Then the rates long distance fell to almost nothing and people were able to get free LD on their cell phones. Almost overnight VOIP went away.

It staged a comeback about two years ago. One of the primary reasons was the availability of cheap and fast broadband. Rather than marketing VOIP as LD avoidance, it became about not dealing with the BIG phone companies and portability. The availability of video conferencing was very exciting. Companies such as Vonage.com spent millions advertising and educating consumers about the benefits of Internet phone service.

There are many companies that provide VOIP service for home and business use. One of the advantages of VOIP from Answer360 is it integrates with our RemotePBX service and can extend your virtual office anywhere in the world. If you need an extra phone line in the office or have questions about how VOIP can help your business give me a call. Depending on where I am, I may answer my VOIP phone!

The atmosphere is very comfortable and staff is normally courteous and helpful. Many times small eateries do not appreciate “road warriors” or “remote workers” hanging out all day starring at a laptop. At Panera they do ask that you not take up a table meant for six by yourself. Also they ask that you limit your wi-fi usage during the crucial lunch hours of 11 AM to 2PM.

The location I go to most is like the neighborhood hang out for “remote workers” and retirees. The manager knows the regulars by name and most of the employees are local high school and college kids who can help you with your lap top!

Whoever came up with the concept and then added wi-fi, gets my vote for the genius award! The food is great, the baked goods are delicious and the bread is the best thing since sliced….. you get the picture!

I will say the coffee drinks are hit or miss at best. Those who have a Starbuck’s sentence when they order a drink, (frap, no whip, half and half, no foam, with a shot of vanilla,etc) will be disappointed

But if you want a big comfortable chair with a living room table and an fireplace, this is the place work from. I would probably never leave if they had a business center with a fax machine and printer!

How many times has one of the following happened to you?

• You call someone and get his voicemail telling you that he will be out of the office until July 6^th. The only problem is it’s September 8^th when you place the call.

• You call a big organization but still can’t get in touch with a living, breathing person no matter what combination of buttons you push, and you’ve already left three messages and received no returned phone call.

• Someone leaves you a message, but you can’t clearly hear her name or number. The only part of the message that is really understandable is that the call is urgent.

When he thought up the idea of voicemail in the late 1970s, inventor Gordon Matthews’ probably never imagined that more than two decades later people would still be abusing and misusing his would-be office miracle.

Those types of encounters are annoying, frustrating, and a total waste of time you probably don’t have. The worst part is they happen by the millions every day and show no signs of stopping.

If you use a telephone at work, chances are you’ve been to voicemail hell. It’s a horrible place, and unfortunately most of us know it well. The good news is there are some steps you can take to stay out of this hotspot.

the Quality of Your Outgoing Messages: If you give people information that can help them help themselves, you will get them what they need faster and save yourself time as well.

1. Identify your name, organization, and telephone number in your outgoing message. Example: “Hi, this is John Smith with ABC Corp at 212-555-1234.”

2. State that you are not available and any other important information. Example: “I’m out of the office today, January 3^rd. I will be returning January 5^th. I will not check voicemail until I am back. If this is an emergency or you need immediate assistance, please call Bill Withers at 917-555-6543.”

3. Tell people how to leave an appropriate message. That’s right: if you want good information, ask for it. Example: “Please leave a brief message stating how I can help you, along with your phone number, and I will call you back.”

4. If you prefer email, offer that as an option to callers. If you have an unusual name or company name, spell out the email address. Example: “You may want to email me at jsmith@abcco.com

5. To cut down on repeat calls if you work in a high-volume call area, state that you will return calls within 24 hours or whatever time period your organization’s policy on return calls requires.

6. If you update your message when you go out of town, don’t forget to update it again when you get back.

7. If your system allows callers to bypass your message by hitting the pound key, tell them that, especially if you have an unusually long message.

Coach and Son

I know this is a website that talks about business issues from a telecom perspective. However, I just want to speak about a new passion I have discovered: Coaching Pee Wee Football! It is after all football season. We are in Texas. So I guess we can discuss football anywhere! My son is playing for a team that I have become one of the coaches of. We practice three to four times a week, which I thought was a bit much. We had our first game this past Saturday and boy we could use about three more days of practice! There is a reason the pros do this everyday. Getting 22 ten year olds and five thirty something’s on the same page is not easy. I guess it is like managing a small business. See – I know I could get some business value out of this post.

My son woke me up 4 hours before the game out of excitement. As we arrived at the field the smell of Frito pies and BBQ took over. The fresh cut grass brought back memories of my first tackle game almost 30 years earlier. Suburban parents grabbed the seats with the shade while other erected massive tents complete with lawn chairs and tables. I almost forgot everyone was gathering to watch 10 year olds play football.

Once the first whistle blew, all the peace and reminiscing stopped. Mass confusion ensued. After each of the first seven plays, the result was the same; Penalty Flags. The infractions were either too many players on the field or illegal procedure. At times kids were substituting themselves. When they would look to us for guidance, there was no less than seven “coaches” hollering, I mean, yelling and barking instructions. It seemed most parents had an agenda for their child as they would pull little Johnny to the side and give them advice.

The head coach asked me to help out with the offense. In hindsight, it was not because of my ability or football prowess. It was because I show up to every practice and stay until the end. I’ve seen this type of phenomenon in the workplace also. It is from the person who may not be the brightest but comes early and leaves late. Before you know it, that person has the responsibilities that someone else either wanted or was qualified for. For my dedication, the head coach anointed me “Offensive Coordinator”. I did not think there was such a title at this level. We also have a line coach, defensive coordinator, secondary coach and linebacker coach. Most of the non-coordinator coaches rarely show up for practice.

