Call Management

Locked in a low-quality toll-free service provider? Tired of paying high monthly bills? Want to add advanced call management features to your phone system? Thankfully, you’re not stuck with your provider.

With toll-free number porting, you can switch providers while keeping your number.

How?

Here’s an in-depth guide to everything you need to know about porting toll-free numbers to a new service.

Porting Toll-Free Numbers

Porting your toll-free number to a new service provider is a simple and quick process. You can switch providers to take advantage of a better and more reliable toll-free service. In this toll-free number porting guide, we will go over:

• What is Toll-Free Number Porting?
• Reasons to Port Your Toll-Free Number to Another Service
• How Does Number Porting Work?
• How Long Does it Take to Port a Toll-Free Number?
• Toll-Free Number Porting Requirements
• Potential Issues with Number Porting
• How to Port Your Toll-Free Number?

What is Toll-Free Number Porting?

Number porting is a cloud phone service solution that lets you move or port your number from one service to another. You can use number porting to switch from an old service provider to a new one while keeping the same phone number.

So, can toll-free numbers be ported?

Yes! You can port your business toll-free number from your existing provider to a new toll-free service provider – without changing the number. This type of VoIP porting lets you upgrade your service without purchasing a new number while adding advanced functionality.

Related: What is a Toll-Free Number?

Reasons to Port Your Toll-Free Number to Another Service

With toll-free number porting, you can get out of long-term contracts with low-quality or high-cost services. Additionally, as your business grows, you may need to scale your communications. Porting lets you choose a new and improved toll-free service provider with added communication functionality and features.

Here are the top benefits of porting your toll-free numbers and situations where you may need to switch to a new provider:

• Stuck in long-term commitments with low value
• Low voice and audio quality
• High monthly bills
• Lack of reliable and responsive customer and technical support
• Add more global coverage with an international phone service provider
• Moving or relocating offices to a new city or region
• Network connectivity issues leading to a high number of dropped calls
• Transition to cloud communication
• Need for advanced call management features to support growing business communication needs
• Consolidation of services to centralize business communication
• Need for a reliable, flexible, and scalable phone solution

How Does Number Porting Work?

To port your toll-free number, you must find the right toll-free service provider. Most cloud phone service providers offer toll-free number porting. You simply fill in a porting request and provide the necessary information.

Then, your new and old phone service providers will work together to port your phone number without any service interruptions.

Note: You should wait for a successful transition to your new service provider before canceling your old service (ending your existing contract).

Related: 9 Best US Toll-Free Number Providers in 2022

How Long Does it Take to Port a Toll-Free Number?

Number porting can take up to 2-4 weeks, but the process is faster in some cases. This usually depends on a few factors such as the country of the number needed, type of number, current provider, and the status of the number.

Our team always works as hard as possible to get numbers ported in the shortest possible time.

Toll-Free Number Porting Requirements

To port your toll-free number, you need to provide your new toll-free service provider with some crucial information. Here are the requirements for porting toll-free numbers:

• Account number and passcode – associated with your account.
  List of all phone numbers – Includes all numbers and extensions your business would like to port to the new service.
• Letter of Authorization (LOA) – Gives your new toll-free service provider permission to act on your behalf when communicating with your old provider. This letter usually contains crucial information about who can make decisions regarding your number(s).
• Old provider and account number – Enables the two providers to communicate and work together to complete the process.
• Copy of current phone bill – Includes necessary information (name and address registered with the current provider) about your existing phone plan. This also serves as proof of ownership of the number.

Check out the FCC’s number porting checklist to prepare for the porting process.

Toll-Free Number Porting Rules

According to the FCC porting rules, carriers and providers:

• Must port a number upon receiving a valid request.
• May not refuse to port a number.
• Can charge for porting services.Can charge an early termination fee, especially for long-term customers.
• May refuse to port if the customer has not paid for porting.

Potential Issues with Number Porting

Some roadblocks that may impact the number porting process include:

1. Number isn’t portable

These issues may interrupt the porting process:

• The number is no longer in service — Your phone number isn’t active or has been terminated.
• Incomplete rate center / no coverage — Your new toll-free provider doesn’t have coverage in your area.
• No interconnect agreement — Your new provider does not have an agreement with the old carrier holding the number.

If you experience any of these issues during your porting process, you may need to find an alternative solution. An alternative solution would be to get a new toll-free number. Work with your toll-free service provider to find a more suitable solution.

2. Easily fixable issues

These issues may delay the porting process, but can be resolved:

• Incorrect name and address — Contact information needed to prove ownership is incorrect.
• Phone number was not found — Phone number entered incorrectly due to user error.
• Porting a toll-free number — Toll-free numbers take longer to port, depending on the provider.
• Limited porting options — Countries may have limitations on number porting.

Related: 5 Phone Number Porting Myths Debunked

How to Transfer a Toll-Free Number?

Here’s how to transfer your number to a new toll-free service:

1. In most cases, you submit a porting request with requested documentation to your new toll-free service provider.
2. The new provider reaches out to your old carrier.
3. The old carrier confirms your identity to the new provider.
4. The new provider notifies the Number Portability Administration Center (NPAC).
5. NPAC creates a pending port and notifies the old provider.
6. The new provider asks NPAC to activate the port.
7. Upon activation, the port is broadcasted to the telecom industry network.
8. Your new service will be activated.
9. You can then terminate your old account.

How to Port Your Toll-Free Number to Global Call Forwarding

You can port multiple numbers to the Global Call Forwarding network. Our process is simple and quick. Start by submitting a porting request, and a customer service representative will be in touch with you within 24 hours.

Here’s how to port a toll-free number with Global Call Forwarding:

1. Check the Portability of your Numbers
You can keep your existing phone number if you remain in the same geographic area. But this is not always the case, so it is best to check whether your numbers are portable. We will also review the portability of your numbers for you. Call us at 1 (888) 908 6171 or submit a request.

2. Send us your Latest Invoice
Send us a copy of your latest invoice that includes your name, address, account number, and phone numbers.

