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Phone Number Testing: Benefits and How to Do It

An image of our guide to business phone number testing.

Many of the insights for this article came from a breakout session at Cyara Xchange 2024. Global Call Forwarding also uses the Cyara Voice Assure product. Despite the emergence of …Read More »

How Forex Companies Use Virtual Numbers (5 Use Cases)

An image showing the ways forex companies use virtual numbers.

The forex market is inherently international as it involves the exchange of global currencies. While the forex market has no central location, most traders are in major financial centers and …Read More »

Nigeria Phone Number Guide: An Explainer

nigeria phone guide

A Nigeria phone number is a vital asset for businesses looking to make their mark in the heart of West Africa. With a population exceeding 200 million, Nigeria offers a …Read More »

Understanding Telephone Numbering Plans Globally

Understanding global telephone numbering plans.

Telephone numbers typically get assigned according to national telephone numbering plans, such as the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the United States and Canada. These plans can be “open” …Read More »

5 Toll-Free FlexDial Use Cases

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Well-run businesses understand the importance of communication and accessibility. Whether communicating with customers, leads, or internally with employees, phone calls remain among the most effective ways to exchange information. While …Read More »

The Pros and Cons of Toll-Free FlexDial

The pros and cons of toll-free flexdial.

A quick overview of the pros and cons of Toll-Free FlexDial, a global cloud communications solution. Understanding The Advantages And Disadvantages of FlexDial Toll-Free FlexDial has emerged as a pioneering …Read More »

Meet Our 2020 International Business Communications Scholarship Winner – Jasper Moh

Every year, Global Call Forwarding offers an International Business Communications Scholarship to support the academic endeavors of students from all over the globe. As part of our dedication to nurturing the next generation of forward-thinking entrepreneurs and professionals, our scholarship is a way to express our caring for our community.

Celebrating Our 2020 Scholarship Winner

jasper mohWe are pleased to announce the winner of our 2020 International Business Communications Scholarship: Jasper Moh. Jasper Moh is a University of California student who chose the essay topic: “The Opposite of 1-800 Numbers: Explain the rise, fall, and controversy behind 1-900 numbers.” Read the essay here.

Global Call Forwarding, since 1996, has been providing businesses around the world with advanced and intelligent communication systems. From international toll free phone numbers to features and services that offer better call management and remote team management.

Besides striving to offer small businesses and established enterprises the communication tools they need, we also use our platform to educate users about telecom services and how communication systems work through our web content and blog.

As a part of this initiative, we launched the International Business Communications Scholarship in 2018. Our intention was to give interested students an opportunity to excel in their academic endeavors, while tackling a thought-provoking topic that sheds some insight on international communications in daily life.

Like all previous years, this year we received countless applications from students who are creative, detail-oriented, and focused. Our topics for 2020 included:

  1. The opposite of 1-800 numbers: Explain the rise, fall, and controversy behind 1-900 numbers.
  2. How have vanity toll free numbers impacted marketing across the globe?
  3. How can virtual phone numbers be used to execute political outreach campaigns?
  4. How have vanity toll free numbers impacted marketing across the globe?

What is the International Business Communications Scholarship?

The International Business Communications Scholarship was launched in 2018 as an initiative to support college students in their academic ventures. Every year, we provide interested participants with a list of topics related to the telecommunication industry. Participants then submit their entries in an essay or blog format.

All submissions are viewed and checked thoroughly for plagiarism, and a winner is selected based on the quality of their submission. The winner then receives a set scholarship amount to be used towards college. The announcement of the winner is shared on our websites and social media platforms.

How Can You Enter the Scholarship Program?

To enter the scholarship program for the year 2021, email our Scholarship Program team at scholarships@globalcallforwarding.com for questions and the upcoming year’s topics and prompts. Then, prepare your entry and submit it to us for review. We check each submission thoroughly for plagiarism. Note that plagiarized content is not acceptable and will be automatically disqualified.

For more information, email us at the above email address or call us at 1-888-908-6171 (our US toll free number) or +66-948-09-4530 (our Bangkok office).

Mauritius Toll Free Numbers: Now Available with Global Call Forwarding

Bring in business from the ever-growing island of Mauritius. Global Call Forwarding is happy to offer Mauritius toll free numbers for companies and enterprises looking to do business in this part of the world.

Increase Your Global Reach With a Mauritius Toll Free Number

With globalization and technological advancements, it is easier than ever to connect with people and companies across the world. Digital communications have brought (and will continue to bring) the world closer than ever. And so, if you are not taking advantage of the opportunities available to expand your business globally, you are missing out. Use this opportunity to connect with businesses and clients in the East African country of Mauritius.

