Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Nermine Shaker
What is TEM?
Telecom Expense Management (TEM) is a term used to define an approach to managing all telecommunication service expenses such as voice, data and wireless with a combination of software tools and manual auditing. In managing all these services and related processes, its goal is to minimize costs and maximize process efficiency.
For a small company, it can be as simple as checking over your phone bill every month to make sure you aren't billed for services you don't want. For larger companies, it is a more formal program to optimize spending on telecom services. Most of the attention goes to bill auditing and getting refunds for billing errors, but an effective TEM program can do more than that.
A Little History
The cost of voice and data communications is dropping. One casualty of this price plummet is that you no longer have experienced account teams who know your account and are your single point of contact. The new breed of account representatives there to serve you is inexperienced with your telecom needs and is more sales-oriented than needs-oriented.
For many businesses the overall telecommunications expense is growing. Workers are more mobile and the amount of communications between companies and their employees, including the huge volume of information they exchange, has been growing as well. Email, Internet, PDAs, ecommerce and our increasing tele-commuting workforce all lead to an increased demand for instant and continuous exchange of information using many kinds of telecom devices. The increased complexity of devices and services and the lack of transparency in carrier charging models have led to confusion and a need for a way to manage and control telecom costs.
In today's business landscape, many companies are downsizing support staff, carriers are providing less support, and communication in general is becoming larger and more complex. Out of all this confusion, Telecommunications Expense Management was born. TEM provides a structured and professional way to manage the telecom spending of a company, no matter how large or small. This management can be in the form of software used by a manager or an outside telecom expert.
What Are the Problems?
There are quite a few. These include but are not limited to:
1) Using multiple carriers for different services that use different invoice formats. This makes it difficult to match and allocate costs effectively;
2) Not having a complete inventory of the company's assets including wireless devices, headsets, hardware, computer networks, etc.;
3) Difficulty in being able to apportion telecommunications costs to divisions, teams or departments with any accuracy;
4) Not having the company resources to manually audit each invoice. Between 7-12% of bills are in error. For large companies, this is a substantial amount of money they could be losing every month; and
5) Not understanding costs. You can't control the cost of something when you don't understand how it's billed or what you're getting for your money.
What are the Benefits?
Managing telecom services is complex and requires constant attention. A qualified telecom expert can not only perform systematic audits but can also alert the company to new cost-saving options. Software programs can allow companies to eliminate waste and optimize resources.
Both software and outside experts can help you to: reduce time through systematized processes; reduce costs through error identification; reduce risks through better reporting options; and increase control and thereby accountability.
Software will help the Telecom Manager's knowledge and understanding of the products, services and costs for his company's telecom spending. An outside expert can handle disputes with carriers and get price quotes for new services. They can also restructure your agreements and contracts with current providers and find less expensive providers.
A solid TEM platform will provide a centralized solution for inventory control and procurement, contract compliance, budget and spending tracking, and invoice processing. Proactive systems can alert you to policy breaches and contract compliances.
Large companies are the prime candidates for Telecom Expense Management. However, small and mid-size companies that need to organize and monitor their telecom spending would benefit as well.
For most small to mid-size companies telecom spending is the responsibility of an IT person, an office manager, an accountant or a combination of all three. For these types of organizations, the benefit of a TEM solution is based on labor saving efficiencies through automation. This benefits both telecom and financial sides of the company by providing a way for them both to monitor, control and report on company telecom.
Considering the importance of telecommunications in the operation of your daily business, Telecom Expense Management is a critical business strategy. Your company needs to not only track its spending, but also to maximize its telecom resources. TEM lets you make informed decisions rather than educated guesses.
About the Author:
With over 20 years of experience in planning, implementing, managing and consulting on telecommunications projects, Nermine Shaker has generated millions of dollars worth of savings for her clients. She is a Partner at The Sygnal Group, a Telecommunications Management Company that offers unbiased reporting, analysis and implementation of telecom strategies to businesses of all sizes. http://www.SygnalGroup.com
Read more of Nermine Shaker's articles.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
How To Find The Best Real Estate For Sale In Tuscany
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Susanna Cardelli
For those that have traveled to Tuscany and fallen in love with the region, it is not uncommon to harbor a dream of buying a home there. Where do you begin when you are in a position to realize the dream? As any decent real estate agent will tell you, there are three things to consider in real estate, "location, location, location." But American real estate agents have never had to deal with Italian bureaucracy. So, in addition to location a very strong idea of the features you will want in the home itself is extremely important. In the same vein of thought, the features of the property as far as landscape and any agricultural features are something you should think about when you are leafing through page after page of houses for sale in Tuscany, Italy.
Location is important wherever you buy property, and when looking at real estate for sale in Tuscany this is no different. Among the things to consider when you look at properties is your intended use. Different locations may better suit a person looking to retire to Tuscany and grow olives and make olive oil for his family than the young couple who wants a vacation home to spend a month every year in. Where a small estate for sale in Tuscany, far from any larger cities or towns may be preferable for the olive grower, the couple and their visiting friends may prefer to by closer to Florence or the seaside. The person not living in Italy full-time may also have to wait for the proper paperwork to own a car so may want to consider being close to a train station when looking at houses for sale in Tuscany. Italy requires more residence documentation to own a car than a home.
After narrowing down the specific regions for your hunt for real estate in Tuscany, you then must narrow down the specifics as far as the features of the home. This is more important than when you are looking at property in the US. You may find the nearly perfect estate for sale in Tuscany and envision a few "minor" alterations, only to find out that it is completely impossible to make them. The likelihood of having restrictions on what can be done to a home increases exponentially with age, and of course the homes with the most character are the older ones. Make sure that if there are changes you have in mind you verify that they can be made. It is better to spend a little more and get exactly the property you want, rather than to get a near idyllic Tuscan farmhouse that turns into an Italian version of "The Money Pit" but compounded with a language barrier.
This caveat also extends to any landscaping features. You may think that those cypress trees would look even more picture posted perfect if they were 30 feet to the right, and perhaps just moving this pathway slightly to the left would give you better views as you walk to the bottom of the hill. As with the home itself, if you have ideas for these renovations speak to your agent first. They know the intricacies of the many regulations, both national and regional, and they can walk you through what to outsiders can seem a minefield of arbitrary rules. They can also lead you to the perfect location, the perfect home and fantastic views, your own slice of an Italian paradise.
About the Author:
After spending some years in a travel agency, Susanna Cardelli is now dealing with real estate for sale in Tuscany, collaborating with many important real estate groups. She is also expert consultant for http://www.intermediacortona.com/ the real estate agency specialized on houses for sale in Tuscany, Italy.
Read more Articles written by Susanna Cardelli.
