Confidence is an important topic for people at all levels. When a person’s confidence is high, they feel like they can accomplish anything. They stand taller, are bolder in their actions, close more deals, and their energy attracts positivity into their lives. On the flip side, when a person’s self-esteem is low, it can have a devastating effect. It can make or break your performance in business and in personal relationships. Nextiva marketing manager Jeremy Boudinet hosted a webinar in late September with confidence expert Coach Micheal Burt. Known as The Super Coach, Micheal coaches business leaders from many top companies around the world. He has also created Monster Producer, which is a proven coaching structure to help thousands of people massively elevate their organizations and careers.
Tips to Increase Your Self-Confidence
Confidence is a habit—repetition means mastery
What other people think of you doesn’t matter
It can be lost after years of building it up
Confidence must be diversified
You can borrow from others’ leadership
Self-esteem is a natural byproduct of knowledge, skill, and desire
Psychologists may define confidence as the “memory of success.” Micheal has a few definitions. “Confidence is an internal knowing that you can create or manifest what you see in your mind even when other people don’t believe you can.” —Coach Micheal Burt
Another definition would be that “It’s a distribution of unique ability into the marketplace with a reward of love, appreciation, and money in return, which in turn builds more confidence.”
Self-assured people go places other people won’t go, do things other people won’t do. For people who seem limited, fear might not be holding them back. It may be a confidence problem. Related: What is Business Communication & Why Do You Need It?
How Do I Get Confidence?
“People get confidence through one action at a time,” said Micheal. “It is the caboose to knowledge, skill, and desire. The more preparation I do, the more confident I am.” Confidence is gained one inch at a time through one action at a time.” —Coach Micheal Burt
With more knowledge, skill, and desire, a natural byproduct is more confidence.
As a former championship basketball coach, Micheal explained that his most confident players were the ones who tried 500 times per day to sink the ball into the basket. The repetition built muscle memory and a demonstrated capacity for doing. Then, on the day of the game, their bodies knew what to do. It was that repetition that created mastery—and the mastery that helped act with confidence. Related: How Do CEOs Organize Their Day? These 10 Chief Executives Reveal Their Routines
What Can I Do To Build Confidence?
“Everyone has a different set of strength zones, and it is important to identify them to build confidence,” Micheal says. In order to step into confidence, he explained that he has to plan his day, work on all four parts of his nature, and stay in a dynamic state. “Confidence comes when you are operating in your strength zones.” —Coach Micheal Burt
“I need to work on myself physically through daily training; mentally through listening to great podcasts, studying, getting coaching, going to conferences; in my heart by protecting and feeding my relationships and in my spirit,” he says.
Nourish all four parts of your nature to get to a dynamic state:
It can be easy to place your confidence in another person’s hands—whether it’s a co-worker, a boss, or a partner. Micheal understands this and knows that it is human nature to focus on the negative at times. He recommends protecting one’s confidence by operating independently to the opinions of others.
“Never allow another person to stand between you and your destiny,” he says. “I want everyone to get to the point where what people think of them is none of their business.” “Never allow another person to stand between you and your destiny.” —Coach Micheal Burt
Protect your confidence by diversifying it. Spread it out in different buckets because not all will be working at a high frequency all the time.
How Do I Regain Lost Confidence?
We all go through hard times—be it divorce, grief, or the loss of a job. Anything that can take years to build up can be torn down in seconds.
When challenges strike, Micheal recommends surrounding oneself with people who think bigger. Read books by leaders, listen to inspiring podcasts, and talk to friends who are positive and confident. “When you feel small, immediately tune into someone who thinks big.” —Coach Micheal Burt
“When I go low, I borrow from other people,” he says. “I start working on something; success comes from repetition, never from stagnation.”
How Do I Overcome Objections?
Micheal likes to ask concrete questions in the discovery process. He says optimism is key when you want to challenge a person’s objections because people with internal considerations won’t meet objections and handle them. “An internal consideration is an internal thought that prohibits an external action.” —Coach Micheal Burt Taking consistent action every day is what gives people the assurance to combat internal considerations and overcome fears.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joe Manna
Joe Manna was a senior content marketing manager at Nextiva. He blends his marketing acumen and deep technical background to improve people's lives with technology. His expertise helps companies large and small serve more customers. He enjoys a rich iced latte and a non-fiction business book when he's not pressing words.
PBX (Private Branch Exchange) is a business phone system that helps companies overcome the physical limitations of a traditional telephone system. Everyone from a small business to a large enterprise can benefit from it.
You no longer have to rely on copper wires or spend a fortune on your communications. Thanks to PBX, companies can expand to new locations easily and serve their customers well wherever they are.
When you can clearly communicate with your employees, customers, and partners, you set yourself up for success. A flexible phone system is essential to make it happen.
But what if you experience echoes, busy signals, dropped calls, or audio issues?
If you’ve experienced these issues with your PBX phone system, there’s one thing you should know: there’s no reason to panic!
The causes of these issues are usually easy to identify and solve. In this article, we’ll lay the foundations of PBX systems, take you through some common issues with call quality, and show you how to fix them.
Analog PBX pre-dates the internet. It connects externally to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) with wiring and internally by extending the calls in the same way through the office PBX equipment.
It’s quite limiting compared to its digital counterpart. It’s a good option if you’re only looking to hold, mute, redial, or speed dial your calls. If you want to have additional call features or connect your phone system to emails and a CRM, you may look further.
2) On-premises PBX phone system
On-premise PBX, also known as an IP PBX, means you have PBX equipment on-site. The main difference to the analog PBX system is that IP routing is done with more current technology. The signaling is done with an IP phone to the IP PBX server.
On-premise PBX gives you modern call features while making the most of the equipment you already own. It’s also extremely safe. The downside? Its deployment and maintenance come with a steep price tag.
3) Hosted PBX phone system
Hosted PBX is a phone system entirely based in the cloud. It doesn’t require you to have on-site equipment—your service provider runs everything. There are no extra training and maintenance costs.
It’s a great option if you’re looking to scale or have remote employees. Of all PBX phone systems, hosted PBX is the easiest to get started with. Related: 40+ Best VoIP Features Your Small Business Can’t Do Without
What Can Go Wrong in a VoIP System?
Your PBX phone system is a feature-rich setup that powers your business communication. That includes everything from crisp audio and video to messaging and emails.
Because these communication channels use the same network, some call quality issues may come up. In the next sections, we’ll break down the common PBX issues you can troubleshoot, and a step-by-step process to do so.
Before we give you the steps to find what might be wrong with your PBX phone system, let’s quickly go over some common PBX issues and what causes them.
Problem #1: Jitter
Call quality issues related to jitter manifest as disarranged sound. These issues happen because of the way phone calls are transferred over the internet.
When you’re on a call, your voice is converted into data packets. They’re sent over the internet to their destination—the person you’re speaking with. When there’s a delay in transmission, these data packets can get jumbled or have gaps.
You can fix high jitter with a jitter buffer. A jitter buffer temporarily stores data packets in the right sequence and transmits them in intervals. As a result, clear audio reaches its recipient with minimum delay.
Problem #2: Slow internet connection
Have bandwidth issues after switching to VoIP phone systems? There’s a chance your current bandwidth can’t handle the amount of data that needs to be transferred for VoIP calls to work.
Bandwidth is like a pipe: the more of it you have, the more information can travel down the pipe at once. Most internet service providers (ISP) offer bandwidth that works well for regular internet surfing, but not for an entire phone system to work smoothly.
We recommend that you have at least 100kbps of bandwidth per phone—business internet service providers offer it. Keep in mind that your other devices, such as printers, computers, fax machines, and credit card machines also utilize your bandwidth.
Problem #3: Latency
Do you find that you and your caller are talking over each other, and you can hear your own voice on the call? Also known as latency or VoIP delay, it’s a delay between when one person says something and the other person hearing it.
There are a few types of latency that happen on VoIP calls: propagation delay, handling delay, and queuing delay.
Latency can be solved and prevented by prioritizing VoIP traffic. Here are several ways this can be done:
Bandwidth reservation
Policy-based network management
Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS)
Prioritizing VoIP traffic over the network will improve both latency and jitter.
Problem #4: Bad or inadequate router
Your network is configured correctly, and your bandwidth is sufficient. Then, the issue might be in your router.
Your router must be fast, compatible with your hardware, and able to prioritize VoIP traffic. Specialized VoIP routers are a great, cost-effective way to ensure the best call quality.
If your router isn’t configured for packet prioritization, other activity on your network can lower your call quality. For example, if you’re on a call and someone else is watching a webinar or downloading a large file, your call quality could suffer. Related: Hosted PBX Vs. SIP Trunking: Top 7 Differences & Why It Matters
Problem #5: Network interference
If you run your VoIP service concurrently with a data network over the same hardware, you may encounter bandwidth limitations. This is because both the data network and the voice network compete for resources.
These limitations can manifest as sound cutting in and out over the phone.
Two possible solutions include:
Configuring the network into separate VLANs so you can prioritize the data from the voice network over the data network
Utilizing a Quality of Service (QoS) feature of your business-class network to prioritize voice data
As a result, you’ll experience stable, quality phone calls every time.
Troubleshooting PBX Phone Systems in 5 Steps
With these common PBX issues in mind, here are the steps you can take to identify them. After that, you’ll know exactly what to do to fix your PBX system.
1) Check all device connections
First, make sure that your devices are connected to a power supply and the network. Check if all of your hardware, including phones, routers, and adapters, are plugged in correctly, including the power cords and network/telephone cords. Remember also to check if all the lights on these devices are on. In case a device is plugged in, but isn’t receiving power (due to a faulty power socket, for example), this is how you’ll find it and know it needs to be fixed or replaced. If all your devices are powered up, move onto the next step.
2) Reset your PBX and your hardware
Reset your PBX hardware. You can do this by unplugging the main cord for one minute. Reset your equipment (phones and routers) as well by unplugging all power cords for 10 seconds. Once you plug everything back in, wait for all the lights to turn back on. This will clear any fundamental issues that may have caused poor call quality. If any of your devices haven’t powered back up, flag it for repair or replacement. If everything works fine, move onto the third step.
3) Run a bandwidth speed test
With a speed test, you’ll learn if your network is compatible with VoIP. Inadequate bandwidth and other connectivity issues limit the number of VoIP phones you can have. There may also be an issue with data packet transmission. Nextiva has a simple and easy-to-use VoIP speed test. With it, you can uncover your:
Download and upload speed: Remember that you need around 100kbps of bandwidth for each phone you have
Ping: A packet loss test will shed light on potential network issues
Jitter: If it’s higher than 15-20ms, it can increase latency and result in packet loss
If you identify issues with any of the above, your solutions will include talking to your internet service provider (ISP) about increasing your bandwidth or getting a jitter buffer if you don’t have one. No issues here? Jump to the next step.
4) Confirm your router has prioritized VoIP traffic
As we mentioned earlier, your router should be able to prioritize VoIP traffic, and your network configuration should be set up in the right way to enable it. If your router has that option but isn’t set up correctly, start with this guide and your router’s manual to set it up. If this isn’t an option with your existing router, it might be time to upgrade it to a quality VoIP router. By this point, you’ve probably identified your PBX issues and the steps to fix them. If not, there’s one final step to take.
5) Use the logs in your PBX
Log into your PBX dashboard to view any errors that may have happened with your PBX. In your PBX system, look for a section that shows you a log of events and messages about your PBX. If you see any messages that indicate an error, open them to find dates, times, and details on that error, as well as the current status. You can then relay this message to your PBX administrator.
Running your communications over the internet means you can grow and scale your business easily while serving your customers well. If you come across some call quality issues, you now know they’re easy to identify as long as you follow our five simple steps to fix your PBX system. Even better, you can do most of the process on your own. That means you can get back to running your business better than before.
Tired of your fixing an unreliable PBX? Upgrade to the cloud. We’ve got your back.
Julie Bai was a product manager at Nextiva, UCaaS evangelist, no-bull communicator, and translator for people, dog lover, and mother to an adorably active boy.
Nextiva has shown incredible generosity to benefit K2 Adventures Foundation in two life-changing ways.
We’ve raised over $21,000 and donated more than 1,300 pairs of socks thanks to our amazing and selfless community of customers, partners, and team members.
Getting the Nextiva Team Involved
October was dubbed “Socktober,” and we held a competition for Team Nextiva in our Scottsdale office to see which floor of our three-story building could donate the most pairs, with a goal of 500.
In typical Nextiva fashion, we crushed our goal. The first floor collected 182 pairs, the second floor 709, and the third floor 467. In total, we collected 1,358 pairs of socks, which was more than double our goal. Why socks? We often take socks for granted, but not everyone has that liberty. K2 Adventures Foundation has identified that socks are in dire need in its orphanage in Tanzania, Africa. As NextCon attendees would soon discover, socks have a special significance to Kyle Maynard, an elite athlete and congenital quadruple amputee who delivered an introspective keynote at the conference.
We are thrilled to donate a truckload full of socks to K2 Adventures Foundation to benefit the amazing work that the foundation continues to accomplish for people with special needs locally and around the world.
Involving our Partners, Customers, and Fans
Donating socks was only the beginning.
With help from NextCon attendees—including Nextiva partners, customers, sponsors, and fans—we took our partnership with K2 Adventures Foundation to the next level using social media.
Kyle Maynard delivered an inspiring keynote at our flagship partner conference, NextCon. (Check out the top ten takeaways from NextCon here!) Nextiva committed to donating $10 per mention of #NextCon19 to the foundation until the end of the conference. It was amazing to extend participation beyond the 1,000+ people who attended in person.
From hot takes from the sessions to giveaways in the XBert Expo, people buzzed about NextCon on social media, reaching hundreds of thousands of people beyond Scottsdale.
With 2,160 social mentions, K2 Adventures Foundation received a $21,160 donation from Nextiva!
Our impact didn’t end there.
At the foundation’s tenth annual K2 Masquerade Ball, a generous donor matched Nextiva’s five-figure check. That means Nextiva had raised more than $42,000 for the foundation!
The funds will be used to provide a once-in-a-lifetime experience for 42 kids to visit the exclusive Batcave. K2 at the Batcave gives disabled and terminally ill children the experience of being a hero for the day. They get to ride in the Batmobile, venture inside the Batcave, defeat the Joker, and a full day of fighting crime and saving the world with their closest friends and family. Related: NextCon19: Top 10 Takeaways From The Year’s Coolest Business Conference?
What is K2 Adventures Foundation?
K2 Adventures Foundation is a non-profit organizationbased in Arizona that helps individuals with disabilities experience life to the fullest.