How Mauritius Toll Free Numbers Work

Along with many international toll free numbers, Global Call Forwarding announces toll free numbers for new markets. One of these markets is the vibrant economy of Mauritius. Toll free numbers are virtual numbers that charge the receiver instead of the caller, making it free for contacts and customers to reach your business. Instead of exorbitant long-distance calling fees, locals will have to pay their local calling charges only. This automatically makes you more accessible to the people. And this is because people are more comfortable with a local number that won’t charge them extra, rather than an unknown number.

As a business owner, you have to do everything in your power to demonstrate that your business is professional and reliable. And so, a number that is easy for customers to use and dial is a step in the right direction. Mauritius toll free numbers, therefore, give businesses an opportunity to work with new markets and demographics as well as improve caller experience.

Features That Enhance Communication

Besides giving your contacts a toll free way to connect with you, these numbers also come with additional features that can improve both internal and external communications. Because Global Call Forwarding’s toll free numbers are virtual numbers, you can do much more with your business number. Some of the features include:

  • Dedicated Account Managers: Oversee the smooth functioning of the service.
  • Local Ringback Tones: This refers to the sound heard by callers when the destination (local) phone is ringing.
  • Call Transfer: Transfer calls with a pre-programmed sequence that you arrange according to your needs.
  • Failover Forwarding: This is an automated system that connects incoming calls to other numbers in line in case the first line is occupied.
  • Advanced Interactive Voice Response (IVR): This is an automated greeting system that receives calls and directs callers to the department they need through a menu.
  • Time of Day Routing: This feature directs calls to an assigned number in a different office during certain hours of the day.

These features make your business communication system organized and efficient while also ensuring no calls go unanswered. Use these features to present your company as one that cares about how it interacts with its customers.

How to Get a Toll Free Number for Mauritius?

1: Select your new phone number
Visit the Global Call Forwarding homepage. Under “Select Your New Phone Number,” pick “Mauritius (+230)” and then, choose “Toll Free” for your Mauritius toll free number. Next, select a number from the options available.

2: Enter a destination number
On the right-hand side, provide a phone number where you want calls to be forwarded to under “Forward Incoming Calls To.”

3: Review and select your plan
Review plans offered and select one that is ideal for your business communication.

4: Add features
Next, choose from a variety of add-ons available for your number such as:

  • Free Unlimited Extensions ‒ for different office departments.
  • Call Recording ‒ to record calls for quality assurance and to avoid liabilities.
  • Outbound Calling ‒ to make international calls with caller ID override, enabling your virtual number to appear on the receiver’s caller ID.

5: Enter contact and payment information
Choose your account type: Business or Personal. Enter the necessary information. Accept the Terms and Conditions. Submit your purchase.

Purchase Mauritius Toll Free Numbers from Global Call Forwarding

Invest in a Mauritius toll free number and get one step closer to the locals of this island. Purchasing and setting up your number with Global Call Forwarding is quick and easy. Call us today or sign up and get your number activated and ready to use!

Global Call Forwarding Announces Lebanon Toll Free Numbers

Want to expand your company and gather new clients? Global Call Forwarding now offers Lebanon toll free numbers that let you connect with Lebanese contacts and customers through a cheap and reliable phone service.

Lebanon Toll Free Phone Numbers

Companies must establish strong connections with all their customers and prospects in order to succeed. To do so, they need to be easily accessible and within reach. Toll free numbers can help customers connect with businesses in a cheap and easy way. Even if you are not in Lebanon, Lebanon toll free numbers can place you in the country’s economy and provide a channel of communication that ensures you stay connected with your clients.

How Lebanon Toll Free Numbers Work

You might have noticed that toll free numbers are often the contact numbers for large enterprises and businesses. This is because toll free numbers can help manage high call volumes, ensuring that every customer call is answered and satisfied. However, the most attractive feature of toll free numbers is the affordability.

Most toll free numbers generally have a two-three digit code at the beginning. Customers can call toll free numbers from almost any device. Calls made to toll free numbers are charged to the receiver and not the caller. Therefore, customers have to pay little to nothing to call your business. These toll free numbers ensure that your Lebanese contacts can reach you, wherever you are located, at local rates instead of international rates.