One of many flags

The question became “Who is in Charge?” The head coach is a very passionate person who knows how to motivate people. While he patted me on my back for the successful plays, he gave me evil looks and words on botched ones. No wonder the coordinators prefer to sit up in the booth in the college and pro ranks.

The game was very tight. Our team was up by one touchdown with less than a minute remaining. We had the ball and needed one first down to taste sweet victory. After a decent 5-yard gain on first down, we had three straight penalties that backed us up 25 yards. So now with 26 seconds to go, we are looking at 4th and 20 on the opponent’s 40-yard line. The parents were shouting, “Punt the Ball”. The kids and coaches said, “Let’s go for it”. Conventional thinking says punt the ball. But as the new Offensive Coordinator, I had one last trick up my sleeve.
I called the play, sent it in to the Quarterback. He looked over at me with a look of surprise and disgust. I looked at the head coach and told him, this is a risky call. The center snaps the ball and the QB fakes right to the strong side of the field. (Most plays at this level go to the wide or strong side of the field). At the last moment before being tackled, he cut left and in what seemed three minutes, jetted untouched for 60 yards putting the game out of reach.

Game Winning Touchdown

All of a sudden, I was a genius. Everyone looked me in the eye and said things like “good call coach”, “great strategy” and “you da man”. As a basked in my newfound glory, (12 minutes earlier I was crazy for calling a pass play) I did not have the heart to tell everyone that was not the play I called! The play I sent in was a double reverse to the right. It’s really called 47 Sweep, Wedge Right Reverse. The only issue was the second string 4 back hadn’t practiced the play and missed the first hand off. The QB seen that and rather than panic, turned the other way and ran for his life. His instinct made me look good. It made the whole organization look good to the outside world. Winning does that for you. The truth is our internal organization is a work in progress. We have 6 more weeks of this and I find myself looking forward to the off-season already.

Hero Coach

Now it is clear to me why non-athletic people love football. It is just like the business world. You have winners and loser. You make mistakes and still have the opportunity to win. Had we lost, I would have probably taken the blame for the two turnovers, twelve penalties, the mass confusion and all of the hollering. Business is like football….as long as you show up, you can play!

Check out the VIDEO

The filmmaker and co-stars

Long before someone gets to determine if you are attractive or not, your phone has been answered professionally. Your custom on hold messages as the system finds you on your cell phone. You never get a second chance to make a first impression so make sure you handle your business calls accordingly

At first, I must admit, I thought it was a little hokey. Once you arrive you know that it is really “Kick Butt”! They idolize Chuck Norris. His sayings are all over the place including the restroom. There is usually a Kung Fu flick playing on the plasma TV. Oh, did I mention the place is owned and operated by a Tai-chi and Kung Fu black belt. His name is Master Gohring.

They have the usual coffee shop staples: Wifi, lack of plugs, and the notion that the customers should be entertained with guitars or stand up comedy. (I actually stayed for the open mic comedy and it was pretty cool). What makes this place unique is the employees where traditional Kung Fu outfits, you can buy fake Nunchucks and it has a full bar when a coffee kick is just not enough.

Everyone is friendly even though they could probably kick your butt if you get out of line. It has become one of my favorite meeting spots because it is roomy, comfortable and feel so safe with all the Chuck Norris disciples working behind the counter. This has become one of my new Virtual Offices!

As I watched the historic evacuation of the Gulf Coast on CNN, I felt for the many business owners who could not operate because of the impending hurricane. Most small business do not have a DR plan for their business. The ones that have a DR plan usually focus on the computer networks. I remind business owners all the time – Your phones are just as imortant! Remote PBX customers have a build in DR plan! Since our office runs on a virtual RemotePBX phone system, our location is not important. Call are still handled as if we are in the office. Can your business phone system survive a natural disaster? What would happen to your business if you could not answer the phone for a month?

Even though we are in the age of the Internet, the phone is still the primary contact for most small businesses. Unlike email, a phone conversation is real time. If your email service is down for an hour,clients and prospects most likely will not notice. Let your phones go off for a hour! You are effectively out of business. Think about it, unless you have a web business like Amazon, Ebay or Paypal, you are interacting with your customers, vendors and prospects on the phone.

Even though I have been in the Virtual Office business for almost 12 years, I was not prepared for what I saw when I arrived at their home office in South Austin. My interactions with Jack and Carol over the years have been very professional. When I look at their website, they are dressed in business attire. Everything I seen or heard about The Delta Associates said “buttoned up professionals”. So much so that I even got dressed up for our meeting.

Upon arrival I was greeting by a big beautiful black dog. Carol let me in to their very neat and well maintained home that looked like it was built in the 1950′s. She apologized for Jack being a little late. I assumed he has a morning meeting. That was not the case. Jack had came back from his morning jog! We had a great conversation about VOIP and how it could benefit not only their business, but some of their clients.

The Delta Associates added two VOIP lines to their RemotePBX. This enable them to cut off two land lines from AT&T. The net savings was $60 per month. The new flexibility was immeasurable. Using the Remote PBX with the VOIP phones allowed them to take calls anywhere in the world as if they were still in Austin as long as an high speed Internet connection is available.

The meeting with The Delta Associates has inspired me to reach out to more clients. Each client has a unique story. I think that is what helps make Answer360 stand out among our competitors. We attempt to learn as much as possible about our clients and custom tailor a solution that is unique to the their current issues. The meeting made me say “What took me so long to connect with such interesting people running an even more interesting business”