The foundation’s mission is to provide educational and medical enrichment to children and families with special needs.
“To care for children, adults, and families with special needs or life-changing medical and financial circumstances by providing services, support, and funds that will be used for educational and medical enrichment.”
Kristen Salcito Sandquist and Kevin Cherilla started K2 Adventures Foundation in 2009, when Kevin, along with guide Kristen, led an expedition with 25 people to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro. Notably, eight of the participants were blind. The foundation has many facets, including one that provides voluntourism around the world. The organization and its volunteers bring essential supplies to disability communities, including several in Tanzania, and the socks we collected will be donated during a future trip.
The team broke four world records as they made the summit. With the completion of this epic climb, Kevin and Kristen knew that this was the start of something great.
Together they launched K2 Adventures Foundation. Almost a decade of transformative adventures later, they are still combining philanthropy and community service to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities both at home and abroad.
Source: K2 Adventures
Nextiva Cares: Looking Ahead
It’s inspiring to see the massive impact Nextiva has on its community through Nextiva Cares. We look forward to seeing the great work that K2 Adventures Foundation carries out around the globe.
Nextiva Cares will continue to serve our communities with the help of all of our team members. We encourage our team to give back through time, donations, or even ideas for future community projects. (Curious about joining our team? See our job openings!)
We’ll share more highlights about our philanthropic efforts here on our blog. We have many more projects on our radar. Stay tuned!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shula Resendez
Shulamit Resendez led Nextiva Cares, the philanthropic side of the company. She is dedicated to building community relationships and curating incredible experiences for employees, customers, and the community.
Over a thousand business leaders descended upon Scottsdale for our annual conference, NextCon19. For three days, they got a ton of actionable advice to take their business to the next level.
There was so much incredible content for everyone. From an inspirational keynote from Kyle Maynard to a fireside chat with the co-founder of Netflix, it was unforgettable. Oh, and we rocked out with a private concert, too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjZrczT-oDY&rel=0&showinfo=0
NextCon Takeaways, Photos & Reactions
Counting down, here are the top ten takeaways from NextCon 2019:
NextCon proved it was a different kind of conference from the moment Marc Stoll, Nextiva’s president and COO, stepped on stage. He suggested everyone reach for their branded NextCon notebooks.
“I’m going to ask you a series of questions, and I recommend you write down your answers right now—not later, but now,” said Marc. “Dig deep and be honest with yourself.
“These answers aren’t for anyone else; they are for you. This practice is the first step in reaching the next level in your business.” Marc’s questions included:
What is a big stretch goal you have for yourself within your community in the next year?
What is the biggest excuse you see yourself making that is stopping you from executing on that goal?
Why does it matter if you achieve that goal?
9. Focus On The Next Three Feet In Front Of You
Kyle Maynard’s keynote brought a packed room to a standing ovation. Here’s why.
Kyle is no ordinary athlete. As a congenital quadruple amputee, he broke many world records for his athletic performance. He joined the stage to share his journey and his tremendous feats. His most notable achievement included climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.
He has since become a proud board member for K2 Adventures Foundation. The foundation is an Arizona nonprofit to help people living with life-altering disabilities.
During his speech, Kyle told the emotional story of his trek up Mount Aconcagua. It’s the highest mountain in both the Southern and Western Hemispheres. As he was close to the summit, he worried that he wouldn’t be able to make it before dark.
“I realized that I could focus on the three feet in front of me, and that was it,” he said.
“When I put my head down, instead of up, I fell in love with the rocks I was using to go along. I learned that where attention goes, energy flows. I realized that all I have to do to get through is to look three feet in front of me. When I finally looked up, I was 15 minutes away from the summit.”
At the end of his keynote, Kyle said, “I challenge you to go and consider what you want, on your path and your journey, that’s going to make the journey worthwhile.” Related: Nextiva Donates $21,160 and 1,381 Pairs of Socks to K2 Adventures Foundation
Most brave thing I’ve seen at an event #NextCon19 opening with a dialogue about what holds us back, having a keynote from @kylemaynard with a frank dialogue about dark times truly leaning in to help those who need help bravo for taking this risk @Nextiva well done pic.twitter.com/ZnW9yC28P7
8. Customers Hate Change. But They’ll Pay More Money For Good Experiences
Nextiva’s co-founder and CEO, Tomas Gorny, delivered a rousing keynote on the product. He unveiled the latest innovations packed into the customer experience platform, NextOS.
“You will go out of business unless you know, understand, and remember your customers,” he declared.
“More than 50% of customers will leave you because of bad customer experiences. Almost 70% of customers are willing to pay more if you deliver a better customer experience.” Gorny cautioned, “You decide which side you want to be on.”
This proves true in a world where technology segments customers. Every customer responds to advertising and messaging an individual level—they’re not monolithic.
Tomas illustrated his point with an example of two men who are both British and around the same age. Most marketing platforms would lump them together.
However, if the two men are Ozzy Osbourne and Prince Charles, they couldn’t be any more different.
Tomas announced that a new, familiar inbox experience would be available in NextOS by 2020. The newest NextOS connects your customers and teams together.
Call Pop is a wildly popular feature that makes it effortless to serve customers over the phone. Tomas said, “Call Pop gives you the most relevant and up to date information in your customer’s journey.” He unpacked the efforts to surface pertinent business information in a concise window.
Additional innovations include enhancements to the CRM, surveys, website chat, and SMS features.
7. ‘Prey Drive’ Is Essential For Business Success
Widely acclaimed business coach Micheal Burt wowed the audience with an impassioned speech on how to be successful in sales. “There is so much hidden potential—potential that could get you hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in more business,” he said. “It all comes down to the need to get people excited every day to get them in touch with their prey drive.” He recommended salespeople focus on creating a daily list of three to seven people to call every day. On that list are current and past customers to ask for referrals. He also said converting a prospect into a client usually takes 7-15 touches. This is why it’s critical to have follow-up systems in place. “And spend time with your people; motivate them,” he suggested. “Never underestimate the need to get people excited every day. That’s why I meet twice a day with my team. Everyone needs motivation.” https://twitter.com/Nat_Handler/status/1191447215690043392 Related: 30 Sales Contest Ideas and Incentives to Motivate Your Sales Floor
6. Smart Sales People Focus on Solving a Problem
Proven sales leader Keenan took to the stage with an enthusiastic performance about the importance of problem-focused selling. “Start with the physical and literal—the non-judgemental stuff that is going on,” he said. “Then, you want to get to the problem. What is the problem within their current state? After the problem, you need to know the impact of the problem to the organization. From there, you can understand their emotions and the root cause of the issue.” Keenan said the adage, people buy from people they like isn’t exactly true. “Stop! You don’t need to be liked. But you do need to be trusted.”
4. Culture Is Not What You Say; It’s What You Do
Marc Randolph, the co-founder of Netflix, shared the stage with Tomas Gorny for a fireside chat. He also recently published a book from the early days at Netflix in That Will Never Work. Marc had a lot to say about building a positive company culture from scratch. Known for a culture that bucked corporate conventions, he described its proven practices. The company’s core philosophy was people over process—and it worked for more than 7,000 employees. “Culture gets reinforced by action; who you hire, fire, and reward,” Marc told Tomas and the audience. “People notice those things. As a leader, you have to walk the walk. If you have the rule of not hiring assholes, then you can’t have someone super smart, but a complete jerk, stay on staff.” https://twitter.com/mbrandolph/status/1191795577253593088 https://twitter.com/AngelOakCreate/status/1192086924686704640
3. Nextiva’s Channel Program Is On A Growth Rocketship
You could have heard a pin drop during the Partner State of the Union because every person in attendance was on the edge of their seats. Nextiva’s vice president of channel sales, Carl Katz, thanked partners for scaling the channel program. “Ours is a partner program, not a dealer program or an agent program,” he told the crowd. “It’s all about partnership—reciprocal relationships where we can grow together by offering the best products in the industry.” MeiLee Langley, head of partner marketing, debuted a partner marketing program. It includes everything from co-branded content, demand generation tools, and much more. “I finally have an executive team that gets it,” MeiLee, an industry veteran, said. “The fact that the Partner State of the Union took six people shows that they believe in you.” https://twitter.com/Nextiva/status/1191836064421302274
2. NextCon Isn’t Just Good For Business—It’s Good For Charity
NextCon attendees shared their experiences on social media using the hashtag #NextCon19. They did more than share incredible takeaways. NextCon is a not-for-profit conference, and each year we benefit a different charity.
NextCon has donated over $70,000 over the past three conferences.
This year, NextCon benefitted K2 Adventures Foundation. It’s the same organization that helped Kyle Maynard reach the summit of two of the highest peaks in the world. They focus on improving the lives of those with disabilities and life-altering circumstances.
We couldn’t be more honored to support their efforts.
1. What’s A Conference Without A Little Fun?
While NextCon is a business conference, we still had a ton of fun. Just on the first day, we began with a morning hike with Kyle Maynard. Later that evening, we held a chocolate and bourbon tasting and a welcome dinner party.
Following dinner, we took it to a whole new level.
The Poly Playground opened to attendees, which offered life-sized chess, a seesaw, miniature golf, and ping pong. The fun didn’t end there.
On the second night, attendees enjoyed a casual and fun evening at Crazy Tracy’s Luau.
And on the final night of NextCon, we wrapped up with a live, intimate concert featuring Ezra Ray Hart!
The supergroup consists of Mark McGrath from Sugar Ray, Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra, and Emerson Hart of Tonic. Everyone was dancing until the late-night hours.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nicole Small
Nicole Small is a former marketing communications manager for Nextiva and is passionate about growth, company culture, and the promise of Amazing Service. Outside of marketing, Nicole enjoys cooking easy and healthy recipes, taking care of the office plants, and hanging out with her cat.
Switching to a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a priority for many businesses. It has become a necessity to catch up with your competitors in the digital age. Many business owners and systems administrators have searched for how to install VoIP. VoIP offers cost savings, increased call quality, quicker setup, and it’s easy to use. It lays the foundation for omnichannel communication, making it a must-have in 2020. Before you can reap the rewards, you need to learn exactly how to install VoIP. This guide walks you through VoIP installation in a simple five-step process:
Want a quick rundown of the steps below before reading? Check out our three-minute video on setting up your VoIP phone system in five simple steps:
1) Meet VoIP Setup Requirements
The first step of a VoIP installation is to make sure that your office meets the requirements. The first thing you need is a high-speed, wired internet connection. You also need:
Choose a wired fiber or cable connection instead of wireless internet (satellite or microwave internet). Satellite is generally a lot slower and has high rates of packet loss. Satellite and microwave connections are also vulnerable to bad weather. You don’t want an unreliable connection to knock out your whole contact center during a storm.
Bandwidth requirements
The amount of bandwidth you need depends on how many VoIP lines you’re going to set up in your office. We recommend a minimum of 100 kbps (upload and download) per line. Note that many plans have slower upload speeds than their advertised download speed. If you already have an internet connection, you can check if it’s up to par with this VoIP speed test, which also tests if your router is up to the task. You also need to edit your QoS (Quality of Service) protocols to make voice traffic a high priority. Contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider) for details on how to do this. Related: 7 Easy Steps to Set Up a VoIP Phone System at Home or the Office
2) Choose Your VoIP Provider Wisely
VoIP providers are the standard for phone service. What’s the best VoIP provider? Take your time when choosing a VoIP service provider. Be sure to consider factors like price, features, customer reviews, customer service, and more. Nextiva offers competitive pricing. It’s as low as $20 per line. You can also save money on other SaaS costs. Our VoIP service provides everything your business with CRM, analytics, reporting, and an omnichannel support desk. Selecting a trusted VoIP provider will help you achieve a successful implementation. No matter how you install VoIP, you want to reach someone for instant help and strategic guidance. Cheaper doesn’t always mean better.
We have all the essential business VoIP/PBX system features:
IVR
Auto-attendant (digital receptionist)
Internal chat
Voicemail to Email/Text
Caller ID
Smartphone support
Video conferencing
Integrated real-time analytics
You can read more about Nextiva’s VoIP features on our site. Nextiva is the top-rated business VoIP provider, according to GetVoIP. Nextiva has more than 1,371 customer reviews with 95% of them recommending it to others. You can explore other VoIP services there as well and see why we come out on top. If you choose Nextiva, you can port your old number to a VoIP phone number. This means you won’t lose your business phone number.
3) Choose Your VoIP Hardware (Phones, Headsets, Adapters)
With VoIP, you have a few extra options that a call center with a traditional landline setup doesn’t offer. What equipment do you need for VoIP? With hosted VoIP, desk phones aren’t a necessity. You can use hands-free headsets connected to your computer. If you’re on a tight budget, you can also choose to keep your old analog desk phones and use VoIP adapters. This way, you don’t have to rearrange anything in the office.
Of course, you don’t need all this hardware; you can choose a single option. With softphone apps, you can even use your existing devices to handle calls. If your office has a PBX, you could take advantage of the SIP Trunking. It offers lower costs, along with a lightweight footprint to set up and use. Benefits of SIP Trunking include lower costs, infinite scalability, increased reliability, and better quality of phone calls.
Phone service made for the future.
Modern. Easy. Affordable. Get a free quote.
The necessary steps to install your VoIP phone system depend on your network infrastructure and cabling. All Nextiva VoIP phones are plug-and-play. You don’t need to shut down or unplug anything. Simply use an Ethernet cable to plug the phone into the nearest router or Ethernet drop. This section will give you a walkthrough of installing the most common VoIP phones.
How to Install VoIP Desk phones
This will depend on the model that you’ve bought. Here, we cover a few of the leading options.
VoIP desk phones (Nextiva-X-815/35/885) to Ethernet port or router without PoE:
Plug the AC adapter into an outlet, and then plug it into the phone.
Connect the phone with the router, switch, or CAT5e or CAT6 cable.
Check for dial tone.
Some phones can use a PoE (Power over Ethernet) installation. With a PoE setup, the PoE network switch powers individual phones through Ethernet cables. This way, the phones don’t need their own AC adapters.
Voice over IP desk phones to a PoE-enabled router:
Connect the phone with the PoE-enabled router or switch with an Ethernet cable. The recommended max length for twisted pair cables is 328 feet.
Check for connectivity. The phone should turn on and establish a connection to the VoIP provider.
How to Install VoIP Headsets
If you want to use the one-touch answer feature, you need to connect them with Electronic Hook Switch (EHS) cables.
Headsets and desk phones with headphone ports (Poly EncorePro 510/520):
Plug each headset into the headset port with a direct connect cable. (Phones typically mark the port with a small headset icon on the left.
