GoDaddy SmartLine and Google Voice are leading low-cost business phone services for small teams and solopreneurs. Google Voice provides more traditional voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) services with features like landline compatibility and call recording, while GoDaddy SmartLine delivers a trimmed down, minimalist solution by providing a basic app that gives your phone a second number to separate…
Voicemail Drop: What It Is & How to Use It
A voicemail drop is when a prerecorded message is sent directly to your lead or customer’s voicemail box. The process can be done either by sending ringless voicemail messages (RVM) through a service or through a similar manual direct-to-voicemail interaction. In either case, your client’s phone doesn’t ring. Instead, they’ll simply get a notification that…
Call Handling: What It Is & How to Use It
Call handling refers to the process of managing inbound and outbound telephone calls. It can be used to automatically route callers to call center agents or your sales team, to provide callers with directory menus, or provide the answer to frequently asked questions. Even better, call handling-enabled services ensure your clients never get a busy…
6 Best CRM for Telesales in 2021
The best telesales customer relationship management (CRM) software should unify customer data and include a built-in phone system or video conferencing capabilities, as well as reliable mobile apps so telesales teams can work anywhere. We compared dozens of platforms to learn which six are top-notch and which one is the best overall choice for teams…
Call Parking: What It Is & How to Use It
Call parking is a popular feature found in phone systems that enables you to place an active call on hold that you can then continue on another phone extension. Whether you need to switch devices, transfer the call to another busy employee, or give yourself a little time before answering, call parking provides the flexibility…
Call Forwarding: What It Is & How to Use It
Call forwarding is a business phone system feature that enables you to redirect incoming calls to another number. Small businesses may want all the phones to ring (e.g., office, home, and personal mobile) to guarantee customers get lightning-quick customer service, or a business may wish to use local area codes to give its brand a…
6 Best CRM for Billing & Invoicing in 2021
Billing and invoicing customer relationship management (CRM) software centralizes accounting data—natively or through third-party integrations with accounting platforms like QuickBooks and Xero—to help users manage customer data from initial contact to invoice into a single application or platform. We compared dozens of types of CRMs and narrowed it down to the six best, including the…
4-Line Phone System vs VoIP: Which Is Better?
Traditionally, businesses wanting a business phone system needed a four-line, landline-based phone service with an expensive private branch exchange (PBX). However, voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) was a game-changer for small companies, offering low-cost cloud alternatives to conventional multiline phone systems. Increasingly, professionals find that VoIP systems provide the best business phone service compared to pricier PBX systems….
What Is Automatic Call Distribution? A Beginner’s Guide
An automatic call distributor (ACD), also known as an automated call distribution system, answers and routes incoming calls for flawless customer experiences. Small business owners use automatic call distribution or call routing services to create preset conditions to ensure every caller arrives at the right agent or department. How Automatic Call Distribution Works Most call…
Grasshopper vs Google Voice: Which Is Better for Small Businesses?
Grasshopper and Google Voice are virtual phone providers that offer cloud-based communication solutions to small businesses and solopreneurs. Both of these solutions provide simplicity and affordability, though they lack the advanced (and expensive) features of an enterprise voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) platform like RingCentral or Nextiva. Grasshopper’s platform caters to small businesses, startups, and individuals who need…
Ooma vs RingCentral: Which Is Better for Small Businesses?
Ooma and RingCentral are cutting-edge voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) service providers, offering scalable plans for companies of any size to establish their communications programs. Small businesses with tight budgets and limited needs will appreciate Ooma’s low-cost, entry-level price. In contrast, larger companies (and those in need of more advanced communication features) will be drawn to RingCentral’s robust…
GoToConnect vs RingCentral: Which Is Better for Small Businesses?
GoToConnect (formerly known as Jive) and RingCentral are two of the best platforms for voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) services. They provide cloud-based communications for businesses to better communicate internally and externally with features like unlimited calling, SMS, voicemail, and more. GoToConnect and RingCentral both provide easy-to-use platforms, but each has its own perks and quirks that make…