3. Wait for the Transfer
The transfer may take a few days to a few weeks, depending on the number’s country. Keep your old service active during this transition period.

4. No Interruption of Service
Continue running your business with no service interruptions during the transfer of numbers.

5. Cancel your Previous Provider
Once your toll-free number has been ported to Global Call Forwarding, you can cancel your account with your old provider.

Switch to Global Call Forwarding

Ready to port your toll-free number to the Global Call Forwarding network? We are here to help you improve your business communication system. Call us at +1 (561) 908-6171 or chat with our experts!

Simple call routing strategies are a thing of the past in successful business phone networks. These strategies have become outdated as they often generated long wait times, multiple transfers, and overall caller frustration.

However, your business and teams can tackle these challenges head-on with an intelligent call routing solution. Smart call routing brings accuracy, responsiveness, and new functionality to your phone system. Let’s look at what this service is, how it works, and what it can do for your company.

Intelligent Call Routing For Your Business

Effective communication between businesses and consumers is essential in a customer’s lifetime. When customers contact your company, you want them to reach the best person or department to satisfy their needs. Smart call routing is an affordable cloud communication solution that helps direct callers to the right employee, leading to better call management.

In this short guide, we will go over:

• Definition and Features
• Benefits of Intelligent Call Routing
• Common Use Cases
• Smart Call Routing Best Practices

What is Smart Call Routing?

Smart or intelligent call routing systems receive incoming calls, gather information from or about the caller, and route them to the appropriate agent or department. Some intelligent routing services even help users complete simple tasks or answer frequently asked questions. This service feature helps streamline the caller’s experience by eliminating unnecessary transfers.

Some providers have a smart call routing package ready to use upon activation. Others have call routing services with access to customizable, advanced features. When applied to your system, features like Interactive Voice Response (IVR) make your routing intelligent. This type of routing strategy is also known as IVR call routing.

How Does Intelligent Call Routing Work?

Intelligent phone call routing works alongside your cloud phone system to effectively manage inbound calls. Once a call comes in, the system automatically redirects callers to the correct department based on collected caller information.

The system gathers this information by asking callers to select an option from the preset menu concerning the intent of the call. Users make their desired selection by dialing the appropriate keypad number or speaking their answer. The caller’s input then determines the routing destination.

In other cases, the system routes the caller based on the caller ID and the account attached to that phone number. There are a few different ways to employ intelligent call routing; you’ll need to work with your cloud phone service provider to understand available options.

Specific destinations and how your incoming calls move through your phone system depend on the routing rules you create. You can easily input new rules and manage your call flow using your provider’s online platform or contacting them directly. Your preset rules define your phone systems:

• Menu prompts and options
• Routing destinations based on caller input
• Alternate routing destinations or failover forwarding
• Ring times and strategies
• Advanced routing strategies like holiday routing and more.

Advanced Features for Intelligent Call Routing

As mentioned earlier, some providers offer access to advanced features that transform your regular IVR call routing system into an intelligent one. This allows businesses with evolving needs to customize call management setups and scale as necessary. Or, if you have an existing system in place (such as PBX), this is an easy way to increase functionality.

So, what types of features contribute to a smart call routing system?

Here are a few that come in handy:

• Advanced IVR (Auto-Attendant) – With this feature, an automated voice automatically answers inbound calls and communicates with callers. It provides general information, instructions, and menu options. Advanced IVR is capable of organizing, prioritizing, and transferring incoming calls to boost your system’s proficiency. And, you can design your IVR system from the ground up to fit your business needs.
• Customized Greetings, Voicemails, and Prompts – These customization tools allow you to upload greetings and personalize your phone system. It is useful for instructions, menu prompts, branding, and promotions. Even more so, it impacts the customer’s initial impression of your company and your quality of service.
• Ring Groups (also Hunt Groups) – This advanced feature lets you ring several lines among your departments, teams, or agents. With the ring group model, you can either ring all users at the same time (simultaneously) or in a specific order (sequentially). This strategy helps your teams never miss calls by distributing them effectively.
• Call Flow Builder – A call flow designer is an interactive tool that allows you to create custom call flows. So, you have complete control over the call process and how it travels through your system. A well-structured call flow design helps improve caller experience and streamlines your communications.

Related: 6 Call Flow Templates for Efficient Business Communication

All of these features and more (like different routing strategies) help increase your network’s functionality and make smart call routing possible.

11 Benefits of Using IVR Call Routing

Smart routing is a popular solution for companies of all sizes that want to improve their phone system’s efficiency and overall performance. With a streamlined solution like IVR call routing, you can accurately distribute and route calls among your teams and deliver quick assistance to callers. This is beneficial for both your agents and customers, as it saves both parties time.

Let’s dig into all the benefits this feature offers:

• Decrease call duration and wait times
• Improve caller experience
• Improve first call resolution (FCR)
• Boost employee productivity
• Manage this feature from any location
• Reduce costs
• Increase customer satisfaction
• Better call reliability
• Enhance network proficiency and functionality
• Easy to set up
• Never miss an important call

Intelligent Call Routing Use Cases

All types of businesses and teams can use smart call routing to efficiently manage inbound calls. So, to give you a better understanding of how companies and teams use IVR call routing, let’s go over some use cases:

• Businesses with high-call volumes – Intelligent routing helps businesses manage high-call volumes. It increases accuracy and handling capacity by routing callers to the correct agent or department. This way, callers avoid excessive wait times, multiple transfers, and repetitive explanations – which would otherwise lead to frustration and customer dissatisfaction. Instead, IVR call routing connects callers with the agent best-suited for their request the first time around. And in the process, it boosts your first call resolution rates and gradually reduces your call queue.

• Call centers – Maximizes a service center’s efficiency through call center IVR strategies and automation. Auto-attendants route callers to their chosen agent or department, significantly reducing hold times. Agents can then solve the customer’s issue and quickly move on to the next caller. So, your team’s productivity and customer satisfaction increases while your call handling times decrease.

• Sales and support teams – Some intelligent phone routing systems give you access to caller information like demographics or previous call history. Your system can then match reps with callers based on this data, resulting in better customer service.

