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10 Costly But Common Mistakes To Avoid When Choosing A Small Business Phone System

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Small businesses benefit from the convenience that VoIP phone systems provide today. They improve operational communications as well as customer service. But in choosing a small business phone system,here are ten common mistakes to avoid. 

#1 Choosing Solely for the Price

When selecting the ideal phone system for your business,it’s crucial not to fixate solely on the monthly fee. Too often,business owners opt for the cheapest phone service,driven to simplify the decision-making process and keep costs low. 

However,this approach often results in a critical oversight. It prioritizes cost over quality and reliability. It’s essential to understand that affordable phone systems aren’t necessarily synonymous with the best fit for your business. 

Instead,focus on seeking cost-effective solutions that offer genuine value for money,ensuring that the chosen system meets your business’s needs without compromising essential features and reliability.

#2 Choosing a Home Provider Instead

One common misstep among small businesses is assuming that a home phone provider will adequately meet their network setup and bandwidth necessities. Using home phone systems for business can be tempting. But it often leads to critical deficiencies. 

These systems frequently lack features crucial for business operations. Opting for a professional business solution instead of consumer-grade providers can provide significant advantages. A dedicated business phone system accommodates your immediate needs and scales with your business. It offers vital features such as supporting twenty business lines,distinguishing itself from residential or home phone services in its capabilities and scalability.

#3 Underestimating the Amount of Data and Bandwidth the Business Uses

Selecting a business phone system necessitates thoroughly evaluating your business’s bandwidth requirements and data rate.

By assessing bandwidth usage and comprehending the impact on your network,you will have a clearer understanding of what you need in a business phone system. Furthermore,considering data consumption allows for tailored solutions that align with your business’s needs,guaranteeing reliable and uninterrupted communications essential for sustained operations and growth.

#4 Disregarding Security

Overlooking security when selecting a business phone system can pose substantial risks. Business communications often involve sensitive information that demands protection against potential data breaches and unauthorized access. A robust phone system should prioritize security measures such as encryption to safeguard your data and ensure secure communication channels.

By employing encrypted protocols,these systems guarantee the confidentiality of conversations. It fortifies data privacy and provides a secure environment for sensitive information. By elevating the risks of unauthorized access,business owners can ensure the integrity of their communications.

#5 Lack of Evaluating Reviews and Feedback from Past and Current Clients

Hidden expenses often extend beyond separately sold equipment. It also encompasses the costly inconveniences stemming from a faulty system. Assessing factors like guaranteed uptime and the presence of multiple data centers capable of supporting systems during server outages is essential. 

Additionally,scrutinizing customer reviews and feedback from present and past clients provides invaluable insights into user experiences,satisfaction levels,and the system’s overall reliability,enabling informed decisions and averting potential operational hiccups.

#6 Not Taking Business Growth into Consideration

Failing to account for business growth when selecting a phone system can lead to disruptions and unnecessary expenses. The critical factor here is scalability.

Opting for a system that cannot evolve alongside your company’s expansion poses significant risks. Scalability ensures seamless growth without operational interruptions or the burden of additional costs. A flexible VoIP system stands out as it adjusts dynamically to business development,expanding or contracting in line with evolving needs. Its adaptability eliminates the necessity for prolonged contracts tied to services that might become redundant,offering a growth-friendly solution that aligns precisely with your business’s evolution.

#7 Not Fully Assessing Business Needs

Thoroughly assessing your business’s communication needs is a fundamental step in selecting an ideal phone system. Every business has unique communication requisites based on size,industry,and workflow. Addressing your company’s requirements is pivotal in identifying the most suitable phone system.

Rushing into a decision without a comprehensive understanding of these needs constitutes a common mistake. Investing in a system packed with extensive features might prove redundant for a small business if those functionalities aren’t necessary. Therefore,aligning services precisely to your business’s needs ensures you’re spending only what is essential,emphasizing the importance of tailoring the phone system to cater to your business’s demands.

#8 Overlooking Level of Integration with Business Platforms

A VOIP phone system must seamlessly integrate with your essential business tools,including Customer Relationship Management (CRM),IT Service Management (ITSM),email management software,and other critical platforms. 

A provider’s inability to synchronize with these tools could disrupt workflow continuity and cause downtime. Therefore,knowing its integration capabilities to guarantee compatibility with your existing platforms is essential for maintaining a continuous workflow while improving communications.

#9 Overlooking Customer Experience

Adapting your business practices to align with the chosen phone system is pivotal for delivering an exceptional customer experience.

