It's no longer news that the COVID-19 pandemic changed so many things about how we live our lives. It has had staggering effects on the traditional work environment. Many businesses were forced to shut down as part of the preventive measures to curtail the spread of the deadly virus. Most businesses and employees have had to shift from the traditional office to working remotely to keep work going.

Working from home can be quite challenging, especially for those working remotely for the first time. With no structured office environment to help them get into the work mode, it can be quite difficult to get much work done with many distractions ranging from TV, Kids, social media, and lots more. This is why it's important for business owners and employees to learn how to adjust to their new working environment and provide strategies that can make working from home a lot easier.

Challenges of Working From Home

For most employees who are tired of waking up so early every morning to report to the office, working from home can seem like a ticket to freedom. However, it also has its challenges. Some of which includes:

1. Communication: one of the biggest challenges of working from home is effective communication. Effective communication is vital for the overall success of any business. When employees are in the same work environment, it is easier for customers to reach them via the office phone numbers.

Working from home also makes it extremely difficult to monitor how employees respond to customers' calls, as there is no supervisor physically present to monitor conversations between employees and customers.

What Businesses Can Do

• Go Virtual: with virtual phone numbers, employers can easily transfer incoming calls to employees anywhere in the world. Instead of keeping a customer waiting simply because an employee is busy, you can easily transfer the customer's calls to another employee who is available to attend to the customer's demands.

This will certainly increase your business's productivity because one missed call could mean a missed business opportunity.

• Have a system that allows you to check how your employees respond to your customers: Incorporate a phone system that allows you to keep track of conversations between employees and customers. This will help you retain control and monitor business conversations.

When you buy virtual phone numbers from companies such as SendMyCall you will be able to record the conversations between your staff and customers. This will help you rate the performance of each employee.

• Have Scheduled Daily Meetings: it's important to get daily updates about each employee's progress and the challenges he/she might be facing. This will make them feel more accountable. Employers can also pass across all necessary information during such meetings.

2. Too Many Distractions: Have you ever had to go home with some workload with the hope of getting it done over the weekend? How easy was it to get the work done? If my guess is right, you probably went back to work the following week, with half the workload left untouched!

It's so easy to get distracted while working from home. You might be tempted to take a break now and then to watch your favorite TV series, respond to a FB message, do house chores, or attend to the demands of your kids. All these will slow you down and prevent you from getting much work done.

What You Can Do

• Set Up an Office Space in Your Home: when you work in the same space you live in, time management becomes a big problem. Having a specific space set aside as a home office will help you get into the work mode more easily. Once you are within that space, you know you it's work time, and your mind automatically tries to shut out all distractions as much as possible.

• Switch off: as much as possible, try to limit the length of time you spend on your phone while working at home. Even if you have to work with your phone, you can turn off all notifications while working to help you stay focused.

Avoid the temptation of checking or replying to messages while working; this will make it almost impossible for you to stay on track.

• Avoid Procrastination: when you form the habit of leaving your work halfway to attend to other things, you may find it more difficult to finish the work on time. Once you have work to do, don't keep procrastinating because there is no physical boss to make you do the work on time.

3. Overworking: the idea of working from home may sound appealing to many workers because they visualize themselves sitting on a sofa, eating snacks, and doing very little work. However, the reality is that working from home could mean working for longer hours, sometimes far into the night. It's possible to become absorbed in a task to the extent that you find it difficult to create time for yourself and your family.

What You Can Do

• Have a Timetable: It is important to create a timetable to help you manage your time properly. Assign a time frame to every task and try to stay within that time. Learn to take your breaks as well.

Avoid the temptation of skipping your breaks because you are too engrossed in your task. When you are too stressed up, you can't stay focused and productive. Simply going for a walk might be all it takes to do the magic.

Tips For Employers To Support Employees Working Remotely

• Be More Flexible
Create more flexible working hours that allow your employees to have time to attend to their family while still staying productive. You could prioritize and redesign their works if need be. You also need to be more flexible with your company policies to provide adequate support for employees.

• Equip Your Employees With The Necessary Tech Tools Needed To Work From Home
Employees need to have access to tools that will help them stay productive while working from home. It's important for them to have PCs, Laptops, and smartphones to enable them to access the internet.

Also, employees can equip their workers with virtual phone numbers so that they can easily transfer customers' calls to a colleague if they are unavailable at the moment.

They should also have project management tracking apps and video conferencing apps to stay in touch with both the employer and the team members while working remotely.

• Provide Emotional Support For Employees
Most employees have to deal with lots of negative emotions as a result of working from home. Being disconnected from co-workers can make them feel lonely and sometimes depressed. As an employer, it's your responsibility to support them as much as possible.

Encourage your employees to exercise and get quality sleep. Also, avoid using harsh tones when making virtual calls, listen to them, and help them get medical help if need be.

Conclusion

Contrary to popular belief, working from home is not a ticket to freedom. It has its challenges. Businesses need to learn to adapt to this new working arrangement. With the application of the strategies listed above, both Employers and employees will find working from home much easier and more enjoyable.

This is a unique period in history with more people working from home than ever before, potentially with extra distractions, such as children who cannot go to school. In response, SendMyCall is taking every effort to ensure our services remain fully functional.

In this difficult time, everyone who has the ability to work at home should be doing so. It is not only a question of your own personal safety but also of the safety of those you interact with. By working at home, you are doing your part to help flatten the curve.

To make this change of pace easier for you, SendMyCall offers the best home office technology. We would also like to share some tips for working from home effectively.

Use Technology to Your Advantage

Working from home would not even be possible for most people without the help of technology. To have the best possible work-from-home experience, you need to take full advantage of the tech available to you.

For example, using a high-quality virtual PBX for your phone services lets you work from home with a single touchpoint and full support. You can even use virtual phone numbers, including toll-free ones, to maintain separation between departments.