Copyright © 2009 Susanna Cardelli
For those that have traveled to Tuscany and fallen in love with the region, it is not uncommon to harbor a dream of buying a home there. Where do you begin when you are in a position to realize the dream? As any decent real estate agent will tell you, there are three things to consider in real estate, "location, location, location." But American real estate agents have never had to deal with Italian bureaucracy. So, in addition to location a very strong idea of the features you will want in the home itself is extremely important. In the same vein of thought, the features of the property as far as landscape and any agricultural features are something you should think about when you are leafing through page after page of houses for sale in Tuscany, Italy.
Location is important wherever you buy property, and when looking at real estate for sale in Tuscany this is no different. Among the things to consider when you look at properties is your intended use. Different locations may better suit a person looking to retire to Tuscany and grow olives and make olive oil for his family than the young couple who wants a vacation home to spend a month every year in. Where a small estate for sale in Tuscany, far from any larger cities or towns may be preferable for the olive grower, the couple and their visiting friends may prefer to by closer to Florence or the seaside. The person not living in Italy full-time may also have to wait for the proper paperwork to own a car so may want to consider being close to a train station when looking at houses for sale in Tuscany. Italy requires more residence documentation to own a car than a home.
After narrowing down the specific regions for your hunt for real estate in Tuscany, you then must narrow down the specifics as far as the features of the home. This is more important than when you are looking at property in the US. You may find the nearly perfect estate for sale in Tuscany and envision a few "minor" alterations, only to find out that it is completely impossible to make them. The likelihood of having restrictions on what can be done to a home increases exponentially with age, and of course the homes with the most character are the older ones. Make sure that if there are changes you have in mind you verify that they can be made. It is better to spend a little more and get exactly the property you want, rather than to get a near idyllic Tuscan farmhouse that turns into an Italian version of "The Money Pit" but compounded with a language barrier.
This caveat also extends to any landscaping features. You may think that those cypress trees would look even more picture posted perfect if they were 30 feet to the right, and perhaps just moving this pathway slightly to the left would give you better views as you walk to the bottom of the hill. As with the home itself, if you have ideas for these renovations speak to your agent first. They know the intricacies of the many regulations, both national and regional, and they can walk you through what to outsiders can seem a minefield of arbitrary rules. They can also lead you to the perfect location, the perfect home and fantastic views, your own slice of an Italian paradise.
About the Author:
After spending some years in a travel agency, Susanna Cardelli is now dealing with real estate for sale in Tuscany, collaborating with many important real estate groups. She is also expert consultant for http://www.intermediacortona.com/ the real estate agency specialized on houses for sale in Tuscany, Italy.
Read more Articles written by Susanna Cardelli.
The Check Point Certified Security Administrator (CCSA) Certification Will Prove Your Worth
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Frank Pines
Are you looking for a career in Information Technology? The Check Point Certified Security Administrator (CCSA) certification is a good choice to add to your credentials as a Network Security specialist.
The CCSA has not only become a highly recognized and sought after credential to help you get the job, it verifies your knowledge and improves your practical application skills to help you keep the job.
As a company, Check Point Software Technologies has become the de facto standard among corporate firewalls, security gateways, VPN appliances and software. There are no other security applications that are more widely used in Fortune 500 companies, medical, legal and government organizations.
Whether it is for Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, HIPAA, or meeting the requirements for the PCI Data Security Standard, Check Point appliances and software consistently outperform the competition.
Obtaining CCSA certification is vital for network engineers, network security specialists, security administrators and anyone tasked with managing a Check Point device.
While the course outline indicates that no prior experience is required, a firm knowledge of operating systems, servers, network topologies and protocols will ensure your success in this course work.
Most experts will agree that the CompTIA A+ and Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) certifications are good starting points, but your choice of other certifications will depend on your career objectives.
During the CCSA training course you'll learn details about basic networking security including:
How to create a security policy and establish rules;
Network Address Translation;
How to use traffic monitoring tools, block attacks and audit reports;
Configuration of various authentication schemes;
LDAP Integration;
Establishing virtual private networks (VPN) between networks;
Backup and Restore of Check Point applications.
In addition you'll learn about a variety of Check Point products and how they can be used to secure a company's network, filter email, manage access to Internet content with URL filtering, and tune a network to handle Voice over IP (VoIP).
Common to all Check Point appliances is a powerful software operating system, which enables organizations to perform all aspects of security management via a single, unified console.
If you are already a highly skilled network specialist, or if you already have other industry certifications, you may require a week or two of concentrated study time. Others with basic computer and network skills will need at least 4 weeks to complete the CCSA study course.
Don't cheat yourself - the exam can be tricky. Take advantage of the practice exams and repeat them until you can pass at least three times before attempting the certification exam.
Once you have passed the CCSA exam don't expect to be an expert for long; technology changes and constant continuing education is critical. Keep your skills sharp, expand your library, and add other industry certifications to your portfolio.
Not only will you be able to proudly display your CCSA certificate, you'll have the knowledge and skills to increase your value to your employer, which as you know could potentially increase your salary as you prove your worth time and again.
About the Author:
Written by Frank Pines of CDI Communications Inc. - CDI Communications is a leader in implementation of instructional strategies for MCSE, AutoCAD, Sap, Skillsoft, CCNA, MCTS, Cisco, MCITP, MCTS, Microsoft Office, Oracle, Crystal Report, Knowledgenet, SAP, NetG and Check Point CCSA Certification. Visit CDI Communications Inc. at: http://www.netwind.com/ OR follow Frank on Twitter at: @cdicomp
Read more Articles written by Frank Pines.
Copyright © 2009 Frank Pines
Are you looking for a career in Information Technology? The Check Point Certified Security Administrator (CCSA) certification is a good choice to add to your credentials as a Network Security specialist.
The CCSA has not only become a highly recognized and sought after credential to help you get the job, it verifies your knowledge and improves your practical application skills to help you keep the job.
As a company, Check Point Software Technologies has become the de facto standard among corporate firewalls, security gateways, VPN appliances and software. There are no other security applications that are more widely used in Fortune 500 companies, medical, legal and government organizations.
Whether it is for Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, HIPAA, or meeting the requirements for the PCI Data Security Standard, Check Point appliances and software consistently outperform the competition.
Obtaining CCSA certification is vital for network engineers, network security specialists, security administrators and anyone tasked with managing a Check Point device.
While the course outline indicates that no prior experience is required, a firm knowledge of operating systems, servers, network topologies and protocols will ensure your success in this course work.
Most experts will agree that the CompTIA A+ and Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) certifications are good starting points, but your choice of other certifications will depend on your career objectives.
During the CCSA training course you'll learn details about basic networking security including:
In addition you'll learn about a variety of Check Point products and how they can be used to secure a company's network, filter email, manage access to Internet content with URL filtering, and tune a network to handle Voice over IP (VoIP).
