Just think of all the ways you use Virtual PBX in your day-to-day life to improve your business and make your life easier. It could be a way you customize your greetings or use the Virtual PBX reports. Now Pick you favorite example and send Virtual PBX an email explaining how and why you use this particular feature.

Please see one of Virtual PBX’s tech tips below to help you get started:

Tech Tip
Route Callers Using CallerID

Are you in the situation where you need to route your inbound callers to certain extensions, queues, or to a voicemail box based on their caller ID? Do you get annoying calls from the same phone number? Virtual PBX’s AutoRoute feature can handle that for you.

AutoRoute can route a call to any extension, queue, voicemail box, or even block the caller by using some or all of the caller ID. AutoRoute is located under the Admin tab in the web interface. Just create a new entry, enter a portion or all of the caller ID, and then select the Route Action.

To enter, reply to this message or send an email to sales@virtualpbx.com with the following information:

• Your name and the phone number where we can best reach you
• Company name
• Mailing address (to send your movie tickets)
• Approval to reprint your tip using your name and company name
• Your tip

Virtual PBX will send two free movie tickets for tips we quote on our web site or include in emails, and your business will get some free publicity.

To ensure your network can support VoIP traffic and keep your network within recommended parameters for jitter, latency, and packet loss.  With that in mind it is important to have a good router. Reports from our customer base have revealed some routers work better than others with SIP traffic and VoIP calls with our Virtual PBX service.

Routers are specialized computers connected to two or more different networks that perform “traffic directing” functions. They run software that allows the device to move data between different networks, determining the most optimal path. Routers move information in “packages” called Packets and can be wireless, wired or a combination of both.  Another primary function of a router is to share one Internet connection with many devices on the network.

The Apple Airport Extreme is reportedly best for people who want complete ease of use and 100% compatibility out of the box; the Apple Airport Extreme offers superfast wireless network access throughout just about any home, office, or classroom. This router includes:

·           Both wired and wireless connectivity

·           Single Ethernet WAN port for connecting to a DSL or cable modem

·           3 Ethernet LAN ports for connecting network devices

More features and specs can be found on Apple’s website.

Please note the Apple Airport Extreme does not support Quality of Service (QoS). QoS is a feature that enables routers to prioritize traffic, allowing the most important traffic to pass first. This results in improved performance for critical network traffic like your VoIP phone call. QoS equipment is useful with VoIP phones on LANs with high volumes of traffic.

For customers that need the utility of QoS, Virtual PBX’s customers found significant value in the Netgear WNDR4500 router. This router is perfect if you need advanced functionality like QOS and stateful pack inspection. This router features:

·           Both wired and wireless connectivity

·           Single Ethernet WAN port for connecting to a DSL or cable modem

·           4 Ethernet LAN ports for connecting network devices

·           Supports QOS and stateful pack inspection.

A product overview and technical specs can be found at Netgear.

We recommend checking all network equipment on site before deploying our service in your office. A good first check of your network can be done using our VoIP Speed Test. If your router is not one of these we discussed here, you may contact our Virtual PBX Support department via email at support@virtualpbx.com or via phone at 888.825.0800 option 2 to with any questions you may have.

As a part of our award-winning open systems initiative, our phones will work with a wide variety of other routers. For more information, please visit our Recommended Routers page at http://www.virtualpbx.com/support/voip/routers/.

Virtual PBX Complete with VoIP Anywhere Recognized for Outstanding Innovation

Virtual PBX is no stranger to winning telecom awards. In the past two years alone, they have won 11 Product of the year awards, more than any other hosted PBX provider.

Now they have a new award to add to their quickly growing collection of achievements. TMC, a global, integrated marketing company, has named Virtual PBX Complete with VoIP Anywhere as a recipient of its 2011 Unified Communications Excellence Award. The Unified Communications Excellence Awards honor products that have unique features and have made significant contributions in advancing technology in unified communications.

Virtual PBX Comple

te is perfect for small and mid-sized businesses, allowing professionals the freedom to carry their business extensions all over the world.