Press the call control button to check for a dial tone.
Make sure the call quality and volume are good by making a test call (if the volume on the headset is low, you may need to get an amplifier).
USB-based headsets with a computer softphone:
Plug each headset into the USB port of a laptop or desktop computer.
Wait for Windows/Mac OS to install the headset driver automatically.
In 2019, a VoIP telephone system was easy to set up. But that doesn’t guarantee that everything will work correctly. Network or connection issues can impact your call quality.
The best way to check your line for issues is to make a few test calls. You might consider calling a diagnostic phone number that confirms your caller ID. Two test numbers include (800) 444-4444 or (800) 437-7950.
How is the audio quality? Are there any latency issues? If it’s not excellent, you might need to adjust your router settings to optimize for VoIP traffic.
What can go wrong in a VoIP system?
Here are a few of the most common VoIP issues and their causes:
Choppy Audio
One-way Audio
Dropped calls
Poor call quality
You can avoid many commonVoIP issues by investing in quality VoIP hardware and configuring your internal network correctly.
What is a properly configured network?
For small businesses, a properly configured network should look like this:
For enterprise businesses, there are a few more necessities to improve security and speed:
For optimal VoIP call performance, configure QoS on all routers and firewalls.
If you don’t have any technical staff in your office, it can be challenging to figure out VoIP troubleshooting. With some companies, it can be hard to reach them after you’ve paid your first invoice.
The Nextiva support team helps you every step of the way. You can view them as partners in the sense that they are there to make you successful. If you get stuck or need a second opinion on selecting the right hardware and voice service settings.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
1) Can I Just Plug a VoIP Phone Into My Router?
With most modern VoIP phones, you should be able to plug in and make calls. With Nextiva, that’s what you can expect.
You may need to configure your firewall or router settings. For HD-quality calls, you need a high-speed internet connection with low latency.
For larger companies with more staff, you want to multiple switches and a VLAN solution.
2) How Do I Install a VoIP Phone System For a Small Business?
How you should set up your IP phone system depends on your goals and your budget. Do you want a modern call center with headsets, conference calling, and unified communications?
A complete solution for SMBs includes phones, headsets, and service. To minimize costs, you can use desktop softphones with the Nextiva App instead. With a virtual phone system, you have all the flexibility your team needs.
With Nextiva, our support team will even walk you through the setup. So even if your company has no IT staff, you’ll be well-supported.
3) Can I Use a VoIP Phone At Home?
You can use VoIP as long as you have an internet connection, an IP-enabled telephone, and a VoIP provider. With Nextiva’s hosted PBX, you can take the office phone home, plug it in, and use it. The phone won’t need any additional configuration.
Alternatively, you don’t even need a VoIP phone. With VoIP apps, you can use your smartphone or laptop to make VoIP calls from your home. The Nextiva App is available with Pro and Enterprise accounts.
4) Can I Keep My Landline Number with VoIP?
Whether you keep your landline number will depend on your VoIP service provider.
Depending on how you set up VoIP, you can keep your landline number. With Nextiva, all of your previous numbers turn into your VoIP numbers through a process known as “porting.”You can also opt to get a toll-free number for your business.
5) Is VoIP Cheaper Than a Landline?
For businesses with at least two employees, VoIP can be much less expensive. You can save from up to 60% on your telecom expenses by making the switch and up to 90% on international calls.
There are also no extra fees for domestic long-distance calls.
In short, VoIP means no surprisingly expensive bills from the phone company.
With Nextiva, you also lower your other SaaS expenses, as our platform includes analytics, CRM, and marketing automation tools. Imagine getting all that, starting at just $20 per line.
6) How to Connect VoIP Phone to Laptop
It’s possible to plug a VoIP phone in with an Ethernet cable. You have to enable the internet connection Sharing option.
You can do this by going to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network Connections:
It might seem like an easy workaround if you only have a wireless router at your office (or not enough network jacks).
A Wi-Fi connection alone is likely to cause packet loss and unreliable audio quality. Connecting it to a laptop adds another layer of firewall issues on top of that. So, it’s never a good idea to use it as your main VoIP setup.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gaetano DiNardi
Gaetano DiNardi led demand generation at Nextiva and has a track record of success working with brands like Major League Baseball, Pipedrive, Sales Hacker, and Outreach.io. Outside of marketing, Gaetano is an accomplished music producer and songwriter. He’s worked with major artists like Fat Joe, Shaggy, and loves making music to stay turbocharged.
Every business will eventually need to get a phone system to support the needs of their employees and customers. Why? According to a report published by Gallup, productivity losses due to poor communication cost U.S. employers $550 billion every year. Ineffective business communication isn’t just an inconvenience; it could harm your entire company. However, finding the best business phone system for your office is tough. Not all phone systems are created equal. Some might include hidden fees and questionable reliability and can be quite intimidating to manage. How do you find the best telephone system for your office? This guide covers everything a small business needs to know when it’s time to upgrade your communications system.
Types of Office Phone Systems
There are several phone systems you can pick for your office, including:
Legacy Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). This term describes the traditional phone system, used since the late 1800s. The PSTN uses underground copper wires to connect phone calls. They’re also known as landlines.
Private Branch Exchange (PBX): Some telecom providers have PBX systems. These allow businesses to switch between various landlines. It’s typically cheaper than a PSTN because you don’t need individual lines for each employee.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP): A VoIP phone system doesn’t use wires to connect calls. Instead, calls are made by transmitting data through an internet connection. This creates a virtual phone line.
VoIP Office Phone System Advantages
Firstly, VoIP technology has lower calling costs. You’re not using cellular data or copper wires to connect to another caller—which can often be unreliable and costly. You’re using an internet connection (such as Wi-Fi) to make the call.
This has a positive impact on audio quality. Strong internet access and bandwidth make the call quality as good as (if not better) than traditional calls.
Plus, you don’t need as much hardware for VoIP technology. You simply need a device, such as an iPhone, Android, or desktop device, with internet access. You can then use VoIP apps like Nextiva to make calls.
The limited hardware also makes VoIP more customizable for businesses. You don’t need an expensive solution to make calls over the internet. You need an internet-connected device and a compatible app to get started.
Plus, the technology you start using today won’t be suitable in a few years. But VoIP is scalable. You don’t need any major changes as your business (or office team) grows.
Office Phone System Features
1) Announcements (Greetings)
Chances are that people who call your contact center won’t be put directly through to someone on your team. They’ll be placed in a call queue.
A feature you’ll need to look out for is announcements. These are a few sentences that greet your customers and tell them they’re in the queue. They don’t need to listen to the annoying ringing sound as they wait.
The best part? The average length of a phone greeting is 15 seconds. That means your customers are entertained for an extra 15 seconds. We all know how precious those seconds are when you’re on hold.
2) Auto Attendant
You don’t have a human receptionist to answer incoming calls. How can you make sure you’re diverting customers to the right department? The answer: With an auto attendant.
This phone system feature greets incoming callers. It asks what they need help with, and uses their answer to point them in the right direction. For example, an auto-attendant informs customers which departments to reach by pressing the corresponding key on their phone. Once callers press the number, it diverts the call to the right department.
Automated attendants are a key feature of business phone systems. You can improve satisfaction by sending callers to the people they need to talk to—without hiring a receptionist.
3) Busy Lamp Status
You don’t want to pass a customer through to your coworker if they’re unable to take their call. The busy lamp status is a phone system feature that allows you to notify coworkers if you’re on the phone.
A green light means they aren’t busy, and you can pass their call through. A red light acts as a “do not disturb” sign.
Your staff can pick their busy lamp status, or have it light automatically if they’re on another call. Receptionists won’t need to place a caller on hold while they check availability. They can simply check whether their light is green, then divert them.
4) Call Forwarding
Are you in the process of moving offices? Working remotely? Using your personal phone for business at the weekend?
With VoIP call forwarding, you can automatically divert people calling your old number to your new device. Your caller won’t even know their call is being diverted. (It’s that fast.)
You can also make calls on your new device using the VoIP number your contacts recognize. There’s no fumbling around changing contact details. If you use call forwarding, your old number will display on the caller ID.
5) Call Parking
Don’t fancy putting your customers on hold? With this feature, you can park their call.
You’ll put their call into a number-based virtual parking bay. Then, your co-workers (or yourself) can head back to the parking spot to continue the call. Callers who’ve been parked will hear hold music while they wait.
Call parking is great if you’re moving to a quiet space to take their call. But it’s also ideal if you have a large office or call center and can’t possibly remember everyone’s desk phone extension.
Or, if you’re working from home—since parked calls can be picked up remotely, too.
6) Call Logs
Calls made using VoIP pass through a phone service software, which records key details about the call. That includes the:
Date and time
Duration
Caller ID
Status (accepted or sent to voicemail)
You can use data stored in call logs to track your sales activity. For example, you might see that just 30% of calls were answered within 30 seconds. The remaining 70% were sent to voicemail. How can you aim for an answer rate towards the 100% mark?
The same concept applies to handle customer queries. You can check who handled their initial inquiry. Then, if they call for an update, you can check the call log and ask the case handler.
7) Call Queues
Do you have an overstretched customer service team? You might have more calls than you can handle. A call queue is your best friend here.
That’s because incoming callers don’t hear constant ringing noises while waiting. Instead, they’ll be placed in a call queue. An automated message will tell them how many people are ahead, and an estimated waiting time.
Anyone can set up their virtual phone system with these features and customization. It only takes a few minutes — you can change it whenever you need it.
Call queues let the caller know when to expect a response. This act of keeping them in the loop could prevent them from hanging up altogether.
8) Call Recording
A handful of VoIP phone systems can record calls. The audio is saved in cloud storage and allows you to refer back to the conversation at a later date. Cloud call recording is ideal for training purposes. You can find instances of unhappy customers, and play the recording to show recruits how to handle the situation. No fictitious stories are necessary!
It’s worth noting that some phone systems delete these recordings after a specific period. Check this duration is suitable for your business before relying on this feature. Related: 10 Ways to Identify (and Lose) Bad Customers
9) Conference Calls
Business calls aren’t always a two-way street. You might need to include other staff in your call. In this case, a phone system that allows conference calls is crucial.
The conference call feature allows other team members to join your conversation—even if they’re not in the same office. They can be on the other side of the globe. So long as they’ve got the dial-in number, they can join.
Think of VoIP conference calling as an audio-only meeting room. You can chat with several people at the same time, using just one line. This same feature supports video conferencing, too.
10) Desk Phones
Do you need a phone on your desk? The majority of VoIP providers offer this hardware as part of the setup package. The desk phone allows you to make, answer, and divert calls from your desk.
But unlike traditional desk phones, VoIP-enabled devices don’t need to be hardwired into a cellular connection. Calls are made using the internet. So, you can install a desk phone in your office without needing old-fashioned copper wires.
11) Direct Inward Dialing (DID)
Direct Inward Dialing is a phone system feature that helps businesses handle their staff network.
You can give each employee a personal contact number without purchasing a physical phone line for each. This saves time for installation and has cost benefits, too.
Let’s put that into practice and say you’ve got 50 members of staff. With DID, you don’t need to purchase 50 individual phone lines. You can use the feature to buy a handful of lines and divert calls to a co-worker by entering their personal ID number.
Incoming callers won’t have any delay when using DID. Their call is passed seamlessly to the right person.
12) Find Me/Follow Me
You probably don’t sit at your desk all day. You’ve got meetings to attend and co-workers’ desks to visit. How can you still be available when moving around? The Find Me/Follow Me feature is the answer.
This phone system feature is similar to call forwarding. However, you can automatically divert incoming calls from your desk phone to another using find me/follow me.
For example, let’s say your extension number is 502. You can use a co-worker’s desk phone to:
Dial the 502 extension number
Enter the code for Find Me/Follow Me along with your password
Answer calls from your co-worker’s desk phone
13) HD Voice
Some businesses fear that VoIP calls won’t be as high quality as traditional calls. With this phone system feature, that’s not true. HD voice delivers twice the sound as cellular calls.
Phone systems that offer the HD Voice feature to improve the conversations you can have with customers. There’s no need to say, “Could you repeat that?” Instead, your HD phone line will make it sound like you’re in the same room as your caller.
This crystal-clear audio also makes transcription a breeze. You can record the call, upload the file to a transcription service, and have a written copy of your conversation.
14) Hold Music
“Hello, are you still there?” The silence or mute button on a call can be a concern for callers. The same applies if you’re placing callers on hold. You don’t want them to think you dropped their call and hang up prematurely.
With the hold music, they’ll have something to listen to as they wait. You can upload an audio clip to your VoIP software to create custom hold music. This audio will be played to your callers once you put their call on hold.
15) Internal/External Call Transfer
Do you need to transfer your call to another line? With this feature, you can divert the caller to an internal or external line.
The costs for call transfers depend on who you’re directing the call to. An external call transfer to another device, such as a cell phone, using VoIP is usually free. But if you’re sending the caller to a non-VoIP device, standard rates may apply.
Check these rates before choosing your VoIP phone system.
16) International Calling
You might need to do business overseas. With this feature, you can make international calls from your VoIP device—no matter where the receiver is located.
But what about your business phone bill? If you’re making an international call from the U.S., you won’t need to pay extra for long-distance calls. The same applies to calls made from abroad back home. Instead, you use data from your device’s monthly allowance.
This makes VoIP technology a great option if you do business across several countries.
17) Instant Messaging
Some phone systems have supporting mobile and desktop apps. These applications can support instant messaging (IM).
They’re similar to SMS messages in the way you can type a message and send it instantly. However, you don’t need a cellular connection to send instant messages. Business instant messages increase productivity so your employees can answer questions instantly, instead of waiting hours, or even days for an email response.
You should look at whether your system supports IM if you work in customer support, sales, or management. By offering this service, you can communicate using the same communications platform, instead of a mess of several apps.
18) IP PBX
An IP Private Branch Exchange is a feature that connects calls from VoIP to local lines. This helps your team accept incoming calls made from landlines.
The IP PBX system uses the few phone lines you’ve got in your phone structure. It’s the feature that tells callers they’re “being connected now.”
The device taking the call can transfer the connection to others using extensions. This means your customers can call one number and speak to anyone in your office. The IP PBX then transfers its call to a chosen VoIP-enabled device in your office.
19) Line Extensions
Line extensions allow you to point callers in the best direction. They’ll call your primary contact number, and press an extension on their keypad (like “2” for customer service).
An example of this is the typical remote worker. The employee doesn’t need to hand out their personal number to accept calls. Instead, they can use line extensions.
The customer calls the mainline, then press extension “4.” The call will then be passed through to the remote worker.