Maintain Open Communications with Work

Depending on your job, there is a good chance that you, your co-workers, and your bosses rely on person-to-person communication throughout the day. In the case of phone calls and messages, continue as normal. You will need to also get in the habit of swapping out situations where you would walk to someone’s desk with a message. This can take some adjusting, but with the right phone system, it should become easier.

Make a Designated Workspace

Working from home can be incredibly challenging if you are unable to separate your personal life from your work life. It can lead to a full range of problems, from overworking and always thinking about work to an inability to concentrate as you think about leisure activities. The best way to get around this is by designating a workspace within your home.

You will be able to fully disconnect from work when you leave that workspace or office. At the same time, you can fully engage as soon as you get to that space, as you will associate it with work. Even if you have a small space, designate a table or a corner of the room, and you should notice results.

Define Your Working Hours

When you work at home, it is harder to stick to a set of regular working hours, especially if you do not need to clock in or out remotely. Most people find that they are the most productive if they stick to their normal working schedule. This makes holding yourself accountable easier, both in terms of starting work for the day and knowing when to leave it behind and relax. SendMyCall provides a time routing option that enables you to stay connected during business hours and sends your calls to voicemail after business hours.

Include Transitions in Your Day

You may not realize it, but your commute to and from work does more than just get you to your destination. It also serves as a transition to get you into the right headspace to work at the beginning of the day and to relax at the end of the day. You do not have to get in your car and go for an aimless drive to get the same results — in fact, we do not recommend that, as you should stay home if you can.

Instead, either incorporate some aspect of your commute into your morning and evening or find an alternative. If you listen to a podcast or the news on your commute, do the same at home before and after work. Or consider using a workout, a hobby, or talking to a family member as an alternative.

A Voice over IP, otherwise known as a virtual phone number, is a real number that utilizes internet protocol technologies in call transmission. The system sideline the traditional PSTN to attach an actual number to a user. Thus, an individual could make a call using any data-enabled devices like mobile phones, laptops, or tablets without having to change their SIM.

With a VoIP, you can call anywhere at any time with any internet-enabled device.

How does VoIP work?

VoIP places all calls and chat through a standard internet connection, unlike the traditional phone system that utilizes PSTN. It also offers the opportunity to chat conferences and send instant messages to international numbers.

With these features, anyone can utilize it for their businesses or personal day to day activities. In some years to come, VoIP will become the order of the day.

How to get a VoIP line?

To get started with a VoIP, you need to find a suitable provider. The provider would assign you a number after signing up. It is often advisable to scrutinize and ensure that the assigner plans are right for you. Most of the time, their service plans are usually lesser than regular phone service.
Once you choose your suitable service plan, you can then start communicating with your loved ones and business partners.

Why you need a Voice over IP number?

Everyone who uses a VoIP phone number knows that it has several features that a traditional phone number cannot offer. Some of these benefits include:

1. Accessibility: How do you feel when you miss an urgent call because you are not in the country? Would it be cool if you have to buy another country’s phone line because you want to make calls? Would you like it if you spend more because you roam your number in another country? But, with a VoIP, you can access your number and communicate from any part of the world without incurring extra charges. All you need to do is to sign in to your VoIP account and start calling.
2. Flexibility: VoIP allows you to operate your number on any device. It does not restrict you to a particular line or equipment. You can even transit your conventional telephone system to a VoIP without any extra cost.
3. No Device Restriction: one crucial aspect of a virtual number is that it allows its usage across various devices. Thus, one could log into the number on a smartphone and another device simultaneously. The ability to use it on multiple devices gives it an edge over traditional phone numbers.
4. Toll-Free Calls: Toll-free? Yes, VoIP numbers are toll free numbers. With a VoIP, you will not incur huge expenses on your small business phone service. The ability to choose from a different geographical zone will make your company look multinational. You can also root all your many VoIP numbers to your number.
5. Voice quality: VoIP voice quality is similar to that of a typical traditional phone call when there is a secure and stable internet connection. Unfortunately, if you live in an area with no active connection, you might not enjoy a VoIP.

What is a VoIP Phone System?

Based on a survey, VoIP is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. The cost price, coupled with the easy to use phone system makes it a must-have for any business person. As long as you have a phone number, you can keep calling at a low cost across the globe.

The following are the features of VoIP phone systems:

• Call Transfer: with a VoIP number, you can connect all your team members effortlessly.
• Call conferencing: Interesting thing about the number is that you can add people to a 2-way call for a conference call.
• Voice Menu: or IVR (Interactive Voice Response) is one of the most popular features. You can customize your Voice Menus by recording or uploading custom messages that are played to the caller. Typically, this message would include information pertaining to extension numbers to connect with people or departments.
• Queue: Once a call enters, every member will receive a notification at once. Any of them is capable of picking the call. Thus, this allows you to take care of several customers at a time.
• On Hold Sound: Top companies utilize on-hold music to entertain their customers when their calls are on hold. With a VoIP, a small business could be capable of providing what big companies provide
• Call Recording: VoIP allows companies to record calls with their customers for service improvement purposes.

A VoIP phone system is developed to grow your business and make your customers happy. Other benefits attached to the use of a VoIP phone system include real-time collaboration, global connectivity and incredible customer support. It is a must-have for both large and small business owners.

Every business is only as good as the technology that it uses, and what many people forget is that older technologies can be just as powerful as new technologies. In some cases, they can be even more effective because they can be harnessed in new and exciting ways, blended with technology (as with VoIP) or even just able to break through the noise by being a little different.

One of the most underrated options that businesses have available to them is toll-free numbers, and that’s what we’re going to talk about today. Used correctly, they can save your company money, improve communications between you and your customers and ultimately revolutionise your approach to communication.

The good news is that you’ve come to the right place, whether you’ve been asking yourself “what is a toll-free number?” or whether you’re already familiar with them and you just want to get started. Here’s everything you need to know about toll-free numbers.

What does toll-free mean?

The clue is in the name here – toll-free numbers are free of tolls, which means that when you call them, you don’t need to pay for the call. Instead, the company themselves swallow up the cost of the call, which gives customers extra confidence and is a much more attractive choice than dialing a premium number that costs them an extortionate amount for every minute that they spend on the line.

