It’s easy in our hyper-connected world to take such advancements for granted. However, on this National Telephone Day, let’s embark on a brief retrospective, tracing the incredible path we’ve traversed and acknowledging the pivotal role that modern communication solutions, such as CallHarbor, play in shaping the future of how we connect and collaborate.

Rotary Dials to Touchscreens

Consider the iconic rotary phone. Each digit required a deliberate spin, a tactile engagement with the technology, often accompanied by the anxious anticipation of a misdialed number. The advent of touch-tone phones marked a significant leap forward, introducing speed and efficiency to our interactions. Suddenly, placing a call felt noticeably quicker, streamlining personal and professional exchanges.

Then came the dawn of mobile telephony. Initially bulky and expensive, these devices were undeniably revolutionary, unshackling communication from fixed locations. It wasn’t long before the ability to text, access the burgeoning internet, and conduct voice calls from virtually anywhere became an ingrained aspect of our daily lives. The world shrank, and connectivity expanded exponentially.

The Digital Revolution: Embracing VoIP and the Cloud

The rise of the internet ushered in a new era of communication with the emergence of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). This innovative technology allowed voice calls to be transmitted over broadband connections, bypassing traditional phone lines. This paradigm shift unlocked a wealth of new possibilities for both individuals and businesses, offering enhanced features, greater flexibility, and significant cost savings.

However, the evolution didn’t cease there. As businesses increasingly embraced remote work and demanded more unified and reliable communication tools, the limitations of traditional VoIP systems became apparent. This growing need for seamless, location-agnostic communication paved the way for innovative platforms like CallHarbor.

CallHarbor: Powering the Future of Communication

CallHarbor transcends the conventional definition of a phone system. It’s a comprehensive, unified communication solution meticulously designed for the demands of today’s dynamic work environment. By seamlessly integrating voice, SMS messaging, fax capabilities, and team collaboration tools into a single, intuitive platform, CallHarbor empowers businesses to connect and collaborate effortlessly, regardless of geographical boundaries. Whether your team members are in the office, working remotely from their homes, or collaborating across time zones, CallHarbor ensures consistent, crystal-clear communication and seamless integration with the tools they already rely on.

Key features that distinguish CallHarbor include:

• High-Definition VoIP Calls with Unwavering Reliability: Experience superior call quality with an impressive 99.99% uptime, ensuring consistent connectivity you can depend on.
• 24/7 U.S. Based Support: Our U.S.-based support team is available 24/7/365 to ensure your communication systems run smoothly—day or night, weekday or weekend. Real people. Real support. Any time you need it.
• Enhanced Productivity Features: Benefit from call recording for training and compliance, and convenient voicemail-to-email transcription for efficient message management.
• Mobility and Flexibility with Softphone Applications: Extend your office phone functionality to your laptop and mobile devices, ensuring you stay connected wherever your work takes you.
• Seamless Integration with Existing Business Tools: Effortlessly connect CallHarbor with your CRM, productivity suites, and other essential business applications, streamlining workflows and enhancing efficiency.
• Actionable Call Analytics: Gain valuable insights into communication patterns and team performance through comprehensive call analytics.

Built for the Evolving World of Work

Traditional phone systems, tethered to physical infrastructure, were simply not designed to accommodate the flexibility and agility required by today’s hybrid and remote work models. CallHarbor directly addresses this challenge, providing teams with the tools they need to collaborate effectively from any location without compromising on reliability or security. Furthermore, CallHarbor prides itself on providing exceptional, human-centered support, offering a refreshing experience of a dedicated team that readily answers the phone when you need assistance – a testament to their commitment to customer satisfaction.

Embracing the Future of Connection

This National Telephone Day, let us not only celebrate the remarkable journey of telephone technology, from the rudimentary mechanics of rotary dials to the immersive experience of real-time collaboration, but also look forward to the exciting possibilities that lie ahead. As businesses navigate an increasingly interconnected world, embracing modern communication solutions is no longer a luxury but a necessity.