• Remote teams – Whether you have a remote branch or your team works from home, intelligent call routing helps connect your teams – no matter their location. This is because the feature uses remote call forwarding to automatically route calls to any device. You can also use this as a failover forwarding technique. All you have to do is set it up in your service’s control panel.

Best Practices for IVR Call Routing

Here are some things to pay attention to when implementing IVR call routing into your phone system:

• Map out your call flow or phone tree before inputting it into your system.
• Keep IVR menu options short and simple. Avoid overloading callers with options.
• Prioritize menu options based on common call topics or requests.
• Consider your caller’s intent when creating your routing rules and call flow.
• Don’t rely too heavily on phone system automation. Leave room for personalization.
• Opt for a human voice when creating your menu, prompts, greetings, etc.
• Monitor your network’s progress using system analytics.
• Ask for customer feedback with phone surveys.

Ready to Add Smart Call Routing to Your Setup?

Global Call Forwarding offers intelligent call routing features with each of our phone number plans. To learn more about the benefits of advanced call routing or how to set up this service, call us at (561) 908-6171. Want to see it in action? Request a demo or chat with us online.

With the growing acceptance of remote and flexible working, it is important to equip your business with cloud-based tools that ensure employees continue working even if they cannot be present in the office.

Cloud communications often grant you access to advanced features that help create a better caller experience. Among these features lies remote call forwarding. This feature especially comes in handy during unprecedented situations and remote work. But, it is not limited to those situations.

Forwarding Calls When Your Business Works Remotely

Remote call forwarding is an asset to businesses and teams looking to stay connected with customers while away from the office. This feature makes forwarding calls to any device from anywhere possible. So, you’ll never miss important calls or potential sales again. Advanced call forwarding meets both businesses’ and customers’ needs to connect.

What is Call Forwarding and How Does it Work?

Remote call forwarding (RCF) is a service feature that allows you to route incoming calls to another designated phone number, location, or device. Whether you’re in a different location or your team is spread across multiple areas, local and international forwarding enables consumers to reach your brand at the same number. This feature helps establish consistent business communication by ensuring every call to your number is answered, regardless of your location.

Incoming calls can be routed to any cell phone or computer worldwide. Overall, international call forwarding provides businesses with flexibility by seamlessly routing incoming calls to desired destinations, anywhere in the world.

When Should You Use Remote Call Forwarding?

Call forwarding is a valuable communication tool, creating a seamless and reliable experience for your callers. This feature is customizable to your business needs. But when can your business make the most out of this service? It pays off the most in these circumstances:

• Remote work – Remote call forwarding is a great way to connect your lines of communication across multiple physical locations. Customers can dial the same, familiar number and reach an available representative, regardless of location. RCF helps distributed teams transition to the work-from-home setting without sacrificing call reliability or quality.
• Network issues – Whether your internet goes out or your service is interrupted, you can still receive incoming calls by forwarding them to another location or device. This service feature acts as a fallback or failover strategy, so you never miss an important call.
• Emergency situations – Integrating failover forwarding into your business phone system prepares your company for emergencies that may close your office. When you enable call forwarding, all inbound calls route to an alternative phone, destination, or available agent. This helps your business avoid shutting down for an extended period without putting your team at risk. Remote call forwarding is also an excellent crisis communication tool. You can set up emergency messaging in your prompts or route calls to back up teams when necessary.

7 Benefits of Using Advanced Call Forwarding For Your Business

Remote call forwarding offers businesses of all sizes benefits like flexibility, customization, and increased functionality. Let’s take a look at the top 7 advantages of using RCF:

1. Increased availability – You can forward calls anywhere! Your business remains accessible to consumers regardless of time, location, or issues. Set up rules for after-hours calls or remote backup teams to stay connected with customers.
2. Flexibility – Not only can you forward calls to any device or destination, but you can also change up your rules at your convenience. This service makes setting up and modifying forwarding rules from any device and at any time simple and effective.
3. No need for additional equipment – Since call forwarding is cloud-based, all you need is a good call forwarding service, a stable connection, and an internet-enabled device. So, you can skip the bulky hardware and complicated setup. You can even use your smartphone for business calls without exposing your private number.
4. Never miss an important call – Set up advanced forwarding rules, like find-me-follow-me, so you never miss another call. This feature allows customers to stay connected to your business and your team no matter either party’s location. It also helps prepare your business for any emergency situations or network outages.
5. Cost-effective – Remote call forwarding eliminates the cost of additional equipment. As a cloud-based service feature, it also is more affordable than a traditional phone service. You save on international and long-distance calling rates.
6. Improve caller experience – By providing an accessible and reliable service, you can improve the way callers interact with your business. Customers will always be able to reach your business with questions or concerns.
7. Fully customizable – Remote call forwarding is entirely customizable to your business needs. You control the handling of calls and how they flow through your system.

Get the Most Out of Your Remote Call Forwarding Service

To get the most out of this service, you’ll want to consider different aspects of the forwarding process. Here are some things to keep in mind when using this service:

• Emphasize your brand – Whenever customers connect to your business, take the opportunity to reinforce your brand’s voice. It also helps to simply state your business name and other relevant information, so the caller knows they’ve reached the right company.
• Ensure the stability of devices receiving forwarded calls – With a remote call forwarding system in place, you can route calls to any device or destination. But, this function is ultimately rendered useless if the device you’re forwarding calls to doesn’t work or has a bad connection. Make sure all devices included are stable and functional.
• Shorten wait times – Try to shorten the amount of time calls ring at one number before transferring to another. You don’t want callers waiting for long periods at every number they are transferred to, which can lead to caller frustration.
• Use basic IVR with menus and prompts – If you decide to add an IVR, phone menu, or prompt to your incoming call flow, make sure they are professional as well as short and to the point. Concise messaging helps keep the caller moving in their journey.

How to Set Up Remote Call Forwarding?

Ready to start connecting your teams and increase the functionality of your phone service? Remote call forwarding comes included with any Global Call Forwarding service plan. You can sign up on our website and start forwarding calls to locations and devices as needed. It’s easy to set up call forwarding in our online control panel.