Of course, the downside of this is that the company has to swallow up the cost for all of the calls, and this can quickly become expensive, especially for larger companies. In some instances, there have even been cases of people protesting against the actions of companies by repeatedly dialing their 800 numbers to try to rack up big bills, though this is pretty rare and unlikely to be something you’ll need to worry about.

One of the big advantages of having a toll-free number is that it can help you to give your company a veneer of professionalism, even if you’re working from home or from a co-working space. This is especially important in the internet era in which just about anyone can start up a company. Toll-free numbers are just one of the many technologies that smaller companies can put to good use to help them to compete against the established global behemoths.

What are 800 numbers?

800 numbers originated in the United States and, though they’d been around for a while before their mainstream adoption, they really started to take off in the 1980s. It went from being a niche technology used by few to becoming just business as usual.

At around about the same time, vanity numbers experienced a huge surge in popularity, in part because it made it much easier to create a memorable phone number that tapped into the ability of alphanumeric phone keys to create numbers that could be literally spelled out. Some of the most famous (or entertaining) include 1-800-JET-BLUE (for the airline), 1-800-VIRUS-NO (for McAfee’s antivirus) and 1-800-FLOWERS (you can probably figure this one out for yourself).

One of the most interesting things about 800 numbers, and indeed something that’s more relevant now than when they were first introduced, is their ability to forward calls to other numbers. In the early days, this might have meant that companies routed calls through to specific departments to streamline the customer experience. Nowadays, 800 numbers can be routed through to employees’ mobile phones and even to VoIP systems softphone or IP phone.

Tollfree Prefixes

800 numbers eventually became so popular that there weren’t enough to go around, which is why 888, 877, 866 and 855 numbers have also been introduced. These numbers are perhaps less popular than 800 numbers, but they’re also less coveted and so therefore often much more affordable and with many of the same benefits when it comes to branding and call routing.

Some companies have even made the decision to future-proof by registering 888, 877, 866 and 855 numbers for the same string of characters, and indeed this is often a shrewd decision. With the cost of renting toll-free numbers so affordable for even the smallest businesses, purchasing additional toll-free numbers just in case is a bit like signing up for a placeholder account on a social networking site.

Ultimately, the toll-free prefix that you use is probably less important than the string of numbers that you choose to follow it. Ensuring that these numbers are as memorable as possible will help you to maximize the amount of use you get out of your toll-free number by helping people to remember your phone number as easily as they remember your web address.

What’s next?

Now that you know everything you need to know about toll-free numbers, it’s over to you to put what you’ve learned today into practice. Luckily, by now you should have a good idea of what toll-free numbers are and whether they can help you or not, and if you’re ready to get started with a toll-free number then there are also plenty of providers for you to choose from.

Get started by looking at the websites for different providers and getting a feel for what they can offer you. Some focus on being budget providers and will charge lower fees but for less functionality, while others will have limited time offers or free demos so that you can try before you buy. The important thing is to shop around and to find the right provider for you. Good luck!

Staying at home does not stop you from making thousands of dollars per month. The current state of globalization has made a home-based business the order of the day. More home-based enterprises are being registered daily. Some of these businesses include freelance, gardening business, gift basket-making business, and graphic and website design business, among others. If you are looking for a home business to start, you can consider one of the ideas above.

Starting a home business is not that expensive compared to other types of ventures. With just a smartphone and a laptop, you will be connected to your customers all over the world.

So, how do you start? This article explains twelve steps for you to start a home business.

Determine Your Talents

Every human has their unique abilities. These unique abilities are also known as talents. Talent is the natural ability of someone to be great at something. For example, a convincing person that is outspoken will make excellent customer support. For you to start a home-based business, you need to assess your talents and know where you fit. With that, you can determine the right industry that suits you.

For you to successfully start a business of your own, you need to be self-motivated, be able to plan and be consistent. You should also be able to deal with uncertainty and failure. Other common traits of a successful entrepreneur are perseverance and self-reliance.

Know Your Skills

You might be talented and not skillful if you do not take your time to learn. This is because skills are acquired through education, while talents are innate. For you to be successful as a home-based business owner, you need to have strong organizational and decision-making skills. You should be able to determine your revenue and expenditure per month.

If you think you are deficient in some useful skills, you should acquire more knowledge in that regard. Apart from this, you should not stop learning a new skill.

Find a Problem to Solve

Without any difficulty to solve, there will be no business idea. The reason why companies are making millions of dollars per year is that they are effectively solving people’s problem. As an aspiring entrepreneur, you should identify a problem and find a means to solve such a problem effectively.

Focus on your work ethic and passion and not be too anxious over what to name your company. Instead, you should be conscious of how to make your company stand out and provide values for people.

Know your Target Market

Now that you have an idea, it is essential to know your potential customers. Target market is a group of people that are most likely going to need your service or product. Before you start your business, you need to identify the market, study it, and know what they want.

The knowledge of the market would define your idea. It will also allow you to develop your business plan. For example, now, if you want to work from home as a freelancer, you must:

1. Have a digital skill
2. Have a smartphone and a laptop
3. Be able to negotiate effectively

If you cannot do any of those things mentioned above, you will not perform well as a freelancer.

Learn More about Your Competitors

If you know your enemy, you will not be scared of any battle. In the business world, your enemy is your competitor. For you to be successful in your chosen niche, you have to know your competitors and how their decisions will affect your company. For you to do this, you have to gather some information about them.

Google is one of the best tools for you to get information about your competitors. You can learn more about their business style, contact, and customers with their social media handles and websites. However, only 54% of the small startups own a website. If you are a freelancer, you can check up your competitors’ profile and style of work.

Knowing more about your competitors will allow you to determine the demand of the market.

Identify your Niche

When you are done with your market research, it is left for you to know which niche is right for you. You should find a way to stand out and offer more value to your customers. To determine your niche, you have to know the current market problems, solutions, and an affordable price.

