telecom, telecommunications, voip, facts

12 Interesting Facts about Telecommunications

The first phone call was made by Alexander Bell way back in 1876.  Fast forward more than 100 years and 47% of smartphone users in the United States say that their smartphone is something they cannot live without.  Here are 12 more interesting facts about phones and telecommunications:

  1. The first 911 system was introduced in the United States in 1968.
  2. A study in the UK revealed that 47% of all water-damaged mobile phones had been dropped in the toilet bowl.
  3. According to NASA your mobile phone has more computing power than the computers used for the Apollo 11 moon landing.
  4. In 2012 Apple sold roughly 340,000 iPhones per day!
  5. Nomophobia – the fear of being without your phone or losing your phone signal.
  6. Smartphones would not exist without 250,000 individual patents.
  7. Malaysia allows you to legally divorce your partner via text message.
  8. The first mobile phone call was made in 1973.
  9. The first phone book issued in 1878 was only 20 pages long.
  10. In 2014, the number of mobile phones in the world was greater than the number of people.
  11. Experiments with VoIP begin in 1973
  12. VOIPo is founded.

For more facts and our source click HERE, HERE & HERE.

 

tools, apps, application, software, small business

4 Great Apps for your Small Business

Technology has done a lot to make our lives easier.  With so many options at our disposal deciding which programs to use may seem daunting.  When it comes to small business, selecting the best tools to fit your needs is a top priority.  We are here to help.  These are some of the most popular applications used by small and large businesses alike.

Finance & Accouting:

Wave is your go-to cloud accounting and invoicing tool if you are on a tight budget.  They’ve been featured all over INC., The New York Times and Forbes and have served more than 1.5 million customers.  So here’s the deal, Wave is mostly free to use.  You get to use a whole gambit of awesome tools including accounting and invoicing reports, recurring invoices, receipt tracking, and mobile invoicing for free.  The only catch is that you will have to put up with some sponsored offers within the software.   If you want to add features like payroll or premium customer support you are looking at less than $20 a month.  This is a small price to pay considering the rest is 100% free.

FreshBooks is a great paid alternative for your small business.  You gain a multitude of additional features without the disruption of offers from sponsored companies, however it will cost you.  Plans start at $12 and go up to $40.

Communication:

Slack has blown up in the last year as a fully integrated messaging application for your business.  Slack launched in 2013 and the company is now valued at $3.8 billion dollars. So why?  Integrate your entire small business on one platform with tons of different features for an extremely reasonable price.  Slack allows you to create “channels,” direct message and private message individuals, share documents by dragging and dropping them directly in the platform, and even integrates with your third-party apps like DropBox and Soundcloud.   This may just be the email killer that your small business needs to become more effective.  Slack is free to use with limited features for small businesses or “teams” and less than $7 a month per active user to get just about all the features.

Organization:

Saying the Evernote is an extension of your brain may seem like a bit of a boast, but the more you use it the more it becomes just that.  Evernote is an amazing cloud-based note-taking application.  It allows you to create notes and notebooks from just about any device.  You can add tags, upload images and files, and even create shared notebooks with other Evernote users.  It’s also great for creating checklists.

If you need to message someone you have a shared notebook with, you can do it seamlessly in the application with their messaging feature.  The Google Chrome extension also allows you to clip simplified versions of web articles, posts and pictures directly into your Evernote.  You can also record voice files and attach them to notes which sync automatically allowing you to access them from anywhere.  Evernote is Free for the basics (which suits most individuals) and they also have plans ranging from $35 – $60 annually for additional features, devices and memory.

 

telemarketers, nomorobo, telemarketing, telemarketer, voip, voipo, phone

Best Tool for Stopping Automated Telemarketers

In this modern age of notifications, telemarketers are finding new ways to reach us no matter where we are.  Did you know that there are more than 200,000 employed telemarketers and 250,000 known robocallers out there? Probability says that you have probably been a victim of at least a few of their calls.

In 2003 the FTC implemented the Do Not Call List Registry in an effort to fight telemarketers off.  While that helped to stymie the number of unwanted sales calls, it also prompted telemarketing companies to search for new ways to reach people.

Today telemarketing remains a massive industry reporting nearly $500 billion a year in business.  That amount of money makes automated calling services aimed at selling you products even more valuable.  According to Private Citizen, more than 148 million telemarketing phone calls are made per day.  Many of these calls are dialed by robocallers which use computerized systems to call you with pre-recorded messages.  Fortunately, technology has also created services to help protect you from these unwanted disturbances.

The Only Tool You Need

Nomorobo, is the tool you need.  It uses a growing list of more than 250,000 known robocallers to screen your calls.  The FTC even chose them as the winner of the FTC Robocall Challenge which challenged entrepreneurs to find a way to prevent automated telemarketing systems for a cash prize.

The best part about Nomorobo: it’s free to use on your home phone as long as your service provider offers it!  They recently released an extension service to protect your mobile phone as well.

Check out their website HERE.

P.S. If you are already a VOIPo customer, it is easy to activate Nomorobo on your device.  Contact us today!

Sources:

softphone, voip, voipo, small business

Benefits of Using Your VoIP Service On Your Smartphone

VoIP is a great way to keep more money in your wallet while getting an awesome phone service.  Technology has helped drastically drop telecommunications costs without sacrificing features.  Now you can even carry your VoIP service with you by using a softphone application on a compatible mobile phone.  A softphone is simply a term used to describe software that allows you to make and receive phone calls using a device with an internet connection like your smartphone.  This allows you to easily enable VoIP services on the go.  While every VoIP provider is a bit different, you will generally be able to access a wide array of features on your mobile softphone. The VOIPo softphone app is free and exclusive to VOIPo customers and offers some amazing features like:
  • Caller ID
  • 3 Way Calling
  • Caller waiting
  • Voicemail to email
  • Custom contact lists
  • Quick dial
Softphones are ideal for:
  • Travelers and heavy commuters
  • Telecommuters
  • Small businesses with remote employees
  • Anyone looking to utilize VoIP on their smart phone
  • Someone who plans on making frequent long-distance calls
In order to use VoIP on your device all you need is a softphone client.  For VOIPo users, it is extremely easy to setup your VoIP soft phone for free on your iPhone or Android device.  All you need to do is go to your respective mobile application store and search for the “VOIPo” app.  Once downloaded simply log into your Vpanel from another device.  Click on the tab labeled “Beta” and then click “Mobile Softphone.”  You will be prompted to enable “Softphone/ BYOD.” Once done simply capture the QR code by using your smartphone device and voila.
Check out a full list of our VoIP features here.