Reasons why you should get a Lebanon toll free number:

  • Your business number becomes easy for Lebanese customers to dial
  • You can make and answer calls with Lebanese contacts from anywhere in the world
  • Create a strong and professional image for your company
  • Make use of additional features to forward and record your calls, create customized greetings, and more.

The Lebanon Business Scene

Located in the Middle East, Lebanon is at the crossroads of Asia, Europe, and Africa. This enables it to work closely with these neighboring countries. Its diverse population and booming tourism industry make it a good place to do business. Popular and successful industries in this country are tourism, agriculture, health, telecommunications, banking, and commerce. The government supports businesses through implementing reforms that stimulate growth, investments, and funding. And these reforms are popular with foreign investors, bringing international business to the country.

Steps to Get a Toll Free Number for Lebanon

Step 1: Sign up and select your new phone number
Visit the Global Call Forwarding homepage. On the left-hand side, under “Select Your New Phone Number,” select the country “Lebanon (+961).” Next, choose “Toll Free” for your Lebanon toll free number.

Step 2: Choose your new number or port your existing number
Then, choose a number from the options available or port/transfer your existing number.

Step 3: Enter a destination number
On the right-hand side, provide a destination phone number under the “Forward Incoming Calls To.” This is where you will designate where to forward incoming calls.

Step 4: Review and select your plan
Select a plan that fits your business needs. Decide whether you want a free business trial or pay for a subscription plan.

Step 5: Add optional features
Next, choose from a variety of add-ons available for your number, such as Outbound Calling, SMS Forwarding, etc.

Step 6: Enter contact, account, and payment information
Choose your account type: Business or Personal. Accept the Terms and Conditions and submit your purchase.

Lebanon Toll Free Numbers With Global Call Forwarding

Toll free numbers are in high demand for large corporations and call centers that have large call volumes. Affordability and ease of use make toll free numbers a preferred mode of communication between businesses and their contacts and customers. Enhance your customer interaction with Lebanese clients by purchasing Lebanon toll free numbers. Sign up with Global Call Forwarding today!

Global Call Forwarding Now Offers Morocco Toll Free Numbers

Wondering what to do next with your business? Go global and connect with clients across the world. Global Call Forwarding now offers Morocco toll free numbers to help you create communication channels with potential clients in this North African country.

Why Do Business in Morocco

Morocco, officially known as the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in North Africa. This country is most popular for its well-preserved medinas such as Fez, Marrakesh, Tetouan, and Essaouira that are recognized UNESCO World Heritage sites. In these medinas, you will find craftsmen, skilled artisans, and markets filled with imperial and maritime-influenced treasures.

Every business’s goal is to grow and expand and to gather more loyal clients. To do this, it is important to build strong connections and portray your company as a reliable and professional one. Besides creating a good product, gaining investors, and hiring skilled labor, as a business owner you need to take steps towards customer satisfaction and relations. And toll free numbers are one way to do this.

How Morocco Toll Free Numbers Work

Morocco toll free numbers from Global Call Forwarding are virtual numbers that route calls over the internet. This makes it cheaper to stay in touch with international customers and conduct business overseas. You don’t want to discourage customers from calling by making them pay extra or jump through hoops to get in touch with a representative. And since a toll free number charges the receiver instead of the caller, customers can call you for free.

Morocco toll free numbers let you enter the Morocco market and become more accessible to locals. Therefore, these numbers bring you closer to potential clients without needing you to physically move to the location. And so, you don’t have to bother with moving costs or the worry of setting up an office in the country. If required, you may hire a remote employee to handle calls from Moroccan customers and have calls forwarded to that number during their daytime hours. This only makes your company more available and visible to people in this area.

Steps to Get a Toll Free Number for Morocco

1: Select your new phone number
Visit the Global Call Forwarding homepage. On the left, under “Select Your New Phone Number,” select the country “Morocco (+212).” Then, choose “Toll Free” for your Morocco toll free number. Next, choose a number from the options available or port/transfer your existing number.

2: Enter a destination number
On the right-hand side, provide a destination phone number under the “Forward Incoming Calls To.” This is the number where you would like to direct incoming calls.

3: Review and select your plan
Select a plan that fits your business. Decide whether you want a free business trial or if you would prefer to pay for a subscription plan.

4: Add features
Next, choose from a variety of add-ons available for your number such as:
Inbound SMS plans ‒ to receive instant messages from customers in your inbox
Call Recording ‒ to record calls for quality assurance and to avoid liabilities
Outbound Calling ‒ to make international calls with caller ID override making your virtual number appear on the receiver’s caller ID.