20) Managed Caller ID
In 2013, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) researched the causes of declining response rates to its telephone surveys. The USDA determined that caller ID had a significant influence on the likelihood people would people answer the phone.
Your customers might not accept incoming calls if they don’t recognize the caller. This isn’t good, especially for sales teams. Why? Because even if they miss your call, they can reference the caller ID to ring you back.
Some phone systems allow you to edit your Caller ID to show your company name. Or, if it’s a personal number for someone at your company, you can add their name to the ID. Check whether your system offers this if Caller ID is important when contacting your customers.
21) Multi-Device Support
Do you work in a large office? Travel a lot? Accept work calls outside of the office? You might benefit from multi-device support.
This feature does what the name says: It allows you to make VoIP calls using multiple devices—with the same number. For example, let’s say you have a softphone using a VoIP app. You can use the same number to make calls on other devices, such as:
With this feature, business communication never goes down. You’ve still got several devices you can use to make calls if one breaks.
22) Multiple Lines
The phone system you’re using might have a multiple lines feature. This means that callers can dial one number, and several devices ring.
This is ideal for large customer support teams. You can give your customers one contact number. Then, when they call, every desk phone rings. The first agent to pick up their phone is connected to the call to deal with the inquiry.
This multi-device support prevents problems such as long wait times. There’s a broader pool of people ready to answer the phone—rather than relying on one. Related: The Beginner’s Guide to Multi-Line Phone Systems & Top Phone Picks
23) Paging/Group Announcements
Do you need to alert your entire workforce? Don’t rely on outdated speaker systems. If your VoIP provider has a group announcement feature, you can speak to your employees through their desk phone—from yours.
You can use this paging feature if your office is spread over several floors. You can make one-way announcements to specific departments.
Or, if it’s urgent, you can broadcast your message to all of the VoIP devices you have. For example, “We have a fire drill at 9 am.”
24) Phone Directory
Phone books are out of date. Emails are tricky to manage, and it’s easy for information to get lost. Is there a simpler alternative?
Yes, if your phone system has a phone directory system.
You can use your phone directory to keep a log of your customer details. Think of it as a CRM. You’re able to search your virtual phone book to find a customer by name. Then you can call them without searching through your email to find their contact details.
25) Real-Time Analytics
Real-time analytics gives you the chance to view call data in real-time. You’ll be able to see the number of calls as they happen.
There are several use cases for this analytics feature. Take your sales team, for example. You can view your VoIP real-time analytics to see:
How long sales call typically last
Which salesperson answered the most calls
Which leads are “hot” (those which have called the most)
Plus, you can use real-time analytics to manage your call flow. If you see that one employee has a long queue, you can divert some of their calls to a coworker. This means your incoming caller won’t need to spend more time in your call queue.
26) Ring Groups
Earlier, we mentioned how you could use multiple lines to push incoming calls to multiple handsets. Ring groups are similar. Only with this calling feature, you can combine phone extensions, so a handful of devices ring when a call is incoming.
An example of this in practice is a customer service department. You might have teams that handle billing, software support, and account setup. You can create the following flow:
A customer rings your customer support line
Your auto attendant asks what they’d like help with. They say “billing.”
Extension lines in your finance ring group are called
27) Softphone Support
A softphone is an application you can install on your desktop, laptop, or smartphone. The app has a dial pad used to make outgoing calls. Plus, it has its own business phone number to allow incoming calls to come straight to your device.
It’s important to check whether your system has softphone support. Why? Because you can use it to make calls from your desktop, without needing a cellular connection. It makes business communication seamless—even if your staff are in remote locations.
28) SMS/Text Messaging
Services like iMessage send text messages over the internet. You don’t need this third-party mobile app if your VoIP phone system supports SMS messaging.
You can send and receive messages through any VoIP device—including your smartphone. This means you can use one internet-connected platform for your communication.
It’s a feature you’ll need if you have remote staff. They might not always have a strong cellular signal to make phone calls. But if your office phone system supports SMS messaging, you can always drop them a text.
29) Toll-Free Phone Numbers
A toll-free number contains a familiar three-digit area code (800, 866, 888, and so on). Customers can dial this number from their own device at no extra charge, including people on traditional landlines.
For this reason, it’s important to check whether your office phone system offers toll-free numbers. You don’t want customers calling your business to incur extra charges. This way, they can contact you without needing to pay expensive long-distance calling rates.
30) Unified Communications
If you’re using several devices in your office, you’re likely using a Unified Communications package. You might see this as UCaaS: Unified Communications as a Service.
That package might include:
Audio/voice calls
Conference calls
Email
Fax
SMS messaging
Voicemail
Most devices included in a Unified Communications package are VoIP-powered. However, you might need to pay extra for this full-service package. You’ll need more hardware and connections than a traditional phone set-up. Check the rates beforehand.
31) Virtual Office Phone
You might have a remote team that is distributed over the country. But you still need a contact number for customers to reach you. In that case, you’ll need to pick a system that offers virtual office phone lines.
With a virtual office phone, you can accept calls from customers in one location. Other features—like call forwarding and extensions—then divert the caller to your remote team.
However, the confusion is taken away because your customer thinks they’re calling “the office.”
32) Voice Service Permissions
Some businesses are worried about using cloud VoIP. The majority of your data is secured in the cloud. The average cost of a data breach is $3.86 million. You’re right to worry about the security of your phone system.
That’s why it’s crucial to check your internet phone service provider lets you change permissions. This means certain employees can access certain features.
For example, you can prevent low-level staff from accessing call recordings. Or, you can set up the account so that only the CEO can change line extension numbers.
33) Virtual Setup & Provisioning
VoIP systems aren’t hard to set up. If you need a little guidance, some phone system providers offer hands-on support to configure your system remotely.
You can receive a tailored, one-on-one tutorial with an agent. They’ll teach you how to use your new technology and provide training on the devices you’ve purchased if any.
Setting up a virtual phone service saves time. You can begin using phone numbers instantly with virtual phone numbers. You won’t need to wait two weeks for an in-person agent to visit your office. You can book a meeting online, and cut the travel time for an agent to help you get started.
34) Voice Bridges
For a secure conference call that allows anyone to call in with a passcode? You want a voice bridge. A voice bridge is like a fixed conference calling line for privileged staff to use whenever they need it.
The practical use of a voice bridge is to provide a team one meeting ID and a passcode so callers are authenticated. No matter if callers use their cell phone, landline, or a VoIP line, they’ll experience great audio quality.
Another example is for investor relations. Analysts, media, and other firms can dial into your voice bridge while you run a one-way voice bridge. This administrative control is desirable to avoid unwanted conference call disasters.
35) Voicemail
“Sorry, I’m unable to take your call right now.”
If you hear those words when making a call, you’ve arrived at someone’s voicemail. It’s a greeting that customers calling hear when you’re unable to answer. Some 80% of callers could be sent there.
People can then leave a voicemail message. They’ll typically tell you who’s calling (and why), and a number to contact them back on. That’s why most VoIP phone systems have this feature. Check whether yours does so you can get back in touch with your missed calls.
36) Voicemail-to-Email
You don’t need to block time in your calendar to answer voicemail messages. Phone systems have a voicemail to email feature. This records voicemail messages and attaches them as an audio file sent directly to your email inbox.
Voicemail-to-email sends other important details along with the audio file.
That includes the date and time of the call and the caller ID. You can then treat your inbox as a to-do list, and return calls on your desktop using VoIP. Likewise, you can forward the voicemail to your team so they can call them back.
37) VoIP Phones
There are two types of internet-connected devices that help you make phone calls: VoIP desk phones: They typically connect to your office’s Wi-Fi connection. You don’t need hardwired lines to install them. Simply pop the phone on your desk, connect to the internet, and start making calls. VoIP software: Instead of purchasing equipment, you can turn a device into a VoIP device using software. The Nextiva VoIP app, for example, lets you make calls and send texts from the device it’s installed on.
38) Web-Based Administration
From time to time, you’ll need to perform maintenance on your business phone system. Check whether your phone system has web-based administration. This way, you can:
Update voice permissions
Add or change line extensions
Access your billing information
…right from your internet browser, without having to call your provider. You’ll get more control over your phone system, and the ability to change things as you need.
39) Wireless Headsets
Wireless headsets are the modern-day equivalent of desk phones. They’re headsets with speakers and a microphone that allow you to make VoIP calls—without being stuck in one location.
Check whether your provider offers wireless VoIP headsets if you have a customer support department. That way, agents can chat with customers without needing to be at their desks. And, customers get responses to their questions. It’s a win-win all around.
Office Phone System Pricing
The cost of a new phone system is likely your biggest concern.
Business communication is important, but it can be expensive. And with so many options, it’s tough to know what price range you should expect from a commercial phone service.
Office Phone System Hardware
Hardware, such as desk phones, is optional when picking your business phone system. VoIP phones are recommended in an office environment because they have productivity advantages.
For example, you might have a busy open-plan office. Your customer service team are chatting all day long, and they’re not using headsets. It’s distracting—which is why open offices can reduce productivity by 70%.
Equipment such as:
… can solve this problem because the in-office staff has their own phone system. They can keep calls private, and stop their conversations disrupting co-workers.
Commitment your business has to the office phone system
Features you need from the list above
The good news? Regardless of how many lines you have, VoIP calls are still much cheaper.
Traditional phone services take lots of equipment to set up and maintain. Telecoms providers need to account for that in their pricing. But VoIP calls connect to an established internet-connection.
There’s no extra equipment needed—and therefore, no extra charges to show up on your business phone bill.
Office Phone System Savings
1) Hardware costs
VoIP phone systems are subject to extra costs. However, they actually end up saving money in the long-term. Why? Because VoIP office phone systems don’t include costly hardware that depreciates in value.
Equipment like desk phones and landline recording devices depreciate over time. The hardware we used ten years ago isn’t suitable now. And, those models are worth significantly less now than they were at the time.
2) Technical staff
Traditional office phone systems also required six-figure technical staff. There were wires all over the place, and equipment that needed a technical degree to handle. However, VoIP technology can be as simple as a PC, an app, and an internet connection.
That makes VoIP much simpler to upgrade and scale as your business grows, too. You can purchase add-on VoIP handsets. Traditional phone lines, on the other hand, need hard-wiring into a connection. That can be costly—especially if you grow tenfold.
3) Downtime
Upgrading to VoIP boosts productivity in the workplace. There’s no downtime due to faulty updates, or interruptions as technical staff fixes their lines. The majority of VoIP providers provide 24/7 support, too.
The aim? To keep your staff as productive as possible. Look for an office phone system that offers 99.999% uptime with supporting documentation.
Office Phone System Taxes
You will be subject to paying taxes when using a phone system. These federal, state, and local taxes are based on the physical address of the phone.
For that reason, they can vary widely. It’s reasonable to expect about 10% in additional taxes on your bill.
But that’s a small price to pay. You get value from a modern phone system that is always up to date and offers Enhanced 911 (E911) capabilities. Why? Because you can get a faster response time from emergency services. Look for transparent and straightforward pricing (including taxes and fees) for your company’s phone system. Related: What Is Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)?
Implementation & Next Steps
Are you ready to find a new phone system for your office? The next step is to find providers that offer the equipment you’re looking for. Contact them to get a custom quote depending on the size of your office.
You can ask the following questions once you’ve narrowed down your vendor list:
How do customers get help?
How many data centers do they have?
Is there an activation fee for starting service?
What does onboarding look like?
What kind of discounts are available?
The answers can shed some light on which company can best suit your needs.
But if you’re still unsure of which features you need, check out the full list of VoIP features Nextiva offers.
Lower call center costs by up to 65%
Get your personalized quote today.
Gaetano DiNardi led demand generation at Nextiva and has a track record of success working with brands like Major League Baseball, Pipedrive, Sales Hacker, and Outreach.io. Outside of marketing, Gaetano is an accomplished music producer and songwriter. He’s worked with major artists like Fat Joe, Shaggy, and loves making music to stay turbocharged.
When you get your phone bill, how do you feel?
Between all the confusing charges, marketing pamphlets, return envelopes, and stamps, reading your business phone bill can be a frustrating experience for any entrepreneur.
Who wouldn’t feel outraged when unexpected fees suddenly pop up on your bill? Better yet, what are all those line items in the billing statement anyway?
We feel your pain. Companies often pay higher phone bills than they need. We crafted this guide to help you make sense of your business phone bill and show you how to cut expenses by as much as 60%.
Like filing taxes, reading your company’s phone bill isn’t easy or enjoyable.
A cluttered phone bill is meant to do one thing: get you to pay without caring about the specific fees and charges. A flurry of fees is intentional, so you’ll pay without questioning them.
Let’s go over the basics. Here are essential items in your business phone bill:
Phone Usage: Usage from all phones in your company, which typically covers your basic phone service, overages, toll charges, long-distance, and roaming charges.
Calling Plan: The type of plan for phone service that outlines the minutes of talk time or unlimited usage per phone.
Services: Additional services attached to the calling plan will be itemized here. Don’t be surprised if the individual charges are approximately $2-5 each because phone companies wager that you likely won’t call to remove them. Examples include call forwarding, call waiting and three-way calling.
Devices: Details on purchased or leased hardware that includes VoIP phones, cell phones, or devices that retrofit older POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) are listed here.
Late Fees: If you carried an outstanding balance outside of a grace period, you might have incurred a late charge.
Discounts: If you had a special discount at the start of your service, it might be listed here. Don’t be surprised if discounts quietly disappear after your introductory period.
Taxes, Surcharges, and Fees: This is the big one that bothers most people. A myriad of charges goes to Uncle Sam, but not all of them. Administrative, regulatory, sales taxes, and universal service and business license fees are optional for carriers to pass the fees onto you.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recommends that all consumers review their phone bills regularly to understand the fees and charges they are paying.
2) Calculate your total cost of ownership
Not many business owners have factored in the total cost of ownership when establishing their phone service. Those that understand the benefits of using a hosted/leased business phone system instead of owning a depreciating asset will unlock massive business growth.
Here’s how to calculate the total cost of ownership: Upfront Costs + (Maintenance + Recurring Costs) x Time
For example, the ownership cost a traditional phone system with a PBX to carry calls over a telephone network would include these total costs:
If your computers are already wired in, you can use the same Ethernet cabling to power your desk phones. Maybe you don’t want phones – just use your desktop, laptop, or smartphone for business calls. The cost of ownership helps you realize the grant total instead of just the monthly fee itself. The cheapest option is not always the best option for a small business owner.