Understanding the type of phone system that best suits your needs entails considering the impact on customer interactions. Implementing features like automated attendants and welcoming messages enhances the caller experience,contributing to positive customer satisfaction.

Additionally,offering appropriate customer support and comprehensive training becomes imperative for addressing issues promptly. By focusing on customer-centric services and ensuring seamless communication channels,businesses can elevate user experiences,fostering a customer-centric approach for improved satisfaction and efficient operations.

#10 Not Evaluating the Contract in Case of Alternative Exits

Thoroughly review the service contract when selecting a phone system provider. By taking note of contractual terms,including exit clauses and termination policies,you can negotiate the contract and avoid unexpected costs or difficulties when transitioning between providers in the future.

Now that you know the common mistakes to avoid,you can learn how to transition to a VoIP phone system with our help below. 

F2F Telecommunications

Preparing for your Social Security Disability Hearing

Marken Law Group,PS,has helped hundreds obtain Social Security Disability benefits. We have helped people from the initial stages,filing appeals,and representation in front of administrative law judges and federal court. Call today for a free consultation.

If you have been denied a second time,at reconsideration,you have hopefully not given up and have appealed your second denial to have a hearing in front of an administrative law judge. There is hope yet for your claim. You can expect to wait anywhere from 6 months to well over a year after you file your request for a hearing before you actually get in front of a judge. There is a lot of time to prepare. If you still do not have an attorney,it is not too late. Attorneys will make sure your file and ALL medical records are up to date. If you do not have an attorney,this is YOUR responsibility. The judge will typically not allow you a continuance to obtain additional records as you have had two years (roughly) to prepare your case.

It is YOUR responsibility to ensure your work history,function report,and disability report are in your file. If you have an attorney they will have ensured,hopefully,your record is complete.

You should attempt to get your medical doctors to advocate on your behalf either by treating source statements (which any attorney practicing Social Security will possess) or if you are not represented by having your medical doctors (or mental health providers) write letters advocating for your disability. It is important a medical doctor advocates for your disability in SPECIFIC terms with objective findings.

Know your judge. When you are given a Social Security Disability administrative law judge,it will be closer to your hearing date. Find out their approval percentage to at least know what you are getting into and see if there are specific comments from people who have been in front of your judge. Any bit of information can help. If you have an attorney,they will likely have been in front of your judge many times and can counsel you on what to look for in their questioning and how they operate their hearings. Any little bit of evidence or help at this phase could mean the difference between obtaining benefits and waiting years for a new claim or appeal to process.

Marken Law Group,PS,does not obtain a fee of ANY kind unless we get you Social Security Disability benefits. We have a focused and dedicated team who know the process and how to obtain benefits for deserving people like yourself. Call Today! No Benefits,No Fee! Click below to learn more. 

Marken Law | Social Security

Neuron360 B2B Market Segmentation for Tech Companies

What is B2B Segmentation?

B2B market segmentation is grouping your target marketing into unique audience segments based on their common characteristics.

Business owners and marketers understand their target market better through segmentation and make informed approaches. By making informed approaches,there is a higher chance of qualifying leads,nurturing them through their sales journey,and closing sales.

Is B2B Segmentation Important?

B2B Segmentation,while carrying risks of assumptions,is still effective in personalizing marketing strategies. It also increases lead targeting efficiency. Here are some of the advantages elaborated on B2B segmentation marketing.

Raises Sales and Reduces Marketing Costs
B2B segmentation gives insight into leads with pain paints that your product or service can resolve. It also reduces marketing costs by avoiding “tire kickers” or interested people who cannot afford your product or service. Instead,it lets you focus on leads with the most potential to buy.

Improves the Personalization of B2B Marketing Messages
Persuasion is different from the ability to make the person understand. It is the ability to make the person feel understood. B2B segmentation gives targeted marketing by understanding their behavior and needs.

Prioritizes Resources on the Most Profitable Leads
Segmenting the market reveals the “big fish” in your market. They are the ones that will give you the highest profit worth your time,workforce,and costs. These leads can be big businesses that can afford your service. They can also be businesses that are expanding.

Identify Growth and Business Opportunities
B2B segmentation helps identify new markets. For example,an invoice maker software business may discover that digital marketing companies use their product as an invoice record-keeping tool. They can then take action to increase their sales by targeting similar companies.

What is the Difference between B2B Market Segmentation and B2C Market Segmentation?

B2B segmentation is more complicated than B2C. It involves more decision-makers,thus making the buyer’s journey longer.

B2B products are also more complicated and require more time for leads to understand how they can benefit from them.

