Why It Is Time For Your Business To Move To VoIP

 

How Can VoIP Benefit my Business?

VoIP is a versatile and multifaceted technology with numerous advantages. Its flexibility means that businesses can benefit from it in different ways, depending on their individual circumstances and requirements.

Even organizations that are content with their existing PBX telephone systems can benefit from switching to VoIP.

Let’s take a closer look at how VoIP can benefit your business in various situations.

What if my system is working well?

Many organizations are faced with this situation. The current equipment and service plan may serve their needs adequately and they see no reason to switch to VoIP.

However even if all the features are present and working, maintaining the PBX systems requires resources.

Often there have to be a few experts available – in-house or consultants – who are capable of changing configurations and solving issues as they arise.

These businesses can benefit from VoIP as it will provide the same feature set – and then some more – but reduce the hassle and maintenance.

Not only does VoIP cost less up front than traditional systems but organizations can shift employees to more productive roles.

This way workers can concentrate on bringing more value to the business as a whole instead of wasting their time fixing communication issues.

We suggest reading the article about whether you should switch to VoIP. 

Can VoIP help my small business?

In one word – yes. Small business owners often underestimate the power of having enterprise grade communication capabilities.

Just because your business is small or you have only a few employees doesn’t mean you shouldn’t project a professional image to clients.

Even freelancers and contractors who work out of their home can benefit from the myriad features offered by VoIP.

Imagine being able to automatically redirect customers to the appropriate employee, even before you answer the call.

If your business is closed for the holidays or for unexpected reasons, callers can hear a prerecorded message stating the reason and when your office will reopen.

The best part is that these features are available at a fraction of the price charged by regular operators. It makes VoIP a perfect match for small businesses.

Can VoIP keep up if I grow or change?

Just because the business is small or large today doesn’t mean it will remain the same size forever. Small businesses can grow and become medium or huge corporations, while a big business can downsize and shrink.

These changes can be particularly hard for enterprises because they are often unexpected and can happen extremely quickly. It means that they may end up paying for resources that they are not using or struggling to cope with increased demand.

VoIP can step in here too. Hosted VoIP vendors allow clients to pay only for the seats/features that they use and these can be added, dropped or modified as needed. Suppose your business sees a sharp rise in demand, you can quickly provision extra lines.

If the growth is permanent, you can keep paying for them but if demand falls back to previous levels in a month or two, you can go back to your previous configuration. This sort of scalability and flexibility is invaluable, regardless of the actual size of your organization.

The benefits of switching to VoIP are innumerable and different organizations may have different reasons for doing so.

The truth is that since VoIP is built on the same protocols that power the Internet, the technology can adapt to any requirement. In fact new features are being added faster than businesses can make use of them.

Some enterprises are content to set up the system as they like and then leave it alone. On the other hand, some organizations are leveraging the new capabilities of those VoIP services to open up more business opportunities. Either way, VoIP is surely the way to go.

For more information about how VoIP can benefit your business, or to book yourself in for a free telecoms review, please contact Go Gloucestershire Communications LTD on 01452 238866 or you can also email us at  michael,stanley@gogloscomms.co.uk

Million's of BT Customers Face Second Rise This Year - Bills Hike Up To 40 Percent

MILLIONS of BT customers face price hikes for the second time this year as the provider pushes up the cost of landline, broadband and TV sport packages.

The fresh waves of hikes will come into effect from September 16 2018.

It means that the cost of the Superfast Fibre Plus package will go up by 40 per cent, from £20.50 a month to £28.75.

Landline rental will also go up from £18.99 to £19.99 a month, or from £56.97 to £59.97 if you pay quarterly.

Standard broadband prices including line rental will increase by £2.50 a month, while landline customers will have to pay an extra 2p a minute for calls and another 1p a minute for calls from a mobile.

Customers making international calls will have to fork out another 5p per minute.

The cost of 1571 answerphone will go up by 50p a month from £3 to £3.50.

BT, which boasts 10million customers, already hiked prices at the start of the year, with millions of customers paying out an extra 33 per cent for broadband, landline and BT Sport.