3) See if you have any invalid charges
Some business phone plans offer consistent, straightforward pricing. If you’re one of the unlucky ones, you might have crazy-high fees and not even know why. Here are three things you need to do to address high charges:
Stop paying for minutes. It’s a fool’s game to limit your business to 1000 minutes of talk time. Especially if you sell or have to support a product, you’ll blow past your limit every month.
Block premium toll fees. If you never need to call premium (toll) phone numbers that assess fees, you can block them by requesting it from your phone service provider.
Restrict international calling. Unless you have VoIP phone service, one call overseas can wreck your business phone bill.
Even if the charges are valid, it doesn’t hurt to call and ask for credit. It might not work every time, but it beats letting your phone company walk over you.
You’ve worked hard enough for your money, don’t just give it away in service fees. Related: VoIP Systems for Business: The 2019 Buyer’s Guide
4) Understand your operational needs
The underlying issue in most expensive business phone bills is that the business simply outgrew it. As your company has grown, you might not qualify for the discounts you had before.
When selecting a phone service provider for your company, you need to plan for growth. Here are several questions you can use to evaluate your needs and pick the right one:
Does the provider offer straightforward pricing?
Is it an introductory price, or will it stay the same?
Can you instantly add more phone lines as your company grows?
What will your employee headcount look like a year from now?
Will you operate in multiple locations or have remote employees?
Can your employees take business calls when outside of the office?
Can you reach their customer support in seconds if you need help?
These questions might seem simple, but honestly, you want a phone service provider that doesn’t play games with you.
5) What business phone features do you need?
When it comes to appreciating your business phone service, you don’t necessarily need three dozen features. But what you need is a reliable service, a straightforward bill, and the right features that serve your company and customers alike.
After talking with many business owners, they’ve shared their favorite features with me:
Unlimited nationwide calling to talk with customers and leads
Online faxing to send and receive faxes with no hardware
Custom Caller ID to entice leads to pick up the phone
Auto Attendant to direct callers to the right person
A toll-free number (like 800, 866) so they appear bigger than they are
An app they have on their iPhone or Android so they can work outside of the office
Look, landlines aren’t cheap. I get that. All you need is a broadband connection, and you can skip the phone company entirely. Most phone companies don’t want you to know that you can keep your phone number and take it with you. It’s true!
A decade ago, internet phone service cost business owners more than $50 a line. Today, it can be had for $20 per user per month—and you get everything you need like voicemail-to-email, an auto-attendant, and HD-quality calls.
Companies can cut their bills down by 60% by switching to VoIP. With dirt-cheap international calling, no setup fees, and unlimited nationwide calling, it’s a no-brainer. Phone companies just can’t keep up with the efficiency and lower costs that VoIP provides.
Cut your company’s phone bill by up to 65%
Request your free, no-obligation quote today.
Gaetano DiNardi led demand generation at Nextiva and has a track record of success working with brands like Major League Baseball, Pipedrive, Sales Hacker, and Outreach.io. Outside of marketing, Gaetano is an accomplished music producer and songwriter. He’s worked with major artists like Fat Joe, Shaggy, and loves making music to stay turbocharged.
We have a finite amount of time. However, in the course of a lifetime, the average person will spend 13 years and two months at work. If we’re going to spend that much time doing something, it’s in our best interest to do it to the best of our ability. This article covers 36 ways to improve your work performance and a handy do’s & don’ts list you can refer back to in order to refresh your memory. Skip right to the infographic here!
Meetings are an inevitable part of our work life, for better or for worse. Learning how to make meetings effective will free up valuable time and attention bandwidth for tasks that are more important to your bottom line. First, evaluate whether a meeting is necessary at all. Can you communicate over email or over the phone without diluting your message? One of the top productivity tips from CEOs includes saying no to meetings that lack a defined agenda. If you do need to have a meeting, keep it efficient by setting an agenda, adhering to a time limit, turning meetings into notes with transcription software, or making it a standing meeting. Summary:
Call or email instead (when possible)
Have an agenda
Make it a standing meeting
Set a time limit
2) Apply The 80/20 Rule
Source: The Balance Careers
The Pareto principle, or the 80/20 rule, states that 20 percent of our efforts produce 80 of our results. This means that, on average, 80 percent of your efforts are spent on producing things that don’t matter as much to your personal bottom line. Summary: Prioritize your day so you work toward your main goal first
3) Overcome Resistance To The Hard To Start Tasks
How many times have you put off a hard-to-start task only to find out that it wasn’t as difficult to do once you started?
If your answer is ‘more than you’d like to admit’, then you’re not alone!
Tackle the hardest tasks first
Kris Hughes, Senior Content Manager at ProjectManager.com, suggests eating the frog first thing in the morning. He says, “If you always tackle your most dreaded or most difficult task first thing in the morning, the remainder of the tasks you have to do throughout the day will pale in comparison, and you’ll be able to maintain a high level of productivity throughout, rather than dreading the frog as the clock ticks.”
Tackling daunting tasks earlier in the day means that you’ll have a clearer mind than you would have after a day’s worth of work.
Bite-sized tasks are better on the nerves
Hughes also suggests breaking daunting tasks into manageable, bite-sized pieces. Not only will the task seem less daunting, but getting things done, however incremental they might be in relation to the bigger goal, will give you the momentum to get more done. Summary: Break down daunting tasks into smaller tasks and start working on them first thing in the morning.
4) Fix Your Bottlenecks
Identify what slows you down or the business down, and figure out ways to improve it. This article offers ways to identify bottlenecks and how to unblock them. For example, if you’re on the road a lot but still need connectivity, identify a solid VoIP app you could use.
Summary: Figure out what slows you down and improve or put a stop to it.
5) Continue To Learn
This can be as big or small an undertaking as you’d like. Keeping ahead of trends in your industry or even learning keyboard shortcuts are low-effort ways of improving your work performance.
Source: GoSkills
However, if you’re willing to put in more time, consider taking an online course. There are plenty of skills that can help you improve your performance at work, like project management or soft skills. Summary: Determine how much time you can devote, and make a daily or weekly habit out of learning
6) Touch Something Once
Don’t start working on something unless you have the ability to follow through with the next steps. Doing this will avoid instances where you repeatedly look at paperwork or an email but push it aside for a later date. Adhering to the “touch it once” rule ensures that this form of procrastination doesn’t happen and reduces the amount of “unfinished business” you have. Summary: Finish what you start in one go (when possible)
7) Get Feedback Often
Don’t wait until your quarterly- or annual review to get feedback. Ask for it often so you don’t miss out on opportunities for growth and development. For example, here’s an employee feedback template from SurveyMonkey:
Source: SurveyMonkey
Summary: Have regular check-ins so you don’t miss out on constructive feedback
8) Learn To Say No
When possible, say ‘no’ to the things that aren’t part of your core 20%. We have a limited bandwidth, so when you say ‘yes’ to something unimportant, you could be saying ‘no’ to something that matters more. Summary: Say ‘no’ to the tasks that don’t matter (when possible).
9) Surround Yourself With Productive People
You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with. So, if your goal is to be more productive or a better leader, surround yourself with people with those traits. Summary: Spend time with productive people
10) Automate Whatever You Can
Use automation to make your life a little easier for you. Forrest Bryant, Editorial Director at Evernote, uses automation in three ways:
Proofread work in real-time
Grammarly and After the Deadline browser extensions automatically correct mistakes like contextual spelling errors, incorrect grammar, or poor vocabulary usage. For more complex proofreading, the Hemingway App identifies long, complex sentences, weak phrases, passive voice, and more.
Source: Grammarly
Let templates do the prep work for you
With professionally designed templates available directly through the Evernote app, you can create great notes quickly without having to start from scratch, figuring out formatting and layouts. Just click the Template button when creating a new note, and you can instantly choose from your personal collection of templates.
Leverage AI to schedule meetings for you
You don’t need to wait until you get to the corner office to have an executive assistant. AI assistants Amy and Andrew, created by x.ai, schedule all your meetings for you, saving you the endless back-and-forth that easily drains hours each day. There’s nothing to download — simply CC Amy in an email, and she will look at your calendar, email your guest, and send a meeting invite to both of you. Summary: Automate what you can to free up time for tasks only you can do
11) Practice Email Etiquette
When the content of email changes, so should the subject line. Avoid using vague subject lines where possible because it will be a pain for you and your recipient(s) to find. Keep emails short and to the point. If your email needs more than a couple of sentences, than another form of communication (e.g., a call or meeting) may be more appropriate. Summary: Keep emails short and subject lines clear
12) Manage Distractions
Our attention spans are finite. Keep distractions to a minimum by turning off notifications (or turning off your phone entirely), stopping “got a minute” meetings, scheduling time to check emails and make phone calls, and wearing headphones. If you’re easily distracted, try arriving earlier so you can get work done with minimal interruption. Stacy Caprio, Founder of Accelerated Growth Marketing, recommends creating a time-block of distraction-free work that includes “no email, phone or social media, and has to be focused on your most important tasks.” Minimize digital distractions by turning off notifications and setting boundaries.
13) Set Up Your Workspace For Optimal Productivity
Where you work can make a difference to your level of productivity. Research shows that having plants in the office boosted productivity by up to 15 percent and increased workplace satisfaction. Keep a clean desk and take out only what you need for the task at hand. You will spend less time looking for what you need and won’t have to look at a cluttered desk. Eileen Roth, the author of Organizing for Dummies, suggests putting away food so people are less likely to come around your desk to chat while they snack. Summary: Keep your workspace organized and clean. If possible, keep a plant or two on your desk.
14) Set Self-imposed Deadlines
You’ve probably heard of Parkinson’s Law – “work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” Use this law to your advantage by setting yourself personal deadlines, even if your work isn’t time-sensitive. Bobby Gaffin, Account Manager from GMR Web Team, recommends doing this “especially when you’re given open-ended projects, [as] having self-imposed deadlines establishes a more structured and self-motivated working mindset.” Summary: Set personal deadlines, especially for open-ended projects
15) Group Similar Tasks Together
Take solo-tasking to the next level by grouping similar tasks together. This way, you can further reduce the mental fatigue that comes with task-switching.
Source: Screenshot of the Nextiva Asana dashboard showing how they manage similar tasks on their project management tool
If you’re working on multiple projects, but have to sign off on reports, do them all at once. If you’re writing an article, write out the outlines for both at the same time. Summary: Group similar tasks together to get things done faster Related: 5 Proven Digital Marketing Tips to Scale Results
16) Take Breaks
This is arguably the most important tip on this list. No one can be 100 percent productive 100 percent of the time, and attempting to do so will eventually burn you out. Studies have shown that taking regular breaks makes you more productive. Researchers from the Draugiem Group studied its most productive employees and found that they stepped away from their computers 17 minutes at a time when taking a break. They concluded that it was most effective to work for 52 minutes at a time, and then take an extended offline break, like chatting with a coworker or going for a walk.
When you’re working in shorter spurts
If you prefer working in shorter spurts, consider the Pomodoro Technique. It’s a system where you hyperfocus on work for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. Each cycle is called a Pomodoro. With every 4 Pomodoros, you can extend a break to 20 or 30 minutes.
Josh Spiker, content manager at ClickUp, recommends setting a reminder and timing your breaks if necessary. You can use an app like Breaktaker to remind you to move around. Summary: Take breaks often. Set a reminder and time yourself if you need to. Use those breaks to do something offline (like meditating, walking, or chatting with a coworker.)
17) Work While You’re At Work
The subheading says it all.
Avoid idle conversation (unless you’re on a break) or checking social media and the news (unless that is part of your job). Get into the habit of starting work as soon as you sit (or stand) at your desk. Summary: Get your work done while you’re at work
18) Check-In With Yourself
Periodically check-in to see if you’re actually working towards your goals. It can be easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, so set a weekly or daily reminder to evaluate whether you’re focusing on your core 20 percent.
If you find that you’re not working on the important things, do your best to delegate, delay, diminish, or eliminate these tasks. Summary: Set a weekly or daily reminder to realign yourself with your goals
19) Don’t Multitask
There’s a reason solo-tasking is the new productivity buzzword. Studies show that multitasking can reduce productivity by as much as 40 percent. This is because most of us can’t multitask effectively. We’re just quickly switching tasks, and that can take a mental toll on us, thereby getting less done. Summary: Work on one thing at a time
20) Plan Your Schedule Ahead Of Time
Prioritize tasks you need to get done daily and weekly to avoid getting caught up with tasks that don’t matter. Aim to do this at the end of the workday while everything is still top-of-mind, so you can hit the ground running the next morning. Robin Schwartz, Director of Career Igniter, recommends keeping a “to-do” list “to help you fill in the gaps of your day.” You can schedule your day into time blocks to take your planning up a notch. Kris Hughes, Senior Content Marketing Manager at ProjectManager.com, breaks down the typical nine-hour workday into 30-minute increments. He says that “being able to check off the 30-minute blocks is a great feeling of accomplishment and a concrete way to see what’s getting done.” He even plans out his breaks and lunch, so he’s not just “grinding.” Summary: Plan out your day in advance to make the most of your time
21) Know What You Were Hired To Do
After months or years of working in a role, it can be easy to lose focus on what you were hired to do. Speak to your manager about what your objectives and day-to-day should look like and prioritize accordingly. Make a list of what matters the most so when you plan out your day, you can refer to it. Also, make sure you own a clear metric or number. This way, it’s your sole responsibility to measure and track that number. It also comes in handy when you want to ask for a raise. See the post below from Gaetano DiNardi:
Summary: Know what you were hired to do and build those tasks into your day
22) Track How Much Time You Spend On Tasks
“You can only improve something if you measure it” is a popular adage in business. So why shouldn’t it apply to productivity? Track how your day is spent, either manually by time blocking or digitally with apps like RescueTime. Doing this will make you more mindful of how you spend your time, and you may also notice patterns in how you work. For example, if you spend too much time on a task that doesn’t advance your 20 percent, then outsource it. Summary: Track how you spend your time so you can optimize your day accordingly
23) Two-minute Rule
The two-minute rule states that you must immediately do any task or action that can be completed in two minutes or less. This rule is best used to push through any inertia you have when starting a task or project. Summary: If it can be done in two minutes, do it now.
24) Take Advantage Of Your Commute
You can do several things to improve your work performance even before you get to work. If you get to work by bus or train, you can read, watch videos, or plan your day out in advance (if you haven’t already done so the night before.) If you drive to work, consider listening to a podcast or audiobook. Summary: Use your spare time on your commute to upskill or plan your day
25) Give Up On The Illusion Of Perfection
G.K. Chesterton, a philosopher, once said, “Anything worth doing is worth doing badly”. It’s counter-intuitive but a good way to approach important tasks. If we wait until we feel we can do something perfectly, we might be waiting around for a long time. It’s much better to go into a task or project, knowing that it may be imperfect, but give it our best shot. Summary: Strive toward excellence, but don’t fear failure.