5: Enter the necessary information
Choose your account type: Business or Personal. Enter contact and payment information. Accept the Terms and Conditions and submit your purchase.

Purchase Morocco Toll Free Numbers from Global Call Forwarding

If you want to start doing business with Moroccan contacts and clients, getting a toll free number can positively impact your business correspondence. Setting up a toll free number with Global Call Forwarding is quick and easy. You can sign up for one today or contact us for more information about communication solutions for your company.

Inspiring Entrepreneurs in 2019

Entrepreneurs are business owners who design, operate, and launch businesses. They usually dump their 9-to-5 jobs to pursue an idea that they believe in. It’s not an easy or glamorous job; it takes a lot of hard work, determination, and grit to build a business from the bottom up. That is why it can be so inspiring when you meet someone who has worked very hard and taken their business to new levels of success. Read on and get inspired by these young entrepreneurs that you will most certainly be seeing more of this coming year.

Entrepreneurs to watch in 2019

1. Leigh-Kathryn Bonner

Bonner, 25, decided that instead of sitting around and worrying about the declining population of bees in the world, she would do something about it. So she did. She is now the owner of Bee Downtown, a company that installs honey beehives in urban areas. She has installed beehives in the corporate headquarters of Burt’s Bees, Chick-Fil-A, IBM, Delta, and Intercontinental Exchange. Bonner is a fourth-generation beekeeper and decided that, after studying abroad, that she needed to be concerned about the alarming rate that the bee population is declining. She decided that she could approach the American Tobacco Campus in Durham, NC and pitch the idea to place a beehive on the top of their building. The owner of the company liked the idea so much that he introduced her to Burt’s Bees and the rest isn’t quite history. She decided to keep running the business on the side as she finished her schooling. Upon graduation, she was offered a job. Instead of taking the job she pursued her business idea full time and with a loan of $15,000 from her parents she was able to take her business to where it is today.

Inspiring Entrepreneurs
Source: Stockphoto.com O#100152082224 ID#100200144052

2. Jobert Abma and Michiel Prins

These two self-taught hackers are the creators of HackerOne. Their company helps businesses by finding security vulnerabilities and keeping cyber threats at bay. The company is based in San Francisco and run by the pair of childhood friends whose customer base is stacked with top corporations such as Starbucks, Airbnb, General Motors, and Twitter. They got their first contract job at Facebook by diving deep into the messaging application for Facebook and finding a bug. They were immediately invited to a social event by the group and given jobs. Once they secured their contract at Facebook, they decided to target other large companies they wished to work for and found cybersecurity bugs in their websites and before long they found themselves with a stacked clientele base.

3. Siqi Mou

Siqi Mou is the 29-year-old creator of HelloAva, an automated chatbot that can help you pinpoint the problems in your skin and curate a list best suited to fight your skin blemishes. Mou suffered from acne for the majority of her life. While she was formerly a news anchor in Indonesia, she was offered an opportunity to star in an ad. However, the advertisement was for a skincare product, before she agreed to do the ad, she looked up the harsh chemical ingredients in the products and got very annoyed. Her dissatisfaction with the commercial skincare products out today birthed the idea she had for HelloAva. Now users can consult with an aesthetician online and receive recommendations for products that are good for the skin.

4. Camille Baker

Pull Up a Seat offers foodies a chance to satisfy their cravings and allows businesses like bakeries, a way to reach broad and local audiences. Baker created this platform so that chefs could spend more time working on their food rather than using up so much time on creating a website and marketing. Now the food vendors can list their businesses on the site, and the foodies will come.

5. Krisna Bhargava

Krisna Bhargava was a Ph.D. student at the University of Southern California when he came up with the idea to create his business, ReoLab. He got the idea for the company when he realized that the tools that were used to run medical tests in hospitals were not as capable as they had the potential to be. These tests could take days at a time for results when people who were medical danger didn’t have that kind of time. He decided that by shrinking a testing lab to the size of a shoebox, he could have results that were ready in an hour. With some help from his peers and mentors, he has been able to gain funding for his idea which he has dubbed “like a Keurig machine for diagnostic tests.”

Many inspiring entrepreneurs make names for themselves each year. Why not be next?

Global Call Forwarding provides is the  most trusted Provider of Virtual Phone Numbers, Outbound Calling, VoIP, SMS and Call Recording.

