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Stop Losing Business Because You’re Too Busy!

68% of people surveyed would prefer to have a root canal without anesthesia, a tax audit, or dinner with their mother-in-law than to be put on hold. Coupled with small and mid-sized businesses only answering 37.8% of their inbound calls, it’s understandable that customers hesitate to place a phone call.

Live website chat offers a solution:

  • 41% of customers think a company that offers live chat on its website is more trustworthy
  • 38% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a company that offers live chat support
  • 52% of consumers are more likely to repurchase from a company that offers live chat

Yet, only 9% of companies use live chat because of its many logistical problems including dedicated staff monitoring chat rooms and customers chained to their web browser.

The HostMyCalls Website SMS Initiation Widget is the perfect solution. Customers can initiate communication with your business from your website, but the communication does not require the customer to stay connected to their browser and your staff does not need to monitor chat rooms.

The SMS Initiation Widget is part of the HostMyCalls Business-Grade SMS System which makes engagement painless. Further, you can send and receive SMS messaging on your existing telephone numbers while leaving your current voice services intact. By simply conversing with your customers through text, they will have a more positive outlook toward your business and will be more likely to recommend it to their friends. 

To learn more about our SMS platform, visit OTA1.com to try out a fully branded SMS widget for yourself! You can engage with real humans using our SMS chat initiation widget in the lower right corner of our web page. You can also request sales contact by texting ‘learnsms’ to (678) 916-1952.

It’s time for your business to stop surviving and start thriving – and Online Technology Associates is here to make that happen!

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To Phone – Or, Not To Phone?

Business man speaking on a cellphone for business.

Does Every Business Need An Actual Phone?

Every business needs and has some phone service. However, not every business needs phones. There are several ways to use phone service without a physical desk phone. Many companies use virtual phones, which are basically an app on a computer, tablet, or smartphone instead of a traditional physical business phone. There are several reasons for this – but saving money isn’t one. Today’s VoIP phones (almost all physical phones are now VoIP) are relatively inexpensive and either come with the service or can be rented for a few dollars per month. Also, supporting an app is very close to the cost of a phone; so why not use a phone?

People that are constantly on a phone, frequently prefer a headset – which can be attached to a phone or can be used with a computer with a phone app installed. For incoming calls, headset users never need to touch their phones because they can simply answer or end a call from that headset. The only time they would need to interface with the phone would be to make or transfer a call, which can be done from the app. In these cases, that user can eliminate a clunky piece of hardware and a few cables from their desk. The phone app can also be installed on several devices, so they always have access to their phone.

When the app is installed on a smartphone, it sets up a separate presence on that cell phone – allowing the user to answer business calls differently than private ones. When they make calls from the app, the calls appear in office call logs and output the office caller ID so calls made from the apps do not reveal the users’ cell numbers.

However, there are many people who want the experience that a physical phone provides, so that is an option that can be used along with an app. Calls can be moved easily from the app to a phone and back again without interrupting a call. What do you prefer? Reach out to Online Technology Associates today to discuss the best business phone options for your particular business…our consults are free of charge!

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Satellite Service Deserves A Second Look

Wireless Providing Satellite in orbit over Earth

Things have certainly changed for the better!

The satellite service of our past had earned a well-deserved reputation for being slow and delivering erratic service. But, that was the past – Now, with new technology and supersized satellites already in orbit are delivering speeds and quality that are competitive with other technology here on the ground. This new and improved satellite tech is providing you with enhanced coverage in many more areas.

A case in point is the new ViaSat -3 launched just this week. This supersized satellite has the capacity of 1TB of bandwidth and can deliver 100M of high-quality bandwidth to individual customers! ViaSat’s Constellation of the America satellites will be able to service businesses as well as residential customers in the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa when all of the 3 series satellites are in orbit.

These high-powered satellites will also be servicing customers at sea and in the air, resulting in seamless coverage for travelers in aircraft and aboard ships. These particular satellites will be placed in a traditional “high orbit”. But, AT&T, StarLink, Oneweb, and Amazon’s Kuiper project, etc. are deploying Low Earth Orbit (LEO) smaller satellites that could potentially replace cell towers.

The best news here is that cable, fiber, and cellular providers will have to up their games in order to compete with this new tech in the sky! When shopping for internet service, go with the Pros to help guide you through the choices that you might not know about. Reach out to OTA today!

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Hybrid Workforce: The Challenges + How to Address Them

Guy working remotely from a coffee shop

Many companies are now using both remote and office-based workers, known as the Hybrid Workforce, and are experiencing new challenges – Aside from lack of supervision and keeping employees on task, it is very common for technical issues to arise. Here are the most common issues and some suggestions for addressing them:

Poor Residential Internet – This is the big one since most residential Internet is not up to the task of handling business applications… Unfortunately, in most areas, there are few if any good choices. However, the common broadband cable or fiber services can be supplemented by using cellular (4G/5G) devices to connect business users only. This can be done through a number of companies that have cellular routers with ethernet ports.

In many cases, the internet is actually acceptable, but the WiFi supplied by your cable company is not. Since most homes have cables with low-voltage outlets, users use WiFi… And this is the first place to make improvements: make sure you have multiple WiFi networks, one for home business purposes, and another for everything – and everyone else!

Most cable and broadband providers equip their routers with one or more WiFi networks – BUT those networks are usually pretty weak. We advise you to turn that WiFi off, connect a separate WiFi router to the modem and place it in a place that is as close as you can get to the business users. If you have a multi-story or very large home, you may need multiple wireless access points (WAPs) to provide a good signal where you need it. If you are using VoIP phones, there are several that can connect over WiFi, so you do not need to place them near the modem or run cable.

YOU NEED SECURITY…who doesn’t – am I right? You would definitely benefit from a VPN router and firewall. There are online services, but it is much better to use a physical device on site to protect valuable information! This also can improve the integrity of the signal for data transmitted over the VPN.   It is always a very good idea to connect the VPN to your office system and not just send the important data over the broadband circuit directly to the internet as this allows you to utilize your office firewall as an additional safeguard. 

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