Common to all Check Point appliances is a powerful software operating system, which enables organizations to perform all aspects of security management via a single, unified console.
If you are already a highly skilled network specialist, or if you already have other industry certifications, you may require a week or two of concentrated study time. Others with basic computer and network skills will need at least 4 weeks to complete the CCSA study course.
Don't cheat yourself - the exam can be tricky. Take advantage of the practice exams and repeat them until you can pass at least three times before attempting the certification exam.
Once you have passed the CCSA exam don't expect to be an expert for long; technology changes and constant continuing education is critical. Keep your skills sharp, expand your library, and add other industry certifications to your portfolio.
Not only will you be able to proudly display your CCSA certificate, you'll have the knowledge and skills to increase your value to your employer, which as you know could potentially increase your salary as you prove your worth time and again.
About the Author:
Written by Frank Pines of CDI Communications Inc. - CDI Communications is a leader in implementation of instructional strategies for MCSE, AutoCAD, Sap, Skillsoft, CCNA, MCTS, Cisco, MCITP, MCTS, Microsoft Office, Oracle, Crystal Report, Knowledgenet, SAP, NetG and Check Point CCSA Certification. Visit CDI Communications Inc. at: http://www.netwind.com/ OR follow Frank on Twitter at: @cdicomp
Read more Articles written by Frank Pines.
Making Money By Using Smart Expired Domain Trading Techniques
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
Expired domain trading is possibly one of the most profitable businesses around and probably the most satisfactory one with least business risks involved. With this wonderful business opportunity, you can create a viable and stable income generating opportunity. Of late, expired domain trading is gaining international prominence, because many people believe that expired domains name will always be in demand irrespective of the state of the world economy. With increasing domain name registration, there is also a tendency of large number of them dropping and becoming dead due to a number of reasons.
Expired domains are similar to scrap materials, which you can use to make decent amount of money. There is a famous saying - one man's scrap is another's treasure. Domains discarded by someone could be a big treasure for you! It is almost like a hidden treasure trove that contains precious gemstones and ornaments. A big pool of expired domains is there up for grab by you. You just need to select and buy few good ones to make money out of them. However, choosing such domains expiring or expired is not so easy! You will need to use the best techniques and methods to buy a small inventory of expired domain names.
Professional expired domain traders use a series of intelligent and well-conceived methods that ensure them very good expired domains. These techniques are very sophisticated and sometimes automated. However, seasoned domain traders also use a number of simple techniques that do not involve complicated procedures. Even you can use one or may of them to choose your domain name.
Professional expired domain traders, who are in the business, know how to pinpoint to a good domain. Street-smart and intelligent, they can easily select the best domain from a big stock of domain names. In fact, most of them avoid long and elaborate domain names that come with numbers as suffixes or prefixes. Longish domain names with hyphen in between two or more words are always inferior to those that are simple, short and without any suffixes o prefixes.
Generic names do not come so easily these days and you may wish to buy those domains that are offshoots of generic domain names. For example, you may like to buy domain name that act as adjectives to the main search term. Books.com is never available for purchase, but you can always buy domains that come with names like hitbooks.com or oldbooks.com. If you go one level down, you can choose domain names like hitbookcounter.com or classicbookshelf.com.
Another commonly used technique is the usage of keywords that are in excessive demand on Google or Yahoo. People always search for information by typing keywords or their phrases. You can use this user's preference to choose a good expired domain name. For example, leather shoes are the most commonly used durables by people. People always search for web portals that sell leather shoes. To find an e portal that sells leather shoes, a typical web user will enter search terms like "black leather shoes" or "Italian leather shoes". Based on this search trend, you may wish to look for expired domain names that reflect the buyer's search preference. For example, you can buy expired domain names that reflect the main theme of leather shoe business. Here, you can easily buy expired domains like blackleathershoes.com or Italianshoes.com. These are some of the most common techniques used to search for good expired domain names. You can use them along with other techniques.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more Articles written by John Khu.
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
Expired domain trading is possibly one of the most profitable businesses around and probably the most satisfactory one with least business risks involved. With this wonderful business opportunity, you can create a viable and stable income generating opportunity. Of late, expired domain trading is gaining international prominence, because many people believe that expired domains name will always be in demand irrespective of the state of the world economy. With increasing domain name registration, there is also a tendency of large number of them dropping and becoming dead due to a number of reasons.
Expired domains are similar to scrap materials, which you can use to make decent amount of money. There is a famous saying - one man's scrap is another's treasure. Domains discarded by someone could be a big treasure for you! It is almost like a hidden treasure trove that contains precious gemstones and ornaments. A big pool of expired domains is there up for grab by you. You just need to select and buy few good ones to make money out of them. However, choosing such domains expiring or expired is not so easy! You will need to use the best techniques and methods to buy a small inventory of expired domain names.
Professional expired domain traders use a series of intelligent and well-conceived methods that ensure them very good expired domains. These techniques are very sophisticated and sometimes automated. However, seasoned domain traders also use a number of simple techniques that do not involve complicated procedures. Even you can use one or may of them to choose your domain name.
Professional expired domain traders, who are in the business, know how to pinpoint to a good domain. Street-smart and intelligent, they can easily select the best domain from a big stock of domain names. In fact, most of them avoid long and elaborate domain names that come with numbers as suffixes or prefixes. Longish domain names with hyphen in between two or more words are always inferior to those that are simple, short and without any suffixes o prefixes.
Generic names do not come so easily these days and you may wish to buy those domains that are offshoots of generic domain names. For example, you may like to buy domain name that act as adjectives to the main search term. Books.com is never available for purchase, but you can always buy domains that come with names like hitbooks.com or oldbooks.com. If you go one level down, you can choose domain names like hitbookcounter.com or classicbookshelf.com.
Another commonly used technique is the usage of keywords that are in excessive demand on Google or Yahoo. People always search for information by typing keywords or their phrases. You can use this user's preference to choose a good expired domain name. For example, leather shoes are the most commonly used durables by people. People always search for web portals that sell leather shoes. To find an e portal that sells leather shoes, a typical web user will enter search terms like "black leather shoes" or "Italian leather shoes". Based on this search trend, you may wish to look for expired domain names that reflect the buyer's search preference. For example, you can buy expired domain names that reflect the main theme of leather shoe business. Here, you can easily buy expired domains like blackleathershoes.com or Italianshoes.com. These are some of the most common techniques used to search for good expired domain names. You can use them along with other techniques.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more Articles written by John Khu.
Twitter Marketing Explored
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Trey Pennewell
Twitter is growing by leaps and bounds as people begin to appreciate its clean and easy-to-use interface. Twitter, at this point, does not look like one of the many flash-in-the-pan Internet applications that we have seen in times' past.
