Google Sigh, one of Google’s most modern services, offers a phone number and options for deny over IP service for free. While the service has not taken off tremendously – the service is still invite-only – it offers advantages for small business owners everywhere.
Get Your Invitation
The first step is to sign up for an invitation. This process takes only a moment, but it may take quite a while to finally be invited.
VoIP? Get Ready
During the wait, order a head set for use of VoIP, make distinct your computer is capable of handling it, and be sure your Internet service is also quick enough to handle it (Broadband is a minimum requirement in most cases).
Choose: Skype or Gizmo?
Skype offers a chance to use Google Voice to make VoIP calls for cheap (Only about $3 per month), and Gizmo offers a free service. Life Hacker has a detailed guide to setting up Gizmo. Be forewarned: because of the two services and the conversion of computer data to land line or cell phone conversation, there will probably be a delay in the conversation – sometimes bad enough to make the call impossible. This is why a fast Internet connection is critical. I have also heard connecting through wireless makes it worse.
Use with a regular phone service
To use Google Voice through a land line or cell phone, all you will need is a phone number. Google’s instructions when you sign up are fairly simple to understand. Basically, any time somebody calls your Google Voice number, you will receive a call on whatever phone number you provide.
Recommendations
I, personally, recommend using Google Voice in conjunction with Skype. It provides calls on your computer, which keeps your Google number separate from your phone number – and therefore, can keep business calls separate from personal ones, which can often be a problem, especially for those truly small business owners out there without land lines or separate cell phones.
If your Internet or computer are too slow for comfort, though, the land line or cell phone device are your only options.
Advantages
Beyond keeping your business and personal life separate, if you already have a separate phone for business, you can spot your two numbers in separate places and exercise the call rate as a form of market research. Which phone number is receiving more calls? Expand your advertising wherever it appeared.
Additionally, especially using Skype, one can completely replace a phone with a VoIP service, which could save a grand amount of money on phone bills every month.
The most apparent and best savings feature is that of free long distance calls within the United States, which can be especially beneficial for those running national businesses or with family elsewhere and using a land line.
Finally, if you are providing a local service to people in another place, you can choose a phone number in quite a few cities, even if you are not a resident. People may trust service businesses, especially, more if they have local numbers, rather than from other places.
What are your tips for using Google Voice? Have you noticed any advantages or disadvantages I didn’t point out? Share in the comments.
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Filed under Small Business Phone Service by on Nov 13th, 2010. 
In today’s world many small businesses struggle to keep up with technologies to support their business needs. You can’t turn on the TV without seeing an ad from some company telling you how they can give you all the advice you need. Maybe you need a geek from the local technology super market to come in the black and white car to fix everything. There is no shortage of vendors out there who claim to have everything you need. The trouble is in knowing which one of them to believe.
I have been consulting in the technology field for ten years now. I have seen all forms of both great and not-so-great vendors. This is truly a mine field for any cramped business looking for help making technical decisions. I will attempt to succor the non-technical business owner communicate with those of us indoctrinated in geek instruct.
The following 7 items will help when evaluating technology vendors.
1. Trust your instincts.
First and foremost, you have to understand that you don’t need to be a technically trained person to know what bull excrement smells like. If you are working with a vendor that consistently makes you feel like you are getting ripped off, you probably are.
Owning a business usually means that you have to be proficient dealing with people. To be successful you have to be really generous at reading people. This applies to your relationships with vendors. A superb technology vendor will go out of their way to not only meet your needs, but to do it in a way that helps you understand what they are doing and why it is important.