26) Listen To Music
According to research published by the University of Illinois, moderate level or ambient noise enhances creativity by prompting abstract thinking. Max Razbo, a web designer, recommends using Defonic for nature-centered ambient noise or Hipstersound to experience the sounds of a coffee shop from wherever you’re working from. In this study, listening to binaural beats improved the working memory capacity in the participants studied. Summary: Create your work playlist and jam to that while you work
27) Love What You Do
People who love what they do are happier to get more done. If you’re not excited by what you do, it might be a good idea to rethink what you do. As mentioned earlier, in the course of a lifetime, the average person will spend 13 years and two months at work. That’s a lot of time to spend doing what doesn’t excite you.
Source: Huffington Post
Summary: If you don’t love what you do, find out what you do love, and do that!
28) Find Out What Your Productive Hours Are
Our energy and attention levels spike and decline throughout the day. Generally, our focus peaks before lunch, and our creativity spikes when we’re most fatigued. However, each person is different. Once you find out when you’re most productive, start scheduling your day around these hours. For example, if you’re more adept at doing cognitively-intense tasks in the afternoon, try to avoid scheduling meetings around that time. Summary: Plan your schedule around your most productive hours
29) Keep Track Of Your Personal Developments And Achievements
At the end of each week, note down three things you achieved that week and three things you could do better the following week. Tracking your achievements is an excellent way of motivating yourself to do more. Having a list like this is handy, especially if you plan on asking for a raise or job hunting. Summary: Keep a log of your achievements and goals
30) Take Care Of Your Health
Our bodies are like engines. If they don’t have the proper fuel and maintenance, they won’t be able to perform to their best ability.
Don’t skimp on sleep
Get a minimum of seven hours of sleep, and make sure you’re practicing good sleep hygiene (e.g., no electronics or blue light before bed, sleep, and wake up at regular times each day).
Source: HelpGuide
Stay hydrated
Keep a bottle of water at your desk and stay hydrated. If you feel like you’re getting brain fog, it’s probably because you haven’t had enough to drink. Eat a balanced diet and avoid keeping unhealthy snacks on your table.
Be on the move
Finally, stay active. Stretching, walking, and yoga can do wonders for the stiffness that comes with sitting at a desk for eight hours.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAUf7aajBWE Summary: Get enough sleep, stay hydrated and well-fed, and get moving.
31) Reward Yourself
Reward yourself when you finish a project or hit a milestone. This can be anything from chatting with a coworker or buying yourself a treat. Having ‘carrots’ to work towards makes work a little more fun. Summary: Reward yourself for hitting milestones.
32) Keep Up The Speed Of Your Computer
Don’t let your computer slow you down. Periodically clean up files, sweep the hard drive, and update software.
If you mostly work remotely, it may help to read up on tips to maximize working from home. Summary: Maintain the speed of your computer so it doesn’t slow you down.
33) Create Systems
Create systems to do the heavy lifting of thinking for you. David Alexander, Digital Marketer at Mazepress, recommends “systematizing the recurring processes in your business with tools like checklists, calendars, and other project management tools.”
He adds that “even a simple checklist you can refer back to makes a massive difference in how long it takes to repeat a process.” Summary: Use checklists or create systems to simplify your day-to-day
BONUS: How Do You Increase Employee Productivity?
As a manager, there are a number of things you can do to improve work performance. Some of the pointers on the list above are things both you and your team can do together, like:
Running effective meetings
Fixing bottlenecks
Setting up the workplace for productivity
Creating systems
The points below are things that can boost productivity from the top down.
34) Use Software To Augment Productivity
When used correctly, the right software can really make a difference in the workplace. Depending on the size and function of your team, it may be valuable to look into a communications solution like Nextiva.
There are plenty of tools out there. When selecting one for your team, make a list of the features you need the most (e.g., Kanban board, chat feature, calendar, etc.) and pick one accordingly. For office productivity, there are plenty of apps and browser plugins that can do anything from fine-tuning the way you use email and eliminate distractions. If you’re in sales, a platform like Ambition can increase productivity and effectiveness with features like automated sales coaching, flexible sales scorecards, and highly motivating sales contests.
35) Support Productive Practices In The Workplace
Create an environment where your team feels comfortable trying out different ways of being productive. Here are some ways you can do this:
Krystal does all things marketing at GoSkills. She's a recent Boston University graduate with a B.A. in international relations and a minor in communications. When she's not at work, you can find her listening to podcasts or watching comedy specials on Netflix.
A strong communication plan defines strategies and processes that help you capture the attention of people outside of your company.
Creating and maintaining these external relationships is crucial because your company doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Instead, it depends on what your prospects, customers, investors, and partners think of you—and say about you.
Sound like a challenge? That’s because it is.
Think about it. Depending on your market, there could be hundreds of these external stakeholder relationships.
You can’t leave this to chance. It would mean you’re leaving your company’s future to chance, too.
Instead, you can use a communication plan template. It’s a simple yet powerful tool that helps you deliver the right messages to all the audiences that matter to you.
With this template, you’ll never have to think on the spot. You’ll have a document that guides you through every external communication scenario.
Here are the steps to create your communication plan template:
As you’ll soon learn, your communication plan template will always evolve. Your business communication process will keep getting better.
At the very minimum, here’s what your communication plan must include:
Summary
Your company’s business objectives
Communication goals
USP (unique selling proposition)
Key audiences, messages, and communication channels
Key stakeholders
Main company and industry events
Emergency communication plan
Review and refresh timelines
Your communication plan shouldn’t need explanations or extra documentation.
Instead, it should enable anyone involved in external communication to make the best decision for your company, all on their own.
The best communication strategy clarifies everyone’s role in your communication goals. A bonus benefit of this strategic, transparent approach? It will improve internal communication as well. Related: 4 Business Communication Styles and How to Work With Them
How do you develop a communication plan? [15 steps]
Step 1: Create a mission statement
You want all your external communication to be hyper-aligned, right? Starting with a mission statement is the first step to make that possible. Your mission statement is a short, written description of why your company exists and uniquely serves your market.
When you create your mission statement, it’s not to be forgotten in a drawer. Your goal should be to integrate it into everyone’s workflow. This way, everyone will have the same big picture in mind whether they’re talking to a supplier or a new potential customer.
Consider these examples:
Tesla: “To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
LinkedIn: “Connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.”
This means that when the Tesla staff meet with external partners, their conversations will be driven by sustainable energy rather than, say, maximum cost savings.
Fill in the blanks to create your mission statement:
“[Your company name] exists to provide [benefit] and [benefit] to [target audience] through [product or service].”
Step 2: Define your company’s business objectives
What is it that you want to achieve as a company? These aren’t just tied to your business communication efforts, but also the result of everyone’s overall work.
Business objectives take your mission statement to a tangible, measurable level. They help team members set realistic goals that contribute to those objectives.
Without them, everyone will be working with their version of your company’s future.
That includes the way they communicate, too!
Some examples of business objectives are:
For each business objective you listed in your communication plan, add a note about your communication objective.
This way, it’s easier to get buy-in and track deliverables. Related: Your Short and Sweet Guide to Business Communication Systems
Step 3: Identify audience segments for your communication plan
It’s time to define audiences you’re looking to impact with your communication plan.
At first thought, you might consider your potential customers. However, the list of people and organizations that impact your company from the outside is probably longer.
Review the following list to identify your audience segments:
Prospects
Clients/customers
Churned clients/customers
Non-customers that support your organization (event attendees, email subscribers)
Investors and shareholders
Partners and sponsors
Influencers and affiliates
Pick all groups that apply to your organization.
Then, identify the main drivers of connection and support for each of these groups. To do that, you’ll want to answer the following questions:
In this step, you’re diving deeper from your overall business objectives and into your communication goals.
In simple terms, what do you want your communication to accomplish?
Communication goals should be as specific as possible. This way, you can measure them and optimize your communication strategy accordingly.
Here are some examples based on audience segments from the previous step:
Prospects: Increase close rate by X%
Customers: Increase recurring purchases by X%
Churned customers: Win back X% of lapsed customers
Non-paying supporters: Grow email list by X subscribers
Investors: Raise $X in funding
Partners: Sign X new partnerships
Affiliates: Close X new sales through affiliates
If you’re struggling to identify communication-specific goals, think of it this way:
Without these goals, you can’t meet your business objectives. Your company is stuck. With them, your communication efforts are the driver of your company’s growth.
Step 5: Define your USP—your competitive advantage
Before you start crafting messages for your audience, think about what makes you unique.
You’ll define this through your unique selling proposition, or USP for short.
A unique selling proposition is a factor that differentiates you from your competitors. You can see it as “what you have that competitors don’t.”
Your USP could be your quality, price range, customer experience, original innovation. It can also be some combination of these.
You can also look at your USP as the context you’ve created around your offering.
Step 6: Develop key messages for each audience segment
This step is where the magic of a communication plan truly comes to life. You’ll now define foundational messages for all of your audience segments.
They’ll act as reference points for all conversations with external people and organizations.
What does this mean?
You’ll develop strong messages when you make sure they are:
Clear, consistent, and credible
Focused on the barriers and pain points your target audience is facing
Delivering a solution you offer for that specific audience and pain point
With this in mind, write out a paragraph of key messages for each of your audiences.
Remember to include your audience’s pain points (in their own words and phrases) in your project plan!
Step 7: Select channels and frequency for each audience segment
Where does your audience like to spend time, both online and otherwise?
What grabs their attention?
How often do they visit those platforms and places?
Answer these questions for each of your audience segments. You’ll end up with an idea of where you need to show up, and how often, to build and nurture key relationships.
The specific answers will depend on your industry, job roles, and other factors, but you can start from this list:
Blogs, case studies, and other resources on your website
Emails, both one-on-one and newsletters
Live events and conferences
Social media platforms
Press releases
Another question to help you get the frequency of communication right is:
What’s the longest you can go without communicating with your audience and still stay relevant and top-of-mind?
Make sure you don’t overshoot this time frame without showing up on your platform of choice for that audience.
Simplify the way you work
with unified communications.
Step 8: Assign key stakeholders to each audience and channel
You now know who you want to reach, on which channel, how often, and with which key messages.
Now, you must identify the project team in charge of making sure this actually happens!
First, you’ll want to make sure that each part of your communication plan has its owner. This can be divided by audience segments.
For example, you have a partner relations manager, a customer service manager, etc. Or divided by channels—social media, content, and so on.
It might also be a mix of both depending on your communication needs.
Then, identify all supporting roles so communication can run smoothly, including:
Writers and editors
Graphic designers
Event planners
Outreach experts
List all the essential roles and assign them to relevant teams and people.
Step 9: Identify key company and industry events as triggers
All markets and industries have their main events and important dates that drive public conversations.
When these dates roll out, it’s already too late to plan any messages and promotions around them. This is why you need to have them laid out as far in advance as possible.
Here’s a list to start brainstorming key dates:
Your launches
Product and feature updates
New funding
Industry reports and new data
Beginning or end of a season
Recurring industry conferences
For example, almost everyone in tech and marketing eagerly awaits for Mary Meeker’s yearly report on internet trends.
Accountants and legal firms depend on changes in legislature.
The sooner you can prepare for an upcoming relevant event, the better you can align all your messaging with it, including your product launches.
Build a calendar with these dates into your communications strategy, and make it easy to update.
Step 10: Create an internal distribution plan
Where will your communication plan live daily?
How will you ensure that everyone in the company always knows where it is and how it serves them—including new hires?
Your communication plan has to be a central document that exists on a shared platform and is easy to access by all company staff. Whether you choose Google Drive, your central project management tool, or something else is entirely up to you.
You should make sure it’s impossible to accidentally find an outdated version and believe it’s the most recent one. Make these obvious:
Last update date
Which parts are new or updated from the previous version
Identify a project manager to distribute your communication plan, both when you first roll it out, as well as for each update. The best people for this are usually team leads and managers, who can also offer support when any feedback or questions arise.
Step 11: Create a training plan for audience-facing teams
You have stakeholders for audiences and channels based on their job descriptions and skills.
Now, look into the skillsets of these teams and identify any gaps that might exist.
This isn’t to say they aren’t equipped for their role in your communication strategy. But it’s important to always look out for new skills that may contribute to more effective communication.
For example:
The customer service team wants to be more efficient in times of increased support queries on social media
Your traditional PR team wants to win online press mentions with link building outreach
Or your paid advertising team needs to keep up with platform-specific requirements for ads
Based on the gaps you find, build a training plan for these teams. Make sure you include the budget, experts, topics, and frequency of training.
Step 12: Develop an emergency/crisis communication plan
Emergencies and crises are different for every business.
Social media faux pas, data breaches, bad press, communication breakdowns, product failures, environmental threats… The list of potential disasters is endless.
A crisis communication plan is a crucial part of every disaster preparedness plan. To establish it, answer these questions:
What types of crises are likely for your business?
Who is in charge of crisis communication for each of those scenarios?
What information should you convey now vs. later?
Which scenarios will require legal counsel?
Who is the spokesperson for each of your audiences?
If there’s a surefire way for your communication plan to fail, it’s this: not asking for or implementing feedback from the field.
Everyone you’ve given a task from this communication plan has a unique exposure to external people and companies you care about.
To make the most out of this, you must establish an easy process for them to document that feedback. If it lives in their head or on a piece of paper, it will never help you make this communication plan better!
Define a frequency at which you will revisit these feedback entries. Then, look for:
Any patterns in customer complaints
Opportunities for updates to your products
Phrases your audiences frequently use that you haven’t identified before
This way, your communication plan will keep evolving as your audiences change!
Step 14: Define a timeline for communication plan refresh
Your communication plan won’t evolve on its own.
Instead, you need to identify a frequency at which you’ll revisit your communication plan. Changes to it will come from the feedback you’ve gathered in the previous step, as well as from industry changes and any new key dates.
You can start with a quarterly update and adjust if you notice it’s too frequent or not frequent enough.
Once you’ve decided on your timeline, make sure you add a note about it in the communication plan itself.
Step 15: Determine what success looks like
How will you know if your communication plan is efficient and successful?
What will indicate failure and the need to make significant changes to it?
First, check back with your business objectives and communication goals. Then, identify the data you need to gather to compare against these goals and objectives:
Quantitative: revenue, new customers, customer churn rate, website, and social media metrics, etc.