Twitter's 140 character micro-blogging platform has gained a lot of traction, as individuals and business people have learned to bring together their friends, family and customers under a communications platform that all users find useful.
Mom and dad find it easier to keep up with the lives of their grown children through Twitter. The fact that Twitter allows people to link to other web pages makes Twitter a simple platform to share thoughts, ideas, and links to stories and pictures. Grandma and granddad find it easy to check in on the kids' Twitter account and to maintain daily contact with those across town and around the world.
Friends can make plans and share common interests through the Twitter world. One can reply to a message publicly, or if the message is a bit more private, one can send a Direct Message (known as a DM) to anyone who has agreed to follow you also. Through the DM system, lovers can share flirts that no one else can see, but the persons intended to receive the message.
If you let your kids use Twitter, it may be best to set up their Twitter Account Settings to "Protect The Tweets". In the description of this feature, Twitter says, "Only let people whom I approve follow my tweets. If this is checked, you WILL NOT be on the public timeline."
The Public Timeline is the messages/tweets that everyone can see. Anything not on the Public Timeline is private, with restricted access.
Business People Are Working To Tap Into Twitter Marketplace
Twitter was born in March of 2006. But most of us never really heard of it or even understood it, until this last year (2008-2009). A few of the Internet gurus started talking about Twitter in 2008, and as 2009 got underway, more online marketers started talking about the Twitter community on a nearly daily basis.
We have accounts in Twitter that are a couple of years old, but we never got involved with Twitter really until about April of 2009. In April of 2009, we had 12 Twitter Followers.
In May 2009, there was not a single online business in the Top 100 of Twitter, but those numbers are starting to change. Through May of 2009, the Top 100 accounts on Twitter were dominated by TV and Movie celebrities, a few media companies such as @cnnbrk, politicians and sports figures.
Most online marketers had never given Twitter much thought until "The Great Ashton Kutcher vs CNN Twitter Race" that ended on April 17, 2009 with Ashton (@aplusk) getting the privilege to declare victory. (http://bit.ly/8Nx55) Even now, three months after the end of the race, Ashton is still the champion - #1 in the Twitter Follower counts with 2,975,032 Followers. Ashton is followed by @TheEllenShow - 2,610,357; @britneyspears - 2,553,668; @cnnbrk - 2,431,783; and @twitter - 1,930,821.
When the Great Twitter Race was concluded, I did a backlink check on Ashton's @aplusk account. Literally, Ashton had bought a ton of advertising on websites, blogs, forums, etc. Ashton was also getting tons of free press in print and online in the Great Twitter Race.
Of course, we marketers should not feel bad if we are getting on this bandwagon a little late in the game, because @google has only had their account since Jan 09. Google is currently the 23rd biggest Twitter account with 1,244,976 Followers.
A surprise for me was seeing @WholeFoods, an Austin Texas based grocery store, sitting at #38 with 1,094,093 Followers. According to TwitterCounter (http://twittercounter.com/WholeFoods/all), Whole Foods had only 322,820 Followers on April 4, 2009. A quick look at the Whole Foods profile (http://twitter.com/WholeFoods) indicates that they are using the account to share with their customers: company news, customer support, and available specials.
An honorable mention goes to @kevinrose, celebrity and founder of http://Digg.com. Kevin Rose is the 40th most popular person on Twitter, with 1,092,920 Followers.
Once you get into the Top 100 List below #40, you finally start to see a few online businesses in the mix. @zappos CEO is #45. @woot is #46. @TechCrunch is a web media site at #55. @dooce is at #60. To see the full Top 100 List, go here: http://twittercounter.com/pages/100
Who Is In Your Target Market and What Do They Want To Know?
As you look around at those people who are successful building their own little communities on Twitter, you will notice that each one gives people what their Followers want.
For example, @cussy is an online marketer, and he has nearly 10,000 Followers. His secret to growth: quotes. He gives his followers some of the best quotes about business and reaching goals of anyone on Twitter. I follow him and Retweet him often.
@dave_carpenter advertises himself as a Success Partner For High Achievers. Dave shares quotes and tips, and he retweets others who give good advice also. More importantly, Dave encourages the people he follows. He has nearly 9,000 Followers at this time.
@MattLevenhagen is a professional marketer. His 13,000 Followers follow because he runs a mix of marketing tips, links to great articles, and retweets for great advice. He even uses his Twitter account to give his customer's support.
@SocialMedia411 is a Social Media expert who offers social media tips, links to social media articles and news. With more than 56,000 Followers, you can bet that the advice given here is worthwhile to its audience.
When you learn to talk to the people most likely to buy from you, you have completed the first and most important step to enable you to develop strong Twitter Marketing habits.
Learn How Others Are Successful With Twitter
As always, when you want to learn to be successful, you should look to those who are already successful and try to reverse-engineer the steps that they used to become successful. Once you have taken the time to study many who have been successful in the way that you want to be successful, you may note that success comes from giving people what they want and doing it in such a way that you offer good value to your customers.
Those who have been successful with Twitter have done so, because they put the needs of their Followers ahead of a personal desire to be boring or silly.
The good news is that other business people have started to find success on Twitter and you can too. When you learn to provide the people in your target market with the information that they need and want, you will have started down the path to building a Twitter Follower list to envy.
About the Author:
Trey Pennewell works for http://www.thePhantomWriters.com/ article marketing service. If you write articles and need to distribute your articles to higher value audiences, you owe it to yourself to try The Phantom Writers' services. If you want to learn more about how to develop a large list of Twitter Followers, buy the ebook (under $10) at: http://twitusers.com/autopilot/index.php Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/contentmanager
Read more Articles written by Trey Pennewell.
Copyright © 2009 Trey Pennewell
Twitter is growing by leaps and bounds as people begin to appreciate its clean and easy-to-use interface. Twitter, at this point, does not look like one of the many flash-in-the-pan Internet applications that we have seen in times' past.
Twitter's 140 character micro-blogging platform has gained a lot of traction, as individuals and business people have learned to bring together their friends, family and customers under a communications platform that all users find useful.
Mom and dad find it easier to keep up with the lives of their grown children through Twitter. The fact that Twitter allows people to link to other web pages makes Twitter a simple platform to share thoughts, ideas, and links to stories and pictures. Grandma and granddad find it easy to check in on the kids' Twitter account and to maintain daily contact with those across town and around the world.
Friends can make plans and share common interests through the Twitter world. One can reply to a message publicly, or if the message is a bit more private, one can send a Direct Message (known as a DM) to anyone who has agreed to follow you also. Through the DM system, lovers can share flirts that no one else can see, but the persons intended to receive the message.
