tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6409847787548027292024-02-08T01:49:06.277+07:00Files Flasher | Forum MobileUpload & Download Firmware, Nokia Phone Support, CDMA/TDMA Phones, Other Phones,Area Infomation PDA-Phones, Mobile-Phones, New Product Mobile Phones & Operator Centre, Programming Area, Hardware Repair Tools & ic PART Area,Computer, PDA, Gadgets, Organizer, Digicam, Player, etcMaster Digitalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13389914964978257554noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640984778754802729.post-26803762011157124052009-02-24T11:24:00.005+07:002012-03-29T19:36:54.070+07:008 Quick Ways to Reduce Local Phone Service Charges<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwex6ztf1VjPTuqVvUSr_tTQfu3-IqcHE1hv6KvpVzGMecQ2_gGOFHSGx8PcAiXDh0TEUsjwM_aVjy_XW3QZCgKGDH6DsoG4R1nASBPCKk5fBcfTf6BFZkaU3k6NLqc5T_SJkCZlpaLGT/s1600-h/service-charge.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwex6ztf1VjPTuqVvUSr_tTQfu3-IqcHE1hv6KvpVzGMecQ2_gGOFHSGx8PcAiXDh0TEUsjwM_aVjy_XW3QZCgKGDH6DsoG4R1nASBPCKk5fBcfTf6BFZkaU3k6NLqc5T_SJkCZlpaLGT/s320/service-charge.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 114px;" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306216170054123362" border="0" /></a><br />8 Quick Ways to Reduce<br /><br />Local Phone Service Charges<br /><br />Despite all the new and emerging business communications technologies of the 21st century (VoIP, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, Bluetooth, cell phones, blackberries, etc.) the majority of companies in business today still write a check each and every month to a local exchange carrier for a 125 yr. old technology - local phone service - (sometimes referred to as POTS, or "plain old telephone service"). <a name='more'></a><br /><br />Although it may be the same boring set of copper wires that connects to a standard telephone and rings when calls come in, the local phone service portion of your company's telecommunications bills is the perfect place to begin your telecom cost reduction efforts.<br /><br />Here are 8 quick ways to begin cutting your local phone service bills. Check them off one by one when completed and you could reduce your local phone service bills by up to 10% or more.<br /><br />1) Determine the proper local service plan for your needs - then regrade if necessary.<br />Many Local Exchange Carriers (LECs) offer three basic types of local service plans. Flat-Rate Service allows for unlimited calling within a local area at no additional charge. With Measured Rate Service, charges are applied to local calls according to time and/or distance and/or time of day. Message Rate Service which applies charges to each local call without regard to duration or distance.<br /><br />Analyze your company needs through observational and personal surveys, then determine the most cost-effective local service plan. You will be amazed at the savings by simply implementing the appropriate plan for your company's calling patterns.<br /><br />NOTE: When regrading from a flat-rate service plan to a measured or message rate plan, be sure that you are aware of the extent to which employees are making personal calls. Also, consider any lines that may be connected to frequently used services such as apartment door answering systems.<br /><br />2) Remove unnecessary or unused lines.<br />Historically telephone companies have recommended and provided quantities of access lines sufficient to provide a P.01 grade of service. This means that no more than 1% of all callers will receive a busy signal during the busiest hour of the day. P.01 is appropriate for some situations, but it does result in many customers having many more lines than are necessary.<br /><br />Take inventory of all the lines that are being billed, then track them down and determine their level of importance during day to day business activities. Eliminate lines with phone numbers that cannot be identified, lines that ring with no answer, and/or measured or message rate lines that show no usage.<br /><br />For more advanced telephone traffic calculations, use , our online telephone traffic analysis program.<br /><br />3) Remove unnecessary or unused line features and services.<br />More often than not, most companies have lines that contain features and/or services that are either not needed or are rarely used. The problem arises when features are added to serve a specific purpose or employee, then not removed when things change. Over time, many features may be included on lines and users have no idea they are even available.<br /><br />Your previously conducted circuit inventory will help you determine the specific features needed for each line. Wire maintenance charges should always be eliminated. These charges can be as high as $6.00 per month for each line!<br /><br />4) Block expensive pay-per-use features.<br />Directory assistance call completion, repeat dial and call return are nice and convenient for employees - but they will cost your company over time. These features can and should be blocked through your carrier immediately. If any of these features are needed, contact your LEC and ask if a monthly fee be paid for unlimited usage.<br /><br />5) Review the summary section of your bills every month.<br />Nothing can take the place of a well-designed and systematic telecom audit of your entire telecom department. However, a quick monthly scan of the summary section of your local telephone bills will sometimes turn up "golden nuggets" of savings.