sales team. A good sales team will highlight the strengths of the product and the company. They will maintain professionalism and credibility and good customer relations. Sales teams work in communication with each other and with customers. It is, therefore, essential to have a local sales network that is easily reachable and dependable.

Building A Local Sales Network

To build a strong local sales network, you need to hire resourceful talent and train them in the best ways to target potential customers. Once your sales team is ready, you can focus efforts on promoting the product in the sales circuit.

Ready, Set, Network

The first step to start a sales network is to begin a search for connections and talents. Use LinkedIn or other career sites to scout and build connections with people in your field and who would be a good addition to your team. Use these platforms to search for and connect with potential customers. Generate connections and start conversations about your product and brand.

Consider Forming A Virtual Sales Team

With many employees switching to a work-from-home lifestyle, you may want to consider a virtual office. This does not only work for your employees but also gives you a chance to move outside the bounds of a specific location. You can look to expand your business to other countries and hire remote employees there to help customers locally. This way you can bring international clientele to your company.

Develop A Full-Proof Hiring Process

After scouting and researching, you may have a strong pool of salespeople to pick from. And so, you want to pay attention to the hiring process or recruitment process and what skills or factors matter to you the most. For instance, do you want someone who comes with years of experience? Or, do you want someone fresh who can be trained and coached for your business’ specific needs? Have them do a “Sell me a …” test to see the practical application of their talents. Also, ask for recommendations and reach out to them to develop a better picture of your candidate.

Besides sales skills, you want to look for good personal skills in your local sales network. Working in a team requires good team management and communication skills, and your ideal candidate should have them. This is even more necessary for a remote team as a lot of your communication will happen through emails and video calls.

Train, Train, and Train Again

Because your company will differ from other companies in one way or the other, training at the beginning is very important. Even if your hired talent has years of experience, ensure they go through training that highlights the tasks they will experience at your enterprise. Besides the initial training, perform analysis and conduct ongoing training to refresh important goals and skills. Create videos, webinars, buy educational books, do trivia nights: whatever you need to keep them up to date.

local sales network
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Other Tools and Resources

Consider communication and project management tools to make the organization and completion of work easy and clear. You can use Google Drive, Dropbox, or Microsoft Office to share and maintain files. Or, subscribe to a project management system like Teamwork or Slack to have all work communication, project status, etc. in one place. With these systems, employers can keep track of employees’ work and progress. Additionally, teams can collaborate together on shared files and shared projects. Customer relationship management (CRM) systems may also include statistics and metrics to track sales and responses.

For easy communication, consider getting a virtual business phone number with a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) system. Rather than traditional phone lines, VoIP phone systems use the internet to make and receive calls. You can easily sign up for one from a phone service provider that offers virtual, local, and toll free numbers. Providers like United World Telecom offer call forwarding services that forward or redirect incoming calls to a different number, where the call is to be answered. This way, you can forward calls to wherever your employees are located. With United World Telecom’s ‘Time of Day Routing’ feature, you can redirect calls to alternate numbers during specific times of the day. These features are meant to ensure no call goes missed and a salesperson is always available for your customers.

Generate Awareness and Familiarity

Spend a great deal of time working and developing your website. Most customers will look to your website for information and help. Therefore, their first impression of your website matters. It is also necessary to keep information on the website up to date. Provide educational and informational material with facts and genuine expert opinions through blogs and web content. The more your customer knows about your product, the more likely they will be to give it a try.

Use social media like Twitter, Facebook, etc., to create more visibility for your brand, product, and company. This is a good way to introduce your product to the sales circuit. Follow-up with customers through emails, special promotions, and more. Your current customers are a way to get referrals and new customers. Keep them coming for more.

Make Sales From Any Location

Advancements in technology have improved the way we communicate and sales teams can use this to their advantage. Build a local sales network anywhere with local numbers and make sales globally with virtual phone numbers. Browse through our plans today to see how we can help you make those sales calls and support your network!

How To Start a Home Telecom Call Center Business

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#211239316 ID#27446420

Thinking of ditching your regular 9 to 5 job for one with more flexibility? A home telecom call center is just what you are looking for. With better work hours and less commuting, this work-from-home job can give you a great sense of work-life balance. So, what is a home telecom call center and how can you start one? Read on to learn more!

Virtual Call Centers

Virtual call centers offer a variety of services: sales, telemarketing, customer service, making reservations and appointments. They are hired by major companies to handle customer communication in an organized and easy manner. For example, these may include customer service for an eCommerce giant or booking hotel reservations for a travel agency. Inbound call centers often have a high volume of incoming calls. On the other hand, outbound calling is when a call center is making calls to customers for sales purposes.

What Do You Need?

Before you start your call center, research businesses or call center companies looking for remote help. Depending on the type of home telecom call center you want to run, you will need to invest in some equipment to unify processes. With respect to virtual centers, you will need to consider state and local requirements. And finally, you’ll need marketing tools to promote your service.

How To Start A Home Telecom Call Center

Let’s have a look at the different steps to keep in mind when starting a home telecom call center business.

Step 1: Research Job Opportunities and Fields

Spend time looking at the variety of options available for your industry, product, or service. Is there a surplus of call centers offering the same service as you? How can you stand out and be more resourceful? Consider extending your services to other states and countries. With a virtual set-up, you can reach clients anywhere in the world. The entire world is within your grasp. Here, you can also decide if you want to run an inbound or outbound call center.