If you let your kids use Twitter, it may be best to set up their Twitter Account Settings to "Protect The Tweets". In the description of this feature, Twitter says, "Only let people whom I approve follow my tweets. If this is checked, you WILL NOT be on the public timeline."
The Public Timeline is the messages/tweets that everyone can see. Anything not on the Public Timeline is private, with restricted access.
Business People Are Working To Tap Into Twitter Marketplace
Twitter was born in March of 2006. But most of us never really heard of it or even understood it, until this last year (2008-2009). A few of the Internet gurus started talking about Twitter in 2008, and as 2009 got underway, more online marketers started talking about the Twitter community on a nearly daily basis.
We have accounts in Twitter that are a couple of years old, but we never got involved with Twitter really until about April of 2009. In April of 2009, we had 12 Twitter Followers.
In May 2009, there was not a single online business in the Top 100 of Twitter, but those numbers are starting to change. Through May of 2009, the Top 100 accounts on Twitter were dominated by TV and Movie celebrities, a few media companies such as @cnnbrk, politicians and sports figures.
Most online marketers had never given Twitter much thought until "The Great Ashton Kutcher vs CNN Twitter Race" that ended on April 17, 2009 with Ashton (@aplusk) getting the privilege to declare victory. (http://bit.ly/8Nx55) Even now, three months after the end of the race, Ashton is still the champion - #1 in the Twitter Follower counts with 2,975,032 Followers. Ashton is followed by @TheEllenShow - 2,610,357; @britneyspears - 2,553,668; @cnnbrk - 2,431,783; and @twitter - 1,930,821.
When the Great Twitter Race was concluded, I did a backlink check on Ashton's @aplusk account. Literally, Ashton had bought a ton of advertising on websites, blogs, forums, etc. Ashton was also getting tons of free press in print and online in the Great Twitter Race.
Of course, we marketers should not feel bad if we are getting on this bandwagon a little late in the game, because @google has only had their account since Jan 09. Google is currently the 23rd biggest Twitter account with 1,244,976 Followers.
A surprise for me was seeing @WholeFoods, an Austin Texas based grocery store, sitting at #38 with 1,094,093 Followers. According to TwitterCounter (http://twittercounter.com/WholeFoods/all), Whole Foods had only 322,820 Followers on April 4, 2009. A quick look at the Whole Foods profile (http://twitter.com/WholeFoods) indicates that they are using the account to share with their customers: company news, customer support, and available specials.
An honorable mention goes to @kevinrose, celebrity and founder of http://Digg.com. Kevin Rose is the 40th most popular person on Twitter, with 1,092,920 Followers.
Once you get into the Top 100 List below #40, you finally start to see a few online businesses in the mix. @zappos CEO is #45. @woot is #46. @TechCrunch is a web media site at #55. @dooce is at #60. To see the full Top 100 List, go here: http://twittercounter.com/pages/100
Who Is In Your Target Market and What Do They Want To Know?
As you look around at those people who are successful building their own little communities on Twitter, you will notice that each one gives people what their Followers want.
For example, @cussy is an online marketer, and he has nearly 10,000 Followers. His secret to growth: quotes. He gives his followers some of the best quotes about business and reaching goals of anyone on Twitter. I follow him and Retweet him often.
@dave_carpenter advertises himself as a Success Partner For High Achievers. Dave shares quotes and tips, and he retweets others who give good advice also. More importantly, Dave encourages the people he follows. He has nearly 9,000 Followers at this time.
@MattLevenhagen is a professional marketer. His 13,000 Followers follow because he runs a mix of marketing tips, links to great articles, and retweets for great advice. He even uses his Twitter account to give his customer's support.
@SocialMedia411 is a Social Media expert who offers social media tips, links to social media articles and news. With more than 56,000 Followers, you can bet that the advice given here is worthwhile to its audience.
When you learn to talk to the people most likely to buy from you, you have completed the first and most important step to enable you to develop strong Twitter Marketing habits.
Learn How Others Are Successful With Twitter
As always, when you want to learn to be successful, you should look to those who are already successful and try to reverse-engineer the steps that they used to become successful. Once you have taken the time to study many who have been successful in the way that you want to be successful, you may note that success comes from giving people what they want and doing it in such a way that you offer good value to your customers.
Those who have been successful with Twitter have done so, because they put the needs of their Followers ahead of a personal desire to be boring or silly.
The good news is that other business people have started to find success on Twitter and you can too. When you learn to provide the people in your target market with the information that they need and want, you will have started down the path to building a Twitter Follower list to envy.
About the Author:
Trey Pennewell works for http://www.thePhantomWriters.com/ article marketing service. If you write articles and need to distribute your articles to higher value audiences, you owe it to yourself to try The Phantom Writers' services. If you want to learn more about how to develop a large list of Twitter Followers, buy the ebook (under $10) at: http://twitusers.com/autopilot/index.php Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/contentmanager
Read more Articles written by Trey Pennewell.
How To Find Work At Home Jobs For Work At Home Moms
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Glen OReilly
As the economy continues to tighten for many American families, more moms are looking to the Internet to find the extra money needed to help their families survive during this economically challenging time.
The good news is that there are plenty of opportunities for the mom seeking to earn money from home. The bad news is that there are a number of scams out there designed to trap the newcomers - to making money online, who simply do not know how to recognize the righteous among the wolves.
Be Very, Very Careful
Far too often, newcomers to the online job world have experiences similar to those experienced by Elmer Fudd, whenever he crossed the path of Bugs Bunny - as in the movie, "Wabbit Twouble".
Elmer Fudd: Wabbit, I came here for gold, and I'm going to get it!
Bugs Bunny: No! No! No! Not that! Not that! Anything but...
[Elmer and Bugs fight until Elmer has a gold tooth in his hands]
Elmer Fudd: Euweka! Gold at wast! He-he-he-he!
[Smiles, showing a gap where his gold tooth was]
Bugs Bunny: Euweka! Gold at wast! He-he-he-he!
[Points at his intact gold tooth]
When money is tight at home, it is important to absorb the lessons I am going to share in this article and not to be an Elmer Fudd. While spending money to operate an online enterprise may often make sense, be vewy, vewy careful. Oh - sorry... Be very, very careful...
Lessons From The Days Of Mail Order
If you go to McDonald's, Wal-Mart or any other Main Street employer, you do not have to pay money to get the job. While jobs are free... A good education is not free...
In the days of mail order, the big scam was that you could pay money to get a job "stuffing envelopes". The scam was that you would pay money to get the kit that enabled you to stuff envelopes, supposedly for pay. In the advertising, it was said that companies would pay you X dollars to stuff and mail the envelopes.
What the scammers never said was that what you were sticking in an envelope was a sales flyer, and you would only be paid if someone purchased a product as the result of a piece that you mailed.