<br /><br />Common problems include: more than one long distance carrier included (slamming), bogus Internet charges (cramming) from companies other than your ISP, and directory listings that are not listed. These charges can run as high as $29.95.<br /><br />To maximize savings, review each bill every month. Bogus charges will continue month after month until they are removed. And don't be surprised if they magically appear again in 2-3 months time after they are removed from a bill.<br /><br />6) Consider upgrading to a T1 if you have more than 20 lines.<br />For smaller businesses, installing a T1 line into your PBX system can reduce your local telephone charges. A T1 can be cost-effective because it combines many outgoing lines into a single digital line that runs from your office to the LEC central office. The T1 can replace up to 24 POTS lines in your PBX. No one will notice a difference except maybe the person who pays the bills. In addition, a T1 can carry data as well.<br /><br />7) Gather customer service records (CSRs) from your LEC for more detailed local service analysis.<br />A great deal of information can be found on CSRs that are not contained on your monthly billing statement. They are an invaluable resource when attempting to identify unneeded services and unused lines. CSRs reveal the quantity and types of lines, their PICs, service elements, hunting arrangements, wire maintenance, circuit termination locations, directory listings, and a host of other esoteric information.<br /><br />Obtaining your CSRs from the LEC can be a painful and time-consuming process, but the effort is worth it in savings and credits that are eventually rendered. Some LECs will charge a fee issuing CSRs, but with some persistence, you may be able to get this fee waived.<br /><br />8) Consider engaging a telecom consultant for telecom auditing, bill management or telemanagement services.<br />Time is money. If your staff is not prepared to consistently implement the above tasks, consider engaging a professional telecom consulting firm to handle them for you. Ideally, a telecom audit done first will turn up many areas for potential cost-savings. Then a monthly bill management program will keep bills clean and free from those pesky recurring errors.<br /><br />At TelCon Associates, we have structured our consulting services for maximum savings to the client with no risk. We place our emphasis on details, timeliness and a high level personal service for our clients.<br /><br />The Truth About Telecom Outsourcing and How To Select a Telecom Consultant will give you more specific information regarding this subject. The Telecom Cost-Cutting Reference Manual is an excellent resource for those that would rather do it themselves.<br /><br />So get to work on reducing those local phone bills. You will be glad you did.<br /><br />About the Author<br />Robert Potter is Vice-President of TelCon Associates, a 32 yr. old telecom auditing and bill management company. For free and helpful tools in telecom cost-reduction, visit www.telconassociates.comMaster Digitalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13389914964978257554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640984778754802729.post-75486549500755291552009-02-24T11:18:00.005+07:002012-03-29T19:49:09.072+07:003 Reasons why to Accept Credit Cards by Phone<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqP9Ilz_8gq9bVGtxG55_5FjJ3KQVSW2WgzYY5fWqNlF4KEgMP-i_2uLBwt9NTviAVFSWgIBaoO9xvqVexoeUwrv9OmxcP7r63Mic_0U4gGpmvsq93PhVAhzh6tqUkk2fcbG2hy7D6AzS2/s320/accept-credit-card2.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 108px;" alt="Accept Credit card" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306214387715130546" border="0" /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGQ-W-wIb9zZ09bUr219wME13rWeN_jLEphb9uUV40DZ5OhGlMpPaVD4pBoF3ebfEguzttdQ7qCnASK7alb2d8VJ3o4CVjgctiNBP4G6fWnAc8E5-n_Ep7CkxKnzLJN9BdOJvMkxloUol/s320/accept-credit-phone.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 109px; height: 89px;" alt="Phone Credit Card" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306214125575001282" border="0" /><br /><p>Conducting business today, whether online or offline, Is much more convenient than before using a simple and Inexpensive way by accepting credit cards by phone. This Method of accepting payments is turning the heads of Business owners and making it possible for them to Conduct business right from their phone without leaving Their home, office or vehicle. </p>How can accepting credit cards by phone provide convenience? <a name='more'></a><br /><p>Accept by Phone is a new technology which allows a company To accept credit card payments by simply typing the card Number and sale amount into a telephone. This service is so Popular that it was featured in the September 2004 Issue of Limousine Digest, Page 14 and in the May 2004 issue of Small Business Opportunity Magazine. There's no terminal or Equipment needed. This new service gives the business owner A convenient and Inexpensive Way of accepting credit cards While Increasing Profits. </p>The 3 Key Reasons Include:<br /><p>Convenience - Strategic Approach - Call To action </p>The convenience of accepting credit cards by phone is that Business owners now do not have to put the customer on hold To get back to the their home or office to accept payments For their products or services. They can stay in their Vehicle, on a job site, in a restaurant or even while at the Gym to conduct business as usual without any delay. Not only Is this good for the business owner, the customer can now Relax knowing their purchase has now been processed using a Safe and secure environment without any hassle.