Category: How To’s

VTech provides phone systems with different components to help organize internal and external communications. An efficient VTech phone system combined with resourceful features of a business number from a reliable phone service provider can help improve the quality of your company’s customer interaction. Learn how to set up a VTech phone system and how to use United World Telecom’s service with it.

Setting Up Your Business VTech Phone

Before you purchase equipment, it is important to purchase a business phone number for your company. Your customer interaction depends on the type of phone number and line you choose to invest in. United World Telecom offers multiple virtual local and international numbers with international call forwarding. Virtual numbers route calls over the internet and with call forwarding, you can direct calls to whichever number you desire. With this service, you can access clients across the world with a reasonable payment plan and a good internet connection.

Once you have a business phone number and phone lines purchased, you can start setting up your VTech phone system. VTech systems come with a main console connected to analog phone lines and additional devices that are connected to the console wirelessly. VTech offers a variety of devices that you can choose from depending on your preference and company size. The main devices included are a main console, extension desk sets, and extension handsets. You can also get cordless headsets and cordless speakerphones.

Setting Up The Main Console

The Main Console is the main component of the business phone system. And other systems cannot work without it. The console can be expanded with up to 9 extension desk sets, extension handsets, cordless headsets, or cordless speakerphones. With these options, you can customize and create a phone system that best suits the needs of your office.

The devices communicate with the main console over wireless DECT technology. Therefore, you do not need to plug telephone lines into cordless devices, but only into the main console. You can also use the main console as a telephone with a single user using up to 4 telephone lines. You can purchase multiple telephone lines through United World Telecom.

To install the main console:

Step #1: Install the optional backup battery by inserting 4 AA batteries at the back of the console. This will be useful in case of a power failure.
Step #2: Next, install the mounting bracket for tabletop use by inserting fixed tabs on the mounting bracket into the desired slot. There are two locations for high or low visibility.
Step #3: Connect the handset cord by plugging one end of the cord into the handset jack on the side of the console.
Step #4: Then, connect telephone lines at the back of the console, open the line jack cover, and plug one end of the telephone line into the telephone line jack (L1, L2, L3, or L4). Plug the other into the telephone wall outlet.

Note: Repeat this for all the telephones lines you wish to connect. If you have two two-line wall outlets, plug one line in L1/2 and the other in L3/4. Do not connect a fifth or sixth line in the empty L2 or L4 jacks.

Step #5: Next, connect the power by inserting the smaller end of the power adapter into the power jack at the back of the console. Plug the other end to a power outlet not controlled by a wall switch.
Step #6: Finally, test for a dial tone. Give the console a few minutes to start up and enter idle mode. When it is in idle mode, press each of the available line keys to test for a dial tone. If you hear a dial tone for each line, the installation was successful and you can now make and receive calls.

Connecting the Cordless Extension Deskset

In order to use the cordless extension desk set as part of your VTech phone system, it must be registered to the main console.
First, install the rechargeable backup battery by plugging the battery connector securely into the socket inside the battery compartment.
Then, install the mounting bracket, connect the coiled handset, and connect the power.

To register the cordless extension desk set to the main console:

Step #1: Press Menu/Select on the main console.
Step #2: Select Registration.
Step #3: Then, select Register Extension.
Step #4: Then, press # on the extension desk set.
Step #5: The desk set screen will display Registering. Registration may take up to 60 seconds.
Step #6: Once registration is complete, both desk sets will show Desk set X Registered, where ‘X’ is the extension number of the device. This is unique across each system and cannot be changed.
Step #7: While the desk set is in idle mode, lift the corded handset. If you hear a dial tone, the registration was successful.
Step #8: Repeat the same steps to add another extension desk set to your business VTech phone system.

Installing the Cordless Handset

Cordless handsets are not stand-alone phones and must also be registered with the main console. Here’s how to install the cordless handset:

• First, plug the smaller end of the power adapter to the handset charger and the larger end into a power outlet not controlled by a wall switch.
• Then, install the battery by connecting the battery connector into the socket inside the handset battery compartment.
• Next, place the handset in the charger to charge.

To register a cordless handset with the main console:

Follow the instructions for registering extension desk sets (mentioned above) as the registration process is the same. Once registered, test for dial tones. And repeat these steps to add additional handsets.

United World Telecom with VTech Phone Systems

Once you have all the devices ready to go, you can customize your phone service and lines with United World Telecom. Get additional benefits of call forwarding, call recording, unlimited extensions, call transfers, and more. You can make use of an interactive voice response (IVR) system to automatically direct calls to voicemail or other extensions. With all of this setup, all you will have to do is answer or make calls and focus on your business. These systems together make communication manageable and convenient. Sign up for a business phone number with United World Telecom today and get your phone system all sorted out.