Buyers are always ready to cut as much cost as possible; you should find a way to offer the best service in that niche at an affordable price.

Give your Idea a Test

Now, it is time for you to know if your business idea will work or not. You should note that not all business could be a successful home-based business. However, there is no magic to know which business idea will work as a home-based business or not without being tested. Without the test, you might not know if your company will work out when you start in full scale. If you fail, go back and rework your business plans.

Prepare a Budget

For you to be successful with your business, you need to have a budget. The budget will guide you in what you do. Depending on your type of business, you can start a business with a little as $1, 000. You may not be bothered with an office since you are making use of your house as an office. You should consider the marketing cost of your business because research shows that over 53% of people that patronized startups do that via online marketing.

Register your business with the Government

Consider registering your business with your government. The registration of your business will allow you to legally start a small business. It will also allow you to work in the capacity of an employee of your business and not in your private personality. Research shows that a registered company is most likely going to perform than an unregistered company in winning contracts. This is because people tend to trust registered companies the more.

Open a Business Bank Account

A business bank account will make your home business look real. It will allow you to separate your business cash flow from your money. You can choose from business checking or business saving account.

A Toll-free Number

A toll-free number is an indispensable business asset that will not only improve your customer satisfaction and brand recognition. A toll-free number will make it easier for customers to contact you when they are dissatisfied with some issues. The fact that they can reach you will keep them tied to you. Apart from this, it will enhance your company’s image.

Be Accountable

This is the most crucial aspect of your business. The goal of every business is to make money. Every entrepreneur needs to keep track of the business to ensure that they are not losing. You should know how much you make or spend in your company. Being accountable will allow you to know when to re-strategize.

Placing international phone calls can seem daunting, but nowadays there are numerous ways to make them. Calling Australia from the U.S. is a bit different from placing a continental call. If you want to know how to call Australia, below are some of the best ways to do just that.

Know the Country Codes

To dial Australia, you will need to use the Australia country code. You will also need to know the United States exit code. It is helpful to know the United States country code as well, in case someone from Australia wants to return your call. The two America codes are necessary if you plan to both place and receive calls. These numbers are easy to remember and vital in letting the phone network know that you are placing an Australia phone call.

Country codes are prefixes added to phone numbers for countries that are members of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Using these numerical prefixes allows international direct dialing between members of these countries.

The Australia country code is 61 and the United States country code is 1.

Calling Australia — Landlines

Each Australian city has its own unique city code. You will need this to call any landline phones. A simple Google search will allow you to find the right code. Once you have this code, begin dialing. You will need both of the America codes to complete the process. First, enter the American exit code, 011. This will begin the call. Second, enter the Australia area code from the U.S., 61. This directs your phone call to Australia. (If a phone number begins with a 0, leave it out. This is known as a trunk code and is unnecessary for calling Australia from the U.S.)

Next, enter the number to place an Australia phone call. Australian phone numbers are nine digits long. Make sure to include the city code before you enter the phone number you want to reach.

As an example, if you want to call a phone in Sydney, Australia: enter 011 (the exit code), 61 (the Australia country code), the city number (Sydney’s is 2), and then the nine-digit Australian phone number.

Calling Australia — Cell Phones

Making a call to an Australian mobile phone is quite similar to calling a landline. Begin by dialing the U.S. exit code, 011. Next, dial the Australia country code, 61. Instead of a city code, follow the Australia country code by dialing 4, which lets the system know you are dialing a mobile phone.

Finally, enter the mobile phone number you are trying to reach. Just as is the case in dialing a landline, ignore a 0 if it is at the beginning of the phone number. This is a trunk code and is unnecessary for international calls. Altogether, you should be dialing 011-61-4 before entering the cell number you wish to reach.

Using the Internet

The Internet is becoming an increasingly popular way to place international calls. There are numerous affordable subscription services that enable calling Australia. If you need to regularly dial Australia, these services may be worth it. They can often be cheaper than placing international calls through traditional phone services.

You can also use free services available online to place an Australia phone call. Such services include Skype, which is popular for both video and audio calls internationally. A Google account also allows you to dial Australia. While Google voice accounts are free, international calls do have fees. The rates tend to be far more affordable than alternatives. Ensure that your computer has speakers, a microphone, and (if you want video) a working camera.

Many businesses are fully embracing the digital age, even letting it revolutionize their office phone systems. It is now common for employees to work from home, out in the field, or from entirely different locations. With these changes to the workplace have come new needs for company communications. Businesses of all types are discovering the benefits of a virtual PBX system. If you are unfamiliar with virtual PBX, consider this article a sort of “PBX for dummies” to get you started.

What Is Virtual PBX?

You may wonder: Just what is a VoIP PBX? A virtual PBX VoIP is a digital system that lets you make phone calls using the internet and other local information networks.

Virtual PBX is compatible with traditional phones. It even lets you keep all the features of a traditional phone line, including conference calls, voicemail, and call forwarding. However, it is not limited to one place.

A virtual PBX system lets you integrate traditional phone lines and mobile phones. It can forward calls directly to employees, wherever they are located. These features are provided by a PBX hosting service, which handles the operation and maintenance of the system on behalf of businesses.

How Does a PBX Work?

Another question on many people’s minds is: How does a PBX system work? PBX systems use the latest telecommunications technology. VoIP converts analog phone calls into data, which is sent like any other data (e.g., email) over the internet or another local network.

The process begins with a toll-free or local telephone number assigned to the system. When customers call this number, they are greeted by a customizable digital attendant telling them they have reached your business and helping them find common extensions or departments. The customer is then redirected to the appropriate employee.

PBX systems can be customized to work differently based on your business hours and let customers leave voicemails. A cloud PBX utilizes cloud computing, meaning all data is stored on the internet rather than on one physical device. This lets you access your system from any device connected to the internet.

Why a Virtual PBX?

