Long Live the Landline

Since its invention in 1875, the landline has been trusted by millions of people.  The invention has been improved throughout the years to make it a reliable form of communication.

During the 21st century, landline telephone usage reached its peak.  Some may think that it is on the downfall, however to this day 64% of households maintain a landline. There are several reasons to consider, when you consider maintaining a landline.

The landline through many improvements has stayed reliable.  While technology has changed, they kept the hard wires instead of switching to towers.  This is because the towers that are used for cell phones can get jammed and are unpredictable.

The landline has also maintained to be an affordable line for communication.  The cell phone increases in price with new technology constantly emerging that you have to upgrade for, while the landline lasts for years.  Also, if you break your landline, you don’t have to worry about waiting for it to cost a reasonable price when your contract is up.  You can go to your local convenience store for your new landline.

Your business needs a line to depend on for communication.  The landline is just that.

Save your landline and save money!  Contact Business Network Long Distance for an affordable and reliable long distance service for your business.  

Keep the Employees Focused

            Productivity is where the business strives.  If you look around, though, do you not see the streets and halls of commerce filled with hunched over humans hovering over their cellphones and oblivious to the worlds around them. To get your people back to work, to get them to focus on the task at hand and increase productivity, the cellphone needs to be put away. Landlines are the solution.gm

            Cellphones interrupt business in a multitude of ways, providing distractions and creating hazards. They actually add to stress and burn-out, too, killing productivity. Here are some ways landlines will ensure that the focus of your business will work.

1.      Remove the cellphone distraction by requiring employees to conduct business on landlines, where social media does not exist. Personal calls on cellphones should be limited. Landlines can also security measures to review contact history, and or record/listen to conversations to ensure customers are being handles properly and professionally.

2.      Focus on meetings and projects by keeping personal or frivolous interruptions to a minimum that are often found on cell phones/smart phones.

3.      Increase security by using landlines, minimizing the opportunity for electronic eavesdropping, intentional or accidental.

4.      Landlines and localized records are much more secure. How dangerous would it be if all of your business information, contacts, and records were on an unlocked cellphone and it was lost or damaged?

5.      The use of landlines creates a separation of the personal life and the professional life, a key component of employee productivity.

6.      In-the- moment text decisions are typically less than productive. The responder is focused on sending a reply, not necessarily on making the best decision or taking time to consult with others to compose the best solution.

Cutting out landlines in your business is actually counter- productive and costly Landlines put the control of the work environment back into the hands of managers and owners, increasing productivity and the quality of services rendered.

            For all of your business long distance needs, contact Business Network Long Distance.

The Smart Phone for Your Business-The Landline

Let's just face it. Nobody thinks about a landline today when you think about phones. Technology and marketing has completely left out landlines for the past few years.  All we hear about is cell phones and the latest greatest device we need to purchase.  This often overrides the relevance of the phones initial purposes, which is contact and communication.

When it comes to your business, how comfortable are you with knowing that your calling abilities are subject to unstable conditions? How comfortable are your clients with your entire business being mobile?  Moreover how safe is your business being totally mobile?

When dealing with cell phones there are too many possible pitfalls that could occur during a crucial business moment for you. Dropped calls can be the most underestimated killjoy of a business call, especially if you're in the middle of receiving information from a client. This results due to weak cell signals or poor coverage areas. Poor quality in certain areas also becomes a buzz kill for clients. Really though, who wants to keep repeating themselves to someone who wants their business, my money?

Another factor is the distractions that occur while on a mobile phone. The distractions range from people around you talking to you, driving, texts coming in, etc. Wouldn’t you rather be answering business calls in a business setting on a designated business line? 

Let’s mention battery life? Think about the T-Mobile commercial with Bill Hader in which he is running from power outlet to power outlet in the office trying to stay connected to a client, and then he eventually loses the client. Can you really afford to re-enact this scene for yourself?

Consider the perception that your clients may have of your business being solely on a mobile phone. What does it really say about your business? How much easier is it to scam a person with a cell phone that is not as traceable as a landline? Many are not comfortable with giving their hard earned money to somebody who is not centrally located where they can contact them and see them when they need to.

Mobile phones for your main business line just do not convey stability to customers. Also consider the impact of not being registered in the phone book. How does that impact your marketing? In America, your image is everything.

Also remember the security!  The landline provides a line that cannot be hacked as easily, making credit card numbers and other information safe!  You as a business owner should feel just as cautious about your own banking info on a mobile. 

Get the landline for your business and call Business Network Long Distance to save money on your long distance costs. 

Top Three Reasons You Need a Landline

A lot of business owners seem to think landline phones are becoming extinct like the dinosaurs. The large number buttons, hefty handles and long cords aren’t as attractive as the small cell phone.  However, before you let your landline go you may want to consider what the landline does bring to your company.

1.       A Stable Connection - Being able to communicate to others efficiently and effectively is a key factor in business. Stock trades and other business transactions happen at the speed of light, and being on a cell phone while service may become interrupted can have a costly effect. Using a landline will ensure that a business transaction is handled correctly and securely, without the dropped call or out of range static.