Qualitative: customer service issues, customer testimonials, feedback from partners, etc.
Take note of current values for all the quantitative metrics as your baseline.
Finally, define the growth trajectory you want to see based on your objectives. Break it down into monthly and quarterly milestones.
By following this step-by-step communication plan guide, you’ll leave nothing to chance.
The result? An action plan to translate your brand into the right messages for your crucial audiences.
Let’s quickly recap:
Start with your mission statement and your big-picture business objectives
Identify your communication goals and your USP
Put audience segments front-and-center
Based on them, define key messages, channels, and communication frequency for each
Follow the most important dates for your company and industry to get the timing right
Give your key stakeholders them opportunities for training and feedback
Refresh your communication plan regularly and know what success looks like
Follow this free template, and you’ll have a bulletproof plan for strategic communications. Good luck!
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Gaetano DiNardi led demand generation at Nextiva and has a track record of success working with brands like Major League Baseball, Pipedrive, Sales Hacker, and Outreach.io. Outside of marketing, Gaetano is an accomplished music producer and songwriter. He’s worked with major artists like Fat Joe, Shaggy, and loves making music to stay turbocharged.
Who doesn’t want to be their own boss? You call all the shots and follow your true calling. There’s never a dull moment, right? But, when more than 20% of new businesses shut down in their first year of operation, you know it’s not all fun and games. You need a viable business idea that you can turn into a profitable business model. Also important is a good understanding of your target market. Small businesses? Enterprises? Direct consumers? Put these two together to validate your product/market fit. Next comes finding the perfect location. Of course, this is considering you don’t have a fully remote team. Now, we’ve done most of the research for you and put together this nifty list. It covers the best and worst 25 states in the U.S. to start a business. Don’t leave your startup success to chance — dive right in!
6 questions to ask before choosing a business location
1) Are other local businesses performing well? What do you know about local businesses and how they’re doing? 2) What can my business give residents that the competition does not? Research your competitors and look for gaps in their strategy that you and your product can fill. 3) Is it an upcoming city/town or tourist place? Consider the current and future needs of your business to ensure growth. 4) Does the location help or hinder operations? Can deliveries arrive on time? Are there enough spaces for parking? 5) Will it be costly to run, lease, rent, or own real estate? Are there affordable long-term business costs or office space options available in the area? 6) Will the cost of living affect my quality of life and business? Can you afford to live there? Is there a demand for your business offering?
Take a look at this graph. As you make your way down the list on the graph, you’ll notice a pattern. All the problems here are location-based related. This is huge! Everything, from the quality of labor, to red tape, and interest rates, varies depending on where you choose to put your business. Your choice of location can make or break your business. So, which are the best states to start a business?
25 best states to start a business (and why)
There are four essential factors we are going to look at — Education, Average Income, Venture Capital, and Sales Tax. It’s worth it to note that Local and State Tax vary depending on local municipalities. Please note, these are the top states listed in no particular order. The real “best or worst” state depends on which factor(s) is most important to your business.
1) Massachusetts
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 43.4 percent
The average income in the state of Massachusetts is $73,246
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 9.6 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.00% Statewide tax rate of 6.25%
2) Colorado
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 41.2 percent
The average income in the state of Colorado is $59,087
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 5.0 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.00% – 8.3% Statewide tax rate of 2.9%
3) Utah
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 34.6 percent
The average income in the state of Colorado is $50,655
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 3.4 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0% – 4% Statewide tax rate of 4.7%
4) North Dakota
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 30.7 percent
The average income in the state of North Dakota is $53,013
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 0.9 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0% – 3.5% Statewide tax rate of 5%
5) Idaho
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 26.8 percent
The average income in the state of Idaho is $47,218
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.5 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0% – 3.00% Statewide tax rate of 6%
6) Washington
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 35.5 percent
The average income in the state of Washington is $68,695
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 4.9 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0% – 3.9% Statewide tax rate of 6.5%
7) Texas
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 29.6 percent
The average income in the Lone Star State is $58,916
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.5 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.125% – 2% Statewide tax rate of 6.25%
8) New Hampshire
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 36.9 percent
The average income in the state of New Hampshire is $60,206
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 2.4 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: It is one of only five states without a sales tax. But, the state does levy a tax on another form of income, interest, and dividends.
9) Florida
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 29.7 percent
The average income in the state of Florida is $50,043
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.1 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0% – 2% Statewide tax rate of 6%
10) California
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 33.6 percent
The average income in the state of California is $71,967
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 7.7 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.15% – 3% Statewide tax rate of 7.25%
11) South Dakota
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 28.1 percent
The average income in the state of South Dakota is $47,876
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 0.3 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0% – 2% Statewide tax rate of 4.5%
12) Vermont
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 38.3 percent
The average income in the state of Vermont is $49,458
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 3.8 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0% – 1% Statewide tax rate of 6%
13) Minnesota
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 36.1 percent
The average income in the state of Minnesota is $59,768
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 2.2 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0% – .5% Statewide tax rate of 6.875%
14) Wyoming
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 27.6 percent
The average income in the state of Wyoming is $52,773
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 0.9 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0% – 2% Statewide tax rate of 4.00%
15) North Carolina
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 31.3 percent
The average income in the state of North Carolina is $53,844
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.8 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0% – 2.75% Statewide tax rate of 4.75%
16) Virginia
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 38.7 percent
The average income in the state of Virginia is $62,117
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.7 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0% – 2.7% Statewide tax rate of 4.3%
17) Nevada
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 24.9 percent
The average income in the state of Nevada is $51,785
In 2018, the venture capital deals were: 1.3 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0% – 3.665% Statewide tax rate of 4.6%
18) Maryland
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 39.7 percent
The average income in the state of Maryland is $67,936
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 2.3 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.00% Statewide tax rate of 6.00%
19) Arizona
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 29.4 percent
The average income in the state of Arizona is $54,193
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.3 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.15% – 3% Statewide tax rate of 7.25%
20) Montana
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 32.3 percent
The average income in the state of Montana is $44,470
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.1 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.00% Statewide tax rate of 0.00%
21) Georgia
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 30.9 percent
The average income in the state of Georgia is $55,838
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.2 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.00% Statewide tax rate of 0.00%
22) Iowa
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 28.9 percent
The average income in the state of Iowa is $50,512
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.1 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.36% – 8.98% Statewide tax rate of 6%
23) Oregon
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 33.7 percent
The average income in the state of Oregon is $57,502
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 12.4 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.00% Statewide tax rate of 0.00%
24) Connecticut
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 38.7 percent
The average income in the state of Connecticut is $72,728
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 2.5 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.00% Statewide tax rate of 6.35%
25) Nebraska
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 31.7 percent
The average income in the state of Nebraska is $54,765
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.0 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.5% – 2% Statewide tax rate of 5.5%
Now, you have the information about where to start a business, but you may not live in one of these states. You may need to relocate, which means you must become aware of which states are the worst to start a business.
25 of the Worst States to Start a Business
As of 2018, there are30.2 million small businesses in the U.S. This accounts for 99.9% of United States businesses. To up your chances of making it into this league, think twice about starting up in these 25 worst states.
1) Kansas
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 33.7 percent
The average income in the state of Kansas is $52,466
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 0.7 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 4.00% Statewide tax rate of 6.50%
2) Michigan
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 29.1 percent
The average income in the state of Michigan is $56,264
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.1 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.5% – 2.5% Statewide tax rate of 4.25%
3) Delaware
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 31.5 percent
The average income in the state of Delaware is $60,803
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 5.0 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0% – 6.6% Statewide tax rate of 0.00%
4) New York
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 36.0 percent
The average income in the state of New York is $77,084
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 5.3 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 7% – 8.875% Statewide tax rate of 4%
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5) Tennessee
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 27.3 percent
The average income in the state of Tennessee is $56,469
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.2 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 2.75% Statewide tax rate of 7.0%
6) Alaska
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 28.8 percent
The average income in the state of Alaska is $67,785
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 0.4 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 7.5% Statewide tax rate of 0.00%
7) South Carolina
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 28.0 percent
The average income in the state of South Carolina is $50,067
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 0.8 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 1% Statewide tax rate of 6%
8) Indiana
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 26.8 percent
The average income in the state of Indiana is $54,906
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.4 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.00% Statewide tax rate of 7%
9) New Jersey
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 39.7 percent
The average income in the state of New Jersey is $69,651
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.0 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.00% Statewide tax rate of 6.625%
Corporate tax rate: 9% (Phew!)
10) Maine
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 32.1 percent
The average income in the state of Maine is $48,622
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.8 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.00% Statewide tax rate of 5.5%
11) Wisconsin
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 30.4 percent
The average income in the state of Wisconsin is $54,244
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.3 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.458% – 0.60% Statewide tax rate of 5.00%
12) Missouri
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 29.1 percent
The average income in the state of Missouri is $52,550
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.1 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 6% – 7% Statewide tax rate of 4.225%
13) Arkansas
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 23.4 percent
The average income in the state of Arkansas is $46,286
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 0.9 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 5% Statewide tax rate of 6.5%
14) Pennsylvania
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 31.4 percent
The average income in the state of Pennsylvania is $62,276
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 2.1 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 2% Statewide tax rate of 6%
15) Alabama
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 25.5 percent
The average income in the state of Alabama is $49,310
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 0.5 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.00% – 7% Statewide tax rate of 4%
16) Illinois
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 34.4 percent
The average income in the state of Illinois is $64,071
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 2.0 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.00% Statewide tax rate of 6.25%
17) Oklahoma
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 25.5 percent
The average income in the state of Oklahoma is $52,582
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 0.3 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 3.312% Statewide tax rate of 4.50% – 6.50%
18) Ohio
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 28.0 percent
The average income in the state of Ohio is $55,843
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 1.3 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 1.37% – 2.25% Statewide tax rate of 5.75%
19) Rhode Island
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 33.5 percent
The average income in the state of Rhode Island is $57,954
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 2.2 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.00% Statewide tax rate of 7%
20) Kentucky
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 24.0 percent
The average income in the state of Kentucky is $49,410
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 0.9 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.00% Statewide tax rate of 6%
21) Mississippi
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 21.9 percent
The average income in the state of Mississippi is $42,488
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 0.2 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.25% Statewide tax rate of 7%
22) Hawaii
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 32.9 percent
The average income in the state of Hawaii is $57,803
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 0.4 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 0.25% Statewide tax rate of 4%
23) West Virginia
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 20.2 percent
The average income in the state of West Virginia is $48,220
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 0.1 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 1% Statewide tax rate of 6%
24) New Mexico
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 27.1 percent
The average income in the state of New Mexico is $48,874
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 0.9 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 4% – 5% Statewide tax rate of 5.125%
25) Louisiana
Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 23.8 percent
The average income in the state of Louisiana is $51,131
In 2018, the venture capital deals were 0.2 per 100,000 people
Sales Tax: Local tax rates: 6% Statewide tax rate of 4.45%
Conclusion
These factors aside, there are others you need to consider before starting up. For example, what type of funding do you want? Will you bootstrap or raise money? Who’s drafting your financial plan? What’s your first hire going to be? Is telecommuting an option? In short, it goes way past this dissection of the best states in the United States. Hopefully, this curation is a good starting point as you work out the details of your new business!
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Gaetano DiNardi led demand generation at Nextiva and has a track record of success working with brands like Major League Baseball, Pipedrive, Sales Hacker, and Outreach.io. Outside of marketing, Gaetano is an accomplished music producer and songwriter. He’s worked with major artists like Fat Joe, Shaggy, and loves making music to stay turbocharged.
A business phone line not working can trigger a chain of events that ends in a complete disaster at your call center. Existing customers can’t get in touch with customer service to get their problem resolved, resulting in a slew of complaints and negative reviews, and in the end — a damaged reputation. Prospective customers can’t call your sales team to make inquiries, resulting in lost sales. Your sales team can’t receive incoming calls or make outgoing calls. You haven’t set up voicemails or call forwarding. When you’re running a business, you can’t afford to have an outage of this type. Knowing how to troubleshoot problems with your phone line or equipment is crucial.
How Do You Troubleshoot a Phone Line?
1) See if the Problem is External or Internal
These are a few things you can do to fix some of the more prevalent business landline problems, but first, you need to determine whether the problem is external or internal. While it’s your phone provider’s responsibility to resolve external issues, an internal problem is your responsibility. As a general rule, if all the phone lines in your office are experiencing some connectivity issue, whether it is no dial tone, dropped calls, weird noises, or static, the problem is more likely to be external. In this case, call your service provider to get it fixed. If only one or a few phones in your office are not working, the problem is more likely to originate internally. You are responsible for resolving internal issues. Get your hired technician or someone from your IT team to work on this urgently to get your telephone line restored as quickly as possible.
2) Test the External Connection
You’ll have to get to your Network Interface Device or NID to check the external connection. This gray box is usually on a wall just outside the office, the wall behind one of the office cabinets, or in the basement.
Open the NID and unplug one of the lines you see inside.
Plug in a working phone into that empty jack and try and make a phone call. If you can make a call through that line, it means it’s working just fine.
Replace the line and test the next line. Keep doing this till you’ve tested all the lines.
If your phone is working just fine through all the lines, the fault lies in the internal connection. Skip to the next step to troubleshoot internal connection issues. If your phone stops working when it’s plugged into any one of the phone jacks, the problem is external. You can’t do anything to resolve an external connectivity issue. Call your provider and get them to carry out the necessary repairs. If the test seems to fix the problem, the issue is internal and usually not within the scope of the provider’s services. In most cases, if there’s no dial tone on all phones in the office, chances are it’s an external problem. Related: 12 Best VoIP Adapters in 2019: Compare Features, Reviews & Costs
3) Only One Phone Not Working? Here’s What You Need to Do
When only one phone isn’t working, it could be a problem with the piece of equipment itself.
Replace the office phone with a different phone that works.
If the alternative phone works, it means the older handset is faulty and needs to be replaced. If the new phone also doesn’t work, it’s time to test the phone cord.
Remove the phone cord and replace it with another. Test the phone again. If the phone stops working now, the fault lies with the jack.
Replace the phone jack and test again. If it doesn’t work, there’s a problem with the line.
This applies to all types of phone problems — crackling sounds, no dial tone, unable to make or receive calls, dropped calls, or trouble hearing or being heard.
4) What to Do When Multiple or All Phones Aren’t Working
If more than one phone isn’t working or ALL phones in the office are not working, chances are it’s an external problem. Call your service provider to check and fix your phone connection. Regardless of the type of problem you’re facing with your business phone line, if it exists across multiple or all phones in the office, it’s time to call your service provider.