Virtual PBX systems are instrumental to using the latest cloud technologies effectively. They allow customers easier access to the right employees and departments. They also enable employees to access communication easily, regardless of their location. Because the system is not limited to a physical location or dependent on one person to answer, it can decrease customer wait times and increase satisfaction. It can also improve your business’s efficiency.

Is the Cloud Safe?

Often, newcomers wonder whether virtual PBX systems are secure. In fact, cloud computing offers many benefits over traditional data storage. First, because the cloud is not stored on a single device, data cannot be lost, such as in the case of a destroyed hard drive. Cloud technologies and services also encrypt data in numerous ways to ensure privacy and data confidentiality. The convenience and security of cloud computing are two major factors in its increasing use across almost every industry.

Hollywood sets fashion and style trends for the rest of the world. But one Hollywood style you should avoid imitating after you acquire a toll-free virtual telephone number and accompanying free virtual PBX business phone system from SendMyCall or EZphone.systems is the bad, bad, bad practice of never saying goodbye at the end of a call.

Not signing off is simply terrible phone etiquette. It doesn’t matter whether the conversation takes place during an incoming call or an outbound one. You must always offer a pleasantry like “goodbye” or “take care” or “talk to you again soon” before hanging up.

Otherwise, you come across as brusque and uncaring. You don’t want to be perceived as such because it damages your relationship with customers. People have boycotted businesses for less—that’s how dangerous a game you play by copycatting Hollywood in not saying goodbye.

You've Seen It In The Movies

If you’ve seen any movies or television shows during the last decade or two, then you know that characters abruptly hang up on each other when they’re done talking.

They don’t say goodbye. They don’t say anything. They just click off and go on to do something else.

This wasn’t always the case. though.

Once upon a time in Hollywood, characters routinely said goodbye. It was customary. It was expected.

That was how real people off-screen interacted with one another when they did business by phone, called each other to share gossip, check in on a relative, or make a dinner date with a love interest.

Hollywood in the old days had characters hanging up with a closing word or two because moviemakers wanted their art to imitate life.

But somehow, writers and directors got it in their heads that saying goodbye at the end of a call was a needless exercise that only served to slow the pace of the story.

Here's Why They Do It

They have a point. Consider this illustration: the hero is in the middle of a high-speed car chase and his cell phone rings. Calling him is his sidekick. The sidekick confirms that the kidnapped girl is indeed locked in the trunk of the car the hero is pursuing. The hero replies “Right. I’m on it. Get me something on the driver of that car. Find out who he is.” Then the hero tosses the cell phone onto the empty seat next to him.

The dramatic tension created by that phone call would be wiped out if, before tossing the phone, the hero added “We still on for that meeting at 4? Great. See you then. Be good. Bye.”

That would be pretty lame for him to say all that during a chase scene. So it gets left out of the script.

This sort of banter gets left out of most other scripts too for the reason that film makers say it eats up time for more important dialogue.

But in real life, saying goodbye is deemed essential to promoting good vibes between the parties to a phone call.

Treat Your Customers Kindly

So always be sure to end your calls with a polite close.

“Goodbye” is the gold standard.

“See ya” is good too, although it might be too informal for a business call (unless you and the person on the other end are buddies).

“Later” is even more informal. “Later, dude” is the most informal of all (except in California, where that expression is practically mandatory).

But you get the point. You acquired virtual toll-free numbers from SendMyCall or EZphone.systems because you want to treat customers right. Don’t blow it by treating them the way movies and TV show characters treat one another when they use the phone.

Always close by saying goodbye.

(Which is what I’ll do right now since this is the end of the post. Goodbye. Talk to you again soon.)

If you’re still not convinced the economy is vibrant enough to justify starting or expanding a business and supporting it with SendMyCall or EZphone.systems toll-free virtual phone numbers, well, have we got some news for you.

According to the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), small-business owners are exceptionally confident about the economy and their chances of thriving in it.

In fact, the NFIB says business people haven’t been nearly this optimistic about their prospects since 1983.

NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg told reporters June 12 that small business owners are “continuing an 18-month streak of unprecedented optimism which is leading to more hiring and rising wages.”

The NFIB tracks optimism among owners of small businesses by means of a special index. The NFIB said this index in May was up 3 points compared to the month prior. The May reading of this index was 107.8 (only the reading from 1983 was higher).

Economists were surprised by that reading—they thought it would be up, but no higher than 105.2 (it was 104.8 in April).

‘Unstoppable Economy’

About a week-and-a-half before the NFIB report came out, cable business-news network CNBC declared that the “U.S. economy suddenly looks like it's unstoppable.”

CNBC said it came to that conclusion after noting in recent months very strong nonfarm payrolls and a surge in manufacturing and construction activity.

Economists with whom CNBC spoke believe the second quarter of 2018 will show abundant growth. They predict the U.S. economy will expand somewhere between 3.6 percent and 4.8 percent by the end of September.

On top of that, international news service Reuters reported that unemployment in the U.S. dwindled to a remarkable 3.8 percent. It could go lower yet because more jobs are opening up as a result of businesses launching and expanding, Reuters indicated.

The icing on this cake is word from Reuters that workers are taking home more money in their paychecks. The news service said average hourly earnings rose eight cents in May alone.

Contributing to larger paychecks has been last year’s $1.5 trillion in federal income tax cuts, Reuters added. The IRS is taking less of a bite out of salaries and wages, but the tax cuts have also incentivized corporations to issue bonuses to employees, Reuters said.

And what are workers doing with all that extra money? Reuters observed that they’re spending it on products and services of all kinds.

Boom Times

Clearly we’re in boom times. There hasn’t been prosperity like this in a long while. How long will it last? Your guess is as good as that of any highly credentialed economist.

But one thing is sure. Right now is when you should take advantage of the opportunities this heated growth presents.

Capitalizing on the boom will be easier if you tap into the powerful telephony capabilities offered to you by SendMyCall and EZphone.systems.

Those capabilities stem in part from a state-of-the art virtual PBX business phone system you receive free when you obtain from us one or more virtual toll-free phone numbers. Virtual numbers and hosted PBX let you easily handle more incoming calls from more customers eager to do more business with you.

