How to Improve your Company’s Image With a Voice Over
Somewhere along the line, many business people realize that a good way to become successful is to already appear successful. Most people are not beneficent by default. Although you hear good natured stories of people giving a beginner a chance or patronizing a new business to help a fledgling get their foot in the door, these are guardian angel stories, and a business is not going to be able to sustain itself on the generousity of others. You have to convince a lot of folks.
Benjamin Franklin was aware of this when he started his first business, which is why he rushed around pretending to fill orders. Because people thought that their friends and neighbors and colleagues were buying from ole Ben, they also decided to give him their business. You have to do the same thing – present an image of success whether you are yet successful or not.
And even if you ARE successful, you still have to show off sometimes. If people don’t know that everyone wants you, they are less likely to want you too. Sad but true. Luckily, some of the things you can do in order to look successful are simple and not too expensive. Hiring a voice actor to handle things like outgoing voicemail and answering machine messages is one of those things. Sure, you can do it yourself rather than hiring a voice artist, but then that makes you seem just a little too available.
The trick is to be available, but not to seem that way. Therefore, every time you DO speak with one of your customers, they will feel more special. They like that feeling, so they’ll keep giving you their business. Your voice talent can help you to create that impression. In fact, your voice over will probably make your customers feel better about catching a recorded message, than your voice alone would. That’s because a voice artist is a professional.
Hiring a voice artist to handle voice mails can give you an air of success because it makes you seem to have another employee, or at least, shows people that you can afford to purchase professional-services. And that is a very important buzzword. Hiring a voice artist will make you seem like a professional as well. You’re a professional consultant, for example – you do not make your voice messages any more than you would fix your electrical wiring. You are clever enough to know when to hire a professional -including a professional voice over artist. People will pick up on that, even on a subliminal level, and they will be attracted to you.
No matter what your business, even if you are the person who repairs the consultant’s plumbing, hiring a voice artist to handle your outgoing messages will give you a more professional image. Nothing can build or destroy a business like it’s image -except maybe the quality of their work. But no one will know what kind of work you do if they don’t give you a chance, and they won’t give you a shot if you don’t have a professional image. A professional voice over artist can help you achieve that image.
VoIP Softphones: Cheapest Option for the Constant Traveler
If you’re one of those people who’s constantly on the move, but needs a cheap way to communicate with the world, VoIP softphones might be for you.
The definition of a softphone is, quite simply, a piece of software that allows users to make phone calls directly from their computers. Skype’s popular SkypeOut service, for example, is an example of a softphone.
Another example would be the PC-to-Phone software offered by Vonage, which gives users 500 minutes of anytime local or long distance calling at a cost of just $9.99/month.
And the best part is that you don’t even need a laptop to make use of this useful new technology. With Skype and many other VoIP applications now available for PDAs, it is quite possible to turn your Wi-Fi-enabled handheld computer into a low-cost mobile phone at a moment’s notice.
All in all, VoIP softphone technology has emerged as an extremely effective way for the tech-savvy international traveler to save a significant amount of money on their communication costs.
(Originally published by TeleClick.ca)
Voip Residential Comparison Guide Evaluating Packet8 Lingo And Vonage
Voice over internet protocol [internet telephony] is a rapidly growing technological alternative to traditional land based residential phone systems. Instead of making calls through telephone lines, VoIP routes your calls over the internet by way of your cable or DSL provider. Notably, residential VoIP phone rates are cheaper by at least 50%, making VoIP an attractive option for many consumers. Today, three internet telephony companies are leading the way in signing up new customers Packet8, Lingo, and Vonage so lets examine and compare their offers to find the VoIP plan that works best for you.Vonage Quirky and unforgettable television commercials are one way Vonage [an abbreviation of Voice Over Net Age] tells the world about its services as the company is aggressive in signing up new customers. Vonages standard plan Premium Unlimited retails for $24.99 per month offering users an unlimited number of minutes to call anyone in the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Europe. Calling features included with this plan are: call waiting, three-way calling, voice mail, call forwarding, call transfer, call return, and more. Vonage also offers a basic plan for $14.99 per month where all of the features mentioned are included except minutes are limited to 500 per month.Packet8 Gaining steam in the VoIP market is Packet8, a company that offers a competitively priced plan for just $19.99, covering calls to all 50 states and Canada. Matching all of the calling features offered by Lingo and Vonage, Packet8 goes one step further: Sign up and pay for your service for one year in advance and the VoIP providers $19.99 Freedom Unlimited plan is just $199 per year. On top of that, Packet8 offers a rebate covering the cost of the quality Uniden IP phone with built-in router and expandable handsets if you go with their annual plan. Vonage and Lingo do not match Packet8s special offer, therefore you will have to pay separately for the adapter and for a phone.With the first concern, if you have a power outage then VoIP will not work for you unless you have a generator in place as an electrical back up. To get around this limitation, many VoIP users simply use their cell phones to make emergency calls when needed.
With the second concern, the Federal Communications Commission {FCC} has put into place new requirements for the handling of 911 calls: all VoIP providers must now have the ability to route calls to a local emergency response center and provide the callers callback number and location to that center. This recently implemented requirement known as enhanced 911 or e911 — has closed an important loophole in VoIP service, one that benefits VoIP users everywhere tremendously.
The lessons of Vonage and patent infringement – Part 2
Vonage, one of the leading providers of VOIP services, is fighting for its very existence, after losing a lawsuit in which one of the major phone companies alleged that Vonage violated its patents in developing the Voice over Internet Protocol service. Vonage came within about an inch of going bankrupt, until a judge decided that the company can continue to operate its VOIP and also to seek new customers while a higher court hears the case.
Despite this reprieve, Vonage is in some serious trouble. It’s likely to continue to lose the case at the next level, and to either burn through its cash by paying lawyers, or burn through its cash paying a patent settlement. Meanwhile, only a fool would sign up with the service right now, as the company is threatened with extinction.
The lesson that should be remembered from this situation is that patents are legitimate. Too often, we think of patents as the “little guy” who had a great invention that was stolen by the “big, nasty corporation.” That’s the story of the guy who invented windshield wipers with the delay mechanism, for example, and won lawsuits when the car companies stole his idea. But the truth is that the more common problem is one corporation stealing the idea of another. And that’s what Vonage apparently has done – just like Microsoft has done, just like Apple Computer has done, and just like pharmaceutical companies do all the time. The result is that these companies waste money to hire expensive lawyers that could be spent on research and development or improving services to customers.
The demise of one VOIP company would be a small price to pay for proper protection of intellectual capital.
