Today is National Couples Day and I really pondered writing about it. Unfortunately, I’m not ready to give away my secret sauce on romance just yet, but maybe I can make an exception for our Valentine’s Day edition?
Whether it’s a romance or any other important relationship, quality of communication comes to mind as one of the key ingredients. So, today I’ll talk about one of our favorite communication tools at Chat Tech: our virtual phone system!
Covid provided a big boost to communication suites such as Zoom, MS Teams, and Google Chat, and we now use them more than ever. But how about your phone system? Do you use your cell number for business, have a company number nobody calls into, or shift through SMS messages of family chats to find client texts? There is a better way, and it is called VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).
VOIP technology has improved drastically over the years and now our VOIP is a virtual phone system that requires no physical hardware except a pair of headphones! While there are thousands of VOIP providers to choose from, I’ll highlight our partner, Dialpad, since my team and I are well trained in its deployment. But before we talk about Dialpad, here are some reasons why a virtual phone system could benefit you:
First, I prefer having a separate phone number where calls, SMS, and all business related conversations take place. Most team members feel the same, preferring not give out their personal cellphone numbers. This not only helps with privacy concerns, but also provides the benefit of keeping contacts, messages, and call history separate. Nobody wants to send a silly text to client Mike instead of Mike the jokester uncle.
Secondly, with VOIP, you can configure various options to route your clients calls and messages. Want to send clients to voicemail after 6pm? Easy! Want to route calls to a different team member while traveling? Sure! You can even configure an auto-reply for SMS messages if needed. When it comes to call routing, Dialpad is pure magic. You can setup your main number to route calls with an auto-attendant, create a dedicated extension for new client inquiries, and send specific caller IDs to designated team members. You can also route calls based on time of day, change greetings based on holidays or weekends, and more!
The third benefit is ease of use. We don’t need or use physical phones since Dialpad works via an app on smartphones, PCs, and MACs. Simply putting on an earpiece means we are ready to answer or place a phone call. Ease of use extends to the setup process as well. While we are trained on Dialpad as an authorized reseller and installer, you can easily sign-up directly and configure it yourself.
The final benefit I’d like to talk about is all the additional features. Virtual phone systems don’t just make your business look more professional; they also help your team be more efficient. Here are some of the features we absolutely love:
Voicemails are transcribed and emailed. You can quickly forward a voicemail to another team member simply by forwarding that email.
Calls can be put on hold on one device and resumed on another (super helpful when you need to leave the office but keep talking).
Calls can be transferred between team members.
The computer app can quickly dial numbers when clicking on phone numbers.
Advance call routing options can be configured to ring multiple team members’ phones at the same time or in a preferred order.
App based text messaging supports copy/paste as well as sending/receiving images.
All team phone numbers belong to the company. If a team member leaves, their number can be reserved or assigned to another person.
Call recording, conference calling, and three-way calling are easily accessible features within each user’s app.
No need for calling plans when traveling. Since calling and SMS work over an internet connection, as long as you have WIFI, you have your business phone service with you.
May you always communicate with finesse, precision, and compassion,
– Burak Sarac, Team Lead
iOS 16: Safety Check Feature
Safety Check is a hub for your iPhone’s security. You should routinely check it to ensure unauthorized devices or people don’t have access to your data and activity. It lets you review which apps have access to your iPhone’s sensors and your personal data, and allows you to verify that unused apps aren’t accessing this information without your knowledge. Read more here.
National Bad Poetry Day is August 18th
Poetry is a powerful form of human expression, but not everyone’s a wordsmith, and the want to sound eloquent or profound can deter some from playing with this art form. Luckily, this holiday is the perfect excuse if you don’t get it right! So sit down with a cup of something cozy and get writing! If you don’t know where to start, check out this list of activities.
Don’t Use In-App Browsers for Anything Important
Both Apple and Google are doing great work to prevent multi-site tracking. Google Chrome is slowly phasing out cookies, and Apple goes the furthest by asking users to block multi-app/multi-site tracking using their app transparency popups. Custom in-app browsers are out of their reach, though. Because the app developers themselves code in-app browsers, they have a lot more freedom as to what goes on in there and how your information is used & tracked. Read more here.
International Homeless Animals Day is August 20th
The International Society for Animal Rights introduced this day to spread awareness about pet overpopulation and has done meaningful work since, including saving the lives of millions of animals. Many people think animal rescue mostly involves adopting homeless animals. But while the 3.2 million shelter adoptions taking place each year are a critical part of helping these vulnerable animals survive and thrive, that’s certainly not the only way to make a lifesaving difference. Here are almost 50 ways to make a difference.
