What are "Virtual" or "Hosted" Services?

What are the main advantages of using virtual/hosted systems?

How does the Virtual Fax work?

Do I pay per-minute or per-fax fees?

Can I get both local and a toll-free number?

How does the Virtual PBX Work?

Will music-on-hold play during call transfers?

How about my own message-on-hold instead of music?

Can I transfer a caller from my cell phone to another person in my company?

How is that transfer possible from my cell phone?

Can I screen calls before answering?

I don't want callers transferring to my cell phone after 5PM or on weekends. How is that handled?

How do I get the message or fax, or know when a message is left from me?

What if I don't want to be notified of new messages at certain times?

But how will I know during a blackout period if I have an important message?

What is Cascading Notification?

Will I have to change my phone number?

What do you mean by "Front-end" or "Back-end" setup?

Do I have to pick one or the other - Front-end vs. Back-end?

What sort of Web Services to you Offer?

Pricing - This is going to cost me an arm and a leg isn't it?

What are the main advantages of using virtual/hosted systems?

What are "Virtual" or "Hosted" Services?

Virtual/Hosted services allow you to enjoy the features and benefits available with on-premises phone system and voicemail equipment, but do not require you to purchase such equipment.

Voice messaging and Fax applications are now migrating toward these less expensive "virtual" or "hosted" platforms. Instead of purchasing a traditional phone system to get the advanced features you want (or doing without because it's too expensive), we provide you with a hosted system that is housed and maintained by us for your benefit. Additionally, our system will provide for you many features not available (or that are cost prohibitive) with equipment based systems, so you win on both cost and features.

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• Scaleable - You can upsize or downsize your system, add, change and delete users, with ease. It takes no more than a request for us to do so. We can handle one user to thousands with no problem.
• Reliable - Your hosted voice mail system is housed in a secure telecom facility connected directly to the phone company. You need not worry about power outages at your office.
• Calling Capacity - Your hosted system will not be limited (as on-site systems are) by the number of incoming phone lines at your office. It will handle multiple calls simultaneously.
• Affordable - Your service with us requires no capital expenditure for equipment or installation. Instead, redirect the thousands (or tens of thousands) of dollars you save on phone equipment to invest in other areas of your business.
• Immune to Obsolescence - While the traditional voicemail and phone equipment you purchase may become obsolete or worn out in a few years, your hosted system is always being developed and improved - and these enhancements cost you nothing extra.

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Faxing works a couple of ways. You can forward your current fax line into the fax number we provide you, thus making your office faxes available to you via email, web browser, phone, or any fax machine. You can still use your current fax line for outgoing faxes.

Or you can use the number we give you as your main fax number, and have faxes routed to where you need them - either automatically to multiple destinations, or to your email and other destinations as needed. You have complete control.

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Do I pay per-minute or per-fax fees?

No. You pay an affordable flat monthly rate for your voicemail and virtual fax service. The only exception is long distance charges, which you pay for (only 6.4 cents per minute) if you choose to have long distance as a feature.

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Can I get both local and a toll-free number?

Yes. Your toll free number will incur long distance rates when used. We offer local numbers in most U.S. cities, but if you would like a Toll Free number along with or instead of a local number, you can add one for $10/mo.that includes 200 minutes per month of calls. Additional minutes are 6.4 cents.

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Your Virtual pbx system will provide the following capabilities - remember, with no equipment to buy or maintain.

• Centralized Call Management - Calls are centrally processed allowing you to direct the call, either by menu system or with your receptionist, to the appropriate location - both during and after hours.
• Automated Attendant - Calls can be screened and routed to any destination without human intervention, 24/7.
• Virtual Extensions - Each employee, regardless of location, can have an extension that rings their off-site location.
• Transfer to Extension - Users can transfer calls to other users. Transfer calls to and from cell phones, office phones...anywhere.
• Customized Menus - Present callers with customized menu options and route callers anywhere based upon these options. For example: "Press 1 for our Houston office, Press 2 for our New York office". Or "Press 1 for Sales, 2 for Support". etc.
• Group Messaging - Send a recorded voice message to everyone in your organization, or to groups or teams within your company. Messages are sent to users within groups and the messages are accessible to the recipients just like regular voice mail.
• Name Dial Directory - Make life easier for your customers by giving them a simple name dial directory. "Please enter the first three letters of the first or last name of the person you wish to reach". Whether your employees are in Austin, San Francisco, Miami, across town or in the same office, customers can reach them right away.
• Dial by Extension - Callers can reach your employees by entering their extension number. "If you know your party's extension, you may enter it at any time".
• ACD - Automatic Call Distribution will balance call volume by evenly routing callers to your employees or agents.
• Timed Greetings - Your main Company menu or individual voicemail greetings can match the time of day or day of week. "Good Morning and thank you for calling ABC Company, if you know your party's extension ..." Or "Hi this is Dave. It's Monday morning and I hope you had a great weekend. I'll be returning calls after 1PM today, so please leave a message, or if you have an urgent matter, press zero to reach my assistant".

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Will music-on-hold play during call transfers?

Yes, if you want. Otherwise callers will hear normal rings.

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How about my own message-on-hold instead of music?

We no longer offer this.

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Can I transfer a caller from my cell phone to another person in my company?

