ZipCode.org
 
 

Phone Forwarding: A Guide for Small Business Beginners


I’m a small business and I need to expand my global presence, but I can’t afford the cost of setting up a call center in a foreign country.  What do I do?


Don’t let the fear of unnecessary expenses stand in the way of business growth.  There are plenty of alternatives out there.  Take this opportunity to learn everything there is to know about international call forwarding.




What is this “International Call Forwarding”?


International Call Forwarding is an advancement in telecommunications that allows businesses to redirect calls from anywhere in the world directly to a local phone line. That line doesn’t have to be landline. Calls can be routed to a cell phone or even an e-mail address.


Sounds like witchcraft! How can I trust such a thing?


International call forwarding isn’t magic. It’s not even super-secret esoteric technology. It simply utilizes digitized internet communications and applies it to the old ways of telephony. This means that with the right service, you can begin forwarding calls anywhere in the world within minutes. Controlling your call load is also a fairly intuitive process.


Here’s how it works:


Customers from all across the land dial local toll free numbers, numbers they recognize and have probably dialed before. On their end, nothing is out of the ordinary. The call travels through the standard Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).


Now, it’s time for the forwarding. The customer’s call leaves the PSTN and is translated into digital format, so it now travel through the virtual world. The call comes right to your own existing number and activates the PBX.


PBX? That sounds complicated, too...


Not really! A Private Branch Exchange, or PBX, is a telephone exchange system that operates for a specific business office. It’s how most private call centers work. The difference with the international call forwarding is that we’ve crossed into the virtual world. So, instead of filling an office with telecommunications equipment, all of this is hosted online.


And here’s the best part. The PBX system can forward calls not only to your own line, but to any additional phone line you choose, all over the world.


Wait. That means I can receive the call anywhere?


That’s correct! You can forward calls to a call center, your office, or even your home, to be received on a landline, computer, or even a cell phone.Wherever you are, the call comes to you.



So many options! How is it all possible?


It’s all in the forwarding. The online PBX can route calls back to a PSTN or it can continue on in the virtual realm, through either:



Both of these lines allow the call to be transmitted as digital data, making it easy to transmit and convert to email.


This feels like I’m tampering with powers outside my control.


Not the case at all. Once you get set up, any of your settings and forwarding options can be changed through the online control system, which is part of the hosted PBX system. Gone are the days of imploring your telephone company to come and reroute your service. You can manage everything yourself with just a few clicks.


I’m still not convinced.


Well, here comes the part where we convince you that toll free forwarding could be the best thing to ever happen to your business. You can operate local telephone numbers for any location and handle all inbound calls from a central office. You can go global overnight without exhausting your finances on new offices and operators.


But what if I miss a call? I have to sleep sometime!


Of course you do! Calls to your international call centers can be transferred seamlessly to another call center at close of business to ensure no customer call is missed. And that’s not the only time calls can be passed around.


In the event of a disaster and downed phone lines, calls to one center can be routed to an unaffected location to ensure no customer calls are dropped. When one call center is busy, and another slow, administrators can route calls to lessen wait time in the queue.


A queue!  I’ve always wanted my own queue!


Well we’ve got good news.  With call forwarding, you have all kinds of queueing options.  You can set phones to ring in sequential order or at several locations at once, connecting the call to the first agent to answer.


All of these features all make for a much better customer experience.  International call forwarding allows you to route your calls to your own call centers, rather than outsourcing. This creates an improved, consistent customer experience.  Agents can transfer customer calls between locations without requiring the customer to hang up and redial another number.


Okay, I’m convinced.  Call forwarding is great, but it must cost a fortune!


Actually, International Call Forwarding Reduces Communications Costs!  


Here’s just a few reasons why:



Wow, this seems too good to be true. There’s no way it sustainable, right?


Quite the opposite!  Studies have consistently shown that call forwarding on through hosted PBX is the future of telecommunications! Usage of VoIP and other mobile services is rising at an unprecedented rate.


At the same time, It’s become more important than ever to consider taking your business to a national, if not global, level. Technologies like International Call Forwarding have leveled the playing field for all businesses, regardless of size or location.



Science fiction novelist Arthur C. Clarke once said,


“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”  


Toll Free Forwarding is merely testament to those words.