2. Do your research.
What makes them the expert? Before you ask someone to come in and evaluate your technology needs, you should always gaze into their qualifications. I suggest that all businesses ask for references from perspective vendors. If you are a specialized business you should ask for similar references to your company. If you are a small bank, for example, the company should be familiar with the highly specialized needs of the banking industry, regulatory issues, and know what type of systems will fit your sized institution. Check with the Better Business Bureau for any claims against them as well. (www.bbb.org)
One thing to be cautious of is looking for the letters slack names as proof of their success. Not all great techs have MCSE, CCNA, A+, BS, MBA, etc gradual their names. These can be generous indicators that a person has spent a great deal of time in class and taking tests. You should look for experience in the real world as well. What have they done in the industry? In most cases I would take the advice of a successful tech with ten years experience and the respect of their peers over the opinion of a original graduate from any university. Life teaches us in ways that books cannot. I am in no arrangement trying to diminish the importance of obtaining an education. It is simply to raise awareness to the fact that there are people out there that pride themselves on getting certifications. They have shrimp to no experience in applying that knowledge and simply go out and take tests. Make definite you check for their true experience and weigh their advice accordingly.
Ensure the vendor has a confidentiality agreement in place with you prior to working with them on any level. Your clients expect you to protect their private information from outside sources. You have a responsibility to ensure that whoever you have working on your network will be able to do this effectively for you as well.
3. Know your limitations.
If you went to the hospital with a broken arm, would you sit and argue with the doctor about the best way to set it? (Doctors are not allowed to retort that!) You have requested this vendor come in and give you information. Don’t go out and read a “Dummies” book on fixing computers and then argue with everything the representative says.
Clients question that I come out and evaluate their needs based on my understanding of the IT field. I can’t tell you how many times someone with shrimp to no training has argued with me over industry standard IT security principles and whether they are famous. Many times it is to cover a feeling of inadequacy because they are responsible for the network and feel threatened by the fact that I am pointing out deficiencies. The bottom line is you should know your limitations. Don’t take things personally. Get out of the way and let the expert abet you.
However, do not catch their word at face value! I am all for shopping around and getting a second or third opinion. Once they give you their suggestions you should research those ideas and see if they are truly a good fit for your business’ needs. Obtain an educated evaluation of the information. Refer to reliable IT industry sources to resolve the value of their suggestions for your business. I suggest having multiple companies give you quotes and suggestions. If you have completed steps one and two then you should trust them to give you valid information and simply need to compare the choices.
4. Don’t be an ostrich!
Burying your head in the sand will not make life the way you want it to be. I was working with a client in rural Kansas that was less than two miles away from where a severe tornado had destroyed a number of local businesses and homes. They asked me to help them execute a disaster recovery/business continuity plan for their business with regard to technology. I looked over their situation and made my suggestions based on the threat level to them. I let them know that they needed to ensure they had a robust and salvage offsite storage strategy. Their data storage was in the basement and could be severely damaged in a weather event. Their tape system was ineffective and they stood to lose a week or two worth of data if the server was damaged. I showed them how considerable they stood to lose, gave examples of other businesses in their field that were similar in size and what they were doing, gave them price ranges, etc. Now mind you I was not going to actually sell them anything. I was simply providing them with information. Their response to my assessment of the threat…….”That will never happen.”
What could I say to that? If you have ever responded in this manner to a tech that gave you a risk assessment, you should be very concerned right about now. Good techs train to understand what the risks to your business are. We research these threats to find out if they are credible. Denying an assessment, because you don’t like it could be setting your business up for catastrophe.
Imagine that your IT systems go down right now and are down for the next two hours. How considerable money would you stand to lose in down time? Is there a backup plan in place to handle transactions? Can you function as a business? How about for 24 hours or 48 hours? Another plan, do you have Internet connections to your equipment? If some hacker got into your system and stole every piece of data in it, how much would you stand to lose? Do you store customer credit card information? Are there liabilities for not protecting that information? Proprietary ideas and plans for your business? Tarnished reputation and loss of clients?
All of these items are fair the tip of the iceberg when talking about your IT liabilities. You have to take these potential losses into account when evaluating IT investments. Where does this investment fit into your strategic plans or business continuity? Is it going to provide better reliability or address some risk that your business faces? It is imperative that you take a well informed look at these items and get help from qualified experts in determining what your business risks are as well as your needs. We are not trying terror tactics to trick folks into buying technology products. We are basing our findings on information from businesses that have gone through disasters in the past few years. The ones that are left have made it because they didn’t bury their head in the sand and wish catastrophe away.