Broadband customers are already paying an extra £30 a year compared to last year, while a BT Sport customer who accesses the service through Sky TV and has BT broadband pays £2.50 more a month.

The telecoms provider will be sending a letter to customers who will be affected.

A BT spokesperson, who confirmed the changes, said: "All customers that are impacted will receive a letter or email that includes detailed information about the specific changes that affect them.

"We continue to freeze prices for low-income customers, and for any customers who want to upgrade to our new BT Plus plans."

a year
Sky customers were slapped with an extra £30 a year on their bills after the provider increased the prices of broadband, TV and home phone bills in February.

Bills for affected customers will rise by around £2.50 a month - adding £30 a year to bills, the firm said.

Virgin Mobile customers will see bills leap 3.3 per cent this summer in a price rise that will affect 1.6million Brits.

So What Can You Do About These Hikes?

IF you're a BT customer outside the minimum term of your contract then you can leave penalty free. For TV customers you have to give 30 days notice. For more information on how to cancel visit the BT website. If you're a broadband and phone customer - and you're outside the minimum term of your contract - then you can leave without paying a fee too. You need to give 14 days notice. If you're still in your contract and you're unhappy about the increase but don't want to leave BT then you can try calling up to haggle. Telecoms firms don't wan't to lose customers so it's worth seeing if they can do you a better deal.

If you would like to review other options and look at perhaps a more personalised 'accountable' level of support, then please do not hesitate to contact us today to arrange a free no obligation telecoms and IT review.  

We do work very closely with BT and also offer their great products and services to our customers, however we also work with other great providers and suppliers, so we can look at what options suit you and your business best!

Please contact us direct on 01452 238866 or email us at michael.stanley@gogloscomms.co.uk to arrange your free telecoms and IT review.

Why Your Business Needs To Go Hosted

Hosted Voice Phone Systems

Businesses that switch to a hosted voice system make substantial cost savings.
Individual phone lines (PSTN and ISDN) are no longer required and with no
system infrastructure you save on equipment and maintenance.

• Inclusive calls to landlines and mobiles

• Save on line rental, equipment & maintenance

• Advanced call features: include voicemail,
  hunt groups, call-recording, conferencing,
  call monitoring, and CRM integration

• Present a professional image with auto-attendant,
  menu-driven call answering

• Work from anywhere and on the go

• PCI and MiFID II Compliant

• Disaster recovery: just plug your phones in and
  you’re back online; and when you move premises
  the numbers stay with you

• Keep existing numbers or get new numbers for
  any region of the country

Please get in contact with us so that we can look at how a hosted solution can help your business reduce costs and grow! Please contact us direct on 01452 238866 or email us at michael.stanley@gogloscomms.co.uk

VoIP Only In 2020 - Are You Ready

By December 2020, European voice operators will stop providing analog voice and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) services. Several of them have already launched plans to accelerate the internal transformation of their infrastructure and offer services to companies and individuals, specifically, for example, Deustche Telekom plans to finalize their changes in 2018, and British Telecom in 2020. Other operators such as Swisscomm o Belgacom has already completed its “all IP” plans.

Many companies in Europe will have to change or update their voice networks and switchboards to this new scenario, in which, in addition, a large part of the old equipment manufacturers have ceased to exist or have been “devoured” by this changing environment.

The new strategy is “all IP”, and “everything in the Cloud”, which implies serious changes at the level of infrastructure and corporate security, although the advantages are also enormous: flexibility, reduced costs, multi-ubiquity, greater control, resilience, and a seamless transition etc.

Your current phone system provider may not be ready to accompany you in this new environment. Many things are changing, and not everyone is prepared. Will you let us help you? We proactively support our clients, enabling them to concentrate on what they do best! 

Contact us direct on 01452 238866 to discuss your options or fill in the attached customer contact form and we will contact you.

SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 9 BUSINESS MOBILE PHONE DEALS

Samsung has announced the latest addition to its premium Note series with the Galaxy Note 9. The Note series has been recognised for including the company’s latest groundbreaking innovations, and the Galaxy Note 9 builds on this legacy with a premium smartphone that delivers the ultimate in performance; a new S Pen with connectivity for the first time ever; and Samsung’s most intelligent camera yet.