Yes. Using the keypad on your cell phone, you'll enter the other person's extension number and the caller is instantly transferred to that extension.

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How is that transfer possible from my cell phone?

This is possible because of what is called a "two-line transfer". Let's say a caller dials your One-Number or your Business line (forwarded into your Virtual PBX). When they select either your extension number or a menu option that transfers the call, that caller is put on hold and hears music while a second line dials out to find you. When you answer, the two lines are connected, but your system is constantly monitoring the call for further instructions.

While talking to that caller, you may be driving and not able to write down the information they wish to tell you. No problem, you just press the # key, the system hears that signal, and sends the caller into your voicemail where they can leave the information for you. Want to send them to Mary at extension 120? Just press #120 and off they go.

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Can I screen calls before answering?

Yes. You will see the incoming caller ID on your phone. Optionally, your system can ask for the caller's name when they transfer to you. When you answer, the call will be announced as follows:

You have a call from John Smith, to to accept, press 1. To decline, press 2.

When you press one, you are connected with the caller. If you cannot take the call, press two and the caller will hear another greeting from you saying perhaps "Hi, this is {your name} again. I was unable to take your call just now, but if you leave a message I'll be retuning calls shortly".

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I don't want callers transferring to my cell phone after 5PM or on weekends. How is that handled?

By using "timed greetings", your callers will hear different options at different times of the day, and days of the week. Those options can conform to your schedule and desired availability and we can set up any schedule you want. When transfer is off, callers will be asked by your greeting to simply leave a message.

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How do I get the message or fax, or know when a message is left from me?

You will have the most advanced notification and voice message retrieval features available anywhere, and we set it up based on how you work, not on how we think you should work. Everything below is optional - use as many or as few of these features as you personally need.

• Pager - your system will page you.
• Email - your voice message or fax will be emailed to you as an attached file. Or, you can receive the email without the attachment so that it serves as a notification to you that messages exist. (email alerts to your cell phone for example)
• Call Delivery - your system will dial any number, let you know how many new messages you have, and ask if you want to hear them now or wait until later. You press 1 to hear them, or press 2 to decline.
• SMS - Similar to email, but sends a short text message to your cell phone letting you know a new message has been received.
• Internet - using your web browser, you can log into a personal message center that we provide you. There you will see all your messages and be able to play them (voicemail) or view them (faxes) from any computer.
• Fax - Your fax messages can automatically be sent to any fax number you wish. (Note: a second fax header is NOT added. The fax will NOT have a "twice faxed" or diminished appearance). Faxes can also automatically be emailed to you as an attached file. Or you can call in from any phone and direct the faxes in your message box to any fax machine number you desire.

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What if I don't want to be notified of new messages at certain times?

No problem. We can schedule your notifications to not bother you during certain time periods. We call these "blackout periods" and we can set up as many or as few blackout periods as you desire, based on any schedule you desire, and you won't be paged or bothered during those periods.

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But how will I know during a blackout period if I have an important message?

Not a problem. You can instruct your caller to flag their message as urgent (by pressing a key), in which case we can program your system to ignore the blackout period. For that urgent message only, you will be notified as usual even during your blackout period.

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What is Cascading Notification?

Cascading Notification is when un-retrieved messages trigger further notifications until the message is retrieved. Those notifications can be to any number of different people, any number of times, at any intervals until the message is listened to, which will terminate further notifications for that messages. This is a valuable function for on-call companies such plumbers, apartment after-hours emergency requests, emergency response companies, etc.

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Will I have to change my phone number?

No. Not unless you want to. For solo-professionals, such as Real Estate agents and Building Contractors who often publish 3 or 4 phone numbers on their business cards, it might make sense to replace all those numbers on your card with a single One-Number from us that will act as the gateway to those other numbers.

If you are a business in a fixed location with onsite employees, you will instead want to use our system simply as a front-end or back-end setup, forwarding and un-forwarding your number into the system as needed.

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What do you mean by "Front-end" or "Back-end" setup?

On a Front-end setup, calls go through your auto-attendant before a live person is ever reached. In a Back-end setup, you answer the calls live, before they reach your system. This means only after-hours, weekend and over-flow calls are picked up first by the Auto-attendant.

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Do I have to pick one or the other - Front-end vs. Back-end?

No. This is the beauty of a setup like ours. You can rotate back and forth depending on your needs. When you leave the office, forward your main line into the system for call routing. When you are in the office and able to accept calls, unforward your main line and answer live. While answering live, overflow calls will still be picked up by your auto-attendant.

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What sort of Web Services to you Offer?

You can receive affordable small business web hosting and design from us. You also have available to you a selection of "off the shelf" tools that can be installed on your site, such as a Listings Manager for Realtors or Car Dealers, Articles Manager for content publication, Doc Builder for building and maintaining online documentation, and other small business tools that allow you to easily control the content of your site.

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Pricing - This is going to cost me an arm and a leg isn't it?

Not at all. See our Services page for pricing information. Most single-user customer solutions range from $12 to $25 per month. Multi-user and small office solutions normally range from $25 to $175 per month depending on your needs. Larger businesses will find that our voicemail solutions beat the cost of purchasing and owning an expensive on-site voicemail system by quite a bit - and we maintain and take care of your setup for you.

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