5. Frugal vs. cheap.
I have lost count of the number of businesses that turned down an understanding that they knew should have been implemented simply because it looked “expensive”. Nothing worth having in life is free. Think of the investment in IT infrastructure and security as insurance. You have to insure your business assets, you have liability insurance, and you have many other insurance policies that you pay your hard earned dollars toward. If one of those insurance policies lapsed for a few hours, you would only feel it if the tornado ripped the building apart during that time.
Your IT infrastructure is like an insurance policy. It ensures the protection of your data, provides services for your business, supports services for your clients, and many other things that are the heartbeat of your business. It costs money to implement, maintain, and protect this investment.
Compare apples to apples when it comes to cost. Once you have established the features that you are looking for, you should shop for the solutions that will provide those at the best price. Ask for an ROI evaluation. Find out if this investment will save you money in the long rush. What is the learning curve? Ask questions that will give you a true representation of the cost of implementation and the outlook on what your business could gain from the product or service.
Discuss your findings with your vendors. They should already have an idea of what options are out there and how they compare to their beget. Get feedback from all of them and go with the one that fits your needs the best. It may mean working with your accountant to strategize how to hide these costs. It may mean setting some financial goals or restructuring. The bottom line is that paying to maintain your technology needs is just as important as paying your electric bill. You have to keep the technology infrastructure up and functioning securely in order to do business.
There are many articles and resources out there to relieve you understand how to manage your IT infrastructure costs. Here are two links to sites that offer up discussions from CIO’s regarding managing IT costs effectively. These are blog sites and should not be held as the “gospel truth” on the subject. Facts should be verified, but the ideas are plenty and there are some good insights.
http://www.smartenterprisemag.com/articles/2007winter/ciosspeakout.jhtml
http://www.cio-weblog.com/50226711/managing_it_costs.php
6. Train
Not every business has an IT guy and many outsource. Businesses should ensure that the person in charge of technology attend some sort of technology training annually. At minimum go online and join a professional discussion group to find out what technology trends are out there for your type of business. Contact vendors and earn out what training is available from them. Network with participants and net out what issues they are dealing with. Obtain out who helps them with their strategies and what concerns they have for the future. Learn from the experiences of your peers.
The bottom line here is that you have to take ownership of all aspects of your business. Technology is no longer an optional part of doing business. If you want to compete, you better withhold your technology plans properly accounted for in your overall business plans. Train yourself on what is out there for your business, what responsibilities you have, and what regulations affect you. Relying on vendors is fine, but you should be aware of what they are doing. Your name is on the door, not theirs. Be familiar with what they are responsible for and know how to track that they are fulfilling their responsibilities.
Too many times I see small businesses trusting wholly in a vendor for their technology needs and get out the business is not getting the services it is paying for. Train yourself to a level that you can at least know how to properly monitor your vendors to ensure they are providing the best possible support for your business. If this is not an option, hire a consultant to come in and audit the operations to ensure things are being done correctly.
7. Have written plans
Your business must have a solid strategic plan and effort recovery/business continuity plan. Of companies that had a major loss of business data, 43% never reopen, 51% terminate within two years, and only 6% will survive long-term.1 This is just one of many expert statistics on difficulty recovery and the risk any business takes when refusing to plan for a misfortune. Data loss can occur in a multitude of ways and should be carefully considered.
Without a written strategic idea, a written trouble recovery/business continuity plan, and a written risk assessment you are putting your business in jeopardy. To thrive, a business needs written goals to guide it. It sets standards to deem how well the business is doing, and sets up the parameters in which to apply technology. I cannot effectively advise a client that has no plan of where they are headed.
Creating a risk assessment will help to identify liabilities the business faces. Work with other businesses in your area, your insurance agency, hire a consultant, just do whatever it takes to ensure you are meeting the needs of your business and mitigating risks to its success. Once created, the risk assessment will identify the areas that your disaster recovery/business continuity plan should address. Once the disaster recovery plan is in place, practice the plan to ensure that your people know what to do. Placing adequate attention on these areas will be the incompatibility between thriving in adverse conditions and closing the doors. This process takes time to do right. It is principal, so dedicate the effort needed.