Feel empowered with intelligent features and powerful fundamentals on the Galaxy Note 9. It’s the phone that keeps up with the pace of your business.

Looking for the best Samsung Galaxy Note 9 business mobile phone deals? Find the best deals with us on all networks: EE, O2 & Vodafone.

Go Gloucestershire Communications is ready to answer your questions and guide you to the right solution. Call us on 01452 238866 or click HERE to email us.

6 Ways That VoIP Will Revolutionise Your Business

A surprising number of businesses are still using landline phones. In the modern world of the Internet and high-speed data, it is  now time to think about making a switch to a more modern communication option — VoIP service, or Cloud Hosted Systems. VoIP phone service offers so much more to businesses that a regular landline just can’t.

Here are just a few reasons why it may be time for businesses to cut the cord and make the switch to VoIP:

You Can Make a Call Without a Phone

Mobile and Desktop VoIP Apps are available that can turn just about any device into a call-making machine. This flexibility can be extremely handy in various business environments, where quick communication is essential.

Smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops can all quickly be enabled to make phone calls through VoIP telephony. When cell phone batteries die, or you want to save minutes on a limited phone plan, you can still make important phone calls with these VoIP-enabled devices.

Have a Local Number for National and International Presence

Making international calls with VoIP is about as inexpensive as it gets. You also have the added advantage of being able to create a local phone number — for wherever your customers happen to be.

If you do a lot of business in Indonesia, for instance, you can get a local number that your business associates can call to get a hold of you while you are in the U.K VoIP essentially allows you to have a local presence, anywhere in the world.

Transcribe Voicemails to Emails or Texts

There are a number of business VoIP providers that bundle voicemail transcription into their service for an all inclusive price. This feature instantly transcribes all of your voicemails and converts them into text or email, and delivers them right to your inbox.
You can save time listening to voicemails, yet still get the important information you need to make business decisions. You can always listen to the full message later, but the transcription is a great way to get important information fast.

Huge Cost Savings

When you are trying to turn a profit with your business, every little bit helps. In the case of business expenses, you want to minimize what you spend to maximize what you earn — but not at the expense of quality and performance. The great thing about VoIP services is that you get the best of both worlds.

VoIP plans are much more affordable than any landline service, especially when you get into international rates. With VoIP, you’ll pay a low cost per line depending on how many features you’ll need. It also offers improved performance and a number of useful options at no extra cost. So you get to save money and get free features with help to improve your business at the same time.

Direct Your Calls Where You Want

Many VoIP services allow you to get very specific about where and when you want your calls to go. You can set calls to go to multiple phones, or to go straight to voicemail without your phone ringing once.

Seamlessly Transfer Calls between Your Devices

If you are on an important call, like a business prospect that you have been waiting on for some time, VoIP makes it easy to transfer that important call to any number that you want. So if you get the call on a business line while you are in the office, but you want to stay on the call as you leave to head out for lunch, you can easily switch the call over to your cell phone.

Bottom Line: Numerous Upsides With NO Downsides

Staying competitive in business requires using the best tools available. When it comes to business phone service, VoIP wins hands down. Offering numerous benefits without any negatives, VoIP is likely to become the standard telephone option for all businesses in the future. For any business that has yet to adopt the technology, now is the time to do so.

Now is the time to seriously consider VoIP for your business.  To learn more please call us on 01452 238866 or email us direct at michael.stanley@gogloscomms.co.uk - Or you can complete our contact form and we will call you!

Please read here for more information: https://www.gogloscomms.co.uk/voip-telephone-systems/

Apple iPhone 9 REVEALED: The three iPhone X-style phones that will launch in September

Apple is gearing up to release THREE new iPhones later this autumn to fight off competition from the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the Google Pixel 2.

These phones will all have a similar design to the iPhone X - which launched last year - but will come in different sizes and, crucially with different kinds of screen technology.

But none of them will have a home button - meaning that if you want to use an iPhone from now on, you're going to have to rely on FaceID.

The three different sizes that the new iPhone will come in are 5.8-inches, 6.1-inches and 6.5-inches.