To learn more about remote call forwarding, call us at +1 (561) 908-6171 or chat with our experts online.

As the name implies, call detail records (CDRs) register all details of incoming and outgoing calls on your system. Whether you’re operating on a VoIP system, wireless phone, or PSTN, calls get logged in a CDR. You can use this feature for billing purposes, call tracking, evaluating success, and more.

Call Detail Records For Your Business

Call records (also known as call logs) contain detailed information logs about your phone network and users. This data can help inform areas of improvement for your business and help build a more effective service. This article will explore the benefits call detail records offer your business and how to use them.

What are Call Records?

Call detail records are data logs that document all telecommunication exchanges occurring on your network. More specifically, call records provide information on how and when the phone system was used. In other words, they log all billable phone activity on your network.

Most service providers typically upload CDRs to online portals or send them with your formal monthly bills. Usually, anyone on your phone network with administrative capabilities can access the records. The reports are never deleted and remain accessible forever.

What Information Do CDRs Include?

Your call detail records contain a wide variety of metadata to help you understand how employees and customers use your system. The reports are generally sorted by users or phone numbers and look like an itemized list. The information included in your call logs vary from service to service.

So, what kind of data could your call records include? Here are some examples:

• Date and time
• Call duration (minutes)
• Caller ID
• Location of call origination and destination
• Destination number or number dialed
• Completion status or reason for call termination
• Type of call (toll-free, local, etc.)
• Cost per call and total charge
• Features used (SMS forwarding, call recording, etc.)
• Call journey (extensions, IVR, etc.)

Additionally, CDRs might contain data related to your VoIP network, like IP address or port number. It is also important to note that call detail records do not include the contents of phone calls or text messages.

How is the Data Collected?

Software programs begin collecting data the moment you make or receive a call. Each call made on your network passes through a mediation layer which processes and converts call data into a specific format. When the data is properly formatted, billing systems and OSS applications can import the CDR to create your final bill.

When they enter the network, incoming calls are assigned a caller identifier (ID). The caller ID stays with the call throughout its entire journey, making call tracking possible.

Just remember, the data included in your call detail records depends on the type of software that collects the information and the provider you use.

6 Benefits of Call Detail Records

Call records enable your business to monitor all activity on your network and adjust your service accordingly. With this level of information, you can craft a more effective and successful business service. Here are the top 6 benefits of using call detail records in your company:

1. Better call management
2. Boost employee performance
3. Optimize campaigns for success
4. Identify quality leads and new target markets
5. Improve caller experience
6. Measure ROI of business calls and marketing campaigns.

How Can Businesses Use Call Logs?

Although businesses primarily use call records for billing purposes, your company can use these reports in many different ways. Let’s take a look:

• Monitor Employee Use – Businesses and team managers can use call detail records to evaluate employee performance. The data reflects the number of inbound and outbound calls, call duration, and more. So, you can see if employees are hitting their objectives or need more training.
• Call Analytics – Using call records, you can quickly analyze call data to learn more about your customer’s needs. The data informs you on customer calling behavior, pain points, preferences, and more. With that in mind, you can enhance the customer’s experience and drive sales.
• Identify Calling Trends and Patterns – CDRs give you the ability to identify patterns and variants on your network. Identify the peak time for incoming calls or which countries generate the most calls. With this information, your business can create a more effective service.
• Campaign Tracking – When you assign a unique number to each of your marketing campaigns, you can use the records to track call metrics and evaluate a campaign’s success. You can see which campaigns generate more calls and, therefore, more customers.
• Call Center Management – Call logs contain tons of beneficial information for call center managers. It provides you with basic record-keeping but also allows you to track call volume fluctuations, call duration, and more. This information helps boost the functionality and effectiveness of your call center.
• Billing – Your business can use the reports to calculate how many minutes you’re using and adjust your budget accordingly.

How to Access Call Detail Records

Here’s a step-by-step process on how to access your CDRs with Global Call Forwarding:

1. Log in to your Control Panel.
2. Go to the My Phone Numbers tab on the left-side menu
3. Choose a phone service line and click on Service Plan.
4. Click on Activity in the orange bar.
5. Then, choose what kind of calls you want to look at: Answered, All, or Missed.

Visit our Knowledge Base for further instructions on viewing or downloading your Call Detail Records!

Start Using Call Records to Improve Your Business

Call detail records come included with any Global Call Forwarding phone number plan. They are easily accessible through our online control panel. To learn more, speak with our sales team or your dedicated account manager at (561) 908-6171 or chat with us online!

When is the last time you changed your voicemail? Or, the last time you got creative with it? With the holiday season drawing near, customized holiday voicemail greetings can give your business that extra dash of holiday cheer that customers will appreciate all season long.

Holiday Voicemail Greetings

Use the holiday season as an excuse to personalize your professional voicemail greetings. Whether you use the season to portray your fun personality, inform customers of holiday hours, or route calls to an open office, there are many options that suit your every business need.

The Perks of Sprucing up your Call Management this Holiday Season

Sprucing up your professional voicemail greeting does more than you think to engage customers, drive sales, and strengthen your brand’s personality. Here are some benefits:

Emphasize your Brand’s Identity
You can customize your messages to reinforce your brand’s identity. A strong brand personality entices consumers and can even convert them into loyal customers. With a custom holiday voicemail greeting, it’s easy to stand out from the competition.

Grow Customer Engagement
Unique holiday voicemail greetings allow your business to foster consumer engagement. Whether you’re encouraging customers to call back during normal business hours or promoting holiday offerings, consumers will appreciate your holly jolly messaging.

Holiday Routing
What if your business can’t take a holiday? For example, businesses that deal with emergencies or matters that demand immediate attention must always be available. If your business can’t solely rely on voicemail, consider holiday call routing. With this feature, your business can route inbound calls based on a holiday or selected time period. Holiday call routing ensures your customers receive the support they need, even if your team is out of the office.