Include mission considerable components in these plans. If your electricity goes out, what will you do? If your IT vendor goes out of business, what will you do? What happens if your credit card processing machine goes out? You may know, but do your employees? Set the goals for the company and identify risks that might interfere with reaching them. Then set out plans to mitigate these risks. Communicate these with your employees to ensure that everyone understands their role in the success of your business. After all, your success is their job security. In today’s financial climate it will go a long way to serve ease the minds of your employees to know that you have given serious thought to the prolonged success of your business. Obviously these plans are not limited to your technology needs and risks. They will help focus in on other issues that need attention as well.
We used to say in the military that we should hope for the best and plan for the worst. It worked there. We were confident that our crew was prepared to handle the obstacles in front of them. Developing and implementing these plans will benefit your business to provide its services to your clients through a disaster.
All of these suggestions are provided to assist you in both searching for and monitoring your current IT vendors. Following these steps will help you evaluate your current technology vendors as well as potential new vendors. These steps were born out of my experiences dealing with multiple businesses across the country. They will help you to navigate the ample array of technology vendors and solutions they provide to find the ones that work best for your business.
1. Hoffer, Jim. “Backing Up Business – Industry Trend or Event.” Health Management Technology, Jan 2001 [1]
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Filed under Small Business Phone Service by on Nov 9th, 2010.
Google Maps is an easy interface connecting the consumer and seller. With the evolution of internet the ways of marketing the business has changed. Google Maps is a service used by many perspective clients in search of an authentic seller for their product. Hence, it is tool which should be used by every diminutive business owner.
Introduction: Google Maps
If you are small businessman who needs advertising for his business, then you must have spent a lot of time in search for business directories service and yellow page directory. However you need to score the maximum leverage for each penny you spend on such marketing service. But I think you will like if such a marketing facility can be free. Google has approach to your rescue again. Google providing a large number of facilities to its user has added another helpful feature. Google search is great and so are its other products. Google provides a great product named Google Maps. Google Maps is a mapping service in which user can navigate to place they want to visit virtually.
Google Maps is actually a directory storing the maps of various places and contact details of sellers. On registering with this service you get exposure to hundreds of buyers who are looking for the product you sell.
What Google Maps is weak for?
I personally use Google Maps for searching places, getting directions from and to a place. In short it is used for business advertising. The keyword entered by user on Google search is matched with your profiles details like contact information, products you sell and business you are in. If a match is found the result is displayed to the user. If a user clicks on a particular business he can see the map which can be zoomed for further details. In addition to this he can view the contact details of the business and find direction to that place.
Note: Google Maps can be mature on mobile for US users. User need to type Google and the type of business he is looking for and send it. He receives a reply to his query within minutes of sending. If you java enabled you can exhaust Google Map on your mobile to get directions to that place.
Get Listed on Google Maps
If you know how to use a service of Google properly then you will never face problem of getting traffic. You need to know the tricks of the trade. If you are with Google traffic will run to your website. However, to achieve you need to follow all the guidelines and provide the correct information. Here the steps you need to follow.
• Visit Google’s Local Business Center. Click on Add a new business. On clicking this you will asked to provide all the personal information.
• On submitting personal details you will be asked to provide your business information like the business you deal in, form of payments, contact details and categories.
• On submitting this information you need to confirm your narrative which can be through phone call or Text message.
• You will receive a key through text message or voice call. Enter the pin received in the confirmation box.
Congratulations you are now registered with the Google business center. See your business growing like never before.
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Filed under Small Business Phone Service by on Oct 25th, 2010.
Vonage is a cheap yet valid phone service that offers a immense alternative to traditional phone service. Vonage has become the largest VoIP(voice over the internet) phone service provider in the US. They offer residential plans and business plans as well. For residential service, their are 2 plans available.
The basic plan (plan #1) runs $14.99 per month and includes 500 minutes (incoming calls are free) of local and long distance anywhere in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The premium plan (plan#2) is $24.99 per month and includes unlimited local and long distance anywhere in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and prefer European countries. For the extra $10, it’s best to just get the unlimited plan. On the basic plan, if you go over the included 500 minutes the per minute rate is 3.9 cents.