While buying is more rational in B2B segmentation,it also requires a foundation of trust based on personal relationships. B2B leads are business owners looking for business partners they can rely on.

Rhetorik Skills-Based Intent graphic.

 

Types of B2B Market Segmentation

There are various types of approaches to B2B Segmentation. Using more than one type of B2B segmentation is advised to get better insights into your market segments. Here are the five kinds of B2B segmentation.

  • Behavior-based
  • Firmographics
  • Profitability Tiering
  • Customer Sophistication
  • Customer Needs

Each approach has its own advantages and limits. This is where Neuron360 comes in to give you more accurate data for more effective segmentation.

 

What is Rhetorik’s Neuron360

Neuron360 helps you simplify each type of segmentation. It is a powerful B2B market segmentation tool with access to a secure database on:

  • Over 60 million B2B decision-makers
  • Over 200 million company profiles worldwide (including firmographics and technographic)
  • Over 800 million public professional profiles

All data it contains is compliant by design and updates nearly real-time. It lessens the assumptions made during segmentation analysis. It is standardized and translated into 46 languages from 164 countries to extend your global reach.

How Neuron360’s Technographic Profiles Help You with Behavior-based Segmentation

Behavior-based B2B segmentation is helpful for businesses whose goal is to increase customer loyalty or repeat purchasing.

Whether you have a SaaS (software as a service),web apps,or other tech products or services,Neuron360 allows you to find out who uses them. Neuron360 contains the technographic profiles of companies internationally. It reveals the tech stack of your leads so that you can determine their interest in your tech offer. You can filter:

  • Over 180 categories
  • Over 7,000 vendors
  • Over 9,000 products

Through Neuron360’s technographics,we can identify your customer base. We can then use this information as part of your ideal customer profile and buying personas alongside firmographics.

You can also use customer behavior analysis to outshine the competition.

Neuron360’s technographic profiles allow you to see each company’s products and services that they use besides yours. It also lets you discover the vendors that they partner with,enabling you to leverage their data as follows:

  • Determine products or services similar to yours that you have an advantage over
  • Discover complimentary products or services that will need yours to improve their operations

How Neuron360 Helps You with Firmographics Segmentation

Firmographics is the B2B version of B2C demographics. You can reveal the common characteristics of your past leads and customers through firmographics by location,company size,and more.

Neuron360 contains detailed firmographics of over 200 million companies globally. It includes industry sectors,locations,number of employees,and yearly revenues for precise targeting.

You can use Neuron360 to find what companies you can target by industry sector or geographic location (with company contact information included). However,more than firmographics is needed. Use the other methods described below to analyze your market segments in-depth.

How Neuron360’s Firmographic Profiles Improve Profitability Tiering

Profitability Tiering is the classification of your leads by their potential value. It allows you to prioritize the most profitable leads at the exact cost of time and effort.

Through Neuron360’s firmographic profiles,we can determine their lifetime value by how big their company is by revenue and number of employees. We can target the most profitable leads by the size of the industries that they are in.

Neuron360: Reach New Clients at a Global Scale

Neuron360 is the global solution for client acquisition. It contains compliant by design global data (standardized and translated just for you) that updates in real-time for market segmentation accuracy.

Using a combination of different B2B market segmentation,you can obtain specific insights and prioritize your segments. Through accurate data,you have a better head start in testing client outreach and revising them for improvements. Ready to see it for yourself? Click the button below to learn more. 

Rhetorik | Neuron360

A Glittering Journey Through History: The Evolution of Jewelry

Jewelry has captivated the imagination for millennia,transcending cultural,geographic,and temporal boundaries. The history of jewelry is a fascinating weave of art,culture,symbolism,and ]ingenuity. While many consider jewelry a mark of affection or investment,it began life as adornment. It has humble beginnings,but today represents dazzling masterpieces like those from Prinz Jewelers that excite the imagination.

Let’s look back at its history. 

Ancient Times

The story begins,like most stories, in the ancient past. People wanted to look good,so they draped pretty shells,bones,and stones on their bodies. These early jewelry were decorative but also symbolized status and mysticism.

Egyptian Era

Ancient Egypt seems to be at the center of everything. One of the most iconic chapters in jewelry history unfolds with the Egyptians,who pioneered jewelry-making. They made intricate pieces using gold,silver,and precious gemstones like lapis lazuli and turquoise. They often included symbols like scarab beetles,representing rebirth and transformation.

The Romans

The Roman Empire took it up from there,creating rings,brooches,and necklaces with materials like pearls,emeralds,and sapphires. Jewelry had become a symbol of wealth and social status by this time. 