To successfully sell and promote any product or service, you need a strong sales team. A good sales team will highlight the strengths of the product and the company. They will maintain professionalism and credibility and good customer relations. Sales teams work in communication with each other and with customers. It is, therefore, essential to have a local sales network that is easily reachable and dependable.

Building A Local Sales Network

To build a strong local sales network, you need to hire resourceful talent and train them in the best ways to target potential customers. Once your sales team is ready, you can focus efforts on promoting the product in the sales circuit.

Ready, Set, Network

The first step to start a sales network is to begin a search for connections and talents. Use LinkedIn or other career sites to scout and build connections with people in your field and who would be a good addition to your team. Use these platforms to search for and connect with potential customers. Generate connections and start conversations about your product and brand.

Consider Forming A Virtual Sales Team

With many employees switching to a work-from-home lifestyle, you may want to consider a virtual office. This does not only work for your employees but also gives you a chance to move outside the bounds of a specific location. You can look to expand your business to other countries and hire remote employees there to help customers locally. This way you can bring international clientele to your company.

Develop A Full-Proof Hiring Process

After scouting and researching, you may have a strong pool of salespeople to pick from. And so, you want to pay attention to the hiring process or recruitment process and what skills or factors matter to you the most. For instance, do you want someone who comes with years of experience? Or, do you want someone fresh who can be trained and coached for your business’ specific needs? Have them do a “Sell me a …” test to see the practical application of their talents. Also, ask for recommendations and reach out to them to develop a better picture of your candidate.

Besides sales skills, you want to look for good personal skills in your local sales network. Working in a team requires good team management and communication skills, and your ideal candidate should have them. This is even more necessary for a remote team as a lot of your communication will happen through emails and video calls.

Train, Train, and Train Again

Because your company will differ from other companies in one way or the other, training at the beginning is very important. Even if your hired talent has years of experience, ensure they go through training that highlights the tasks they will experience at your enterprise. Besides the initial training, perform analysis and conduct ongoing training to refresh important goals and skills. Create videos, webinars, buy educational books, do trivia nights: whatever you need to keep them up to date.

Other Tools and Resources

Consider communication and project management tools to make the organization and completion of work easy and clear. You can use Google Drive, Dropbox, or Microsoft Office to share and maintain files. Or, subscribe to a project management system like Teamwork or Slack to have all work communication, project status, etc. in one place. With these systems, employers can keep track of employees’ work and progress. Additionally, teams can collaborate together on shared files and shared projects. Customer relationship management (CRM) systems may also include statistics and metrics to track sales and responses.

For easy communication, consider getting a virtual business phone number with a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) system. Rather than traditional phone lines, VoIP phone systems use the internet to make and receive calls. You can easily sign up for one from a phone service provider that offers virtual, local, and toll free numbers. Providers like United World Telecom offer call forwarding services that forward or redirect incoming calls to a different number, where the call is to be answered. This way, you can forward calls to wherever your employees are located. With United World Telecom’s ‘Time of Day Routing’ feature, you can redirect calls to alternate numbers during specific times of the day. These features are meant to ensure no call goes missed and a salesperson is always available for your customers.

Generate Awareness and Familiarity

Spend a great deal of time working and developing your website. Most customers will look to your website for information and help. Therefore, their first impression of your website matters. It is also necessary to keep information on the website up to date. Provide educational and informational material with facts and genuine expert opinions through blogs and web content. The more your customer knows about your product, the more likely they will be to give it a try.

Use social media like Twitter, Facebook, etc., to create more visibility for your brand, product, and company. This is a good way to introduce your product to the sales circuit. Follow-up with customers through emails, special promotions, and more. Your current customers are a way to get referrals and new customers. Keep them coming for more.

Make Sales From Any Location

Advancements in technology have improved the way we communicate and sales teams can use this to their advantage. Build a local sales network anywhere with local numbers and make sales globally with virtual phone numbers. Browse through our plans today to see how we can help you make those sales calls and support your network!

Thinking of ditching your regular 9 to 5 job for one with more flexibility? A home telecom call center is just what you are looking for. With better work hours and less commuting, this work-from-home job can give you a great sense of work-life balance. So, what is a home telecom call center and how can you start one? Read on to learn more!

Virtual Call Centers

Virtual call centers offer a variety of services: sales, telemarketing, customer service, making reservations and appointments. They are hired by major companies to handle customer communication in an organized and easy manner. For example, these may include customer service for an eCommerce giant or booking hotel reservations for a travel agency. Inbound call centers often have a high volume of incoming calls. On the other hand, outbound calling is when a call center is making calls to customers for sales purposes.

What Do You Need?