CallHarbor represents more than just an advanced phone system; it embodies the future of business communication – agile, unified, and designed to empower seamless connection in a dynamic world.

Are you ready to explore how CallHarbor can revolutionize your business communication strategy and propel your team towards greater connectivity and collaboration?

Let’s connect today to discuss your specific needs and discover the transformative power of modern communication.

The post National Telephone Day: From Rotary to Real-Time with CallHarbor appeared first on CallHarbor.

Hybrid Work Telephony Solutions

When coming back from a remote working solution, workers have to get used to being in the office again. While your employees are dealing with a change, it’s an easy time to introduce a new solution that will make their lives easier. Maybe employees were using their mobile phones as “work phones” during the pandemic. At this point, they’re used to utilizing it. Having that familiarity will make it an even easier adjustment with things such as the CallHarbor Mobile App.

Of the 476 firms that analyst Metergy surveyed for its Workplace Collaboration: 2021-2022 report, over 47 percent reported a decline in phone system utilization in 2020, with 17 percent of those shifting to mobile phones, and 26.7 percent moving to meetings apps. Desktop phone systems are surviving through 2021, with 25.8 percent of firms increasing their desktop phone deployments and just six percent planning to remove them altogether by the end of this year. 

Another popular resource has been Microsoft Teams. During the pandemic, it offered a quick and easy was for teams to connect. No hardware deployment was necessary, and leaders could subscribe to it quickly. Its integration with the ever-popular Office 365 didn’t hurt, either. CallHarbor has noticed this boom. Even though many companies are wanting to do a telephony overhaul when they head back into the office, they want the integrations that they’re used to. CallHarbor now offers an integration with Microsoft Teams that gives customers the best of both worlds.

Return to Office

Even with solutions such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom, the return to office offers a opportunity to make a switch. Employees are back in their workspace with access to conference rooms, in-person meetings, and easy click to dial extensions.

CallHarbor can help your team succeed by supplying conferencing solutions and easy to use hardware. Employees coming back into the office are looking again for a new normal. They don’t want to come back to old solutions that didn’t work, and use outdated hardware from years ago. Bringing the teams back to the office is truly the perfect time for a telephony overhaul.

“Companies need to look at this next phase with the return to the office. They need to give staff access to technology that can help them succeed. Technology such as VoIP conferencing solutions, web softphones, mobile apps, and easy to use hardware. With teams being a mix of remote and in-person, video solutions need to be consistent, and phones need to have the ability to route and re-route, to make sure the customer is still getting a seamless experience as well.”

Bailey Terrell – Channel Sales Manager, CallHarbor

Integrations + Success Through Familiarity

Having an integrating solution can solve a siloed environment. One complaint that companies have when making the return to the office is the confusing communication. Some teams are still using chat groups, video calls, and solutions such as Teams. Other teams are using desk phones, in-person meetings, and mobile apps. Companies making that return need to make sure their telephony solution is ready for both types of teams. Utilizing a solution like CallHarbor that is vastly integrated with some of the best solutions allows interoperability. Employees can grab incoming calls through their desk phone, their mobile app, their web softphone, or their Teams dialer with no issues.

The post Why Returning to the Office Is the Perfect Time for a Telephony Overhaul appeared first on CallHarbor.

What is inbound calling?

Inbound calling is when a customer, client, partner, vendor, etc. reaches out to your company via phone call. They’re calls that come in to your team, and are then handled from there. Companies utilize many different “start points” for inbound calling. Some companies have a receptionist team live answer all of their calls, and then transfer them out from there. Others may utilize an auto-attendant, or call queue, to avoid having to direct all calls to front desk staff. Some companies even have their calls go directly to park or voicemail, and handle them accordingly once ready. However you handle your inbound calling, the purpose of this blog post is to educate you on what your company can do better. We’ll go into what features and functionality CallHarbor can offer you to make it easy.

What features can I use to boost call handling?