“Our customers have embraced the idea of attaining freedom to access VoIP business features on any smart device, which reflects our dedication to delivering a quality and cost-efficient product,” explains Greg Brashier, CMO of Virtual PBX. “This recognition reflects our dedication to meet our customers’ need for products and services that deliver powerful value while reducing their operational costs.”

Rich Tehrani, CEO of TMC gave his “Congratulations to the entire team at Virtual PBX for their commitment to advancing UC technologies” and commented, “we look forward to future innovations.”

Unified Communications Excellence Award winners are published in the November 2011 issue of INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine.

For more information, please visit www.tmcnet.com.

Just in time for the busy holiday season, Virtual PBX is making it easier than ever to stay connected by lowering their international dialing rates. With Virtual PBX, you no longer need to purchase an international calling card or waste time searching for lower rates. Virtual PBX is excited to announce new international rates, with some cut by as much as 80%.

Virtual PBX worked hard with its carriers to push rates lower while maintaining high quality, crystal clear calls, and they are passing all the saving onto you. Call land lines in London or Buenos Aires, or mobile phones in Hong Kong for as low as 1.9 cents per minute. So stop watching the minutes on the phone when you are calling abroad and enjoy the savings.

Virtual PBX also offers two other great ways to save big for global phone calls.  If you have employees in other countries, you can set them up with an extension that incorporates a VoIP phone or softphone.  Then, calls to their extensions can be free.

If your client base is international, Virtual PBX can get you a local phone number in thousands of cities around the globe for a low monthly rate.  Your clients can call in at little or no cost because the number is local to them, and you get no extra per-minute fees for the inbound calls.  .

These discounted international options give excellent value and are part of the many reasons Virtual PBX is an easy choice for companies with global interests. With Virtual PBX You can be sure that you’re getting the best value for your dollar no matter who or where you call.

Specific rate information can be found on our website at www.virtualpbx.com.

A vanity number is an alpha-numeric telephone number containing a word or phrase which is memorable and usually defines their corporate identity.  Some companies such as 1-800-FlOWERS and 1-800-PET-MEDS build their company around their business defining vanity number.

But what are the benefits of owning a vanity number and does your business need one?

One of the main benefits to having a vanity number is they are super easy to remember. All the advertising in the world won’t get your phones ringing unless your audience can remember your phone number. When you try to remember a phone number, you are using your short-term memory. The human brain can only keep so many things in short-term memory and that information is only stored for a few seconds to several minutes before it is gone forever. The best way to transfer incoming information into long-term memory is to link, associate or connect the incoming information with something in your memory which is meaningful. Switching a phone number from random numbers to words allows people to make memorable connections with that phone number and your business, therefore increasing the chance it will remain in their long-term memory.

Aside from the connection, you are reducing the amount of data prospective clients have to process from seven digits to a single word or phrase. This makes memorizing the number quick and easy and thus people are much more likely to call that number when they need that service.

In addition, memorable vanity numbers will help you generate more business by increasing effective word of mouth advertising and the potential to reach tons of people you would otherwise never reach. Studies show that a good vanity number can increase word of mouth advertising by as much as 200% and the percentage of return customers is higher.

Furthermore, a great vanity number will establish your brand and leave a lasting impression with current and future customers. Therefore, it is important to obtain vanity numbers that reflect both your industry and business name. Vanity numbers were once only associated with established national corporations thus people perceive a company with a vanity number as bigger and stronger.

Overall, if you are interested in increasing your potential customer base, securing your reputation and letting people know you are a true professional, consider getting a vanity number for your business.

For more information on vanity numbers please click here: http://www.virtualpbx.com/plans-and-prices/phone-numbers/toll-free-numbers.asp

The obvious advantage of using an ATA is that you can use the phone you have on hand, either wired or cordless, with any VoIP service. So, if you want to take advantage of VoIP and not lose your favorite phone, an ATA is a great way to go. The same is true for businesses using analog lines.