Related: 6 Ways to Prepare Your Business for the Holidays

What to Include in your Voicemail

So, you’ve decided to customize your holiday voicemail greetings. But, what should you include in your message? Holiday greetings for businesses enable you to get creative and have fun while being professional. Spruce up your professional voicemail greetings with some puns, holiday wishes, or festive expressions. But, don’t forget to keep your message professional and concise. Here are the essential components of a good holiday message:

1. A Polite Welcome or Recognition: You want to start by acknowledging the caller. This could be as simple as a “Hello” or “Thank you for calling [business name].”

2. Who They’ve Reached: If you don’t introduce your business in your initial greeting, make sure to include it now. If you want, you can also add your name. The point is – people want to know who they are calling.

3. Briefly Explain Why You Missed The Call: This is where you can start to get creative. Throw in a pun or holiday expression. Overall, keep it simple while still letting the customer or your teams know why you are away.

4. When You’ll Return or Your Holiday Hours: Notify your customers on when you’ll return or get back to them. You can avoid specific dates; a rough estimate is fine. Or, simply inform consumers to call back during your updated holiday hours.

5. Give the Caller Another Contact Person or Method: If appropriate for your business, provide an emergency contact or backup communication method like email. This just gives the caller another option if their matter is urgent.

6. Call to Action: Finally, leave the caller with an objective. This could be anything from “Leave a message” to “Please call back during our updated business hours [state business hours].”

7. Don’t Feel Like Recording a New Message?: If recording messages isn’t your thing, but you still want that holiday cheer, consider implementing transfer or hold music. Give your customers a reason to happily stay on hold with classic holiday music, jazz, or even the office carolers.

Holiday Voicemail Templates and Suggestions

Whatever tone you’re going for this season, we’ve got you covered with these holiday voicemail greeting templates:

Professional And to the Poinsettia

“ Hello, you’ve reached the office of [your name] at [company name]. I am out of the office until [estimated time frame]. Our updated holiday hours are [say hours or where they can find them]. Please leave your contact information at the tone and I will return your call. Happy Holidays.”

Hi, this is [your name or business name]. We cannot come to the phone right now as we are home for the holidays. We will be back in the office on [estimated time frame]. Please call back then, thank you.

“Thank you for calling [your name or business name]. Our offices are operating on our holiday hours [say hours or where they can find them]. We will get back to you during these hours. In the meantime, please leave your name and number. Season’s Greetings!

Hopeful and Bright

“Hello, you’ve reached [your name or business name]. We are currently away on holiday vacation. We will back on [estimated time frame] and return your call then. Warmest wishes during this Holiday Season.”

“We are happy to hear from you at [business name]. We will be closed for the upcoming holiday until [estimated time frame] and will get back to you then. Please leave your message after the beep. Hope the holidays bring you many reasons to smile!”

“Greetings! Thanks for calling [your name or business name]. Please be aware that our office hours have changed due to the upcoming holiday. Our current hours are [state hours or where they can find them.] We will get back to you as soon as possible. Please leave your contact information after this message. May your holiday be festive and the laughter be contagious.”

Funny (More Like Pun-ny) and Festive

“Season’s Greetings! You’ve reached [your name or business name]. Our office is currently closed until [estimated time frame]. It would be a tree-mendous help if you leaf your name and number at the tone. So we don’t fir-get to back to you as soon as we can. Thank you.”

“Thank you for calling [your name or business name]. As it snow happens, we are currently out of the office until [estimated time frame]. You snow the drill – please leave your contact info after the beep and we will Fa-la-la-la-follow up during our regular business hours [say business hours or where they can find them]. We wish you a happy holiday season!

Hello, thanks for contacting [your name or business name]. Unfortunately, we candy cane’t come to the phone right now as we are jingle bell rocking around town. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message so we can challah back at you on [estimated time frame/date]. Happy Holidays!

Wrapping Up!

Whatever approach you take for your holiday voicemail greetings, your consumers will appreciate the extra effort. There’s no time like the present to spread some holiday cheer through your professional voicemail greeting.

Want to learn more about custom phone greetings and call routing from Global Call Forwarding? Talk with our representatives today or contact your account manager. Call us at +1 (561) 908-6171 or chat with us online!

We wish you a wonderful holiday season!

The state of your business communication determines how customers interact with your business. Therefore, it is important to find the right PBX provider to improve connectivity and reliability. With countless PBX systems and providers out there, it is crucial to understand the factors influencing your IP-PBX cost and how to determine what type of PBX system your business needs.

Getting IP-PBX for Your Business

In this article, we will review:

• IP-PBX features
• Factors contributing to cloud PBX pricing
• Different types of IP-PBX systems, and
• IP-PBX cost breakdown.

IP-PBX Features

While providers offer different PBX features and services, most will offer a basic suite of features along with their IP-PBX service. When looking for a new provider, it helps to determine beforehand what features and tools your teams need to do their jobs well. The top IP-PBX features include:

• On-premise / Cloud PBX system
• Inbound and outbound voice calling
• Local, toll-free, international phone numbers
• VoIP functionality
• Advanced IVR / Auto-attendant
• Voicemail, email, fax
• Call reporting and records

Factors Contributing to IP-PBX Cost

Let’s dive into the top factors influencing your cloud PBX pricing:

1. Type of PBX system: on-premise or cloud PBX system
2. Open-source PBX
3. Hardware and equipment costs, if applicable
4. Installation and maintenance costs, if applicable
5. VoIP phone service cost
6. Training and onboarding

1. On-Premise vs Cloud PBX System

Your IP-PBX cost is largely based on the type of IP-PBX system you want: on-premise or cloud-based.

An on-premise PBX system is built, hosted, and maintained on-premise (in-office) by your IT team. You can use open-source PBX (more on this below), a free software, to build your on-premise system. Then, bring in the necessary hardware, talent (IT professionals), and a business VoIP solution to make the PBX system functional. This means that your business pays upfront for equipment and installation but is wholly responsible for maintaining and updating it, which can prove costly in the long run.

