VOIP Busienss Telephone Line

Overall : 4 out of 5 stars
Pricing : 3.5 out of 5 stars
Installation : 5 out of 5 stars
Sound & Voice Quality : 4 out of 5 stars
Customer Service : 4 out of 5 stars

I’ve been using Voice Over IP (VOIP) services even before the capability to assign a phone number existed.  Technology has definitely come a very long way.

Before I get into Lingo VOIP service, if you have not read my article on the realistic needs of having a business telephone line (stuff nobody ever tells), check it out first.

Lingo features include the basic voice mail, call waiting, three way calling, call forwarding, speed dialing, and the like.  They have undoubtedly gone overboard to compete in the marketplace with some new and advanced features.

One advanced feature I utilize quite often is the new free international calling to just about any country you can think of.  Their on-line account management and call tracking has actually been a ‘deal saver’ to me.  There will come a time when a client is adamant about you missing some sort of conference call or telephone meeting.  In my defense, I did a screen shot of the phone log, sent it over and, that was that.

Portability!  If I’m on the road, my lingo goes with me.  As long as I have an internet connection and a laptop, I’m good to go.  Not to mention, you can set it to forward to any number if you are offline.  My cell number or my assistant’s number is usually what I do.

To receive phone calls, you simply plug your standard telephone into the jack (just like a wall jack) and that’s it.  When I travel, however, I do not carry a phone with me.  Lingo provides a free ‘SoftPhone’ application that lets you use your computer as telephone.  You only need a headset and mic.  Headsets are cheap (although I recommend a USB headset vs. the headsets that come with 2 jacks).

The downfall  - pricing and faxing.  The first month free is a definite plus and the $30 or so dollars your saving with free equipment and free shipping is comparable to a little more than 2 months of service for free.  The residential line is $24 p/month with business unlimited at a crazy $78 p/month.

TIP:  When you order, order a residential account.  It’s all the same technology and features.  They just label it differently.  Ready to try them out?

For faxing, you’ll get the occasional bad connection error.  Where broadband and technology meets todays needs, all the VOIP services seem to lack in reliable faxing solutions.  Maybe they ‘throttle’ this on residential accounts.  I’ve never signed up for a business account so I can’t say.  If anyone has information on this, please do share.

Click here “For Unlimited US and international calls! Just $4.95/mo. Limited time offer.“

The problem is, they charge on upwards of $2,500 just to enter their programs.  And as they act on your behalf and gain more credit lines, you are charged a percentage of the total amount and your small business is responsible for paying off the piece of pie they take.

Can you imagine, the debt you’re creating before you get to utilize a single dollar?  $500,000 in business credit lines can cost your business up to $100,000 in debt before you even get access to the funds.

I’m a firm believer in using other people’s money (OPM) to take risks with, but getting it and then giving it away is mind boggling to me.   Earlier I mentioned three truths and I’ve only covered two.

Let’s put at serious end to that right now!

The third truth is that you can obtain the same results by yourself.  Achieving business credit is not a difficult task.  It’s an educated task.  You just need to know what they know.  It’s not impossible to obtain a $2,500 unsecured credit line in a little more than 30 days or a $50,000 credit line with bank of America in 90 days.  These results of course very and it’s not dependent on how long you’ve been in business, where your business is at or what your business does.

A new, home or small business is “where the credit is at.”  60+% of the U.S. economy has been driven by small businesses.  Our new administration and their initiative to kick start our economy are focusing on that fact.

Off topic, I strongly suggest you read the other articles here and take a few moments to watch the public announcements from President Obama and his action (currently underway) to put $13 billion dollars back into the 30,000+ small businesses by backing financial institutions in which our government is guaranteeing on our behalf.

In end let me say, you can achieve these credit lines without spending a single dollar with corporate companies capitalizing on your business credit efforts.  I go into much further detail about this in other articles I’ve written and I encourage you to take a look at the information I’ve put together to get you into gaining these credit lines with very little effort and without personally guaranteeing anything.

If you are ready to establish business credit no matter if you’ve just started, are thinking about starting or you are working out of your home.