An ATA needs to have an underlying VoIP service, such as VoIP service from Virtual PBX to work.  Typically, you will get credentials from your VoIP provider that will include a username/URI and a password.  You then need to configure the ATA to use these credentials.  Once you have this done, assuming you’ve attached a phone and the ATA is connected to the internet, calls can be made over the internet to and from the analog phone.

It may be slightly cheaper to use an existing phone with an ATA than it is to buy a new VoIP phone.  However, you won’t have all of the same features that you would usually receive with a VoIP phone.  For example, system directories, call logs, and other features of a VoIP phone won’t be available in the same way on an analog phone.  So if you want the extra features and capabilities, your best bet is an IP Phone. However, if you would rather not invest in a VoIP phone at the moment, an ATA is the way to go for affordable VoIP service. You may lose some features but in some cases you will save money.  You can visit our VoIP Phone List page to compare prices and capabilities of our VoIP and ATA devices.

Some of our clients use ATAs to connect hardware fax machines to their Virtual PBX service.  While most clients simply use our virtual fax functions for both inbound and outbound faxing, some people want to employ a standard hardware fax machine.  It gives them a paper printout of their fax and may fit better into existing processes.  Typically, this is done by setting up a VoIP-enabled extension for faxing and then using an ATA to connect the fax machine. Adding a fax phone number that rings directly to the fax extension allows the fax machine to work just like it would on a separate analog phone line, at a fraction of the cost.

Virtual PBX sells and supports the Cisco/Linksys SPA2102 ATA.  Other ATAs may work with our service, but we’ve found that some don’t handle faxing well.  For more information, give us a call at 888-825-0800.  We’re here to help!

We believe it is important to take some time out to honor those who have fought for and those who continue to fight for our country. We would also like to thank their families for their sacrifices and the support they provide for our troops.

We salute these men and women on this day for there dedication to serving others. Happy Veterans Day!

As you can see from the above list, there are huge advantages and benefits to using a hosted PBX system like Virtual PBX.  For a small or medium sized company, these advantages can make the difference in running a successful business.  Looking like a Fortune 500 company does not have to cost a lot of time and money.  With Virtual PBX you can easily have that kind of professional look and feel at a fraction of the cost.

Simply put, today, VoIP can be extremely reliable. VoIP has been around long enough for all the big issues to be worked out. With a good VoIP provider and solid internet service, problems such as latency, jitter, static, and dropped calls have been eliminated. Interestingly, the reasons some people worry about using VoIP – sound quality, dropped calls, intermittent loss of service – are the same concerns that afflicted the original PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) phone system. PSTN quality has continued to improve over its many years of use, and old-style analog phone systems using copper wires for connection have become the standard for call quality.  VoIP is still undergoing important changes, but by selecting the right VoIP provider, you can already get quality and reliability that rivals analog connectivity.   VoIP communication services are progressing and evolving faster than ever and the issues associated with VoIP are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

In fact, now VoIP telephone service can be even more reliable than traditional telephone service and provide better features at a lower price. VoIP telephones will often work in situations when traditional telephone services won’t.  Suppose, for example, that you need to work from both home and office.  With VoIP, you can have service anywhere you have an internet connection. So even if you loose internet connection in your home or office, you can make and receive phone calls from any internet connection anywhere, whether you take calls on your desktop VoIP phone or a softphone on your computer or smart phone.  And the internet itself  is very reliable. It has built in redundancy, routing packets around any failing links.  The biggest reliability issue will be with your own Internet Service Provider (ISP), so you’ll want to select a provider that has a solid reputation for reliability.  To check your current service, you can run our VoIP Test and see the bandwidth, jitter, latency, and packet loss associated with your current connection..

In addition, the sound quality of a VoIP call can be as good if not better than a call made through traditional landline services.  This is because with VoIP, your voice breaks down to a digital form, which can be exactly reproduced at the other end of the call, unlike with landlines which can inject noise or lose strength over distance.