Call Recording Regulations for Forex Trading and International Banks

In recent days, compliance regulations and requirements for traders and banks have been expanding dramatically due to leveraged technology and the need for accountability and higher standards. Due to these new regulations, Global Call Forwarding has increased our long-term call recording storage up to 6 years to enable easy access and a trustworthy platform for banks and Forex traders. As a result, these changes ensure that traders, banks, and contact centers are in full compliance with every new regulatory requirement.

Naturally, governments around the world have stepped in to increase regulations to combat ever-widening capabilities of corruption by forcing companies to expand their recordkeeping capabilities via audio. Because traders and bankers are now required to record and archive voice communications, Global Call Forwarding understands the need to have these recordings easily available on demand in the event a dispute should arise. Due to the highly sensitive nature of such calls, we offer the safest security standards. Our platform makes it simple to access and download calls kept in storage with the simplest navigation.

Globally, call recording is becoming required across a multitude of industries for the purpose of record keeping. This is why long-term storage is such a necessary service. Consider the following examples:

  • As of January 1, 2018, the markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has now required stockbrokers to compulsorily keep a record of orders placed by clients from January 1, 2018. This mandate includes phone recordings. This puts the burden of proof on the broker to produce documentation for trade disputes that may be unauthorized.
  • As of August 31, 2017, the FDIC has ruled that banks and other financial institutions must keep recordings (and other documentation) of “suspicious activity” for 5 years from the date of filing a suspicious activity report (SAR).
  • In Europe, under the General Data Protection Regulation, bankers and traders are required to keep recordings or face steep penalties as a consequence. For firms that don’t comply, they can be fined €10,000 per infraction. However, these fines can reach up to a staggering €20 million or 4% of a firm’s annual revenue.

recording office screens

Why Do You Need to Record Your Calls?

It’s obvious that brokers and bankers should take these new regulations seriously and record/ store their calls immediately. Here are a few reasons you should consider:

  • The Price of Noncompliance: As mentioned before, the price of non-compliance can be high. If traders or banks don’t record their calls, they could potentially be hit with significant fines or potentially lose their license. Even for companies that are willing to roll the dice when it comes to avoiding potential audits, the risk of being unable to conduct business is a significant deterrent against not integrating call recording services into your business.
  • Maintaining Your Public Image: In the Information Age, having records and proof is often an essential part of your business. Therefore, call recording needs to be at the forefront of your business strategy. Staying ahead of the curve, and in line with regulations can keep your business away from negative outcomes and any possible disasters that await unprepared banks and traders if they choose not to take the necessary precautions in long-term storage of their calls.
  • Peace of Mind: Even without such regulations, call recording services are an excellent way to ensure that your business is accountable internally. Consider a few of the advantages, including the ability to verify suspicious activity from customers and the ability to ensure your employees maintain accountability for adhering to your company’s standards of ethics.

Quality of Recording Services Matters

Not all call recording services are created equal. Consider the ramifications of having lesser-quality recording services that cannot be trusted when you need them most.

Hypothetically, what would happen if you discover that some of your recorded calls aren’t audible or are missing? By the time that you discover these anomalies, your records may be, in fact, missing thousands of calls. Sometimes, stored calls need to be accessed immediately, and if you can’t trust the storage system, you may run into some serious trouble. By most standards of legislation, not having the recording document is the same as not having made the effort to record them in the first place.

And even if there is an attempt to find the information, many auditors request recorded calls typically within 60 days. With this short time frame, your company may not be able to respond quickly enough to avoid violating the law.

How Global Call Forwarding Can Help

No one wants to lose their license or be fined over a simple mistake. To avoid these possibilities, it is so important that you have a quality service provider that can help you store your calls and provide instant access when you need it. However, we cannot stress enough that this service needs to be top-notch. This is precisely why so many businesses rely on Global Call Forwarding, especially when it comes to call recording for Forex trading and international banks.

Global Call Forwarding’s easy to use technology ensures that all calls required to be recorded for legislation and regulatory purposes are recorded with high-quality content, and are not inaudible. To help Forex traders and banks to comply with these new requirements, we have increased our long-term call recording storage capacity to ensure absolute peace of mind.

In addition to the increase in Global Call Forwarding’s long-term call recording storage capabilities, our platform provides customers the ability to store calls for up to 6 years and access each recorded call with an easy-to-navigate user interface. With only a few clicks, recorded calls can be easily accessed for listening or downloading through a highly secure online control panel. Multiple levels of redundancy ensures safe and secure storage of recorded calls. Best of all, our customers can combine call recording and long-term storage with the ability to reach international markets by utilizing local and/ or toll free numbers available in over 140 countries on our network