Installing a cable network is not such an easy task as it seems to be. Lacking the required skills and knowledge can result in serious mistakes that have the potential to damage the entire system. With the constant advancement in technology, having efficiency in handling all of them is quite difficult. No matter if you have the most proficient team of technicians with you, it is highly possible they make some faulty connections and pairings that fail to deliver efficiency.

Given here are some of the things that you should keep in mind while installing a cable network:

• Although it is a known fact that cost is an important factor while deciding on the cable options, however, you should not compromise on quality at all. Make sure you choose cables that are not below the quality of CAT5e or CAT6. Also consider and make provisions for the applications to be upgraded at a later time.
• Try to use a single cable for your voice and data needs. Many telecommunication companies prefer installing a different cable for each system. In general, voice is given a cheaper cabling, whereas data cabling is superior and expensive. However, with the increasing popularity of VoIP, voice and data cabling can be integrated as a single unit. In fact, VoIP phone systems come with an in-built Ethernet switch which allows it to connect to the existing cables. Thus, it can save a lot on the installation costs.
• Do not put electrical and data cables together. The low voltage running through the data cables generate a magnetic field to smoothly carry on the communication chain. However, when these exposed cables are placed along the electrical cables, the communication becomes garbled and noisy due to the disruption in magnetic field. If you have to place the cables near electrical lines, make sure you cross them at a perpendicular angle.
• Once the network is installed, you must test each and every cable with the designated tools to ensure that they are in proper working order. This may include verifying the cable specifications and length matched to your requirements.

We, at Folkerson Communications, Ltd, offer cost effective and quality structured cabling solutions to businesses in Harker Heights, TX. For more information, you can call us at (254) 698 – 0016 or visit our office at 701 Sun Meadows Dr, Harker Heights, TX 76548.

Many businesses are using the VoIP system due to the immense benefits and great wealth of features provided by it. The VoIP system makes up for a really enticing choice for companies around the world. Many businesses, institutions and office complexes have successfully made the switch from wired phones to VoIP and have derived great advantages from it. One very important advantage that VoIP provides is the native support for Wi-Fi. Wireless communication is the next step in the chain of innovation and with VoIP and Wi-Fi, conference phones can now become wireless. The advantages of such a system are obvious and both communication and standard workflow can become smoother and intuitive with such a setup. If you are pondering about switching to a VoIP system here are a number of benefits you can get from wireless conference phones –

• Features – Apart from the freedom of movement that wireless conference phones provide, you get a number of added features with VoIP. Since it uses the internet for communication you can extend the functionality of your wireless conference phones to include features like email, text messaging, electronic fax, video messaging and conferencing. This enables you to deal with different modes of communication on a single device while you are on the go.
• Ease of Use – Wireless conference phones are easy to set up with VoIP and do not require structured cabling. These phones can be carried while on the move, replaced or repositioned without problems and used while moving within office areas. Wireless conference phones are also extremely easy to operate and can be used by anyone who has the proficiency to operate cell phones.
• Savings – With wireless conference phones businesses can make major savings on their call costs, especially with international calls. With wired telephones, conference calls are usually an expensive affair whereas with VoIP, which uses SIP or Session Initiation Protocol standards, you can call anywhere in the world and that too for a very less fee.
• Mobility – The greatest advantage that VoIP provides is support for wireless technology, which gives you unparalleled mobility within your office and outside, all the while being connected with your work via wireless conference phones. You can use your business phone from any location which has internet connectivity. Even if you relocate, you can still use your phone number without hassle.

There are numerous benefits associated with conference phones and shifting to a VoIP system and every business should consider making the switch.

VoIP or Voice over IP has been providing companies with a better, cheaper and more flexible alternative to traditional wired telephones for quite a few years. Many businesses have benefited from the immense scope and scalability that VoIP brings to the table, and many have eagerly switched their phone systems and derived great business advantage. For medical offices, VoIP comes as a blessing with its superior features and easy management which adds to the efficiency and speedy operation of medical offices. The following benefits of a VoIP system make it perfect for every medical office.