Those customers are out there. You know they are because all the economic indicators point to them being out there.

For you, those customers are only a virtual toll-free SendMyCall phone call away. So stop sitting on your hands and start capitalizing on this red-hot business environment.

At the end of an online shopping trip, the retailer may send to your phone a text message describing your purchases and listing other particulars of the transaction.

But what if it wasn’t you who went shopping and instead it was an identity thief pretending to be you?

There’ve been plenty of ideas floated over the years about how to stop this type of crime. The one that resonates with us at SendMyCall and EZphone.systems involves the new technology known as blockchain.

Blockchain experts say this technology could be used to make a real dent in online fraud by offering incredibly strong protection of everyone’s digital identity. How? By making your telephone number your use-anywhere digital ID and having that number safeguarded by blockchain technology.

In our opinion, such an advance can’t come soon enough.

Your Number is Unique

Here’s what one proponent recently wrote about using blockchain to secure your phone number:

Our phone number is our most valuable digital identity, and will remain the only unique international method of identification well into the future.

As more of our personal lives, transactions and interactions move online, having a single, unique identifier will become increasingly important.

WhatsApp was among the first apps to equate accounts with personal phone numbers, and Twitter, Snapchat and Facebook Messenger have also elected to use this method of identification.

In addition, far-reaching global initiatives such as the GSMA’s Mobile Connect solution employs the user’s unique mobile number as a universal digital identity, allowing participants to access multiple online services via a single sign-on.

But do we really have full control over our digital identity? What are the chances of us losing this most valuable digital asset…?

Blockchain is the ideal technology to ensure full transparency, speed, safety, security and peace of mind….Imagine a world where we can never lose access to our phone numbers, where we allow one or more operators of our choice to provide us with connectivity services for our numbers anywhere in the world, and where no fraud, spoofing or identity theft is technically possible.

An Interesting Technology

So what is blockchain?

According to Forbes, blockchain is a technology that creates an append-only transaction ledger.

An append-only transaction ledger is one that lets you add new dates, figures, and details, but that prevents you from thereafter changing or erasing those entries.

The ledger entries are stored in individual blocks that are chained together by cryptography. That’s why they call it “blockchain.”

Owing to the cryptographic chaining, if someone tries to alter data in any single block, all the data in the blocks added after that one are automatically rendered invalid and become totally unusable. This basically stops data theft and fraud dead in their tracks.

Now, the thing is, it takes a lot of computers owned by a lot of different people or companies to create a blockchain. The result is the data that apply to any given transaction are spread out all over the place. Since no single computer or server contains the entire data trove—just tiny bits and pieces—this all but guarantees no access by hackers and other no-goodniks.

It’s also notoriously difficult to add new blocks to the chain. The only way to do that is if all the computers involved in the process agree on the answer to an incredibly tough mathematical challenge question.

Further, the contents of newly added block are completely transparent. Anyone who wants to verify a blockchain transaction, for instance, can easily do so. That’s another way blockchain fights fraud.

Importantly, blockchain lets you transfer ownership of property (like virtual phone numbers) in a trustless manner. Trustless means automatic assurance that others who are party to your transaction are operating in good faith and that the system isn’t rigged against you.

See where all this is going? Data contained in a blockchain is super secure and trustworthy.

And that’s why we at SendMyCall and EZphone.systems think it would be a great solution to the tough-to-root-out problem of online identify theft.

We think it would be nice to live in a world where we can arise every morning without worrying whether my digital identity is still mine and not in the possession of bad guys.

Crystal-clear sound is among the many great things worth celebrating about the free virtual PBX business phone system you get from SendMyCall or from EZphone.systems when you buy one or more of their virtual toll-free telephone numbers.

And because SendMyCall and EZphone.systems users can hear with such great clarity, they love conducting business over the phone.

However, if you take phone meetings at scheduled times, you may find it a good idea to start keeping a sharper eye on the clock.

Owing to changes in the way electric utility companies now operate, it’s possible you could dial in late to your meeting if you’re not careful.

According to scientists at the U.S. Naval Observatory's National Institute of Standards and Technology in Washington, D.C., clocks that run on electricity from the wall of your home or office can give you the incorrect time.

Research those scientists conducted suggests that electric-powered clocks can occasionally be off by as much as seven-and-a-half minutes from the official time maintained by the Naval Observatory.

That means if you tell a customer you’ll call at 10 and you glance up at the clock on the wall and see that it’s 9:59, well, guess what? It might actually be 10:06 -- and your customer with the accurate battery-powered wristwatch not affected by this problem will be none too happy having sat there twiddling her thumbs waiting for you to show up.

This will hold true as well in the reverse situation -- where it’s you who’s expecting an incoming call from the customer with the wristwatch and she sees that it’s 10 sharp but you’re not at your desk yet because you think it’s still only 9:53.

You’ll miss her call (although your SendMyCall or EZphone.systems free hosted PBX business phone system can be counted on to safely route it voicemail). But if punctuality is important to you, then this flaw in your electric wall clock will be problematic to say the least.

So what’s behind all this?

The Naval Observatory researchers say it’s because the companies that feed electricity into the U.S. power grid are no longer required to correct a phenomenon known as drift.

Electricity is supposed to flow from your wall at a steady rate of 60 hertz (another way of expressing that value is 60 cycles per second).

When the electricity hums along at 60 hertz, your clock keeps the correct time. When the electric flow falls below 60 hertz, your clock slows down. Don’t ask how. Just accept it as fact that it does.

A number of things can cause electricity to drift below 60 hertz. For example, if the weather turns really cold all of a sudden. Or if everyone turns on their air conditioners at the same time on a hot summer afternoon, that too can result in drift.

The power companies have traditionally responded to drift by immediately taking corrective action to bring the electric flow back to 60 hertz. So while your clock might have lost time in the short interim, the loss would have been barely detectable.

