Guide in Choosing Business Voicemail Service

Voicemail is one of the many features of a small business phone system that can be very useful in supporting customer service for business and home office. Voicemail system is capable of storing and recording voice messages that can be retrieved anytime you want for review and future listening. You may categorize all the voice messages that will pass the voicemail box according to its importance; you can tag it as urgent or non-urgent messages. Aside from this, voicemail system can boost up professional image of your small business. So, in order for you to get the best voicemail you need to consider the few tips provided here:

• Consider the impact of voicemail to your customers. As much as possible keep a business voicemail that maintains a pleasant environment for your customers as well as to the users.
• Look for a phone system provider that proposed a voicemail service and automated attendant at the same time. This feature tandem will ensure that your phone system can forward calls from one extension to another. Best voicemail service can detect call progress. This call detection service will give you no difficulty in terms of integrating the service to another phone features. 
• Consider also how many calls your voicemail can handle. If necessary get a multi line voicemail that will accept several calls at a time. What's more, it is advisable to acquire a dynamic port voicemail system if you have an auto-attendant service.

Modern voicemail like the internet voicemail service will even allow you to receive online fax, create group lists and establish a guest voicemail box. So, start examining your voicemail requirement now and get a phone system that will back up all your business communication needs.

Where Phone System Hackers Hide

Some phone systems are utilizing a feature, called the dial-by-name directory, which hackers can take advantage of by obtaining valuable information in it. This telephony feature usually works in conjunction with a voicemail system by providing callers a categorized menu when connecting to the proper contact or department.

Callers can easily access this directory feature by pressing “0” on their telephone keypad. Most companies’ assign this number by default and it is usually configured to be accessed after dialing the main phone number or after the voice mail box has activated. Phone hackers carry out their attack after office hours to be sure no one answers the call they will make.
 

Hackers are not hackers if they are not capable of protecting their identities. To conceal their location or identity a phone system hacker usually hides behind the following:

• Business Phones – with the use of the phone system’s manual or user guide an attacker can easily spoof the system by entering the default administrator password which is usually not changed. Once in, the hacker can easily use the system as a platform for attacking other system.
• Residential Phones – a caller ID can easily reveal who the calling party is. Phone attackers can trick the phone system by entering the code *67 before dialing the number they will call. It is a code for hiding the phone number they used for calling. Unfortunately, this technique does not work when calling toll free phone numbers or N-1-1 codes like 911.
• VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) Servers – open-source PBX software, like Asterisk, can be utilized and configured to hide any attackers’ identity by using any number they want.

The Visual Voicemail System Benefits

One of the most profitable value added service that telecommunication providers has introduced is perhaps the telephony feature of the voicemail system. Unfortunately, its popularity has blurred since its introduction 30 years ago. However, despite of decrease in usage, it remains as one of the most essential element in telecommunication since the human voice is a potent conveyor of information than written words.

Office phone systems today are adapting major improvements over the traditional TUI (Telephonic User Interface) that is used on their business voicemail system. Most providers are now setting-up visual voicemails and client-based systems as replacement for older voicemail systems and its technology is still being further improved. Some notable aspects as to why a visual interface is more suitable are:

•    Easy to use and simplicity of the user interface
•    Intuitive and quicker response
•    Seamless integration with other applications
•    Comprehensive overview of messages
•    Better privacy and security
•    Mobility
•    Synchronization of accounts
•    Message prioritization

Adopting this type of voice mail system can benefit both the service providers and its subscribers since it can cater to the compatibility and integration issues with newer handheld devices like the release of the new iPhone model. While service providers can easily add clients they can also assure them that compatibility issues are not a problem when they switch to their services. Moreover, service modifications, message retrievals and end-user services are tackled painlessly with visual systems.

Service providers are encouraged to switch to this new voice mail system in order to expand and take advantage of different platforms. Leveraging to this new system will eliminate their gradating revenues and provide their clients with an uninterrupted service.