The Internet equivalent of "stuffing envelopes" is affiliate marketing. That is not to say that you cannot make a lot of money with affiliate marketing, because you really can make a lot of money with affiliate marketing. But you should be aware that most people who undertake affiliate marketing - without first getting a good education - will fail to make any money with affiliate marketing.
Yes, affiliate marketing has a learning curve, but once you have perfected your formula for success, affiliate marketing can be very lucrative. It is true that a lot of Internet marketers are making a handsome living through affiliate marketing, but most of those people who have worked their way into "earning a living" from affiliate marketing had several months or several years of trial-and-error, before they could leave the job world behind.
If you are at all curious about affiliate marketing, the basic premise is that companies will pay you for helping them to acquire new customers. If a person that you referred to the company makes a purchase, you will earn a sales commission as a result of the purchase made.
If You Are Seeking A Job
You do not have to pay someone in order to get a job, whether offline in the real world or on the Internet. If someone offers you a job, and then asks for cash up-front in order to be able to give you that job, you should hearken back to the wise words of Elmer Fudd, "There's something screwy around here..."
For many telecommuting is just a dream, but when you know where to look for those telecommuting jobs, they are not that hard to find.
The only real telecommuting jobs on the Internet are frequently found on Freelance websites. But, you should keep in mind that these Freelance jobs are usually not long-term, and they are based on specific performance criteria.
For example, I could have hired someone to write this article for me for a fee. Many freelance opportunities are actually available in the content creation arena. Webmasters need content to fill and to promote their websites, but many of these webmasters simply do not have the skill or the time to do the work themselves. If you have the ability to write intelligible content, then there is ample opportunity to write articles for other people.
On the freelance websites, content writers are generally paid anywhere from a few dollars up to about fifteen or twenty dollars to write one article. If you are willing to put up your own website and to advertise your writing to other companies, it is not unheard of to be able to charge anywhere from $30 an article to $100 an article. But you should be forewarned that setting up your own website can be a very tough road, as there are thousands of other freelance writers competing for those more lucrative writing jobs.
If you don't consider yourself much of a writer, the good news is that there are thousands of freelance jobs offered that would enable anyone with a computer connection to participate.
For example, I know one company who pays people to write "every man" reviews of tourist destinations, motels, hotels and restaurants. The managers at this company do not want professional writers to write these reviews. Instead, the employer wants the reviews to appear as if Jane Doe, with an eighth-grade education, had written them.
Another company recently paid people to research and compile a list of all of the hotels in one metro area. This company wanted the names of the hotels, addresses, phone numbers, and it wanted to know the availability of swimming pools and other amenities. That particular job paid two dollars for every record compiled.
Other companies are willing to pay to have a list compiled of web pages that talk about a very specific topic. Manually compiled lists are popular, because we all know that the search engines don't always show the best content pages on a topic, and some webmasters feel that having such a list would be beneficial to their users.
I have even seen companies seeking freelancers to look at pictures and write a short description of what the picture contains. Others have paid to have a set of pictures reviewed and placed into their proper categories.
Interestingly, if you have a digital camera, there are hundreds of companies willing to pay you to travel around your local area and take pictures of specific homes, streets, addresses, tourism spots, and nature shots. Some of these companies are in the stock photography industry; and others are in the real estate industry.
If you are more of an artist, you will also find ample opportunities for graphic design jobs through the various freelance websites. Another graphics-related freelance job that some employers have sought is for people skilled with Photoshop to stitch together pictures to provide a panoramic picture of a particular event.
Other freelance gigs for moms include business support services, administration support, accounting, answering services, resume writing, grant writing, translators, virtual assistants, editors, fact checkers, gathering interesting quotes, and more... If you can envision an assignment that a company might need completed, chances are there is someone out there looking for someone to do those jobs from home...
Here Is Where To Find Those Freelance Jobs
There are many more Freelance Job websites than what I will mention here, but this will give you a good start towards finding jobs that any mom, in any part of the country, can use to find and earn the extra money she needs to help supplement the financial needs of her family.
General Freelancing Websites:
Elance.com Guru.com/pro iFreelance.com FreelanceJobs.org/projects/ Jobs.FreelanceSwitch.com Mturk.com (from Amazon.com) LimeExchange.com FlexJobs.com FreelanceWritingGigs.com GoFreelance.com TheFreelanceNation.com HireMyMom.com GetaFreelancer.com
Sell Your Photography:
Fotolia.com iStockPhoto.com ShutterPoint.com BigStockPhoto.com StockedPhotos.com Inmagine.com StockXpert.com CreStock.com
At the end of this road, there are many places to find jobs that can be worked from home. Many of these jobs are ideal for mom, and possibly even for dad.
If you are looking for extra money or a job you can work from home, print out this article now, so that you will have it available when you need it. If you have friends or relatives looking for work from home opportunities, print this article out and give it to them.
With this information in hand, you should have no problem finding the real work-at-home jobs that many people seek to find. At this juncture, one more quote from Elmer Fudd seems the perfect conclusion to this article:
Elmer Fudd: I finally got even with that screwy wabbit...
Keep your chin up and your mind clear, so that screwy wabbit will not clean your wallet, when you are in need of every penny you have available.
About the Author:
Glen O'Reilly lives with his wife and children in Detroit, Michigan. In good times he likes to travel with his family, and in slow times, he likes to help others through his writing. Recently, his wife was laid off from the job she had held for ten years. This opened a new chapter in their lives. His wife recently was able to find a job using http://www.jobsandpaychecks.com/ Thrilled about his wife's success, Glen signed on with the website to help get the word out about this excellent online jobs resource.
Read more of Glen OReilly's articles.
Copyright © 2009 Glen OReilly
As the economy continues to tighten for many American families, more moms are looking to the Internet to find the extra money needed to help their families survive during this economically challenging time.
The good news is that there are plenty of opportunities for the mom seeking to earn money from home. The bad news is that there are a number of scams out there designed to trap the newcomers - to making money online, who simply do not know how to recognize the righteous among the wolves.
Be Very, Very Careful
Far too often, newcomers to the online job world have experiences similar to those experienced by Elmer Fudd, whenever he crossed the path of Bugs Bunny - as in the movie, "Wabbit Twouble".
Elmer Fudd: Wabbit, I came here for gold, and I'm going to get it!
Bugs Bunny: No! No! No! Not that! Not that! Anything but...
[Elmer and Bugs fight until Elmer has a gold tooth in his hands]
Elmer Fudd: Euweka! Gold at wast! He-he-he-he!
[Smiles, showing a gap where his gold tooth was]
Bugs Bunny: Euweka! Gold at wast! He-he-he-he!