On the other hand, hosted PBX is a PBX system located in the cloud instead of a typical hardware PBX system. In this case, the system is hosted, maintained, and updated by your provider, typically an off-site data center. You pay a monthly fee to use the system via a public or private Internet connection, and you are only responsible for desk phones and a VoIP service connected to your cloud PBX system.

Here’s an IP-PBX cost breakdown for on-premise and cloud PBX systems:

2. Open-Source PBX

Your business may choose to use open source PBX to save on PBX system costs. Open-source PBX is a phone system available to the public for free under a General Public License (GNU). This type of PBX is made up of a Linux operating system and PBX software. As such, you can use this software to convert a computer or laptop into a business phone system.

You can run open-source PBX software online or on-site. The software is customizable and easy to download. You only need hardware (computers and phones) and a VoIP service to complete it. Open-source PBX software comes equipped with typical PBX features like voicemail, IVR / ACD, advanced call routing, and more.

Even though open source PBX is free, you will need a team of administrators and developers with a strong programming and telecom background to customize it for your business communication needs. They also need to understand the fundamentals of VoIP and legacy telephony.

So the costs of operating PBX with an open-source PBX software include:

• Hardware and installation costs
• VoIP service
• Skilled talent
• Training and onboarding

3. Hardware and Equipment Costs

Here’s a breakdown of hardware and equipment costs associated with a PBX system:

• On-premise PBX equipment — $5,000-10,000
• PBX license — $3000
• Computers — $300-3,000
• Hard drive space — VoIP servers run 80 GB to 160 GB SATA HDs.
• Phones:
  • IP phones and handsets — $100-400 per phone
  • Softphones (usually come with VoIP service) — $10-30/month of service

You will pay for all of this with an on-premise system. However, for a hosted PBX system, you will only pay for the phones, installation, and VoIP service (prices below).

4. Installation and Maintenance Costs

Here’s the general price range for PBX system installation and maintenance:

• On-premise PBX installation, recurring licensing, maintenance, and upgrades — $12,000
• Cloud PBX — $0-1000

5. VoIP Phone Service Cost

For a PBX system to work effectively, you need to pair it with a phone service. Here’s a breakdown of costs factored in hosted PBX services:

• LAN — $1,000
• Hosted VoIP phone service — $10-500/user/month
• SIP trunking service — $35-100/user/month

6. Training and Onboarding

This varies based on the type of system you get; some are easier to use than others. Based on the complexity of your system, you may or may not need additional training and onboarding.

How Much Does an IP-PBX Cost?

The best way to estimate the price of an IP-PBX system is to calculate on a “per-seat” basis, where “per-seat” is the number of phones or extensions needed. The larger the company, the lower the cost per seat. So, a PBX system for a 400 seat business will be much less than a 60 seat business.

Historically, IP-PBX costs range from $500-1,000 per seat. This range depends on the type of PBX system you use: on-premise, cloud, or open-source.

Hosted PBX costs range from $10-100 per user per month, depending on the services and geographies.

*Note: Costs mentioned in this article are current at the time of publishing and may be subject to changes.

Global Call Forwarding: IP-PBX Cost

Global Call Forwarding offers VoIP and international SIP trunking. You can easily plug our service into your existing PBX system (3CX, Cisco, etc.) or combine it with your open-source PBX set-up (Asterisk, FreePBX, etc). This means that you don’t usually have to pay for equipment (computers or phones) since your business might already have those in place, and you will only pay for the phone service. For instance, you can easily plug SIP trunks into an existing PBX system.

Your IP-PBX cost with Global Call Forwarding:

• PBX system:
  • Free open source PBX — $0
  • Existing on-premise PBX (no extra equipment needed) — $0-100
• Monthly phone service (VoIP or SIP trunking):
  • Global Call Forwarding VoIP service — starts at $7.95/month
  • Global Call Forwarding SIP trunking service — starts at $32.95/month
• Phones
  • Existing desk phones — $0-400
  • GCF softphone (can be used on computers, laptops) comes with our Outbound Calling service — starts at $25/month
  • Installation and setup fees — $0

Get IP-PBX from Global Call Forwarding

Want to learn more about cloud PBX solutions offered by Global Call Forwarding? Chat with our experts online or call us at +1 (561) 908-6171. We’d love to help you find the right business communication solution to improve caller experience and productivity.

Virtual phone numbers (also called hosted numbers or cloud phone numbers) can help your business expand its services and support to cover more countries and regions across the globe. All without needing to open physical offices in these locations.

Here’s an in-depth guide to the cost of virtual numbers. We discuss the factors contributing to the cost and include a list of virtual number costs for major countries around the world.

Virtual Number Cost: Factors to Consider

Virtual phone numbers are cloud-based business phone numbers that companies can use to reach customers in different parts of the world. Residents from these countries or regions can call your virtual number for free or local calling rates, and you can forward those calls to your business office or customer support center located anywhere in the world.

Because these numbers transmit calls over the internet, your business can use these numbers to connect with and offer customer support to global customers, even if you do not have a physical office in target regions.

Virtual numbers cost between $7-$20 / month per number, but this varies from country to country.

How much virtual number costs depends on the following factors:

1. Call volume
Your business’ monthly call volume greatly influences your monthly bill. So consider, how many calls do your teams need to make on a regular basis — separately or simultaneously? And how much call time do you expect?

2. The location of the caller
One of the most significant factors contributing to the cost of a virtual number is the caller’s location; in other words, where your callers are calling from. For example, calls from one country may ring more expensive than calls from another. Additionally, the device — landline, mobile, or payphone — they call from also affects the cost.

3. The type of virtual number
There are a few different types of virtual numbers, namely toll-free, local, national, international toll-free, and mobile. Each number type has a different cost. Generally, local and (international) toll-free numbers cost less than national and mobile numbers. But the caller’s location can influence this, leading to some local and toll-free numbers costing more. It’s always a good idea to check with your provider which option is the most cost-effective when you buy hosted phone numbers.

4. Call termination (call forwarding costs)
Call termination is the process of forwarding calls from one provider to another. Your plan’s included minutes and an additional per minute rate depending on where your calls are forwarded. You do have the option to eliminate termination costs by routing incoming calls to a VoIP or SIP address instead.