<br /><p>Strategic approach defines the convenience of accepting Credit Cards by phone using a mind-set supported by focusing On the customer and their needs at all times. This means Getting the right products and services to the right customers In the right way at the right value, all while making a profit. Thinking about this all the time keeps your customers fresh And willing to do business with you. </p>Call to action helps define what business you are really in to produce results for your customers. This enables you to Close more sales faster and easier. This will also help you Pay attention to what works and what doesn't while forming A habit to be a continual contributor to your ongoing Marketing efforts. When a person is ready to purchase your Products or services, your call to action will help convince Your customer that safety and reliability is present.<br /><p>When you provide a full service payment solution, with no Equipment or software. Your business is readily available To the customer at all times. No matter where you're located, You can accept payments by the touch of your phone. </p><br /><p> </p><strong>About The Author</strong><br /><p>Kevin Cross is the Founder of Accept by Phone. Cross Merchant Services is a diversified financial service located in Hilliard, Ohio. Kevin has 10 years experience in the Merchant Account Industry working with seasonal businesses and independent Service professionals to increase their revenues. http://www.Accept-by-phone.com</p><a target="new" href="http://www.accept-by-phone.com/"></a><p> </p><p><a href="mailto:kcross411@yahoo.com">kcross411@yahoo.com</a> </p>Master Digitalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13389914964978257554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640984778754802729.post-90687432964423526062009-02-24T11:14:00.003+07:002012-03-29T19:50:34.951+07:00How To Use The Phone And Your Smiling Face To Turn Leads Int<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWiLXS6xkl75tP9EPTWWamv8WKdb8N0exDeb7_j0W3km1m5shRuR5mXXEBh2Wvt87BsXH8wPShLx4b8E9JsMQI-KkwHEQQzX_nX-ygUPOArMBgKIJfDrd0WwhqZFltxc9ycLxfezTYUX_/s320/Phone01.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 138px; height: 79px;" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306213255438477810" border="0" /><br /><p>Times have been a little lean for many businesses. You may need to generate cash fast. </p>Here are simple effective ways to multiply sales quickly with nothing more than the telephone and your smiling face.<br /><p>I'm not talking about canvassing from one neighborhood to the next getting the door slammed in your face. These techniques work best to get sales from: </p>* <a name='more'></a> Customers who have bought from you recently. * Old customers who haven't purchased in a while. * Prospects who have shown an interest, but never bought. * People who have a good reason to buy from you, but haven't heard about you yet.<br /><p>You can already see you are in pretty friendly territory. Seventy-five percent of the people in this list are VERY likely to buy. So why not get in touch? Give them the opportunity to let you help them. </p>Start by making a list of customers and prospects you will contact. Unless you have a team of helpers, keep your list small enough to service over the course of the next few weeks.<br /><p>When working alone, I usually make my list no longer than 10 customers per week with a maximum of 50 to reach in five to six weeks. This is fairly lesurely. If you have the desire or need the money, you might go for 30 to 50 per week. </p>Start with a phone call. It can sound like this:<br /><p>"Hello John! This is Melinda Smith at Smith Technology. We talked last month when our guy was out to fix your computer. How are you?.......John, if you have just a moment---This month we're offering a PC tune-up that increases your computer's speed and eliminates all those crashes." </p>If John is interested, you are off and running toward a sale. But what if John is a bit hesitant? Tell him you have several different things that can save him time, hassles, and money. Offer to stop by and show him in a face-to-face visit.<br /><p>"John, this will only take a few minutes and it could save you a great deal of grief for months. Would Monday at 2 or Wednesday at 10 work for you?" </p>I like to give customers a choice of two appointment times. You are giving them a choice while using a firm hand to get a commitment.<br /><p>What happens if you can't reach the customer? You will have this problem with half or more of the people you call. Be sure to leave a message on their answering machine or voice mail. </p>Then follow up with a letter. Mention the time or two you tried to call, then lay out your offer and give the customer several ways to contact you. It's a good idea these days to include an email address. Many customers will send you a note after hours when they have more time to consider your offer.<br /><p>These techniques work great for current and previous customers and prospects who have shown interest but haven't bought. It is a little trickier reaching people who should want to buy from you, but don't know about you yet. For that you need direct marketing. </p>Direct marketing comes in many forms ranging from simple postcards, to sales letters, to radio spots, to magazine ads. Try to target your direct marketing to a group of people who are most likely to want what you sell.