The smallest handset is likely to become the base model and will have an LCD screen (rather than the OLED panel currently in the iPhone X) and could be branded the iPhone 9.

The next one up will possibly be called the iPhone XI and will be the natural upgrade from the current iPhone X.

Meanwhile, the 6.5-inch version is rumoured to be called the iPhone X Plus and will be the biggest smartphone Apple has ever made. We're not sure what the cost of this phone will be (the iPhone X's cheapest model is £999) but it's not going to be cheap.

The above renders were shared on Twitter by concept designer Ben Geskin who created them based on earlier leaked photographs of the front panels of the new phones.

One of the biggest upsets for Apple owners in 2018 could be the switch from the Lightning charger to a USB-C port.

According to a post on Japanese tech site Macotakara , the new iPhones will come with an 18W USB Type-C to Lightning dongle in the box - which will make it even more frustrating if you've got a lot of Lightning-based Apple accessories.

As well as trio of new iPhones, noted Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo expects the company to dish out a new Apple Watch, a new MacBook Air and a new iPad Pro model with the same all-screen design as the iPhone X with no home button.

If Apple sticks to its standard release schedule, we will likely see the new gadgets unveiled in the first or second week of September and have them on UK shelves before the end of October.

Contact us direct to discuss your business mobile options or call us on 01452 238866.

Please click here for more information: https://www.gogloscomms.co.uk/business-mobiles/

ISDN is coming to the end of the line, what should your business do?

ISDN’s days are numbered, with BT having announced that from 2020, ISDN networks will not be purchasable, following plans to pull the plug on ISDN and PSTN circuits all together in 2025. Whilst this date may seem a long way off, forward-thinking businesses need to prioritise their migration to SIP and VoIP Hosted technology to ensure they don’t get left behind.

Why is BT pulling the plug?

Technology has become faster, smarter and more agile since the initial days of ISDN and PSTN circuits. For this reason, a lot of businesses will have already swapped out their ISDN telephony for the latest and greatest technology on the market. From BT’s perspective, maintaining multiple legacy networks is burning a large hole in their pocket, so converging all of their services to one network opposed to several is much more cost effective.

What’s the replacement?

Enter SIP trunking and VoIP… SIP trunking provides businesses with the ability to streamline their communication costs and resources. The ultimate benefit of SIP trunking removing the need physical phone lines, reducing costs and restrictions around call capacity and location.

What’s more, with the phone lines being virtual, users are able to benefit from greater flexibility of where and when they work, as the ability to make and take calls wherever they have an internet connection, opposed to legacy phone systems which rely on the presence of a physical ISDN line.

Not to mention a vast array of operational benefits:

Users are able to keep the same number, no matter where they are
Ensures business continuity and maximised uptime and better to deal with emergencies
Saves on call costs, call forwarding and connectivity costs
No need for costly ISDN maintenance
Offers a single connection for high quality voice and data services

What should your business do?

Although 2025 may seem a long way from now, 2020 will be fast approaching. So if your current ISDN/PSTN telephony contract is due for renewal within the next few years, now is the time to start exploring the benefits of VoIP and SIP technologies.

With the right technology, you can future proof your company while also improving processes, performance and satisfaction. Go Gloucestershire Communications are experts in SIP trunking and VoIP, helping businesses across the UK to transform the way they communicate both internally and externally; enabling them to maximise their business efficiency, unlock cost savings, and improve the client experience.

Please contact us direct on 01452 238866 or email michael.stanley@gogloscomms.co,uk to see how a new hosted solution can help your business save and grow.

Alternatively please complete your details on our contact form below and we will contact you.

5 advantages of sim only contracts for business

Sim only contracts have become one of the most popular options in the business mobile industry. More and more businesses are choosing to forget about lengthy two-year contracts in favour of a simple sim card.

While sim only deals are usually associated with personal contracts, they can also be a fantastic option for business users. They offer many advantages, from a cheaper price point to more freedom – here are five reasons why sim only could be just right for your business.

1. It’s cheaper
Sim only deals tend to be much cheaper than an ordinary contract, since these usually include the cost of renting a handset in the price. Some plans start as low as £8 per month – so if you already own a suitable smartphone, you could be making huge savings by choosing a sim only contract.