Reporting & Analytics

Reporting and analytics are very important when it comes to the success and productivity of a company. It can help you handle inbound calling because you can look at things such as when your peak periods are so you can staff correctly. CallHarbor offers detailed reporting and analytics with your platform. Your boss will be able to see where the company is at in terms of call volume and service level. They can view online agents/employees, missed calls, outbound marketing calls, and more. Having the ability to easily and readily get these analytics will help the company to stay on top of things. Your boss will become aware of how the company’s communications are running.

One of the reasons why VoIP is the best phone system today is because it can provide these analytics and data. Nowadays, it’s very important for business leaders to keep tabs on call data. This allows them to continue to set and meet goals, as well as improve their customer experience overall. Using VoIP’s call analytics and data regularly can help your company boost call quality, customer satisfaction, customer retention, and determine ways for your business to improve over time.

Auto-Attendants & Call Queues

By using an auto attendant, the caller can help route their call to a specific extension, queue, voicemail, and more. Auto attendants are extremely valuable for companies because they serve as call management. They make sure the company’s callers get to the right department quickly and easily. They streamline simple transfers and calling, so the receptionist can be freed up for more specific duties and calls.

Auto attendants are very easy to learn to navigate and use. They fill a very important role by ensuring that your callers aren’t kept on hold for long periods of time. This can up your customer service cred and keep your customers happy. This feature also helps to reduce the cost of customer contact. When used to handle inbound calls, there’s a reduced need for having a dedicated receptionist, and the system works around the clock without a need for time off.

Call queues operate similarly to an advanced hunt group. They can take an inbound call, and keep the caller on-hold until one of the available agents listed is ready to take the call. A call queue can handle those inbound calls for the receptionist, and send them to a chosen employee when they are ready. Call queues gather data on inbound calls, wait time, abandonment rate, and much more. Managers can then use this information to look at hiring and scheduling decisions, as well as researching missed opportunities.

Using Multiple Channels

One awesome way to handle a large call volume is to diversify the way that your customers, clients, etc. can reach you. By giving people other options rather than just calling in, your team will be able to handle the calls that do come in a little easier. Some good options to diversify your communication with customers are email, SMS, live chat, and social media. You can even check out this blog article that we posted about how chat & SMS can improve your customer service.

Did you know that CallHarbor includes business SMS for FREE? That’s right, you don’t even have to pay an extra penny to utilize this growing & popular feature. Many customers like having the option to text a business, whether it’s to ask a question or confirm an appointment. A great part about utilizing SMS and MMS with CallHarbor is that you can get started immediately. You don’t need any additional downloads or heavy integrations. Simply log in to our online portal or mobile app and start communicating with your customers. Many businesses are finding that SMS is a good way to do things such as send appointment reminders, organize food pickup and delivery notices, and send event invitations and confirmations. It’s great way to provide your customers with a quick and easy customer service experience, while keeping the conversation on track and organized.

Features & Hardware for Receptionist

Web Softphone

A web softphone is a phone or feature for making telephone calls over the Internet using a computer rather than dedicated phone hardware. The softphone can be utilized through our internet web portal on a desktop, mobile device, or other computer. It functions in the same way as our web softphone on the mobile app. It allows the user to place and receive calls, see their coworkers’ online status, and engage in chat and SMS.

By using a web softphone, employees don’t have to be tied to their desk or cubicle to handle inbound calling. This means, your receptionists can even work remotely and take inbound calls from home! Web softphones are a great feature to utilize for flexible or remote workers. The features within the web softphone in the CallHarbor portal are helpful to office workers and remote workers alike. You can start new phone calls right from the web softphone, begin new chat or SMS conversations with your coworkers, see your coworkers’ availability statuses, view your settings and toggle answering rules and greetings, and even more.