Middle Ages

Jewelry was not so luxurious during the Middle Ages because it had a distinct religious theme. Intricately designed crosses were popular choices,typically with gemstones. They were still status symbols,but artistry was the more critical aspect. 

The Renaissance 

The Renaissance brought back the idea of jewelry for adornment rather than symbolism. During this time,the technology for gemstone faceting and enameling emerged. Diamonds,rubies,and emeralds became more popular,and luxury and refinement were again the name of the game.

Modern Marvels

Mass production marked the 19th  century,significantly changing the jewelry-making business. What was once exclusive to the wealthy and influential became accessible to the masses. Old pieces could go to jewelry repair in Myrtle Beach without a problem. It was At this time,also at this time that new styles like Art Nouveau and Art Deco became popular. 

Conclusion

The history of jewelry is about beauty and our fascination with it. It has become a way to tell stories about our culture. It is a timeless art form that continues to charm us today,especially women.

Uses of shipping containers

Uses of Shipping Containers

The remarkable adaptability of shipping containers has given rise to a diverse array of innovative applications,spanning a multitude of industries. While these sturdy metal structures were initially conceived for the singular purpose of transporting goods across vast oceans,they have since evolved,finding new life and purpose far beyond the high seas. In this comprehensive exploration,we embark on a journey into the realm of creativity and ingenuity,delving deep into the boundless uses of shipping containers that extend from the realms of construction and architecture to the realms of art and beyond.

The versatility of shipping containers has opened up a world of possibilities in the field of construction and architecture. Among the most prominent uses of shipping containers is their role as building blocks for a wide range of structures. Their inherent durability,consistent dimensions,and ease of transport make them an ideal choice for constructing both residential and commercial buildings. Containers can be stacked,modified,and interconnected to create innovative architectural designs,ranging from single-family homes to multi-story apartment complexes. This innovative approach not only reduces construction costs but also fosters eco-friendly building practices by repurposing materials and minimizing waste. Thus,the uses of shipping containers in construction and architecture represents a fusion of resourcefulness and sustainability.

Beyond the traditional construction sphere,shipping containers have emerged as a source of inspiration for avant-garde architectural designs. Architects and designers have harnessed the adaptability of containers to construct unconventional structures like pop-up shops,art galleries,and community centers. These non-conventional buildings not only showcase creativity but also offer practical and adaptable solutions for urban development. As we explore the myriad uses of shipping containers,we witness how these versatile metal structures redefine the boundaries of contemporary design and construction,exemplifying resourcefulness and sustainability in the architectural world.

Uses of Shipping Containers in Construction and Architecture

One of the most prominent uses of shipping containers lies in the field of construction and architecture. Shipping containers are increasingly being repurposed as building blocks for residential and commercial structures. Their inherent durability,uniform dimensions,and ease of transport make them an ideal choice for constructing cost-effective and sustainable buildings. These containers can be stacked,modified,and interconnected to create a wide range of architectural designs,from single-family homes to multi-story apartment complexes. This innovative approach not only reduces construction costs but also promotes eco-friendly building practices by reusing materials and minimizing waste.

In addition to traditional housing,shipping containers have become a source of inspiration for avant-garde architectural designs. Architects and designers are utilizing containers to construct unique and eye-catching structures,including pop-up shops,art galleries,and community centers. These unconventional buildings not only showcase creativity but also offer practical and adaptable solutions for urban development. The uses of shipping containers in construction and architecture epitomize resourcefulness and sustainability in contemporary building practices.

Uses of Shipping Containers in Pop-Up Retail and Hospitality

The versatility of shipping containers extends to the realms of retail and hospitality,where they are being ingeniously transformed to create distinctive and functional spaces. A prominent example of the uses of shipping containers in these industries is the establishment of pop-up retail shops and food outlets. Portable container shops provide a cost-effective and efficient way for entrepreneurs to test their business concepts in different locations or at special events. Their compact size,durable structure,and modular design allow for quick setup and easy relocation,making them a popular choice for businesses seeking flexibility and novelty.

Furthermore,shipping containers have made their mark in the hospitality sector with the creation of container hotels and lodging units. These compact and self-contained accommodations offer a unique experience for travelers and are often situated in scenic or off-grid locations. The reuse of containers for hospitality purposes not only provides guests with an unconventional stay but also encourages sustainable tourism practices. In summary,the uses of shipping containers in pop-up retail and hospitality exemplify their adaptability and their ability to inject a sense of innovation and sustainability into these industries.