Telephony Tricks

Joni Mitchell, a Canadian singer / song writer sang "Big Yellow Taxi" in 1970 - in the song, parking lots are viewed as bad compared to better alternatives like trees, and bees, and we think ACD's (Automated Call Distribution).

Call Parking is hurting your business and you may not even realize it. Jokes aside, this article explains why it’s bad, and better alternatives. The article attempts to use a real world example and digs into how the system works for both callers and your staff. Let us know if you can think of any improvements?

Toll Free numbers are a bit of a misnomer and are more complex than many people realize.

They can be Toll Free (without cost) to the caller - but are not always without cost. If the caller has a pay-per-minute phone system as many in the EU and elsewhere, every call has a cost. If the caller is dialing from a country or area where a "North American Access" service is available, that service may have a cost. And if they are a cellular user, that often has a local-airtime cost regardless of the dialed number. Don't forget - your business - the recipient of the call will be paying for it, so you want to ensure you get the best value.

Do-Not-Disturb (or DND) can be a blessing. It can silence a noisy phone from an absent co-worker, or keep your home office phone from ringing while you are at the main office.

The trouble is, it can be accidentally turned on or forgotten about and can leave your calls going to voicemail or being rejected. Different side affects are possible depending on how you manage your call flow.