Before you start your call center, research businesses or call center companies looking for remote help. Depending on the type of home telecom call center you want to run, you will need to invest in some equipment to unify processes. With respect to virtual centers, you will need to consider state and local requirements. And finally, you’ll need marketing tools to promote your service.

How To Start A Home Telecom Call Center

Let’s have a look at the different steps to keep in mind when starting a home telecom call center business.

Step 1: Research Job Opportunities and Fields

Spend time looking at the variety of options available for your industry, product, or service. Is there a surplus of call centers offering the same service as you? How can you stand out and be more resourceful? Consider extending your services to other states and countries. With a virtual set-up, you can reach clients anywhere in the world. The entire world is within your grasp. Here, you can also decide if you want to run an inbound or outbound call center.

Step 2: Check Local and State Requirements

Since starting a home telecom center is a business, you will need to file all necessary new-business paperwork. Review your state’s Office of Finance and Taxation. Then, check for zoning restrictions. Finally, register your business.

Step 3: Prepare a Business Plan

An important part of starting your own business, whether large or small, is to have a clear idea of how you are going to run it. This is where a business plan comes in. A strong plan will outline the necessary documentation, market research, profit projections, and finances for the company. This way, you are prepared for what is to come and have options to handle it.

Step 4: Invest in Call Center Equipment and Software

This goes without saying that a call center cannot run without the appropriate equipment and software. Your equipment or software may depend on what your client uses. For a home telecom system, you can choose a call center software that you consider comfortable and resourceful. Call center software is a system that enables easy call tracking and organization. Either way, you want to have the basics: a computer with the latest operating system, broadband internet, wired telephone, and a good quality headset.

Step 5: Get A Virtual Phone Number

Virtual phone numbers can help you create a virtual space enabling you to make and receive calls through the internet. This way, calling international customers won’t be as expensive as calling through a regular phone service. Additionally, virtual numbers such as toll free or local numbers are less expensive for customers to use. Toll free numbers bill the received party instead of the caller and local numbers will have regular, local charges. This way, you are not a burden for your customers.

Step 6: Market Your Skills

Build a website and use social media like career sites, Facebook, Twitter, etc, to promote your skills and talents. Marketing your home telecom business starts with marketing yourself. Tell them what you have to offer: call center experience, fluency in multiple languages, knowledge of call center software, and so on.

  Cost-Effective Communication

One of the main items you will need for your call center is virtual phone numbers. United World Telecom has local and toll free virtual numbers in more than 150 countries across the world. Sign up for a virtual phone number with United World Telecom today and develop a cost-effective communication channel for your home call center.

Traveling for business is essential to creating and maintaining a global presence for your company. Often, you will need to travel to encourage new prospects to come aboard or to maintain good relations with existing customers and investors. These trips may be local, within the country, and sometimes abroad. If you haven’t already started expanding your business to other countries, now is the time to go global. And for traveling abroad, you will need a very important document: a passport. So, how do you get your passport and what else do you need to keep in mind when traveling for business? Read on to learn more!

How To Get Your Passport

Getting a US passport is a very simple process. All you need is a filled passport application form and the necessary documentation. Once the application is complete, the passport takes about 6-8 weeks to process. Here are the steps for how to get your passport:

Fill Out A DS-11 (Passport Application) Form

One of the most asked questions is: can you apply for your passport online? You can start the application process online or in-person. However, you will need to visit a passport acceptance facility to complete the application. To start the application online, use the Passport Application Wizard and fill out the application. Once completed, print the application and take it to the passport acceptance facility. Note that passport applications can not be submitted online.

Otherwise, download the form, complete the application, and go to a local passport acceptance facility to submit it. Whichever way you decide to start the application, remember: do not sign the form until you are instructed to do so in front of a designated official.

Personal Documents and IDs

Along with your passport application form, you will need to provide documentation providing your birth and citizenship information. Documents required are:

1) Original proof of citizenship document and a photocopy of the document. One of the following is necessary:

• US birth certificate
• Certificate of naturalization
• Certificate of citizenship
• Consular report of birth abroad or certification of birth

2) Acceptable photo ID and a photocopy of the ID. One of the following:

• Driver’s license
• Government employee ID
• US military ID
• Current (valid) foreign passport

Acceptable Passport Photo

Next, bring passport-size photos, which can be easily taken at your local pharmacy or grocery store. Ensure that your photos have the following requirements:

• Color photo
• Taken in the last 6 months
• Printed on matte or glossy photo-quality paper
• Neutral expression with eyes open
• Size: 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm)

Calculate Your Fees

Fees are based on whether you are applying for an adult (age 16 or older) or child and whether you want a passport book or card or both. According to the U.S. Department of State website, these are the current fees for passport books and cards:

Submit The Application

Once you have completed the application, provided all necessary documentation, and paid the fees in-person at a passport acceptance facility, you have completed the process. Now, you wait for the agency to process your request.

