Business VoIP A-Z: March 2011 Edition

Posted by: Jen Robinson

It's March, and we are back with another edition of Business VoIP: A-Z. In honor of March and everything that comes with it (March Madness, unpredictable weather and wild holiday celebrations), this month we will have a bit of fun and explore some of Aptela's less familiar VoIP terms. So, let's get started!

1. Administrator Portal - Created just for account administrators, a dedicated portal provides the ability to manage business communications from any computer with an Internet connection. Add/remove users, record audio on demand, modify auto attendant rules or schedules on demand, log in as employees to help manage their settings, run call history reports and much more.
2. Blacklisting - Account administrator can block callers by caller ID or telephone number.
3. Call Screening - Announces the incoming caller so that you can manage the call as you like. You can choose to accept the call, send the call straight to voicemail, or transfer the call to another extension or phone number.
4. Call Handling and Loop - Departments establish handling rules to route incoming calls to the agents. We also offer a "loop" to retry department members if the call isn't answered after all extensions/numbers are called.
5. Custom Audios - Users, departments and any extension can customize audio options for specific needs. These include extension name prompts, voicemail greetings, transfer audio messages, hold music and more. Click to record your own audios on demand.
6. Loudspeaker Paging - Group administrators can access an intercom paging system by dialing an extension within the group (requires VoIP speakers or adapters).
7. Send Virtual Faxes - Send a fax quickly through the online interface.
8. Update Greeting Remotely - Allows a group administrator to update the company greetings or menu items remotely, when necessary. For example, if your office closes due to inclement weather, you can create a modified greeting from wherever you are.
9. Unlimited Local and Long Distance Calling - All local and on-network calls are free with Aptela's unlimited calling plan.
10. Website Widgets - Website Widgets are simple elements that you can embed into your website to give customers the ability to call you, with one click. These widgets are designed to drive traffic from your website directly to your team. Whether you are using a toll-free number or a local number, your website visitors can call you for free.