[Points at his intact gold tooth]
When money is tight at home, it is important to absorb the lessons I am going to share in this article and not to be an Elmer Fudd. While spending money to operate an online enterprise may often make sense, be vewy, vewy careful. Oh - sorry... Be very, very careful...
Lessons From The Days Of Mail Order
If you go to McDonald's, Wal-Mart or any other Main Street employer, you do not have to pay money to get the job. While jobs are free... A good education is not free...
In the days of mail order, the big scam was that you could pay money to get a job "stuffing envelopes". The scam was that you would pay money to get the kit that enabled you to stuff envelopes, supposedly for pay. In the advertising, it was said that companies would pay you X dollars to stuff and mail the envelopes.
What the scammers never said was that what you were sticking in an envelope was a sales flyer, and you would only be paid if someone purchased a product as the result of a piece that you mailed.
The Internet equivalent of "stuffing envelopes" is affiliate marketing. That is not to say that you cannot make a lot of money with affiliate marketing, because you really can make a lot of money with affiliate marketing. But you should be aware that most people who undertake affiliate marketing - without first getting a good education - will fail to make any money with affiliate marketing.
Yes, affiliate marketing has a learning curve, but once you have perfected your formula for success, affiliate marketing can be very lucrative. It is true that a lot of Internet marketers are making a handsome living through affiliate marketing, but most of those people who have worked their way into "earning a living" from affiliate marketing had several months or several years of trial-and-error, before they could leave the job world behind.
If you are at all curious about affiliate marketing, the basic premise is that companies will pay you for helping them to acquire new customers. If a person that you referred to the company makes a purchase, you will earn a sales commission as a result of the purchase made.
If You Are Seeking A Job
You do not have to pay someone in order to get a job, whether offline in the real world or on the Internet. If someone offers you a job, and then asks for cash up-front in order to be able to give you that job, you should hearken back to the wise words of Elmer Fudd, "There's something screwy around here..."
For many telecommuting is just a dream, but when you know where to look for those telecommuting jobs, they are not that hard to find.
The only real telecommuting jobs on the Internet are frequently found on Freelance websites. But, you should keep in mind that these Freelance jobs are usually not long-term, and they are based on specific performance criteria.
For example, I could have hired someone to write this article for me for a fee. Many freelance opportunities are actually available in the content creation arena. Webmasters need content to fill and to promote their websites, but many of these webmasters simply do not have the skill or the time to do the work themselves. If you have the ability to write intelligible content, then there is ample opportunity to write articles for other people.
On the freelance websites, content writers are generally paid anywhere from a few dollars up to about fifteen or twenty dollars to write one article. If you are willing to put up your own website and to advertise your writing to other companies, it is not unheard of to be able to charge anywhere from $30 an article to $100 an article. But you should be forewarned that setting up your own website can be a very tough road, as there are thousands of other freelance writers competing for those more lucrative writing jobs.
If you don't consider yourself much of a writer, the good news is that there are thousands of freelance jobs offered that would enable anyone with a computer connection to participate.
For example, I know one company who pays people to write "every man" reviews of tourist destinations, motels, hotels and restaurants. The managers at this company do not want professional writers to write these reviews. Instead, the employer wants the reviews to appear as if Jane Doe, with an eighth-grade education, had written them.
Another company recently paid people to research and compile a list of all of the hotels in one metro area. This company wanted the names of the hotels, addresses, phone numbers, and it wanted to know the availability of swimming pools and other amenities. That particular job paid two dollars for every record compiled.
Other companies are willing to pay to have a list compiled of web pages that talk about a very specific topic. Manually compiled lists are popular, because we all know that the search engines don't always show the best content pages on a topic, and some webmasters feel that having such a list would be beneficial to their users.
I have even seen companies seeking freelancers to look at pictures and write a short description of what the picture contains. Others have paid to have a set of pictures reviewed and placed into their proper categories.
Interestingly, if you have a digital camera, there are hundreds of companies willing to pay you to travel around your local area and take pictures of specific homes, streets, addresses, tourism spots, and nature shots. Some of these companies are in the stock photography industry; and others are in the real estate industry.
If you are more of an artist, you will also find ample opportunities for graphic design jobs through the various freelance websites. Another graphics-related freelance job that some employers have sought is for people skilled with Photoshop to stitch together pictures to provide a panoramic picture of a particular event.
Other freelance gigs for moms include business support services, administration support, accounting, answering services, resume writing, grant writing, translators, virtual assistants, editors, fact checkers, gathering interesting quotes, and more... If you can envision an assignment that a company might need completed, chances are there is someone out there looking for someone to do those jobs from home...
Here Is Where To Find Those Freelance Jobs
There are many more Freelance Job websites than what I will mention here, but this will give you a good start towards finding jobs that any mom, in any part of the country, can use to find and earn the extra money she needs to help supplement the financial needs of her family.
General Freelancing Websites:
Sell Your Photography:
At the end of this road, there are many places to find jobs that can be worked from home. Many of these jobs are ideal for mom, and possibly even for dad.
If you are looking for extra money or a job you can work from home, print out this article now, so that you will have it available when you need it. If you have friends or relatives looking for work from home opportunities, print this article out and give it to them.
With this information in hand, you should have no problem finding the real work-at-home jobs that many people seek to find. At this juncture, one more quote from Elmer Fudd seems the perfect conclusion to this article:
Elmer Fudd: I finally got even with that screwy wabbit...
Keep your chin up and your mind clear, so that screwy wabbit will not clean your wallet, when you are in need of every penny you have available.
About the Author:
Glen O'Reilly lives with his wife and children in Detroit, Michigan. In good times he likes to travel with his family, and in slow times, he likes to help others through his writing. Recently, his wife was laid off from the job she had held for ten years. This opened a new chapter in their lives. His wife recently was able to find a job using http://www.jobsandpaychecks.com/ Thrilled about his wife's success, Glen signed on with the website to help get the word out about this excellent online jobs resource.
Read more of Glen OReilly's articles.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Why Is Business VoIP So Popular?
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Nermine Shaker
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol and is quickly becoming a fixture in the corporate world. Ask why and you'll get a barrage of answers, ranging from the money companies save to various packages that can be added on for little additional costs. Those who tout VoIP promise many benefits over the traditional PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). The most mentioned ones are cost savings, new calling features, and reduced infrastructure of converged networks. Here is a closer look at just a few of the reasons behind the popularity of VoIP.
In the past, Internet telephone services have been seen as being of a lower quality or less reliable than the regular phone lines that came before them. However, this is no longer true, and an increasing number of businesses have started using business VoIP, which can get them connections just as good as their traditional ones, but at a lower cost.
