Most phone companies now provide voice mail which will answer on busy or after a specified number of rings. This kind of voice mail is indistinguishable from that provided by an expensive business phone system. However, there is no way to eventually have a person answer using this method. Only an answering service can have a person answer. To present the image that the person answering the phone is your secretary, an answering service must be able to forward the call directly to your phone. If you are not in or already on the phone, then the phone company voice mail on your line will take the call. This setup functions just a well as a secretary operating an in house phone system.
Not all answering services are able to handle calls in this manner but they can be found. No reputable answering service will ever actually lie, if asked directly if they are your secretary. However, if their answering instructions are worded correctly, the question will never come up. And the purpose is not to deceive anyway, but just to provide good service for customers and to project a good business image. Check out some of the links to answering services shown below. Usually a local service is more appropriate, but these links will give an idea of their services and prices.
If an extensive menu voice mail system or fax back capability is needed, many PC telephony boards are available that provide such services. Many of these boards fall a little short, at least in some areas, of duplicating a more expensive stand alone phone system. However, check out the links shown below for more information about this solution.
Do not try to get by with just an extra residence line. It is important to have an actual business telephone number and to have a business listing in the telephone book. Many companies use this as a measure of reliability for doing business with you. For instance, Federal Express will not give a business account number if the business is not listed in the telephone book. However, using an extra residence line for computer and fax connections is a good idea.
Other phone company services that are very useful are conference calling and ring master. Although most two line telephones provide conference calling, we have found many of them don't allow all the parties to hear each other very well. This is not the case with the phone company conference calling although it is a little more difficult to use. Ring master allowsmore than one telephone number per line. The phone rings with a distinctive ring for the second number. This essentially functions as a second line for incoming calls. In addition, many of the PC boards mentioned above can distinguish this distinctive ring, and will answer appropriately. Click here to see some of the typical services explained at one major phone company site.
A two line or multiple line telephone with a hold button is a must. Combining that with a speaker is even better. However, many speaker phones don't allow full duplex communications. In order to avoid feedback the microphone shuts off the speaker and that is a very unsatisfactory situation. In our experience that kind of speaker phone won't get used very much. However, a speaker phone or headset is essential if typing while on the phone is important. Check out the links shown below for some information on speaker phones and headsets.
Faxes can be handled at least two ways. A fax modem board in a PC will receive and send faxes, however the only way to get a hard copy is to print the fax on the printer. And there is no way to input hard copy for faxing without the use of a scanner, which negates any savings from not buying a fax machine. However, if a scanner is needed anyway, then this method is a pretty good solution.
Fax machines are available everywhere today at resonable prices. Brother is a very popular brand name that we have had good results from. Plain paper is better but costs significantly more. It is important to consider though, that a plain paper fax doubles pretty well for a copier. This is not true of thermal paper machines. Although they will make copies, the thermal paper is only useable in house. The printer fax combination has gained in popularity recently and there are several good ones available. Check out the links shown below for information from the Net on fax machines.
Finally a third alternative is to send faxes over the internet. This can be useful to
avoid long distance phone charges, particularly for international faxes. Click here for an example of this kind service.
nswering Services- (Use these links as examples of services and pricing. Look for a local area service first.)
- LOU ANSWERING SERVICES
- Crocker Communications Telemessaging Services
- Inland Answering Service
- A+ Network Inc.
- Welcome to Spectrum
- American Call Centers
elehones, Headsets, and PC Telephony
Boards- AT&T introduces new two-line telephone
- Work at home: introduction
- TeleDynamics -- Products
- Best Data - Smart One
- Ahern Communications Corporation
- KAAASCom WWW HomePage...
- CommuniTech, Inc.
- GBH Handsfree Communications
- F.F. Tronixs, Inc.
- Telephone Headsets
- Headset Product Center
- Profile Headsets
- Beyond Voice Mail: Home Communications Cards: Features Comparison
- Beyond Voice Mail: Home Communications Cards: Addresses and Prices
These links were all checked when they
were added to this page as to their presence and pertinence. However, things change
rapidly on the Web. If you find a link that is not there, has moved, or is not pertinent
to this page, we would appreciate your letting us know. If you would like to suggest a
link, we always welcome hearing about new ones. 
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