Step 2: Check Local and State Requirements

Since starting a home telecom center is a business, you will need to file all necessary new-business paperwork. Review your state’s Office of Finance and Taxation. Then, check for zoning restrictions. Finally, register your business.

home telecom call center
Source: DepositPhotos.com – Lic#119344282 ID#27446420

Step 3: Prepare a Business Plan

An important part of starting your own business, whether large or small, is to have a clear idea of how you are going to run it. This is where a business plan comes in. A strong plan will outline the necessary documentation, market research, and financial projections for the company. This way, you are prepared for what is to come and have options to handle it.

Step 4: Invest in Call Center Equipment and Software

This goes without saying that a call center cannot run without the appropriate equipment and software. Your equipment or software may depend on what your client uses. For a home telecom system, you can choose a call center software that you consider comfortable and resourceful. Call center software is a system that enables easy call tracking and organization. Either way, you want to have the basics: a computer with the latest operating system, broadband internet, wired telephone, and a good quality headset.

Step 5: Get A Virtual Phone Number

Virtual phone numbers can help you create a virtual space enabling you to make and receive calls through the internet. This way, calling international customers won’t be as expensive as calling through a regular phone service. Additionally, virtual numbers such as toll free or local numbers are less expensive for customers to use. Toll free numbers bill the received party instead of the caller and local numbers will have regular, local charges. This way, you are not a burden for your customers.

Step 6: Market Your Skills

Build a website and use social media like career sites, Facebook, Twitter, etc, to promote your skills and talents. Marketing your home telecom business starts with marketing yourself. Tell them what you have to offer: call center experience, fluency in multiple languages, knowledge of call center software, and so on.

  Cost-Effective Communication

One of the main items you will need for your call center is virtual phone numbers. United World Telecom has local and toll free virtual numbers in more than 150 countries across the world. Sign up for a virtual phone number with United World Telecom today and develop a cost-effective communication channel for your home call center.

Traveling for Business? How To Get Your Passport

Posted on by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#47371763 ID#27446420

Traveling for business is essential to creating and maintaining a global presence for your company. Often, you will need to travel to encourage new prospects to come aboard or to maintain good relations with existing customers and investors. These trips may be local, within the country, and sometimes abroad. If you haven’t already started expanding your business to other countries, now is the time to go global. And for traveling abroad, you will need a very important document: a passport. So, how do you get your passport and what else do you need to keep in mind when traveling for business? Read on to learn more!

How To Get Your Passport

Getting a US passport is a very simple process. All you need is a filled passport application form and the necessary documentation. Once the application is complete, the passport takes about 6-8 weeks to process. Here are the steps for how to get your passport:

Fill Out A DS-11 (Passport Application) Form

One of the most asked questions is: can you apply for your passport online? You can start the application process online or in-person. However, you will need to visit a passport acceptance facility to complete the application. To start the application online, use the Passport Application Wizard and fill out the application. Once completed, print the application and take it to the passport acceptance facility. Note that passport applications can not be submitted online.

Otherwise, download the form, complete the application, and go to a local passport acceptance facility to submit it. Whichever way you decide to start the application, remember: do not sign the form until you are instructed to do so in front of a designated official.

Personal Documents and IDs

Along with your passport application form, you will need to provide documentation providing your birth and citizenship information. Documents required are:

How-To-Get-Your-Passport
Source: DepositPhotos.com – Lic#230834940 ID#27446420

1) Original proof of citizenship document and a photocopy of the document. One of the following is necessary:

  • US birth certificate
  • Certificate of naturalization
  • Certificate of citizenship
  • Consular report of birth abroad or certification of birth

2) Acceptable photo ID and a photocopy of the ID. One of the following:

  • Driver’s license
  • Government employee ID
  • US military ID
  • Current (valid) foreign passport

Acceptable Passport Photo

Next, bring passport-size photos, which can be easily taken at your local pharmacy or grocery store. Ensure that your photos have the following requirements:

  • Color photo
  • Taken in the last 6 months
  • Printed on matte or glossy photo-quality paper
  • Neutral expression with eyes open
  • Size: 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm)

Calculate Your Fees

Fees are based on whether you are applying for an adult (age 16 or older) or child and whether you want a passport book or card or both. According to the U.S. Department of State website, these are the current fees for passport books and cards:

Product Application Fee Execution (Acceptance) Fee
Adult
Passport Book $110 $35
Passport Card $30 $35
Passport Book & Card $140 $35
Child
Passport Book $80 $35
Passport Card $15 $35
Passport Book & Card $95 $35

Submit The Application

Once you have completed the application, provided all necessary documentation, and paid the fees in-person at a passport acceptance facility, you have completed the process. Now, you wait for the agency to process your request.

Can You Get Your Passport Sooner?

The standard time for processing a passport is 6-8 weeks. However, this process can be expedited for special circumstances such as a life or death emergency or urgent international travel plans. Keep in mind that expedited processing has an additional fee. See the Get My Passport Fast page for more information.

Happy and Comfortable Travels!

Besides getting your passport ready, there are a couple of other things to keep in mind. For example, do you need to get a visa for the destination country? Also, check for travel warnings and advisories. Buy travel insurance and register your trip with the U.S Department of State.

You may also want to consider getting a business phone number from a virtual phone service provider like United World Telecom. With a virtual phone number, you can forward work calls from your office to your business number so that you do not miss any work calls when traveling. United World Telecom also offers local business numbers. Now that you know how to get your passport, sign up for a business phone number and be in touch with your customers while on the go.