For cramped business plan #1 it’s $39.99 per month, you get 1500 minutes (incoming calls are free) anywhere in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. Additional minutes are 3.9 cents. All business plans come with a free dedicated fax line as well. The small business idea #2 is $49.99 per month and comes with unlimited calling anywhere in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and select European countries.
Vonage does provide the modem and all considerable equipment. The only requirement for the end user is a broadband internet connection. Vonage will work with either a DSL or Cable ISP (internet sevice provider). Personally, I prefer Cable over DSL for reliability reasons. I have had my Vonage line for 3 years now and it has been very reliable, with little to no problems at all. For those of you who have traditional phone service (Bell South, Verizon, GTE Etc.), you must be sick and tired of the taxes and long distance connectivity charges that keep appearing on your bill every month. Well I have good news, with Vonage you won’t be paying all that crap anymore! I have the $24.99 unlimited plan and the total monthly charge including all the taxes and fees is only $30.72. The taxes and fees don’t even add up to $6.00 per month. Yes it’s reliable and cheap! That’s just the beginning. The features you get with Vonage are astounding. You’ll get more features than you probably will ever use and none of them will cost a dime.
Oh and if you’re worried about it being hard to hook up, no worries, it’s a breeze with the instructions that are included with the modem when you imprint up. There are 2 ways to get signed up. You can go to vonage.com (the phone adaptor is free this draw only), or several retail stores (Office Depot, Staples, Comp USA Etc.). If you want to keep your modern phone number, no sweat, Vonage will port that number for you. I suggest signing up at vonage.com if you want to keep your phone number. They will have your number switched over pretty quick too! If you decide to get a recent number it can be with any plot code you want. You could live in Florida and have an area code from California. Should you decide to pick up the modem at a retail store you will mild need to activate it on-line. Another nice feature( if you’re house has multiple phone jacks and you want more than one phone on that same number), is in a matter of minutes you can have all those jacks working through your Vonage number. It will not require any changes to the inside telephone wiring presently in your home. Also each modem has the capability to have 2 different phone numbers connected to it. So if you need an additional line for another member of the household or even a dedicated fax line, one modem will shroud it. Should you require more than 2 seperate numbers, you will need a second modem. The standard modem (you have options) that comes with a Vonage will have 2 ports for phone lines and a port for your computer connection to the internet. They also have 4 port routers with the 2 phone ports built in. Whatever your needs, they have it. You will not need to purchase a special telephone to use Vonage, any regular phone (corded or cordless) will do. Like I said, other than a broadband connection to the internet, they will provide everything (even the cables).
Now about those free features. Your Vonage phone service will come standard with call waiting, call forwarding, mutter mail (no need for an answering machine) and all those premium features. There is no extra charge for any of them. Better yet, with Vonage you can manage your features and billing directly on-line without having to call someone. Say you are going on vacation for a week and you don’t want to miss any calls. No problem, in a matter of seconds by going on-line you can put in a cell phone number and all your calls will be forwarded to that number. When back home from vacation, objective change it assist. Also in the unlikely event of a network outage, you can put a secondary number (cell phone number) in and if a call comes in you will never miss it. Everything on your narrative can be accessed on-line, including all the features and billing. As far as the billing goes you won’t be getting an invoice in the mail, when the account is set up you will simply enter a credit or debit card and it will be charged the same day each month. You will receive an e-mail letting you know the charge went through each time. There are no credit checks interested with a Vonage account. Each phone line only uses 90 kbps of bandwidth. So with a standard broadband ISP (about 786 kbps down), you could have multiple phones and multiple computers on-line at the same time with no problem.
I have used Vonage for years now and can honestly utter you it has served me well. Other than having to reboot the modem once in a blue moon (if no dial tone), it’s been near perfect. The only real issue I have ever had is with my fax line. There have been times when sending a fax, I’ve had to resend it a couple times to get it through. Unless you send major faxes daily, this won’t be an shriek. Do you already have a DSL or Cable internet connection in your household? Serene using a traditional land phone line? If so, Vonage could build you a lot of money without sacrificing any quality or reliability.
