Automated Phone Systems for Small Business

Like many small businesses, yours may not have a dedicated receptionist to answer calls. An automated phone system could help your staff save time and increase efficiency. Consider one of these automated systems for your small business:

Phone.com

Features: Phone.com’s features include Advanced Phone Call Scheduling, which allows you to schedule times when incoming calls should be forwarded to certain locations, such as your cell phone, home phone or another employee’s phone.
Plans and Pricing: Phone.com offers four annual plans:

• Virtual Office 300 (300 monthly minutes) for $9.88/month, for 1 phone number


• Virtual Office 600 for $19.88/month, for 2 phone numbers


• Virtual Office 1000 for $34.88/month, for 3 phone numbers


• Virtual Office 2500 for $69.88/month, for 3 phone numbers

Why It’s Ideal for Small Businesses: Shilonda Downing, owner of Virtual Work Team, a back office support company based in Flossmoor, Ill., says she appreciates Phone.com’s great customer service. “They take the time to walk you through everything,” she says. “That means a lot to small business owners who want to talk to someone they can connect with and not just feel like a number.”
David Lowe, owner of ControlTemp Thermostats, based in Pine Brook, N.J., says set-up is easy; no equipment is necessary and it was “up and running in 20 minutes.”

Aptela.com

Features: Aptela.com offers a wide variety of features, including a User Dashboard, which you can view online and see missed calls, voicemails, fax messages, an active call display and more.
Plans and Pricing:  Aptela.com offers three calling plans, all using Voice over Internet Protocol technology.

• VoIP Basic for $14.99/month; charges $.025/minute.


• VoIP Professional for $19.99/month; includes 250 minutes and charges $.025 for each additional minute.


• VoIP Unlimited for $24.99/month offers unlimited minutes.

Aptela.com also offers mobile plans, which integrate mobile employees.
Why It’s Ideal for Small Businesses: Jason Mudd, Owner of AXIA Public Relations, based in Jacksonville, Fla., says Aptela offers customizable packages that provide a more “scalable and custom solution” for the small business owner.

FonGenie.com

Features: Among typical automated features, such as a Virtual Receptionist and Caller ID, FonGenie also offers analytics tools that track calls (e.g., how many were new callers, how many calls came in after-hours) and make predictions based on those analytics, such as how many calls to expect the next day.
Plans and Pricing: FonGenie offers three plans.

• Bring Your Own Telephone Service is for those who wish to keep their current phone service. It costs $29.99/month and includes 300 minutes.


• Standard requires purchasing a FonGenie appliance. It costs $49.99/month for 2000 minutes.


• Plus also requires the FonGenie appliance. It costs $149.99/month for unlimited minutes.

Why It’s Ideal for Small Businesses: FonGenie presents daily specials customers can hear and interact with when calling. For example, you can include a promotion on your automated recording, and list an extension with more information. FonGenie can then track how effective the special was. Heidi Sul, owner of AquaSpa Day Spa & Nail Salon in East Brunswick, N.J., says this is the best part of FonGenie’s service: “It actually helped us a lot financially, and it can't be replaced with anything else.”

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Source: http://docphy.com/business-industry/business/automated-phone-systems-small-business.html