Read our full blog article on how to utilize our web softphone here: Using a Web Softphone

Attendant Console

For a receptionist that answers a high volume of calls, or a receptionist that has a lot of extensions to keep track of, our attendant console is a great feature to alleviate some stress. The list of users can be quickly dialed down by site and department, as well as organized into call queues and auto attendants. This feature can be pulled up on any web browser, and would work great on a tablet that can move with the receptionist.

When you have an active call, you can easily drag and drop it to another extension to transfer the call. You can also drag and drop the call into a parking lot, where the call will sit until someone picks it up by dialing the parking lot extension. The color of the circle next to a user’s name indicates their availability status. A red circle indicates that user is currently on a phone call. A green circle indicates they are available for a call. If the circle is blank, the user is offline.

The post How to Best Manage Inbound Calling appeared first on CallHarbor.

Let’s take a look at what porting a number over entails, why some companies charge for it, some legalities behind it, and a few frequently asked questions about porting numbers.

What is Number Porting?

Number porting is the process of taking your existing number and transferring it to your new service provider. That way, there is no interruption in your service. You don’t need to deal with the hassle of sharing your new phone number with customers. Your business won’t miss any opportunities due to confusion.

In the past, switching telecom providers meant you had to get a new phone number. This means companies would stick with vendors longer than they wanted to avoid the hassle of changing phone numbers across the organization. 

Number porting gives your company the freedom to upgrade providers without having to inform existing customers and clients about the change because the phone number is still the same. On their end, everything functions as normal. On your end, your organization gets the benefit of using a communication provider that supports your business much better. When porting your numbers to a new provider, such as CallHarbor, the porting needs to take place before the service switch takes place. You should not cancel your plan with your old provider until after the port has competed successfully. This will help to ensure there’s zero interruption in service after the number porting occurs.

Why Does CallHarbor Port for Free?

CallHarbor ports your numbers over for free. We don’t charge a big porting fee or crazy taxes for the service. It simply comes along with your plan when you switch to us. We want your onboarding to be as painless as possible. With some VoIP providers, it will cost your upwards of $39.99 per number to port your numbers over. We don’t think that’s the way to go. We want to build a relationship with you from the get-go, and show you how much we care about your business!

What Are the Legalities of Porting?

Local number porting (LNP) was mandated in the U.S. by the Telecommunications Act of 1996. It was put into place in order to fuel competition in the communications industry so that the government would not end up governing communications. If services could deny number porting, then many businesses and organizations would end up being stuck with their provider for a long time. Even if they were unhappy, they would not want to switch due to have to get a new number.

Because of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, you should always be able to port your number. But there are some strategies you can take if your current provider is trying to block it from happening. The first step in the process is to make sure all the information you submitted to your current provider in order to port your number is correct. This is a common situation that causes current providers to deny your request. As Talkroute reports, “9 times out of 10, when a port request is rejected by the losing carrier, it is due to missing or incorrect information on the port order.” You should contact that provider and find out exactly your port request was rejected, so you can see if it was just a miscommunication all along.

But if they are intentionally withholding your number, simply remind them that they are required by law to release your number. Just as Talkroute says, the FCC clearly states, “Commission rules require carriers to port a number when they receive a valid request, and carriers may not refuse to port.”

FAQ’s

Q: How long will it take to port in once submitted?

A: Ports can generally occur within 7 business days. However some ports may take longer if account information is incorrect or the losing carrier denies the port.

Q: What are the statuses of a port?

A: These are the four statuses your port could be:
– Submitted (submitted and awaiting verification from losing carrier)
– CSR Required (a CSR is required to continue)
– Rejected (your port has been rejected and will need to be resubmitted with proper information)
– FOC (a date has been confirmed for your port to process)

Q: When will I need an LOA (Letter of Authorization) filled out?

A: All Toll-Free numbers require a LOA, most local numbers will not, however our support staff will let you know if there is a special case where it is required.

Q: What is a CSR?

A: A CSR is a customer service record that is sometimes required to continue with the porting process. This would be requested by the customer to their current/losing carrier. It is generally provided by mail or email.

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