Recurring Problems with Your Business Phone Line? Consider a VoIP Solution
Problems happen. While that’s understandable, can you really afford to take a chance when your phone lines are the lifeline of your business? Obsolete technology, outdated infrastructure, and aging equipment are some of the problems inherent in traditional communication systems. All of these factors work separately and together to create recurring outage issues with your office phone lines. If you keep having problems with your phone line repeatedly, it’s time to explore your options.
VoIP is one of the best alternatives to a troublesome landline. VoIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol, is a revolutionary cloud-based solution. It works by converting analog audio signals into digital data that transmits over an internet connection.
Why choose VoIP
1) Reliability that comes with being on the cloud There are several advantages to choosing VoIP over traditional landlines. First and foremost, there’s the reliability. Because it’s cloud-based, your phone lines will always be running regardless of other factors. No worrying that the rain may disrupt your internet connection. You will be able to make outgoing calls and receive all incoming calls without any problems. 2) Virtual troubleshooting Problems with VoIP are almost nonexistent. On the rare occasion your phone system goes down, your service provider can troubleshoot and resolve the issue themselves. You can do this within minutes. 24/7. You won’t have to wait days or even hours for the technician to turn up at your office, identify the problem, and then come back the next day to try and fix it. 3) Flexible phone plans and pricing VoIP companies offer businesses a wide range of phone plans at a much more affordable price, too. It makes it easier for a small business to start small, even with just one phone line, and scale up as their business and budget grow. Ready to ditch your business phone line and switch to VoIP?Call us today to learn more about Nextiva’s Business Phone Service.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gaetano DiNardi
Gaetano DiNardi led demand generation at Nextiva and has a track record of success working with brands like Major League Baseball, Pipedrive, Sales Hacker, and Outreach.io. Outside of marketing, Gaetano is an accomplished music producer and songwriter. He’s worked with major artists like Fat Joe, Shaggy, and loves making music to stay turbocharged.
To grow your company and make it sustainable, you know you need to attract new customers. You must also keep the ones you already have happy. Many organizations have discovered how useful it is to have CRM (customer relationship management) software in place to keep track of the most critical customer information. CRMs can do a lot for a company. It’s essential to make a distinction between two crucial ones: service CRM and sales CRM. Service CRM helps companies maintain a relationship with their customers. It also streamlines customer success. Sales CRM tracks your sales pipeline, sales forecasting, and contact information. These sales and service management systems can be SaaS or on-premise. This guide will break down the main differences, benefits, and use cases of these types of CRM software. We’ll show you how to elevate your organization with them. Related: Operational CRM: What is It & How Do Businesses Use It to Grow
What is Service CRM?
You could say that service CRM is the most literal variety of customer relationship management software. Post the sale, you need an all-in-one order management and self-service portal.
Service CRM will be your go-to tool whenever your customers need support from you.
This is where you’ll find all previous interactions with the customer, billings, and notes. You’ll see any complaints they made and the features they requested. All the products and services they have bought, upgraded, or downgraded will be here, too. A VoIP + CRM integration is a good example of a Service CRM:
When you have all this customer data in one place, you can create a quality experience for your customers.
Most importantly, you can build strong relationships with long-term customers and improve your customer retention. It will cost you less to sell to them compared to acquiring new customers. They also tend to spend more than first-time customers.
In other words, service CRMs enable you to place customer service at the center of your business.
What is a Sales CRM?
Sales CRM is a central tool for the sales process that leads up to acquiring a new customer.
It contains all the information from the moment someone becomes your prospect through to sealing the deal. Sales CRM holds your interactions with prospects from various channels. It helps you prioritize tasks and leads based on the nature of these interactions.
In other words, service CRM lets you deliver excellent customer service. Sales CRM helps you with opportunity management.
Sales CRM enables sales teams to stay productive and always on top of ongoing conversations and negotiations. It can automate manual day-to-day tasks and give an overview of current deals in the sales funnel. It also improves forecasting and reporting.
For salespeople, CRM tools are where they spend the majority of their time. It’s the home for everything they’re working on. They never have to keep track of their leads and tasks in their head, on business cards, or post-its. It’s all stored in one reliable place. Related: 12 Customer Service Trends You Can’t Ignore in 2020
Want to run off to implement a new CRM right away? Let’s first dive into how service CRM and sales CRM platforms are used and the levels of your company they impact.
So, what is a Service CRM used for?
From an overall perspective, service CRM seems like its purpose is exactly what it says on the tin: service. It does a lot more than that: it helps you become and remain a customer-centric organization at your core.
Which business functions does a service CRM support?
1) Inbound customer support. An inquiry coming in through phone, email, live chat, social media, or in-person? Service CRM is the tool to rely on. Many CRM systems will provide you with a space for a knowledgebase, too. This way, you can pull up the most relevant and correct information quickly.
The most important element of inbound customer support is tracking it every time a customer reaches out—no exceptions. This will help you build a complete picture of each customer, as well as keep track of common issues that arise. 2) Customer lifecycle data and customer profiles. For many industries, recurring purchases is the lifeblood of a company. Understanding what makes people buy again and/or more is key to increasing their lifetime value (LTV). Service CRM lets you build that customer profile and keep track of customer history.
This knowledge can drive products and strategic marketing efforts. In turn, they maximize the customer lifecycle. 3) Upsell opportunities. By noticing patterns in questions and requests for products, you can anticipate customer needs. You can communicate this to your sales team members. These upsell opportunities increase the lifetime value of existing customers. 4) Churn reduction. When you notice a change in customer behavior, this may be a signal they want to leave you. They might be an increased number of complaints or a failed recurring payment.
At first, these behaviors might be hard to notice. But as you spend more time in your service CRM, you’ll see trends that happened before customers left you. You can look for the same patterns in existing customers and react right away to prevent churn.
1) Customer service agent. This covers anyone on the receiving end of a customer inquiry, including retail staff, call center, and any help desk admins. The quicker they get all the information into the CRM, the more accurate and useful it will be later. 2) Customer service manager. Managers in customer support have a tough role. They must keep their team motivated to provide the best service possible. They are also the person that will look after the issues that their customer service agents don’t have the authority to take action on. Their service CRM will give them the full insight into each issue instead of having the agent explain it in detail. 3) Customer operations manager. When all the issues are dealt with by the customer service teams and managers, an operations manager can dive in to define customer service workflows, look for bottlenecks, and improve processes. Customer operations managers must create an environment for the customer service team to thrive. They have to avoid distractions and have all the right tools. Service CRM gives them an insight into how the team works and which areas can improve. 4) Customer success manager. Customer success works closely with customers to promote retention and loyalty. They look for areas of dissatisfaction, which is where service CRM comes into play. They know the product inside out. They’re able to look for areas of improvement based on a history of complaints to customer service.
And, how about a Sales CRM?
Sales CRM is a central place for everyone in your company in charge of acquiring new business. Its most apparent role is to assist sales reps in tracking their sales pipeline. However, it extends into revenue forecasting, planning, and the company’s financial health.
Which business functions does a sales CRM support?
1) Lead generation. If salespeople have to scramble for new leads every day and store them in multiple places (spreadsheets, notebooks, emails), they’ll be spread too thin. Sales CRM provides a centralized place for all new leads. 2) Lead nurturing. Subsequent nurturing of those leads is crucial. Without it, they are much less likely to become a customer. This can make lead generation efforts wasteful. Sales CRM helps teams track all lead activities, email opens, responses from a lead, and more. 3) Lead management. A healthy pipeline is one of the key foundations of a strong sales force. You want to have a balanced number of leads across all stages of the pipeline. Sales CRM gives you an insight into pipeline stages that have fewer leads than you’re forecasting. 4) Conversion and close rate optimization. How long does it take to convert a lead into a customer? Are some stages of the sales process bottlenecks? Could each lead bring more revenue than it already does? Without a sales CRM, these questions are difficult to answer.
Which roles use a sales CRM?
1) Sales representative. Interactions with potential customers are only valuable if they’re tracked. This includes brick-and-mortar retail, phone sales, email, and field sales. A good sales CRM will enable sales reps to do so wherever they are and maximize their sales performance. 2) Account executive. Account executives need an in-depth look into all the interactions with the lead. They work closely with sales reps. This means they can help maintain and extend existing customer relationships. 3) Sales manager. Managers set individual and team quotas and goals. They also train their reps and review their activities. They’re the ones making sure the team is on track with the results that the rest of the company needs them to achieve. Without a sales CRM, they have limited access to data they need to do their job. 4) VP of sales. The role of a vice president of sales is to drive the growth and strategy of the entire organization. They won’t spend much time looking into individual reps’ CRM data. Instead, they’ll look for big-picture patterns and directions. For example, markets to target, opportunities to scale, top talent to recruit, and more. 5) Chief revenue officer (CRO). The head of a sales organization leverages an accurate CRM to make business decisions. Everything from sales volume, opportunities, headcount, and revenue forecasts factor into their goal of elevating the revenue and sustainability of the organization.
Benefits of Service CRM and Sales CRM
Service CRM Benefits
“Better customer service” doesn’t say much when it comes to the benefits of a service CRM. It goes a lot deeper. It can impact your entire organization in the best way possible.
1) A 360° customer view and deeper customer relationships
Effective multichannel communication alone is enough to celebrate the benefits of a service CRM. With it, you can easily track customer conversations across all your channels.
Let’s say a conversation started on the phone but continued over email. Then, the customer ended up sharing about their experience on Twitter. It only makes sense to track it all in a single place.
Do you know what annoys your customer? Explaining their problem to multiple customer service reps. With a service CRM, customer issues can be accessed by any of your reps. They become knowledgeable with zero delays.
Furthermore, it’s risky to miss or lose a piece of important customer interaction in the flood of information. A complete customer profile will show you what they care about. Once they see you’ve paid attention, they’ll know you value them as a customer.
2) Lesser data entry, more efficiency
Source Imagine having all that valuable information about a customer…But having to spend hours each day just to make sure it’s all in place. Taking notes from a customer email so you can remember it later. Sending follow-up emails manually. Calling a colleague to ask for notes they’ve made in a spreadsheet or note only available to them. All of these tasks—and many more—are daunting, repetitive, and extremely inefficient. Instead, you can automate almost anything that’s triggered by the customer’s activity. For example, you can automate emails to customers based on a timeframe or an action they’ve taken. You can automatically store data about emails and calls with a customer in one place. When you give access to this information to your customer-focused teams, you’ll balance everyone’s workload. They will improve response and resolution times and increase customer satisfaction.
Sales CRM Benefits
1) Higher revenue and retention
A sales CRM gives you a full insight into each of your sales cycle stages, potential roadblocks, best next actions, and leads that need to be prioritized.
It also provides an in-depth reporting and analysis ability. This helps you understand why a deal wasn’t closed or why customers have decided to go for a cheaper option.
With this knowledge, you can treat future sales conversations differently. You can assign a more equipped sales rep to a deal and forecast issues and challenges before they arise.
This way, you will close sales on the most qualified leads. You’ll also build longer customer relationships and more recurring revenue.
Of course, you can also notice positive patterns in sales conversations. They can help to upsell and cross-sell relevant offers. Related: Proven Digital Marketing Tips to Win in Search, Social, & Email
2) Smarter marketing activities and campaigns
Remember how we mentioned the role of VP of sales that uses a sales CRM and benefits from it?
This is particularly the case when it comes to their work with the head of marketing. The insights they’ll gain from a sales CRM will help them uncover types of leads that easily convert.
This way, marketing teams won’t be spinning their wheels trying to get as many leads for the sales team as possible. Instead, they will know exactly which leads are benefitting from their offer the most.
They’ll make their location, demographics, and interests the focus of future marketing campaigns.
The result: less frustration, more certainty in marketing decision, and higher marketing ROI.
3) Powerful sales management
Some of the biggest challenges of sales leaders is hiring the right people and keeping their team’s morale high, even when it’s difficult. Without a centralized place for progress like a sales CRM, sales managers have hard time tracking milestones, as well as areas for improvement. They aren’t able to provide constructive feedback or train their reps. With a CRM to manage their pipeline, activities, goals, and reports, sales managers can understand where the team stands as a whole at any moment. They can ensure all reps are working on lead categories they specialize in and can assist them in real time.
Wouldn’t It Be Easier If We Had ONE for Both?
Both of these CRM systems are powerful tools that, when used together, help you turn prospects into customers and customers into loyal, raving fans.
You may have even noticed that some roles that use them actually overlap, such as customer success managers and account executives. To do their job well, they likely need to refer to both CRMs often.
The question that naturally pops up: wouldn’t it make sense to have a system that merges these two CRMs?
In other words, wouldn’t it be easier if all information, both about your leads and your customers, would live on a single screen?
The good news: it now can!
Introducing Nextiva’s Sales and Service CRM
Nextiva’s sales pipeline CRM and customer service CRM brings all of your communication in one place, no matter the channel.
Phone, email, SMS, chat, and social media are all united from the moment you contact a lead, for as long as they’re your customer.
By knowing the challenges they faced before becoming your customer, you can serve them in a way that will deepen their trust in you. With a 360° overview of each customer, you’ll also quickly notice new features or products you can launch in the future.
Most importantly, you can do all of this—and a lot more—in real time. No more delays because a piece of information is missing. No more waiting because the key member of your team is on vacation. With one hub for all your leads and customers, you’ll remove annoying delays. Related: NextOS Named to GetCRM’s Top CRM Software Picks in 2019
Top CRM Features You’ll Want
With Nextiva’s sales and service CRM, you’ll be able to:
You can also set up and get started easily with an intuitive, user-friendly system. Migrating your existing data is also hassle-free.
Most importantly: you won’t need to spend days and weeks in training and onboarding to reap the benefits of a complete CRM solution.
Nextiva CRM Pricing
All of our plans include features driven by productivity, intelligence, and automation so that you can focus on what matters most. Our plans start at $20 per user monthly and are made to fit businesses of all sizes, no matter how simple or complex their requirements may be.
Our plans include powerful features for communication, contact management, customer service, and reporting. They also don’t require you to commit to a contract (phew!).
In other words, you’ll never have to pay for features you don’t need, and you can make Nextiva exactly what you need it to be.
If you want a CRM that will help you centralize your customer conversations and make growth efficient, check out our top CRM features.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gaetano DiNardi
Gaetano DiNardi led demand generation at Nextiva and has a track record of success working with brands like Major League Baseball, Pipedrive, Sales Hacker, and Outreach.io. Outside of marketing, Gaetano is an accomplished music producer and songwriter. He’s worked with major artists like Fat Joe, Shaggy, and loves making music to stay turbocharged.