Fast action to stabilize the flow was par for the course because the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission made the power companies do it.

Not anymore.

The commission last year scrapped the drift-correction requirement at the urging of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. NERC is the entity that oversees the operation of the entire U.S. power grid.

NERC argued that the rules were too expensive to follow. They also asserted that the rules were unnecessary in light of newer, industry-developed standards.

NERC officials assured the commission that the new standards would allow drift to be corrected just as well as before. The only difference would be that correction would no longer occur immediately.

Since the rule was relaxed, Naval Observatory researchers spotted a number of drifts incident that affected the East Coast, one of which wasn’t resolved for over a week.

NERC officials explained that the incident occurred in the middle of a winter's deep freeze. They said they determined it was too risky to attempt a correction until the weather returned to its seasonal norm. And, besides, even with a week’s delay, clocks lost only about 10 seconds, the NERC said.

Still, by the National Observatory researchers’ estimates, uncorrected drift under the new standards could throw clocks off by a lot more than 10 seconds.

The scientists added that it’s not all doom and gloom for electric clocks, though. Some clocks, they assured, aren’t vulnerable to the effects of drift. For instance, drift is irrelevant to clocks synchronized with the nation’s master clock at the Naval Observatory via satellite, cable, or fiber optic connections.

The same is true of your free SendMyCall or EZphone.systems virtual PBX business phone system, which is not at all dependent on wall-delivered electricity to know the time. As a result, it’s always accurate.

So, if your customers know you’re using SendMyCall or EZphone.syste,s, don’t try using the excuse of being late to your business appointments due to electric-clock slowdown.

Offering that as your excuse will be just a waste of time.

SendMyCall is the name you know for virtual toll-free phone numbers and free virtual PBX business phone systems. But there’s another name you should also know— EZphone.systems™.

EZphone.systems™ is an extension of SendMyCall. In fact, the same folks who’ve owned SendMyCall since its beginning in 2007 likewise own EZphone.systems™.

Through EZphone.systems™ you can get virtual toll-free phone numbers and free virtual PBX business phone systems, just as you can from SendMyCall.

So what’s the big deal about EZphone.systems™ and why is it important to know this name?

Offer You Unlimited Minutes

EZphone.systems™ picks up where SendMyCall leaves off. And where SendMyCall leaves off is in the area of unlimited minutes for toll-free calling.

In a nutshell, SendMyCall doesn’t offer plans for unlimited minutes.

Yet, many SendMyCall customers have asked many times and in many ways for unlimited plans.

Well, when SendMyCall customers speak, SendMyCall listens.

And thanks to EZphone.systems™, SendMyCall customers now are able to opt for unlimited-minutes plans in conjunction with virtual toll-free phone numbers.

The businesses that get the most value from obtaining virtual toll-free numbers via SendMyCall tend to be medium to large in size. They typically have many employees spread far and wide.

By contrast, the businesses that stand to derive the most benefit from what EZphone.systems™ offers are those small in size with but a few employees. Mainly, they are companies that don’t want the hassle or worry of keeping precise track of the minutes they spend talking with callers who dial in on a toll-free virtual phone number.

But, just like SendMyCall customers, users of EZphone.systems™ want the same virtual telephony features that instantly convey the impression of major-league business status to all callers.

Includes Same Free Virtual PBX

Just as with SendMyCall, every EZphone.systems™ virtual number purchase includes a free virtual PBX business phone system that features call-forwarding, call-holding with music, call-queuing, call-conferencing, time-stamping, voicemail, voicemail-to-email, voice-activated menus, and plenty more.

This free virtual PBX business phone system gives you the means to control every function and feature from wherever in the world you happen to be at any particular moment.

Also, implementing your EZphone.systems™ virtual PBX business phone system requires no special gear. All you need is a landline, mobile phone, or SIP-compatible IP phone.

Indeed, configuring it is a breeze. You do that by perusing a menu of icons representing all the potentially available components, features, and functions, then you drag-and-drop into place the ones you want.

And once you’re done, boom, that’s it—you can immediately use your phone system to transact business with your customers and sales prospects. What could be simpler?

It’s important to note, however, that EZphone.systems™ unlimited calling plans don’t apply everywhere. Visit the EZphone.systems™ website for more details.

Even so, EZphone.systems™ gives you powerful advantages in the highly competitive arenas in which you’re playing to win.

That’s why you need to say hello to EZphone.systems™.

SendMyCall wants to tell you this week about GDPR, a major new law that goes on the books next month. This new law could affect you. In fact, it probably will.

GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation. It isn’t an American law. GDPR is a law of the European Union. It takes effect on May 18.

It can apply to you if you do business from a location anywhere within the EU or if you have customers who are EU citizens. In those circumstances, you must obey this law or you can be fined 4 percent of your annual revenues or approximately $25 million, whichever amount causes you the most pain.

Why You May be Subject to GDPR

We bring GDPR to your attention because the toll-free virtual phone numbers you obtain from SendMyCall to let customers reach out to you without charge from around the world could be bringing you incoming calls from Europe.

Or it might just be that you’re using SendMyCall toll-free virtual phone numbers to attract customers from the U.S. and elsewhere, but you’re based within the EU.

If you’re as a result subject to GDPR, you need to prepare now to take steps to comply with the new law.

GDPR is mainly concerned with customer data you store on your Smartphone or laptop or desktop computer—data you possibly acquired from the cookies your website planted within a visiting EU citizen’s computer or mobile device.

Another way you could have come into possession of data covered under GDPR is if the EU citizen filled out an online form you posted. Still another way: he or she sent you an email with his or her personal details in it. Also: you entered the customer’s data into your systems during or after a sales call initiated when he or she dialed you on your SendMyCall toll-free virtual phone number.

Safeguard Collected Data

GDPR requires you to take serious measures to safeguard your customers' data. We’re not able to recommend specific policies, procedures, and mechanisms for accomplishing that. But we can recommend at least one helpful resource.