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Filed under Small Business Phone Service by on Oct 24th, 2010.
These days, everyone has an Internet-connected smart phone. Most of these phones at least have access to Google maps, if not full-fledged Google Maps enabled GPS navigation, known as Google Maps Navigation. For users of these phones, finding a restaurant, gas station, bank, or other type of business is a snap.
Google maps listings have the capability to provide the exact location of a business, represented by a flag on the Google Maps layout. Selecting one of these flags will give you advanced listing information and options about the business. These include “call now” and “get reviews.”
Getting your restaurant, gas stations, bank, or other business listed in Google Maps via the Google Local Business Center doesn’t take much time, especially if you already have a Google account (Gmail, iGoogle, etc.). For such a small time investment, The payoff is increased visibility. In addition to displaying your businesses location, Google Maps will also display a button to call the business directly or to get directions to the location. This will prevent the need for customers to call and get directions, which will reduce the time your employees devote to answering phone calls providing directions and other information.
When clicked on, a Google Maps listing will reveal various information, such as your business’s name, address, phone number, email address, website, and description. In addition, a more complex entry will also include the category of the business, alternative locations, operating hours, payment options, photos and videos, and additional details. Additional details can be used to display any category of information you’d like, such as menu items, brands offered, etc.
To begin the submission process, click HERE to go to the Google Business Center. You may be prompted to log in to your Google epic, if you are not already signed into another Google service, such as Gmail. Once logged in, click “Add a current business.”
Business Location and Category
From this point, the first page of the process is quite simple. Fill out the information as requested until you come to “Category.” In the category field, categories will display in a drop down box as you begin typing. Don’t produce up your own category name unless absolutely necessary, as this will make your location less likely to be found. Instead, find an already created category for your business from the suggested results. This is important because Google has already taken the time to settle the most searched and used terms for different types of business. Also, you can specify more than one category for your business, if appropriate, by clicking on “Add another category.” Once you have selected your category, click “Next.”
Service Areas and Position Settings
On the next page, the “Service Areas and Location Settings” gives you the option to state the service radius of your business, or you can also select areas of coverage based on town or city names, or zip codes.
Hours of Operation
Below the “Service Areas and Location Settings” share, you will acquire the “Hours of Operation” section. These fields will allow you to provide your customers with detailed information about when your storefront is open. You can even use the “I’d like to enter two sets of hours for a single day” checkbox to enter split hours, such as lunch and dinner hours.
Photos
The “Photos” portion is overlooked by many businesses, but with the option to attach up to 10 photos, you can give potential customers a feel for your restaurant both inside and out. You can add photos from a website, or directly upload them from your computer. Ensure that any photos used here are of the highest quality, and report your business in the best possible way.
Videos
Like the “Photos” sections, the “Videos” section is often overlooked. Up to five videos can be associated with your listing, so especially if you have shelled out the money to make commercials for your business, place them here. Associating videos with your Google Maps listing will allow you to fully represent the environment and ambiance of your business.
Additional Details
The “Additional Details” part is where you can really add valuable information to your listing. In the “Additional Details” section, you could list your entire menu, products and brands carried, names and phone numbers of employees, or any other relevant information you can think of.
Verification
After clicking “Submit,” you will be presented with the validation page. From here, you can opt to consume a phone verification method, or you can also use the postcard (snail mail) method. It is obviously recommended by this author that you utilize the phone verification method, as it can be accomplished MUCH faster.
Coupons
Once your listing is completed and verified, go to your Google Local Business Center Dashboard, then bewitch the “Coupons” tab and click “Add a coupon now.” You will be able to give the coupon a title and subtitle, details, add an image, establish an expiration date, and determine the locations at which the coupon is valid.
Dashboard Management
Via the Google Local Business Center, all of your locations details can be managed, as well as coupons. Google always adding novel features, so check your dashboard often for new options. Storefront locations, coupons, etc. can always be edited or deleted from your dashboard.
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Filed under Small Business Phone Service by on Oct 19th, 2010.