Phone

It’s All About the Apps

To actually refer to my cell phone as a phone is a bit of a misnomer, since that feature is used the least. What should our smartphone actually be referred to as? The first thing that comes to mind is our Tech Blankie.

To drive this home, I will pull from my distant past, yesterday at lunch. I am heading to a Thai restaurant with my boss and two gentlemen we just had a productive meeting with. Once we sat down my boss, and one the other guys, we will call Colby, instantly pull out their Widgets to check email, texts, Facebook, etc.; you know the routine.  And I have to admit, I went for my phone briefly too. But I quickly saw the humor in the scenario and made a joke referencing the situation. The ironic thing was the youngest of us, let’s say he was a “Millennial’, was the only one who did not go to the Blankie.

Yes, I know Tech-Blankie is a horrible name, but it most likely helped drive my point across, and hopefully brought a quick smile to your face, because you know this happens with you too. So let’s not get hung up with the name, let’s look at how we use our smartphone, kind of like an old Swiss Army knife.

I have four different email accounts I check pretty much the second I either hear the ding or feel the vibration. I also rely on …

Is Your Phone System Part of Your Communication Crisis Plan?

Most of us don’t love the idea of spending our valuable time putting a crisis plan in place because what are the chances you are really going to need it? However, anyone who has experienced a business crisis would be quick to point out that in the event of a crisis, having a response plan in place helps to minimize the impact of that crisis.

One of the most important tools your business has is its phone system. Your phones serve as the main tool for you to communicate the level of the emergency, get the help needed, and ensure the safety of your business. If you lose dial tone on the phone system, your response efforts could be hindered.

Phones are Essential to Productivity

While we usually think of massive issues like floods, earthquakes and fires as disasters, smaller events like water damage or burglary can be equally catastrophic to businesses. When essential business elements like the phone system are compromised, productivity is lost, and the costs to the business can escalate rapidly.

Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail

According to FEMA, 40% of businesses who fall victim to a crisis never reopen, and 25% fail within the first year following the crisis. Successful businesses today understand it is worth the investment to prepare for the worst while hoping for the best. When crisis strikes, employees will want to understand what is happening, neighboring businesses may need to be informed, and emergency response teams may need …

Unified Communications: 4 Challenges and How to Overcome Them

The 4 Most Common Obstacles of UC Implementation

The implementation of a Unified Communications (UC) system is becoming increasingly popular for companies of all sizes. Organizations realize these technologies can reduce costs, streamline processes and enhance productivity. These system changes can not only improve the business operations in-house, but also with offsite employees who need to collaborate and connect to various systems in order to work effectively at other sites or mobile locations.

Typically though, no massive system change from a desk phone over to a softphone is viewed as an easy task for businesses. When changing what has become a force of habit for day-to-day business tasks, there may be some growing pains. However, most of these obstacles are manageable as long as proper preparation occurs.

In order to best prepare for the possible concerns with a UC change over, let’s evaluate the most common obstacles:

Obstacle #1 Resistance Giving Up Established Systems

Let’s be honest, sometimes it’s just nice to do things the way we’ve always done them. Many employees feel this way about their phone systems. However, with the proper training program implemented regarding the features and benefits of the new system, the transition becomes more accepted and understood.

Obstacle #2 Financial Concerns

Although UC systems are often a much less expensive option than traditional phone systems of the past, they still require an investment. About 73% of companies with $5,000 or more employees report that cost is an issue for implementing a new system. This concern is partially …

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Millennia Technologies is a full-service voice and data solutions company for midsize to enterprise customers. Specializing in UCaaS , CCaaS , Cybersecurity , IoT , Voice , Cloud , and more. Our passion is firmly rooted in showing clients how well-designed data solutions can significantly accelerate business operations, and then celebrating their goal-shattering successes.