5. Additional features and services
Premium add-ons and additional services can increase your overall cost. You should have the ability to get important premium features like outbound calling, IVR, call forwarding, etc., at a reasonable rate. If the prices for these services are too high, you may want to consider a different service.

Global Call Forwarding: Virtual Number Breakdown

Here, we break down our current virtual phone number costs for the most popular countries. We include our basic monthly plan, SIP trunking price, and forwarding rates:

*Note: Costs mentioned in this article are current at the time of publishing and may be subject to changes.

1. US Virtual Numbers
To buy a US phone number, you can review our rates below and sign up on our Pricing page. We offer:

2. Canada Virtual Numbers
With Canada virtual numbers, you can connect with locals in Canada and the United States. We offer:

3. Mexico Virtual Numbers
Mexico virtual numbers let you communicate with Mexico and US customers for low calling rates. We offer:

4. Germany Virtual Numbers
Connect with prospects and customers in Germany with Germany virtual numbers. We offer:

5. UAE Virtual Numbers
UAE virtual numbers can help your business offer sales and support to businesses and customers in the UAE. We offer:

6. UK Virtual Numbers
Use UK virtual numbers to extend your operations and services to the United Kingdom. We offer:

7. Australia Virtual Numbers
With Australia virtual numbers, you can connect with local companies, suppliers, vendors, and business contacts in the country. We offer:

8. Philippines Virtual Numbers
Buy Philippines virtual numbers and add locals to your customer base. We offer:

9. Malaysia Virtual Numbers
Bring in more sales from Asia by using Malaysia virtual numbers to work closely with Malaysian customers. We offer:

10. Hong Kong Virtual Numbers
Expand your reach in Asia with Hong Kong virtual numbers that give you access to potential Hong Kong and China customers.
We offer:

11. Singapore Virtual Numbers
With Singapore virtual numbers, your business can connect with locals in Singapore without needing a physical office or support team located in the country. We offer:

12. Indonesia Virtual Numbers
Use Indonesia virtual numbers to increase sales and offer customer support to local customers in the country. We offer:

13. Vietnam Virtual Numbers
Want to expand to Vietnam? Buy Vietnam virtual numbers and add a whole new customer base to your customers. We offer:

14. Japan Virtual Numbers
Get Japan virtual numbers and sell your product or service in Japan. We offer:

15. China Virtual Numbers
Use China virtual numbers to connect with customers, prospects, suppliers, and vendors in China. We offer:

16. India Virtual Numbers
Take your business to India with India virtual numbers. We offer:

Choose Your Virtual Phone Number Now!

Virtual numbers are a cost-effective and reliable tool to expand your business, reach global customers, and increase international sales. Global Call Forwarding offers a variety of international virtual phone numbers from more than 160 countries around the world. Browse our inventory and view virtual number costs on our pricing page. Have questions? Chat with our experts or call us at +1 (561) 908-6171.

No-code platforms have grown in popularity as they let businesses adopt new services and features without the hassle of hiring a full-fledged IT team and coding software from scratch. This lets businesses improve productivity and efficiency while reducing costs. So, what no-code solutions are available for business communication and why should you consider them?

Here’s a quick overview of low-code and no-code contact center and its features and benefits to businesses looking to upgrade their business phone system.

Low-Code/No-Code Platforms

Low-code or no-code platforms offer exactly that: little or no code needed for software development. This means that you can use the software without coding it in-house. The software provider takes care of the coding process and gives you a final product that you can use without the extra time or cost of hiring engineers to set the platform up for your needs.

Using No Code in a Contact Center

So, what is a no-code contact center solution? A no-code contact center is a type of CCaaS solution where you get access to ready-to-use contact center features and services. These features are designed to offer an alternative to complex processes and markup.

You can use and adjust these features as you like without worrying about fixing them up in the backend. This means that you can access advanced features and personalize your communication system as needed — all within an easy-to-use interface.

No-Code Contact Center Features

What makes a no-code contact center solution attractive is the set of features and services included that give your teams essential tools to effectively manage business communications. Check out the complete set of features available with Global Call Forwarding.

Here are the top no-code contact center features:

1. Business Phone Number Management

Depending on your business needs and reach, you may work with multiple business phone numbers for different regions and countries. As such, you will need a platform to easily manage your phone numbers and ensure they are working properly.

For example, your US-based customer may have clients across the UK. You might use country-specific phone numbers to communicate with these clients without either of you paying high international calling rates. And you might choose to route all incoming calls from those countries to your main US office. Additionally, you may want to forward calls that come in after-hours to your remote agents who are available during those hours. You can set all this up with a no-code contact center solution.

2. Manage Call Groups and Hunt Groups

Hunt groups and call groups are part of a line hunting, a common business phone system strategy. In line hunting, you set up incoming calls to connect to multiple phone lines or numbers in a call group. Calls can ring simultaneously on all lines or one at a time within this group. Such call management aims to ensure that someone is always available to answer the call and the caller does not have a long wait period.

You can create multiple groups in advance and add/remove users from a group as needed. Then, when you route calls or set up your IVR system, you can make use of these predetermined groups.

Examples: The US sales team may include salespeople in your US office(s). The UK customer service team may include customer service reps across UK office(s). You may even include remote agents or your BPO in this group during high call traffic periods, like the holidays.

3. IVR Menus and Trees

Most businesses that offer a variety of services use cloud IVR systems to manage incoming calls and transfer them to the most appropriate department or agent. A cloud IVR is an automated voice response system that answers the call, provides the caller with menu options, and then directs the caller to the desired department based on their input.