• Do away with Fax – Fax machines are a relic of the past but medical offices still need them for communication and to transfer important documents. Fax machines contribute to clutter in the office and hard copy documents are easy to misplace. With VoIP, you can replace all your fax machines with electronic fax, a feature where all inbound fax messages are automatically converted to email and delivered to your inbox.
• Better Call Response Times – VoIP comes with great features and one that is especially beneficial for bringing down call response times is called Caller ID Prefix. This feature enables workers in the call reception department to see the exact number people dial to reach your office, inclusive of extension numbers and prefix. They can easily transfer the call to the appropriate people in the concerned department quickly thus saving time and effort.
• Better Call Routing – The extensive and flexible call routing features that VoIP provides is a really useful feature in the context of a medical office. You can set up multiple extensions or numbers to ring at the same time and route calls based on different factors like extension number, time of day, region or originating numbers. For example, when you receive a call on your office extension, you can also route it to your cell phone so that both ring simultaneously which is a great feature if you are always on the move.
• Voicemail Handling – Voicemail processing on standard wired telephones leaves a lot to be desired. With VoIP, you can configure the system such that voicemail messages are converted into audio files and delivered via email. Not only are these easier to retrieve but you can also choose to keep a record of the messages for future reference, if needed.

Regular maintenance of systems is vital for any organization to keep its business running smoothly. It ensures that all the systems are working perfectly and are less likely to break down. Similarly, checking business phone systems on a regular basis is a task that no organization should ignore, as failing to address problems in phone systems can prove disastrous to any business.

Business Phone Systems are the backbone on which most of the businesses run. They serve as the main channel of communication with the clients and if the phone systems go down, it can lead to loss of business. With emerging trends of technology, systems running on IP services too need upgrades. Compatibility issues with evolving systems, networks and computers can lead to downtime, and seriously affect the system's efficiency. Addressing these issues can reduce the likelihood of system failures as in the absence of maintenance parts of phone systems that need up-gradation the entire system may stop working. Therefore, organizations should schedule regular maintenance to keep their phone systems in good order.

• The first step towards maintaining business phone systems is that businesses should consult their providers to establish a maintenance plan every six months for software updates. These updates are available to all business phone systems and they can be directly downloaded from their websites.
• During maintenance checks, the providers review your call flow and analyze traffic monitoring, volume, efficiency and prevent any problems that can occur in the future.
• All the aspects of connectivity are thoroughly reviewed to check performance issues. Some hidden connection issues that hinder call flow can be found and fixed. There might be problem in devices or wires which can be fixed on time before they cripple the entire phone system.
• A company's requirements may change after some time and may need up gradation. Important changes to the connections can be made to suit the business and enhance functionality.

Risks associated with non-maintenance:

• The entire system can fail if the phone systems are not updated regularly. It can result in major loss to the business due to non-communication with the clients.
• If maintenance is done in an emergency, it can incur high costs to the company. Regular maintenance is cheap and doesn't drain out the budget of a company.
• If your business phone system is not up to date it might not be able to work at the speed with the new system and put your business at risk of not being competitive.

Phone systems are the lifeline of every business and ignoring them can substantially impact a business.  Therefore, after consulting with providers, every business should have regular checks of their phone systems.

The world of telecommunication has gone through a number of important changes and technological advancements over the last few decades. Wired telephones have become feature rich and other important new technologies have also surfaced which have revolutionized the world of business telecommunications in many ways. The digital phone systems have slowly started giving way to bigger, better and more flexible technologies like VoIP. A comparison of digital phone systems and VoIP systems is enough to show why businesses are gradually moving towards new technologies and the advantages that they bring to the table.

• Ease of Setup and Use – Digital phones work the same way that they always have. They use hardwiring and utilize different cables for voice and data connections. They are managed by centralized hardware and every new unit that needs to be installed needs separate wiring to function properly. VoIP on the other hand, uses the power of the Internet for its connectivity and therefore needs minimal wiring to function. This makes it incredibly easy to setup and use, involving minimum wiring hassles and elaborate setup procedures.
• Features and Flexibility – While digital phone systems have become better with time and now come with a number of nice features, the feature set that you can get with VoIP is unmatched. Since it uses the Internet for connectivity, you can have simultaneous voice and data connections, and can integrate modes of communication like file transfer, emails, teleconferencing, videoconferencing and electronic fax into your business or vacation model. Unlike digital phone systems, VoIP is also extremely flexible allowing you to add new units with ease and also gives you the ability to use VoIP features on the go.
• Costs – In general, VoIP systems cost much less to install and maintain than digital phone systems. Due to the integrated nature and the fact that systems are managed by software, VoIP can provide your business with more features at a lesser cost than digital phone systems. Also, businesses which have the need to frequently make international calls can have major benefits with VoIP systems, as international call costs are remarkably cheaper than with digital phone systems.
• Maintenance – Digital phone systems are more difficult to maintain and required the presence of professional technicians. VoIP systems are managed by software and can therefore be maintained, and repaired remotely. Also, without the hassles of elaborate wiring, VoIP connections are far less likely to face problems.