<br /><p>Here's an example Roy paints cars. He provides a high-end paint job with a specialty in restoring the paint on old cars. Roy knows he can get a lot of great customers fast and cheap if he could find a big bunch of people who collect classic cars from the 50's and 60's. </p>First Roy contacts several classic car clubs in his area. He discovers one has 300 members while another claims 700 members. Roy calls and explains to the club presidents how his service could be a big help to their members. Then he drops by with photos of past jobs and a collection of recommendation letters from previous customers.<br /><p>In no time, Roy gets the list of mailing addresses for all the members in both clubs. He prints up a brochure with some of his photos, an explanation of how he restores paint jobs, and comments from past customers. He also has a freelance writer create a sales letter for him. The letter offers the member a special, limited-time discount for club members. Then he mails the brochure and letter to 50 members per week. </p>Will this get results? You bet! Even though none of the 1,000 classic car owners has ever heard of Roy, he offers just the kind of service a great many of them need. If he provides a good value, Roy will be swimming in customers for months and years to come.<br /><p>Use these simple steps to quickly build leads and turn them into buying customers. There is no faster way to improve profits NOW! </p>Kahlia Hannah provides marketing advice and popular promotion packages. See her low-cost direct marketing and PR deals at <a target="_blank" href="http://marketinghelp.net/">http://MarketingHelp.NET</a> Reach Kahlia at mailto:kahlia@drnunley.com or 801-328-9006.Master Digitalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13389914964978257554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640984778754802729.post-22051798431103900282009-02-06T16:38:00.004+07:002012-03-29T19:50:56.766+07:00Phone Cards for International Calls<a><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8itu6mfKyF5QMmVepqiY5RUBaeSyYTCEWnHc_ySJhID6dBeSrPaZ10-4HDYc63BGNGdr6-olp0BT_3rXB7p6VUx-yUdbGxz8PbeDDvfy6OT2CQDRETSJaEGBmToRkyHBJVxG6222xf-l/s320/phonecards.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 123px; height: 100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8itu6mfKyF5QMmVepqiY5RUBaeSyYTCEWnHc_ySJhID6dBeSrPaZ10-4HDYc63BGNGdr6-olp0BT_3rXB7p6VUx-yUdbGxz8PbeDDvfy6OT2CQDRETSJaEGBmToRkyHBJVxG6222xf-l/s320/phonecards.jpg" alt="Phone Cards" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299617744420677570" border="0" /></a><br />Phone cards for international calls and long distance calls ? talk for a while and yet save money<strong><br /><br /></strong>There was a time, before phone cards, when long distance and international calls ? even to friends and relatives - required a good amount of preparations. Everyone making international calls had to back-calculate: <a name='more'></a><br /><br /><ul><li>How much money do I want to spend on this international call?</li><br /> <li>How many minutes does it give me?</li><br /> <li>And what do I need to talk for this many minutes?</li></ul><p>Sound funny?</p><p>Yes it does in today?s world, where phone cards are making long distance and international calls cheaper day by day. Phone cards were first introduced to make long distance calling easy and convenient. One could make long distance and international calls from any phone using these cards. Then came the price war between the long distance operators and the cost of calling using phone cards started coming down significantly compared to post-paid phone connections.</p><p>Phone cards offered today come with different facilities and operating modes:</p><ul><li>Some need a PIN to activate.</li><br /> <li>Some need a call to be placed from pre-registered numbers.</li><br /> <li>Some need a call to be placed on a toll-free number first to dial long distance, or</li><br /> <li>A combination of two of more of the above.</li></ul><p>Modes of payment also differ from operator to operator:</p><ul><li>Some cards can be used only as pre-paid ones. Once the minutes allocated for the value of the card are over, the card is of no use.</li><br /> <li>Some cards come with the facility of ?filling in minutes? by paying an additional amount once the allocated minutes are consumed.</li><br /> <li>Payments are generally accepted over the Internet or in collections centers in cash or via credit cards.</li></ul><p>Phone cards have, no doubt, made international calls more accessible and cheaper. But still, differences in service and rates offered by various operators exist. Hence, it is advisable to shop around a little before buying a phone card. Some of the factors one needs to consider are:</p><ul><li>Reliability of the operator: Many fly-by-night operators also came in to the phone card business looking at the response rate and the market size. Avoid them.</li><br /> <li>Service quality of the operator: Check if the calls can be connected at any time and if the line and voice quality is really clear.</li><br /> <li>Rates: Rates offered by operators differ from state to state and country to country. They may also depend on the time when you call ? higher at the time of peak traffic. Hence, check out where you are likely to call most and then decide on your operator.</li></ul><p><a href="http://www.mrlongdistance.com/">www.MrLongDistance.com</a> offers prepaid long distance without phone card gimmicks.</p><p> ABOUT THE AUTHOR <br /></p><p><a href="http://www.mrlongdistance.com/">www.MrLongDistance.com</a> has been in the telecommunications business since 1997. The website offers smart alternative to phone cards. Main features are PIN free dialing and cheap quality rates. </p>Master Digitalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13389914964978257554noreply@blogger.com0