The pandemic has shifted remote working, remote communications, and remote learning from the sidelines into the mainstream. As a result, stakeholders in the educational sector — such as Superintendents, Principals, IT Directors, Board Members, and Teachers — are looking for guidance regarding video conferencing for schools.  To help decision-makers identify the right solution for their current and future needs,  below we list seven key things to look for when choosing video conferencing for schools: 1. 100% Browser-Based With browser-based solutions, hosts and participants do not have to download and install software — which can be a real headache and hassle if firewalls get...

In the current times, many businesses and institutions have implemented remote working. Although many companies already offered the opportunity to their employees to work remotely from their homes before the virus, now more people are having to do it with the international lockdown. But by separating remote workers and having to deal with the challenges of working remotely from home, how are businesses keeping up?Fortunately, there are steps that business owners, managers, and other senior staff can make. Ensuring that engagement and productivity are still at the core of each employee’s everyday routine, guarantees that there is little to no...

Business messaging through text, MMS and SMS is no longer an optional nice-to-have option. It is now an essential requirement. Here are 5 powerful reasons why:   1. Customers Are VERY Open to Receiving Business Messaging A whopping 97% of Americans own at least one smartphone, and on average they check their device 96 times a day. What’s more, 91% of customers said they have or are interested in signing up for text messages from a business, and text message open rates are nearly 100%. On the other end of the spectrum, 90% of customers won’t answer their phone when a business calls them....

Anyone who has worked “behind the scenes” in a school environment knows that efficient and effective communications are vital. Below we highlight 5 ways that SMS alerts (a.k.a. text messages) greatly improve school communications, and make things substantially better for students, staff, and parents alike. 1. Using SMS Alerts During Emergencies The number one priority for schools is to ensure safety. SMS alerts instantly notify key individuals or groups — such as school leadership, staff, and/or parents — of hazardous or potentially hazardous scenarios (e.g. outbreak of E. coli in the cafeteria, inclement weather, unauthorized intruder on school grounds, etc.).  Follow-up SMS alerts...

To say that the last couple of years has been difficult for many people across our great country, and around the world, is an enormous understatement. And sometimes, it can be quite difficult to focus on the good vs. getting overwhelmed by the bad. But it has been my experience that these are precisely the times when we need to dig deeper, and truly appreciate all that we have to be thankful for. To put this another way: when everything is going fine, it is easy to be grateful. But when times are tough, being grateful takes effort and character. Here are...

When a business grows, so too will its requirements for infrastructure like telephone systems. The traditional way to provide phone services in an office environment, for example, is with a traditional PBX (private branch exchange) setup. Such setups are usually very expensive, inflexible, and complicated to install and administer. These days, a better solution is to use a hosted phone system (sometimes known as a virtual PBX). If you’re new to a hosted phone system, the following will explain more about them and how your organization could benefit: What Is a Hosted Phone System? A hosted phone system is a virtual PBX that operates...

A growing number of clinics, hospitals, and health networks are embracing text messaging (SMS/MMS) as a vital communication channel. Below, we highlight seven text messaging benefits in the healthcare industry: Text Messaging Benefits in Healthcare #1: Texting Closes the Provider-Patient Gap A recent survey found that 4 in 10 Americans are afraid of visiting their doctor’s office during the pandemic. Text messaging helps re-establish the vital — and in some cases life-saving — connection between patients and physicians (as well as all other healthcare providers).   Text Messaging Benefits in Healthcare #2: Texting Improves Staff Efficiency & Productivity Generally, texting is far more efficient for...

The big thing in movies and TV shows these days is heroes who have special powers like flying, spinning webs, changing shape, and so on. Sure, this kind of escapism is entertaining. But the real heroes among us do not wear capes or “leap tall buildings in a single bound.” They are brave and patriotic men and women whose love for our country has inspired them to serve in the Armed Forces. Whether they are stationed at home or abroad, these individuals are putting their lives on the line — because if our country is threatened or experiences an attack, they will...

There are some solutions on the business landscape that are not just beneficial, but they are fundamentally transformative — and switching to VoIP phone service is definitely on this list!  Below we highlight 5 game-changing benefits of VoIP phone service: 1. VoIP Phone Service Unleashes Total Mobility  With a conventional landline phone system, employees need to juggle multiple phones - each with a different number: the corporate office phone, their home office phone, and their personally-owned smartphone (and in some cases, a corporately-supplied smartphone as well). Not only is this tedious, but it leads to frustrated colleagues and angry customers who never know the...

If your business is not taking full advantage of text marketing — SMS and MMS marketing — then you are missing out. This is a massive opportunity to drive customer engagement, acquisition, and sales. Consider these eye-opening statistics: 69% of customers want the ability to contact a business through text messaging.  Customers are 4.5x more likely to reply to text messages than emails.12.9% of customers are more likely to support businesses that offer text-back capabilities.   And just in case you think that “texting is obsolete” — think again. 50% of people sent more texts during the pandemic. Additionally, due to COVID-19 34%...