If you are looking for the right phone system for your business which gives you a bang for your buck, getting a VoIP system installed is the right way to go. We, at Folkerson Communications Ltd offer a wide range of VoIP phone systems for business firms across Central Texas. You can contact us at (512) 977-0055 for more information.

All businesses have one thing in common; they need effective and efficient communication solutions that allow them smooth communication between personnel, department, management, clients and vendors. Choosing the right phone system is key to the success of a business. Phone systems have been around for a long time and ranging from traditional wired telephones to the latest technological innovations in telecommunication, things have come a long way. For the businesses of today, it is extremely important to choose a business phone system that is efficient, feature-rich, technologically relevant and cost effective. Most businesses are nowadays gravitating towards new and efficient technologies like the Voice-over IP or VoIP system. It is important for businesses to ensure the implementation of efficient communication tools to achieve smoothness in their day to day processes.

VoIP Phone Systems for Business

VoIP or Voice-over IP has brought about a new wealth of features, functionality and usability to the world of business telecommunication. Instead of using wired telephones and dedicated hardware to manage connections, VoIP uses the power of the internet to provide telephone services with connections being managed by specialized hosted software. Overall, this system makes things a lot easier by eliminating the need to install structured cabling and offering a host of important features which can be constructively used in the context of a business.

The Right System

Choosing the right phone system for your business can be a complicated process, where you have to weigh in a number of factors, think about the pros and cons and come to the right conclusion. This will have a positive impact on your business and effect it long term. Hosted VoIP solutions can be the answer you are looking for. Here are just a few of the good things you can add to your business with VoIP –

• Ease of Use – VoIP systems are extremely easy to install and use. Installation can happen in a flash as there is no need to make room for cabling, and usage and administration can be done by personnel who do not have technical backgrounds.
• Features – Apart from the ever available voice calls, VoIP can also integrate other forms of business communication like video calls, video conferencing, electronic fax, emails and file sharing.
• Scalability and Cost-effectiveness – Since everything is controlled by software, adding new units or setting up new rules does not require new hardware or implementation of significant changes. Since there is no cabling to install and maintain, VoIP systems are also incredibly cost-effective to maintain in a business scenario.

We at Folkerson Communications Ltd provide VoIP phone systems for businesses all over Austin. Contact us at (512) 977-0055 for more details.

VoIP phone systems allow the user to make cheap local and international calls to any destination in the world. From the point of view of a business owner there is no reason why he should not install such a communication system in his firm as they work just like a regular telephonic set up but function at a much lesser cost. Making international calls on a daily basis can amount to a huge sum of dollars on your periodic telephone bill and can have a huge impact on your revenue and income.

Nowadays it is easier to switch to a VoIP because most businesses already have an established Internet connection at their establishment. All you need to do is make a few adjustments and add the standard hardware necessary for enabling voice over Internet calling. International calling is not the only benefit that hosted VoIP is limited to as you can make cheap local calls and organize conferences too. If you set up a VoIP phone system in your office in Austin you can even communicate with your clients, partners, branches or employees located anywhere in the world.

Another advantage of using VoIP system is that it can be scaled as per the size of your business. If and when you expand you can install more instruments and hardware and if you are cutting down on costs you can downsize your hardware. A VoIP system is flexible to the point that even if you need to transfer your office to a new geographical location your VoIP can go right with you and the shifting around can be done easily and conveniently. For example, if you are shifting a certain department to a new floor, you can shift all the phones without having to change any numbers or extensions. This renders a lot of flexibility and convenience to use a VoIP while making huge savings at the same time. To sum it up, VoIP is economical, convenient, smarter, and a more productive mode of being connected with your clients and business associates.

We at Folkerson Communications Ltd provide VoIP services for all sizes and kinds of business. You can call us at (512) 977-0055 and we will be happy to help you out with any unresolved queries about VoIP phone systems and provide any information you may need about the cost effective business phone systems in Austin.

Telecommunications technology has seen progress in leaps and bounds over the last couple of decades. Old technologies have given way to new, better and more efficient ones in all facets of telecommunication and exiting technologies have been improved upon significantly. One of the major improvements that the present day and age has seen is VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol. VoIP harnesses the power of the internet to provide efficient communication solutions of different kinds. On the virtue of its cost-effectiveness, flexibility and scalability, numerous businesses around the world are actively making a switch to VoIP for their business needs. There are many benefits of using a VoIP system and here are some of the important ones.

Ease of Use

First up, a VoIP system is really easy to set up and it can be up and running in no time. There is no need to install any cabling of any kind which eliminates the clutter and hazards associated with hard lines. Adding units is also an easy operation and using, and maintaining VoIP phone systems is considerably easier than wired telephones due to the fact that the system is managed by software and not hardware. This makes a VoIP system an ideal solution to start with.