The real question in VoIP reliability may be in your choice of VoIP provider.  You’ll want to choose a company with a strong reputation for reliability, and know what they do to make sure your phone system stays up and running, all the time. Virtual PBX has taken all the precautions to ensure you will have the most reliable VoIP service available.  Our service runs in a secure, hardened data facility that is part of our national infrastructure.  It has many sources of power, carriers, and lines, including primaries and multiple backups in each area.  In addition, we’ve built the whole system with reliability in mind.  Every component has multiple backups and redundancy.  So if a component fails, your calls are not affected.  In most cases, over half of our equipment could fail and you’d still get your calls.  This is one of the reasons Virtual PBX is so well known for its reliability and quality.  For more information, check out the Quality and Reliability page of our website at http://www.virtualpbx.com/product-info/quality-and-reliability.asp.

Basically, a softphone is a phone that lets you make calls over the internet from a computer or other smart device. As the name would imply, it is a piece of software that acts as a phone interface, allowing you to dial phone numbers and carry out other phone related functions via a screen (PDA or Computer) using your mouse, keypad or keyboard. Conversations usually take place through a headset or a microphone and computer speakers.

The softphone software or application can be downloaded from a variety of providers such as Counterpath or SNOM. These are sometimes also referred to as ‘clients’. Many of these applications are free although some have a modest cost. Softphone clients are available for Macintosh, Windows and Linux computers, and many smartphones, such Androids and iPhones.

In most cases you will find a softphone used in conjunction with VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol. This form of computer telephony uses an internet connection to deliver voice information over the internet. For more information regarding VoIP, please check out this blog. VoIP calls can go over a standard internet connection on your local network, wireless networking (WIFI) or even a cellular data network, such as 3G or 4G.

So, we have a softphone client and an internet connection. There is one more component needed to use a softphone and that is a provider. Although anyone can download and use the free softphone software, a VoIP service provider must provide the underlying VoIP phone service over which the calls are carried.  A softphone is registered with the service provider, and often a phone number is assigned.  Calls to and from the softphone are routed over the service provider’s network. The features and functionality of each softphone will vary somewhat from one softphone provider to another.

So who can benefit from using a softphone? Telecommuters and anyone who travels frequently for starters. For users on the go, especially those who travel overseas, softphone service allows them to conveniently make calls from their smartphones and laptops, saving them the hassle and expense of using a hotel phone or roaming on a cell phone. Also, softphones are well suited for small and medium size businesses that save money by cutting their ties with expensive traditional phone companies. Furthermore, softphones do not require expensive hardware which needs to be maintained. Softphones are inexpensive and easy to upgrade.

Thinking about trying out a softphone yet? If so, Virtual PBX would be happy to help you set up you softphone to best fit your needs. Every Virtual PBX system includes VoIP Anywhere technology, which can turn your cellular phone or computer into a Virtual PBX VoIP phone. With VoIP Anywhere and our award-winning open-systems approach, you can use any standard SIP softphone, from almost any vendor, to make and receive calls over your data connection. We’ve reduced the bandwidth requirement so that high quality calls can be made over 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi connections. You simply register your softphone as a VoIP device in our service, and open the softphone application to make calls.

Benefits of a Virtual PBX Softphone

Tons of Included Features

All standard Virtual PBX features that are available to a VoIP extension are available to all calls to and from a softphone, like call recording, or choosing your caller ID. And softphone calls are included in your Virtual PBX business reports so you’ll always have records of every call. You can make outbound calls from your cellular phone without giving up your personal phone number. And call-backs go to your company number, not to your personal phone. You protect yourself while looking more professional.

Little to No Cost

Our flat-rate plans include the ability to add softphones at no charge. And any extension in a usage-based plan can be enabled to use VoIP, for both VoIP phones and softphones, for just $5 per month per extension. Minutes used on a soft phone are part of your plan. Flat-rate plans have no per-minute fees for calls to a softphone or to a destination in the continental U.S. or Canada (within our fair-use policy), and calls through usage-based plans simply use plan minutes.

Getting Started

To put a softphone on your Virtual PBX account, you should first download a softphone from a good provider. Then, you add the softphone to your account starting from the VoIP Phones page of our vConsole web portal. For more information visit our VoIP support pages.