Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Keep Your Business Safe

Tips to keep your business safe:
  • Create a formal written Internet security policy for employees.
  • Create a formal written policy for social media use on work hours.
  • Provide internet safety training.

Assess the Risk:
  • Monitor the accounts of all employees, be aware of your assets and the defenses to protect these.
Consider the Following:
  • What information do you collect from customers?
  • How do you store the information you collect?
  • Who has access to customer information?
  • How do you protect the information?
Monitor Threats:
  • SPAM
  • PHISHING
  • VIRUSES
  • SPYWARE
Security Plan:
  • Prevention - Create a plan for all employees to follow that identifies the risks associated with attacks and the solutions to avoid them.
  • Resolution - In the event of a breach of a security, what will the plan be for resolving the issue.
  • Restitution - Be prepared to address customers and secure future trust.
Simple Steps:
  • Make sure all of your information is securely backed up!
  • Change passwords often.
  • Educate employees on safety procedures.
  • Know what is important to protect.

This Business Safety Message brought to you by: Business Network Long Distance, your trusted business partner. 


Monday, November 11, 2013

Your Professional Business Line

            When it comes to the landline service it is not only important to residents it is important to businesses.  Businesses depend on customers so customers need to have a reliable way to reach the business.  A landline provides dependability and credibility.  A successful business should be seen as professional and the landline helps a customer see commitment!
            The credibility of a landline can show professionalism.  A landline is a permanent number that is attached to a physical address.  This is important to consumers to show the business is established in the community.  With so many businesses coming and going it can be comforting.  Also with so many scams out there today, a landline shows that the business is established and there to stay.   The little effort it takes to maintain a landline is well worth the customer loyalty that can be gained.
            A landline is more professional than a wireless system for many reasons!  Wireless systems can have issues when there are power outages or weak signals, this can leave a business without a phone.  When a customer calls and they are not able to reach the business, this can damage their reputation.  A landline can still connect during a power outage and there are no dead zones to concern yourself with.
            Last but not least, the landline is cost-effective for a business.  The landline can have multiple lines to transfer calls and receive calls with.  Landlines are cheaper and provide better quality, a great business decision.

            A business should pride itself on being professional.  That is what will separate itself from many other businesses and a landline will help do just that.  A landline is the way to go for a business phone.  Earn customers loyalty, trust and business!  Keep the credible and cost effective landline! Keep the landline professional.  For more information on how to save money on long distance service contact Business Network Long Distance!

Friday, November 8, 2013

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.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

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. 

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

A Trustworthy Service

            In the United States, a lot of scam businesses have recently appeared to take your information and then use it against you.  Because of this, consumers like to know exactly who they are dealing with. Consumers are leery of being scammed and a registered business landline assures potential customers that your company is legitimate and that the business will not skip town with their hard-earned dollars. The business landline provides a clear channel of communication and is more dependable than a cell phone. Although cellular phones are convenient, especially for contractors who spend the majority of their time at job-sites, cell phones should only be used as a supplement to the business landline.  

            Business landlines have the ability to function during natural or man-made disasters. Unlike cell phones, they do not rely on a power source to recharge the batteries or relay towers to transmit radio waves.  Unfortunately, many contractors who depended solely upon cell-phones lost potential business because they simply could not be reached due to jammed systems, downed cell towers or no power to recharge cell phone batteries during natural disasters. Their current satisfied clientele, as well as, potential new customers were forced to turn to other contractors who had landlines. Customers want immediate business services and they will not wait patiently until their current contractor becomes available, especially when the competition can be reached and is willing to come to their rescue in times of trouble.

            An established business landline is a necessity for keeping current customers and attracting new customers. Do not cancel your dependable landline service in an effort to cut back on expenses. Instead build your business by investing in your financial future by being available the next time a customer needs your business services and their contractor cannot be reached on a cellular phone.   
  

If you are looking to reduce your current bill and you want to save even more money on your long distance service call Business Network Long Distance.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Your Business Line Should Be Professional

When employees use their smartphones instead of business landlines for work, it can be cost-effective for some organizations, but there are downsides to cutting the cord, including problems with call quality and issues around organizational control.

The traditional desktop telephone persists in most enterprise settings today, despite the rise of smartphones.  Before you unplug all your business landlines, think about some of the problems you may encounter. 

Do you want important customers, clients and other contacts to have access to your employee’s personal phone numbers? 

Mobile phones are essential for many personal activities, but employees really don’t need mobile access at work.  It is instead better to have landlines for the work environment.  In these scenarios, employers will appreciate the lower costs of wired services and employees will appreciate the improved reliability. 

“Our advice to clients is not to switch from an office-based phone to a cell phone exclusively,” said Fred Manuel, General Partner at Alliance Cost Containment in Ann Arbor, Mich., a company that works with businesses to reduce costs in all areas of operation.

Manuel said that while his focus is helping customers cut costs, using a cell phone can cost more in the end because it can be frustrating to customers who can’t hear you clearly on the phone.

“What you’re saying to your client is that you care more about saving money than delivering good service and you may be sending the message that you really don’t have the money for an office with a land based phone,” Manuel told Business News Daily.


As you know, everything has its advantages and disadvantages.  Whether keeping a separate landline for your mobile phone is going to work for you or not, would depend on your needs and preferences; but taking them into consideration won’t do you any harm.  Keep your landline and all of its advantages and save even more money on your long distance service contact Business Network Long Distance, your trusted business partner.

Monday, November 4, 2013

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.