Enhanced Productivity

VoIP supports multiple kinds of communication and uses the internet to facilitate them. Apart from voice calls, employees can also initiate video calls and video conferences, share files and attach important documents. This allows employees more scope to multitask while significantly cutting the elevated costs associated with wired phones and international calls.

Added Flexibility

VoIP adds an incredible amount of flexibility to business communication. Since its functionality is not limited to voice calls, employees have the scope to use VoIP for a number of different purposes. Along with voice calls other important business features like electronic fax, emails, remote conferencing and collaborative tools can be utilized and made part of the business communication process with VoIP. Also, VoIP systems support mobile use which means that employees who are always on the move can carry their VoIP adapters with them and have business conversations from any location which offers internet connectivity.

Lesser Costs

VoIP overall costs are much lesser than traditional wired telephones. This combined with the added functionality that it brings to the table and the significantly reduced costs when effecting international communication makes VoIP phone systems the most affordable and cost-effective communication alternative for businesses.

We at Folkerson Communications Ltd provide VoIP phone systems for business and can be contacted at Austin: (512) 977-0055.

VoIP or voice over Internet Protocol is a cost-effective and an efficient way of transmission of voice data over the internet. It eliminates the need for having the bulky hardware that is associated with a conventional analog telephone system. Read on to know how your business in Austin can benefit through implementation of a VoIP phone system.

• VoIP systems allow you to set up conference calls within no time. The conference call features in a VoIP system ensures that you can call multiple people at once without wasting time in setting up a virtual meeting as is normally the case.
• With a VoIP system in place, there is no way you will ever miss an important business call. Whether you are on the road travelling, or sitting inside your business cabin, VoIP makes sure that every call reaches to you. This goes a long way in making the best use of available business opportunities, without missing out on the important ones.
• With so many business calls coming in, it might so happen that you forget certain important conversations or discussions. VoIP offers a solution for that as well through its voice transcription feature. This allows the transcription and delivery of your conversations in the form of voice mail so that you can keep a track of all important calls later on, even after the call has ended.
• A relatively new feature in VoIP telephone systems in Austin is a setup for customer relationship management. Since business is all about serving your customers, the CRM feature of a VoIP system maintains a call history of consumers. So every time a particular customer makes a call, you can ensure continuity and answer him or her in the best possible manner by having a look at the recorded customer profile.
• A feature that benefits small businesses that have to often put their callers on hold is ‘music on hold’. This feature allows you to choose the kind of music or information that you would want your customers to hear when you put their call on hold. Silence can be a deterrent at times, hence the importance of this feature.
• Call screening is another feature that proves to be handy in business. If you are getting repeated calls from a number that serves no business purpose, you can easily disconnect the calls by looking at the caller ID. In case you receive a personal phone call from your home, you can easily redirect it to your cell phone.

Go in for VoIP systems for your business today and reap the benefits through the whole lot of features that these systems offer.

VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol, also known as Internet telephony is a system through which one can establish a voice communication system over the internet. Today, VoIP has become a common medium of communication and almost every industry is availing the benefits from it. Specialized VOIP solutions for hospitality sector catering to specific telephony needs of the industry have found wide acceptance in hotels, restaurants, holiday resorts etc.

Benefits of VoIP for hospitality industry:-

• Enhances Productivity and Efficiency: First of all, VoIP is cheap at less than half the price of normal phone line. It also provides additional features like call waiting, call forwarding, conference calls which enhances the level of productivity and help reduce labor costs.
• Digitized Record: VOIP phone systems allow information and call conversations to be stored digitally. Such information storage about guest bookings can save time and increase staff efficiency.
• Relatively Convenient: Unlike traditional landlines, VoIP offers portability option. This gives ease to the administration staff as they can communicate from any place at any time at affordable costs.
• File Record: Another advantage of VoIP is that it automatically keeps the backup of the data. A VoIP handset keeps record of all incoming and outgoing calls information in a database on server. In this way, you can have report of every call, which apparently improves customer service.
• Additional Features: Facilities like Video Conferencing and call bridging are a cut above as they help the hotel administrators organize internal and international conferences. These facilities are not much expensive and can help in the expansion of your business.
• Virtual receptionist: VoIP system can work as a virtual receptionist. It may attend multiple calls simultaneously along with having the feature of auto attendant.

We, at Folkerson Communication, LTD provide affordable and efficient hosted VoIP services to businesses across the Central Texas area. For more details, call us at Austin: (512) 977-0055, Temple: (254) 742-0064, Killeen: (254) 698-0016 and Waco: (254) 662-2255.