This complex process is made accessible in a no-code contact center solution. You can simply log into your dashboard, go to the IVR manager for the desired line, and create an IVR menu for each department or individual within a few clicks. For example, you can set it up to work as:

• Upon connecting, play “welcome message”
  • Then play “IVR voice menu”:
  • For company hours and address, press 1
  • To speak with an account representative, press 2
  • For customer service, press 3
  • For billing, press 4
  • To hear the menu again, press 9
  • To leave a voicemail, press 0
• Upon keypad input, send the caller to the next step:
  • 1 → play “update company hours message”
  • 2 → transfer call to “sales team” [sales team call group]
  • 3 → transfer call to “customer center” [customer service team call group, outsourced call center, or remote teams]
  • 4 → transfer call to “billing” [billing team call group]
  • 9 → play “IVR voice menu”
  • 0 → play “voicemail message” and send voicemail to inbox.

4. Call Flow Builder

A call flow builder is an interactive designer where you create custom call flows for your incoming calls. Basically, you get to map out what happens to a call when it comes in — Will callers hear a welcome message? Does the call get routed to a call group based on the time of the call or location of the caller? And so on.

When you intentionally set up call flows, you can control how the caller interacts with your business. This leads to responsive service, less turnaround, reduced wait/hold times, faster resolution, and happier customers.

Check out the popular call flow templates businesses use to efficiently manage their calls and improve caller experience.

5. Advanced Call Routing

Based on how your business operates and where your customers call from, you might need advanced and automated call routing to ensure someone is available to answer the call in the right time zone and language.

This is where call routing strategies and features come in handy. For example, Global Call Forwarding offers the following automated call routing options:

• Time-based routing — routes calls to specific locations or lines based on the time of the call
• Geographic call routing — routes calls to specific locations or lines based on the callers location
• Simultaneous ring — rings calls on multiple lines simultaneously
• Round robin call routing — sends calls down a line of agents within a call group
• Sequential routing — sends calls down a particular sequence of agents in a call group
• Holiday routing and schedules — custom routing schedules for holiday(s).

You can quickly set up rules and adjust as your needs and teams change. This flexibility makes advanced call routing a scalable no-code contact center solution as it adapts to a growing business.

6. Softphone App

Softphones are web-based phone apps that can be accessed as web extensions, desktop apps, or smartphone apps. You simply download the softphone to your device, enter your VoIP credentials (provided by your no-code contact center provider), and start placing calls via your business phone service.

Softphones come with their own set of features that let you save/update contact info, transfer calls to other departments and individuals, make in-network calls, and so on. Plus, since most softphones work with Android, Windows, and Apple, you can connect from any location and with any device, giving your teams unlimited flexibility.

Get No-Code Contact Center Solutions

Global Call Forwarding offers no-code business voice solutions for companies looking to upgrade their phone system and add VoIP functionality. Want to learn more about what we can do for your business? Chat with us today or call us at +1 (561) 908-6171.

The holidays are just around the corner. In many countries, they’ve already begun! As we move into the second half of the year filled with celebrations and festivals, you need to prepare your business for the holidays in a way that keeps both customers and employees happy.

How to Make Your Business Holiday-Ready

The holiday season makes for the most profitable time of the year (for most businesses) and brings you the opportunity to bring new customers on board. As we move into the holiday season, it helps to prepare beforehand and get your affairs in order.

Here are 6 ways to prepare your business for the holidays:

1. Plan your marketing and promotions
2. Establish vacation policies
3. Create call flows with holiday schedules
4. Hire and train seasonal workers
5. Take care of things you’ve been putting off
6. Update your website for the holidays

1. Plan Your Marketing and Promotions

The first step is to get your marketing plans and promotions in place. Use data gathered over the last year to determine what worked best for your customer profiles and what they now expect from your business. Some areas to get started:

• Holiday content marketing — Put out relevant content for your customers about how they might use your product or service during the holidays (knowledge base, how-to guides, etc.)
• Holiday promotions — Run special offers and deals for the holidays to bring in more customers
• Updated company contact information — Reassure existing customers that your business will be reachable during the holidays and provide them with resources for off-hours assistance (chatbots, online ticketing and support center, etc.)

Plan your holiday marketing strategy to keep customers happy and maintain business continuity during the holidays.

2. Establish Vacation Policies

This is one of the most important policies to have in the workplace. If you don’t have one, now is the time to write it. And if you do have one, it might be worth reviewing and/or updating it, if necessary.

A vacation policy guides employees and teams on how to take time off during major national holidays. You may base your vacation policy on a first-come, first-served or seniority basis, and you can even offer employees who choose to work on the holidays a reward for their time.

Establishing these guidelines beforehand will ensure you offer a fair vacation policy with clear expectations.

3. Create Call Flows With Holiday Schedules

Your business might have specific holiday schedules not just during the holiday season but throughout the year. It could be employees taking vacation and time off or your whole business taking a day or two off for national and public holidays.

It’s a good idea to create call flows for your holiday schedules to determine what happens to incoming calls during these days. Holiday call routing lets you route incoming calls during specific holiday schedules to different phone numbers or locations. You can add special holiday greetings and voice messages with updated company information that callers will hear before they are routed to a satellite office, remote workers, or voicemail.

Check out our guide on how to set up holiday routing with Global Call Forwarding.

4. Hire and Train Seasonal Workers

You may need to hire extra staff to work during the holidays. This could be on-site seasonal staff or remote customer service staff to ease the burden on full-time employees. Without proper training, your seasonal team may prove more burdensome than helpful. This is why it’s essential to hire early and spend enough time training them properly.

5. Take Care of Things You’ve Been Putting Off

At the beginning of every year, we think of new ways to improve how customers interact with our business to increase sales and customer satisfaction. If your teams drew up such plans but haven’t implemented them yet, now is a good time to get things moving. As they say, “just in time for the holiday rush!”

6. Update Your Website for the Holidays

Lastly, make necessary updates and changes to your website and test to make sure it functions properly. Your website should run smoothly — especially the product, pricing, checkout, and payment pages — so that it can properly handle existing and new customer traffic.

Getting in the Holiday Spirit

As you prepare your business for the holidays, don’t forget to get into the holiday spirit and celebrate with your teams, in whatever capacity is appropriate. This is a time to take a step back after weeks of preparing and be present in the moment.

Need a call routing solution for the upcoming holiday season? Chat with our representatives online or call us at +1 (561) 908-6171. Happy holidays!