Can You Get Your Passport Sooner?

The standard time for processing a passport is 6-8 weeks. However, this process can be expedited for special circumstances such as a life or death emergency or urgent international travel plans. Keep in mind that expedited processing has an additional fee. See the Get My Passport Fast page for more information.

Happy and Comfortable Travels!

Besides getting your passport ready, there are a couple of other things to keep in mind. For example, do you need to get a visa for the destination country? Also, check for travel warnings and advisories. Buy travel insurance and register your trip with the U.S Department of State.

You may also want to consider getting a business phone number from a virtual phone service provider like United World Telecom. With a virtual phone number, you can forward work calls from your office to your business number so that you do not miss any work calls when traveling. United World Telecom also offers local business numbers. Now that you know how to get your passport, sign up for a business phone number and be in touch with your customers while on the go.

Need to give customers a way to reach your business by telephone? Setting up a business phone system is something nearly every business owner will have to do at some point. Get to know the process before diving in. This way, you can have a clear sense of how to get set up quickly and effectively. In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of how to set up the best business phone system for your office. Thus, you can get back to helping your customers.

Step 1: Choosing the Right Type of Business Phone System for Your Office

Before you can go about setting up your business phone system, you’ll have to choose between the various types. Since they all work a bit differently, different systems may be better for different businesses, based on specific needs. Some of the best business phone systems include the following options.

A Multi-Line Phone System

This type of phone system can handle multiple calls at once. This is because they all route to a main system that can then transfer calls to connected business lines. It uses traditional copper wiring. So, they are more basic and may not offer as many features as other phone systems. But, they’re easy to operate, as they’re very traditional. And, they’re known for being sturdy and reliable systems. Finally, they can be set up with both toll-free and local business numbers. So, multi-line systems may be a great option for many types of businesses.

Using a PBX Phone System

A PBX system offers all the same functionality of the multi-line system, but it has one major difference. Rather than housing all calling data in one main telephone unit, it’s all routed to a separate, centralized device. Or, rather than a device, a cloud (internet) software. Plus, it’s highly adjustable as it’s basically a personalized phone system for the office. So, it can offer a number of customizable features that may make doing business easier and more efficient.

VoIP Phone System

This phone system connects phone calls to business phone lines using broadband internet connection rather than traditional copper wiring. This makes phone calls on these systems fast and reliable as there is internet access all over the world. This offers the ability to house a number of business phone numbers and lines from one business office. And, provides other capabilities like the option to connect various business software to your phone lines like your internet CRM. Finally, since it works over the internet, you don’t have to have a physical business phone unit to utilize it. So, you can route calls directly to any telephone you want, including mobile devices.

A Few Notes About Cloud-Based Systems

It’s important to note that both VoIP and PBX phone systems are cloud based phone systems. A cloud based business phone system is essentially a phone system that uses the internet. But, it does so to store business phone call data and connect calls. The internet business phone system is the most commonly used and set up for business needs. So, the following instructions will apply to these types of systems.

Step 2: Choosing Your Service

Once you’ve chosen the best business phone system for your office, you need to choose a phone service. So, choose one that can meet your needs. Certainly, you want to choose a company that can offer all business phone services in one place. If so, consider the business phone systems from United World Telecom. UWT offers virtual phone numbers, toll free numbers, and local numbers of all kinds.

Step 3: Choosing Your Business Phone Number(s)

After you have chosen your phone service, you can go about selecting the type of business phone number you want. And, the number to go with that line. If you want to offer your consumers a free, easy-to-remember phone number, choose a toll free number. Or, select a vanity number that’s relatable to your business by choosing digits associated with letters on the phone keypad. Want to call specific audience bases in certain areas of the world? You can select a local phone number so your business number has the same area code as your target audience.

Step 4: Choose Your Business Phone Features

You know the ins and outs of your business phone system, who your provider is, and have chosen your number. Now, it’s time to select from the various features of a business phone line. If you go with United World Telecom, you’ll have a number of virtual number features to choose from including:

• Customizable greetings
• Voicemail to email and/or text
• Simultaneous ringing
• Unlimited extensions
• Time of day routing
• Fax to email
• And more

Choose the features you know that your business can benefit from. And, set them up before starting to take calls. Once you have features chosen, you can begin passing out your new business phone numbers and taking business calls!

In Closing: Getting Help Setting Up Your Business Phone Line

Interested in the best business phone system for your office? Contact United World Telecom today to receive top-rated service for your business phone line system. And, take advantage of all of the cloud-based phone system features for your new business phone system.