2.       Reliable and Dependable – As a business owner, you want the ability to communicate in any storm or emergency.  Overworked or out of commission cell networks and towers have failed in these situations, but the landline continues to reach emergency services or other landlines.  Without any power, the landlines still works effectively and does not rely on being charged regularly.  Companies with a landline have the peace of mind knowing their transactions are safe and secure in these situations.

3.       Cost – This may be your biggest concern as a business owner, if it is, the landline is right for you.  With cell phones becoming more advanced, cell phone companies are constantly finding ways to charge more.  Unlimited plans are a necessity now and cost an arm and a leg.  Businesses are dependent on the profit, where there are possible savings, grab ahold of them. 

These are the top three reasons a business should choose a landline over a cell phone. While there are positives and negatives to both services, no cell phone can offer what a landline does in communication. 

Save money today with Business Network Long Distance. 

Cell Phones in the Workplace: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Cellular phones seem to be a part of society, now even entering the workplace.  Many employers are attempting to go strictly cellular at their businesses and seem to think it is a good idea to let their workers bring their own cell phones to work.  Business owners may be thinking that it can possibly reduce costs, ensure a better work environment because the employees are happier and even attract new and more creative workers.  Despite the good this idea affords, the bad and the ugly can be costly for your business.

Some may think it’s abnormal to think that you would let your employees bring their smart phones to make them happier; nevertheless, while you're paying them for productivity and creativity, they are wasting time on their phones!  As an employer, you are paying them to work for your business and contribute to the company’s growth.  If you were visiting a store or a potential business partner, how would you feel if they were texting and watching videos instead of working? 

Another factor to consider is how easy it is to be distracted by your smartphone.  Cell phones provide enjoyment in all forms and can continually entertain us.  They provide captivating material between the texts, social media and games; you can be entertained for hours without even using the phone as a phone.  So are you paying your employees cell phone bills for calls or for the extras? 

While banning cell phones is an unlikely solution, instead keep the cell phones for personal calls and the business line for work.

One last problem to consider in providing cell phones to employees is that it blurs the line between home and work.  Employees answering personal phone calls at work and working from home can get difficult and stressful quickly. 

Keep the cell phones out of the workplace and save money.  Business Network Long Distance is your trusted business partner, helping you keep cost down and productivity high.

Landline Safety Features

Keeping your landline is the most important decision a home or business owner can make.  While it may seem like a minor detail, there are many reasons that make it a top priority.

Batteries and towers are not required for the use of landlines.  Landlines require no batteries, while some cordless phones need an occasional charging when not in use; the corded landline requires no electricity.  Your cell phone battery goes out and you are unable to contact anyone until it charges.  What if the power is out?  A landline can save a lot of stress if an unpredictable power outage occurs.  During emergencies as well, the cell phone tower can be compromised for bandwidth, causing your cell phone to be unable to make phone calls or text.

Cell phones are at the mercy of weather and geographic features of the area.  Whereas landlines give you five bars everywhere.  No worrying about where you are in your house and if you get a signal, the landline doesn’t drop your call. 

The safety feature included in a landline for your business is especially important when considering the safety of your employees and of your customers. They will remember how you were prepared and could contact emergency services with the landline, while others were stranded because of only mobile phones and signals jammed. 

Business Network Long Distance cares about your safety and your priorities.  Keep your landline and save money with long distance services by Business Network Long Distance. 

Why choose a business landline?

One argument against your business landline you may hear is that it is outdated and no longer needed, because cell phones provide everything a business needs and more. Stop! Don't buy into the hype and cancel your landline without comparing the important differences between business landlines and cell phones.

The primary reason for having any phone is to communicate with your potential clients. Landlines are used for verbal communication, while cell phones have the capability of both verbal and non-verbal communication; such as: texting, tweeting, Facebook, etc... However, cell phone features cannot compete with traditional landline security, reception and dependability.

Traditional phone lines do not use software and calls travel over permanently connected terrestrial circuits. Security against electromagnetic intrusion or spying (cyber security) is a leading security problem in the United States. Cell phones connect with the telephone network using radio waves, which makes them susceptible to attack from eavesdroppers who intercept consumer information from radio frequencies. The entire spectrum of electromagnetic frequencies include: not just wireless calls, but also frequencies used for radios, scanners, microwave ovens, facsimile, video, radars and televisions.

This provides a safer network for new clients to provide credit card or other information.  Cell phones track your incoming and outgoing calls, incoming or outgoing text messages and your location. By using a landline it becomes more difficult for media marketers to send signals to your cell phone. Security systems for your office can be connected directly to the landline. This provides another safety feature to your place of business.

Landlines offer a clear channel of communication without the white noise or dead zones that are common in all cell phone services.  How embarrassing it can be when you are not sure which parts of your office have no bars and your call disconnects. Landlines give consumers added security, by restricting undesired callers from having unlimited access to your cell phone. 

The business landline is more dependable than a wireless cell phone also because they work during power outages. While the power outage may shut down surrounding companies, it would be great for your company to outlast the power outage and continue to take orders and provide great customer service.  This also gives any visiting customers a way to communicate with family and friends where they are in case they are stranded due to it.