New York City-based data-and-analytics consulting firm Knowledgent has a GDPR whitepaper that will explain many of the ins and outs of this sweeping new law. The title is "The Essential Guide to GDPR" and you can request it here.

Want a sneak preview of what you’ll see in that whitepaper and other GDPR tip-sheets? Well, for starters, GDPR demands you keep good records so that you can show inquirers where the data came from and who besides yourself has looked at it.

GDPR Imposes Limits

GDPR limits what you can do with data you harvest. Above all, you must use it for the exact purpose you said you were going to use it for. Also, you can only collect data you legitimately need.

If an EU citizen says to you, “Hey, let me see the data you’ve got on me,” you have to comply. If that same citizen then says, “Hey, a bunch of this data is wrong and I want it removed,” you again must comply.

You have to tell people that you want to collect data on them before you start capturing anything. As well, you must get from them a clear, no-mistake-about-it OK in order to legally acquire any such info.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking GDPR is no big deal; that you can take your chances and not worry about the law. The odds of you getting away with GDPR violations are slim. Because, in addition to having to dodge EU law enforcers, you’ll also have to hide from EU citizens—the law lets them haul you into court and initiate proceedings against you on their own.

And haul you in they will. Pegasystems—a Cambridge, Massachusetts, maker of cloud software—polled 7,000 EU consumers and discovered that 82 percent of them won’t hesitate to bring you to justice under GDPR.

For these and other reasons, we urge you to get up to speed on GDPR. And obey it. It’s the law.

There are many ways to tell if the economy is growing.

You’ve got the gross domestic product report. You’ve got labor-force participation rates. You’ve got housing starts. Manufacturing output. Stock market performance. Tax receipts. On and on it goes.

But one indicator that doesn’t make the headlines is economic expansion measured by how many businesses are requesting virtual toll-free telephone numbers.

Here at SendMyCall, we’ve seen orders for virtual numbers increase dramatically since early 2017.

We make a practice of never disclosing hard numbers, but suffice it to say the volume of inquiries we’ve fielded for our virtual numbers has easily doubled.

That’s a sure sign of a growing economy because really about the only time you see demand for virtual toll-free numbers skyrocket like this is when businesses are being started and when businesses are expanding—events that usually require a backdrop of good financial times or, at the very least, people feeling upbeat about the future.

It’s interesting to point out that at SendMyCall a lot of the demand for virtual toll-free numbers has come from travel agents, retailers, graphic designers, programmers, consultants, and social media specialists. The thing they all have in common is a heavy reliance on telephones for interactions with their customers.

Here’s something else that’s interesting. We provide virtual toll-free numbers in many countries around the world, but the demand has been most keenly felt here in the U.S.

What that tells us at SendMyCall is domestic toll-free numbers are a hot commodity because American customers more and more have money in their wallets, purses, and bank accounts. This wasn’t so much the case just a year or two ago. But it certainly is now and that’s because the economy is roaring back to life.

What businesses understand about virtual toll-free numbers (and this is why they so eagerly want them in response to a rising economy) is that their customers can call in from anywhere and pay nothing for the call. Customers who don’t pay for calls are customers who are heard from much more often. Customers who call more often are customers who can be sold things more often.

So, the way we interpret current developments, demand for virtual toll-free numbers should remain high for a long time to come.

Of course, we can’t make a prediction like that based just on our own sales figures. For that, we have to look at the same trend lines all the economists consider. From the looks of those trend lines, there’s plenty of optimism across America—and that optimism should remain abundant into the foreseeable future.

Many business owners have come to the conclusion that this is a great time to launch or expand. We’re convinced they’re right about that. We want them to know we’ve got all the toll-free virtual phone numbers they’ll need to do well in these boom times.

Self-employed people are the happiest workers of all, according to a new academic study.

But whether their happiness comes at least in part from having SendMyCall toll-free virtual phone numbers and a free cloud-based PBX business phone system wasn’t mentioned in the study.

That’s unfortunate because, had the researchers looked into it, they almost surely would have discovered that SendMyCall makes the self-employed extremely happy by providing them an easy yet sophisticated and cost-effective way to connect with customers all over the world.

The study was conducted jointly by researchers from the University of Exeter Business School and the University of Sheffield, both located in England. Leading the investigation were professors Peter Warr and Ilke Inceoglu.

The researchers collected job-satisfaction data on more than 5,000 workers in Great Britain as well as in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The workers came from the worlds of retail, finance, insurance, health, education, real estate, management services, and others.

The study’s subjects were grouped into four categories. They were classified as workers who either:

1. Run the show;
2. Serve as mid-level managers;
3. Supervise;
4. Or are low-level employees.

The researchers found that self-employed workers (who, by definition, fall into the “run the show” category”) tend to most love their jobs.

They were found to work harder, longer, and in a much more highly engaged manner than anyone else. Also, they strive more earnestly to meet higher standards and tend to be more innovative, according to the study.

The reason they do all of that should be instantly obvious. Self-employed people have the highest stake of all workers in the job they do.

If you are your own boss and fail to sell the offered product or you blow a deadline or you screw up a fulfillment commitment, the blame is yours alone. To prevent that from happening you have to work extra hard. You have to be on top of things at all times. There’s no margin for error.

And that’s why so many self-employed people turn to SendMyCall for the support they need when it comes to communicating by phone with current and prospective customers.

The title of the two universities’ joint study is “Work Orientations, Well-Being and Job Content of Self-Employed and Employed Professionals.” It was recently published in the journal Work, Employment and Society.

The findings of this research were echoed in a separate study conducted by Cardiff University School of Social Sciences in Wales.

In this second study, the researchers surveyed some 15,000 workers over a span of about 15 years. Specifically, they found that employees who work remotely—from home, in other words—are usually more productive than those who do not.

That’s the position SendMyCall has held from the very beginning.

However, we know that the mere fact of someone working from home is not what makes him or her more productive. It’s working from home plus having the necessary tools to support high-level industriousness.

The tools available from SendMyCall are about the finest you can get to support working remotely. Go here for a look at them.