2. More freedom
Afraid of commitment? This is the perfect option for you: because you don’t have to pay for the cost a handset, most sim only contracts are shorter than those which include a smartphone. 

3. Shop around
Another advantage of having a shorter contract is that it allows you to shop around for deals. If your needs change and your current 30-day contract no longer works for you (do you need more data than you thought? Did you use up all your minutes in the first week?), you can simply change it and insert the new sim card into your phone.

4. Upgrade your phone
When you’re tied down to a two-year contract, you might end up missing out on the latest 9smartphone releases. To stay ahead of the game and make sure you’ve always got the latest and best phone in the industry, why not choose a sim only plan? You’ll be able to get the phone you want, when you want it, without having to pay off the rest of your contract.

5. Dual-sim power
Sim only contracts are also perfect for those with a dual-sim smartphone – these types of handsets are incredibly popular in the Chinese and American markets, but they tend to be less popular in the UK. Dual-sim handsets allow you to use two sim cards in the same phone, making them ideal for those who need one sim for their personal contract, and another one for work-related activities.

Are you thinking of getting a sim only contract? Give us a call on 01452 238866 to discuss your business requirements. You can also fill out our contact form and we will come back to you.

Carphone Warehouse gets s £400k fine after hack exposed 3 MILLION peoples data

Carphone Warehouse has been handed one of the largest ever fines – a whopping £400,000 – from the UK’s data protection watchdog after exposing the details of millions of its customers.

An investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office found a “striking” number of “distinct and significant inadequacies” in the phone company’s security arrangements.

This allowed the miscreants behind a cyber attack that originated from an IP address in Vietnam in the summer of 2015 - and which went on for a whopping 15 days before being detected - to gain access to millions of individuals personal information.

Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said: “The deficiencies in Carphone Warehouse’s technical and organisational measures created real risks of such data breaches [and] played an essential causal role in this particular incident.”

Affected information included the names, dates of birth, addresses and phone numbers of more than 3 million customers; the staff records - including car registration numbers and work usernames - of 1,000 employees; and historic transaction details - like card numbers and expiry dates - for March 2010 to April 2011 for 18,231 payment cards.

The £400,000 fine matches the record fine doled out to TalkTalk in 2016, with the ICO saying that the “glaring shortcomings” in Carphone Warehouse’s systems should have been identified earlier.

“It is particularly concerning that a number of the inadequacies related to basic, commonplace measures needed for any such system,” commissioner Denham said in her report.

“These inadequacies appear to have persisted over a relatively long period of time, given how easily and quickly some of these glaring shortcoming should have been identified and remedied.”

The report (PDF) details the vulns exploited by the attacker, who made a scan of the system using penetration testing tool Nikto.

It identified a “considerably out-of-date” WordPress installation that was exposed to the internet and “suffered from multiple vulnerabilities” the ICO said.

Via the WordPress installation, the attacker/s entered the system and uploaded web shells that were intended to give themselves basic file management and database functionality.

The hacker then located credentials in - yep, you guess it - plaintext, which they used to search and access information in numerous databases, including those containing personal data.

The ICO said the apparent aim was to extract “as much information as possible”. For instance, the payment information was located and accessed, with “a very realistic possibility” that it was exported.

The attacker also prepared and extracted a large file or files from the network, the contents of which cannot be determined - but the firm has worked on the worst-case assumption that they contained personal data.

As part of its assessment, the ICO commissioned two reports, which concluded that the attacker “clearly had everything he needed to take hold of the system and extract a large amount of information quickly”.

Carphone Warehouse said in a statement that it accepts the decision and is “very sorry for any distress or inconvenience” caused.

“Since the attack in 2015 we have worked extensively with cyber security experts to improve and upgrade our security systems and processes,” it said. ®

If it can happen to a multi million pounds large corporate organisation then this can happen to any business, this is why we strongly advise customers to take advantage of our FREE telecoms and IT review, so that we can help ensure that your business is secure.

Please contact us direct on 01452 238866 or email us at michael.stanley@gogloscomms.co.uk so we can help you protect your business.