Landlines are linked to the address of the line, which provides a 911 guarantee. There is no such guarantee with cell phones and the extra minutes that it could take to find the exact location are not worth the risk.

In order to protect your investment, let your cell phone stay personal and conduct business on your landline. Business landlines are affordable, providing unlimited local calling at a reasonable price and if you want to save even more money on your long distance service, contact Business Network Long Distance.

Your Business Greeting

How do you answer your business line?  

Keep the business line separate and answer it professionally.  This business tip brought to you by Business Network Long Distance.

Cell Phone vs. Landline

There is a price one pays to enjoy the plethora of benefits of owning a cell phone. A cell phone makes life easier and efficient, but annoyance and vulnerability are a part of the package as well.

The cell phone and the landline are natural allies, their inherent abilities and inabilities work well together, let’s consider them.

Cell Phone: Mobility equals around the clock access for everyone to you, which can mean a ton of calls, at any given time, from those you do not need or want to talk with.

Landline: The home phone should be the work horse for receiving calls, an answering machine or service is a great way to screen calls.

Cell Phone: This mode of communication is not operating on a secured system, conversations can easily be intercepted. You are a sitting duck if you give sensitive financial or very personal information over your cell phone. A simple device like a scanner can intercept the analog waves that carry wireless calls.

Landline: You have security of your conversation because it is harder to intercept a conversation through cables compared to radio waves.

Cell Phone: This technological wonder is prone to loss, theft, misplacement and damage.

Landline: The old but faithful is stationary and robust, it has stood the test of time.

In short, make your cell phone number exclusive, like a country club. You do not want everyone to have access to you. Your home number is like the county park, it allows more access to you but it's screened. In addition, the long distance service on the landline is less expensive.

Contact Business Network Long Distance for a great price and great quality with your long distance services.

Minute by Minute: What's the better phone?

"Time is Money" and "every minute counts" are old clichés we have to be learned are true. Every day there is a vast amount of minutes, if not hours you spend on the phone, sometimes in a stationary place and sometimes on the go. Regardless the need for the phone is a must. The real question is do we need both a landline and a cell phone? Many would argue that we only need a cell phone, however in most cases the mobile phones turns out to be more of an entertainment device more than a source of communication. Some will argue (especially the senior citizens of our community) that all they need is their house phone.  So let's weigh in on the pros and cons of the dichotomy of telecommunications.

We first must accept that all points of discussion are based on the sole purpose of making a voice call, period. So let's talk quality, there are some great speaker systems in some of the cell phones today and the headsets for them are almost as good as some medium range ear buds. However, the volume still doesn't come close to the audio on a landline; it is thinner and varies in comparison. When we are dealing with the frequencies of the human voice, this can prove to be problematic due to high frequency distortion. The static ratio is much lower in landlines and choppy calls are non- existent.

The price factor is a major point that many would be shocked to discover that a cell phone isn't the better option, even with the free long distance. This is because of per minute usage. Unlimited plans run around $80-$100 per month on average and if you don't do a high volume of long distance, which is killer on the wallet.  If you don't go unlimited and end up using a high amount of minutes that go past your plans allotted minutes, the extra minutes can be up to .20 per minute. And let's not forget about possible roaming charges. Landlines with unlimited long distance run around $60-$70 per month on average and if you don't use long distance, then you could cut that cost in half.  Now if you do a lot of international calling then the cell phone is a hands down loser. Not just on quality but also on price because all the breaks come in the free domestic calling. With landlines international calls are less stress to the budget.

When talking about dependability, landlines depend on nothing but the line itself. Cell phones depend on a tower that could be affected by weather or power. Cell phones also have to be in range of a tower to make (or maintain) the call. There are various things that can cause interference to a wireless call. When a power outage or a bad storm happens in your area, you don't lose your landlines life span because it's not based on a battery.

Since cell phones are so small and portable they are much easier to lose. Also consider that cell phones are high targets for thieves.

If your business is in need of better long distance prices and service, contact Business Network Long Distance for a great deal on your long distance needs.

Emergency Landline, Protect Yourself

Do you ever think of reasons why you may need a landline?  Well, there are many reasons that you need a landline even if you own a cell phone.  With advantages like 911 services, reliability in power outages, security for phone calls and even the ease of use for all.  You will quickly see how many important reasons there are and why you need a landline.

What if there is an emergency at your place of business?  How would you or a customer call for help?  Well if the cell phone was lost or the power was out, it would do you no good.  A landline on the other hand would be available to make that call for help because it is a physical line.  Also, when you call a dispatcher on a landline it gives them an exact location instead of a general area.  This makes it easier for them to get to you and a quicker response time. 

One more reason you need a landline is with the advanced technology of cell phones it makes them more complicated for young children and seniors to use.  The landline still remains simple for anyone to make a call.  Any of these reasons makes it clear on why you should maintain a landline; along with the convenience and professional look it gives your business.

For your long distance business needs, contact Business Network Long Distance.