The potential advantages to VoIP come in two categories - hard benefits and soft benefits. These hard advantages have a clearly defined cost savings like the amount of money saved every year by replacing a PBX with a VoIP server. Soft benefits, however, may or may not save the company actual money. An example would be the increased productivity of employees able to access their phones while travelling.
The first reason for VoIP's popularity is that business VoIP is easy to use for any company that has computers and an Internet connection - in other words, basically every company around. When companies add a service provider, they almost never have any trouble making the transition or setting up and using their new service. Transitioning takes a little planning and usually it's made easier when a Telecom Management professional is involved. A company is now usually able to keep their old phone number when they switch.
Reason number two for many is the perks that are offered by service providers to the companies that use them. These include multi-line services, call waiting, caller ID, call return, call block and more. The expansion of VoIP providers in recent years means that there is little you can get from a regular phone line that you can't get at better rates with the new technology.
Again, the overall costs for business VoIP are also a big plus to its users. Small businesses have to pay a bit more, but for the most part, rates are still much lower than those offered by normal phone service companies. Add-ons are cheap as well. Many companies only have to pay about one cent a minute for international calls and some simply have unlimited calls.
Business VoIP allows companies to better use tools they already have. Instead of having to pay for an entirely separate system of phone lines, companies can just use the broadband Internet connection they probably already have. VoIP maximizes the potential of this present outlet without requiring the installation and fees of an additional one.
Yet another thing that companies love about VoIP service is the ability to have their plan custom fit to their individual needs. Nearly all VoIP providers will work with businesses of any scale, letting them have features adapted to a very large or small number of users. This way, each consumer gets the best deal for all of its employees.
VoIP phones are equipped with features like call forwarding, voice mail boxes, and call records which will make company communications more efficient. Portability is another great feature with VoIP service. Employees who travel frequently can make calls through the Internet and have their same extension number and user applications still available to them. This enhanced mobility lets companies allow employees to have more flexible work options. This could improve productivity and reduce facility and real estate costs for some companies.
The addition of voice mail, email and fax integration, the application of Unified Messaging - the ability to retrieve your messages anytime, anywhere and in any way - is another alluring productivity enticement. Also, the ever-annoying game of "phone tag" could be eliminated with advanced call routing. Call routing can also be integrated with CRM systems (Customer Relationship Management) to check customer information and route calls to the appropriate number. There are always new features and applications to use and these new features can be added to VoIP phones more quickly and easily than traditional systems.
When they really start to look at business VoIP, companies will find that they don't really lose anything in exchange for lower prices - in fact, they gain a lot. Fast and trustworthy, VoIP phones aren't really that different than landlines - they just don't have all the bills. For those struggling with hard economic times, that's great for a better bottom-line.
About the Author:
With over 20 years of experience in planning, implementing, managing and consulting on telecommunications projects, Nermine Shaker has generated millions of dollars worth of savings for her clients. She is a Partner at The Sygnal Group, a Telecommunications Management Company that offers unbiased reporting, analysis and implementation of telecom strategies to businesses of all sizes. http://www.SygnalGroup.com
More new articles.
Copyright © 2009 Nermine Shaker
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol and is quickly becoming a fixture in the corporate world. Ask why and you'll get a barrage of answers, ranging from the money companies save to various packages that can be added on for little additional costs. Those who tout VoIP promise many benefits over the traditional PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). The most mentioned ones are cost savings, new calling features, and reduced infrastructure of converged networks. Here is a closer look at just a few of the reasons behind the popularity of VoIP.
In the past, Internet telephone services have been seen as being of a lower quality or less reliable than the regular phone lines that came before them. However, this is no longer true, and an increasing number of businesses have started using business VoIP, which can get them connections just as good as their traditional ones, but at a lower cost.
The potential advantages to VoIP come in two categories - hard benefits and soft benefits. These hard advantages have a clearly defined cost savings like the amount of money saved every year by replacing a PBX with a VoIP server. Soft benefits, however, may or may not save the company actual money. An example would be the increased productivity of employees able to access their phones while travelling.
The first reason for VoIP's popularity is that business VoIP is easy to use for any company that has computers and an Internet connection - in other words, basically every company around. When companies add a service provider, they almost never have any trouble making the transition or setting up and using their new service. Transitioning takes a little planning and usually it's made easier when a Telecom Management professional is involved. A company is now usually able to keep their old phone number when they switch.
Reason number two for many is the perks that are offered by service providers to the companies that use them. These include multi-line services, call waiting, caller ID, call return, call block and more. The expansion of VoIP providers in recent years means that there is little you can get from a regular phone line that you can't get at better rates with the new technology.
Again, the overall costs for business VoIP are also a big plus to its users. Small businesses have to pay a bit more, but for the most part, rates are still much lower than those offered by normal phone service companies. Add-ons are cheap as well. Many companies only have to pay about one cent a minute for international calls and some simply have unlimited calls.
Business VoIP allows companies to better use tools they already have. Instead of having to pay for an entirely separate system of phone lines, companies can just use the broadband Internet connection they probably already have. VoIP maximizes the potential of this present outlet without requiring the installation and fees of an additional one.
Yet another thing that companies love about VoIP service is the ability to have their plan custom fit to their individual needs. Nearly all VoIP providers will work with businesses of any scale, letting them have features adapted to a very large or small number of users. This way, each consumer gets the best deal for all of its employees.
VoIP phones are equipped with features like call forwarding, voice mail boxes, and call records which will make company communications more efficient. Portability is another great feature with VoIP service. Employees who travel frequently can make calls through the Internet and have their same extension number and user applications still available to them. This enhanced mobility lets companies allow employees to have more flexible work options. This could improve productivity and reduce facility and real estate costs for some companies.
The addition of voice mail, email and fax integration, the application of Unified Messaging - the ability to retrieve your messages anytime, anywhere and in any way - is another alluring productivity enticement. Also, the ever-annoying game of "phone tag" could be eliminated with advanced call routing. Call routing can also be integrated with CRM systems (Customer Relationship Management) to check customer information and route calls to the appropriate number. There are always new features and applications to use and these new features can be added to VoIP phones more quickly and easily than traditional systems.
When they really start to look at business VoIP, companies will find that they don't really lose anything in exchange for lower prices - in fact, they gain a lot. Fast and trustworthy, VoIP phones aren't really that different than landlines - they just don't have all the bills. For those struggling with hard economic times, that's great for a better bottom-line.
About the Author:
With over 20 years of experience in planning, implementing, managing and consulting on telecommunications projects, Nermine Shaker has generated millions of dollars worth of savings for her clients. She is a Partner at The Sygnal Group, a Telecommunications Management Company that offers unbiased reporting, analysis and implementation of telecom strategies to businesses of all sizes. http://www.SygnalGroup.com
More new articles.
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