New VirtualPBX Business Phone Plans
Posted on January 19, 2022 by Jenae Townsend
Out with the Old
We have switched things up in our quest to deliver innovative customer experiences consistently. Introducing the new VirtualPBX business phone plans, Flex and Pro. CEO and Chairman Paul Hammond explained what inspired this new direction to replace our current plans.
“We take great pride in our service and support for our customer’s trust. As a direct result, their needs and values have always been first and foremost our priority since we started over 20 years ago.
These past couple of years have provided an opportunity to deliver the right solutions that match the changing landscape of business communications today and tomorrow in a post-pandemic world. With these new business phone plans, we made a point to supply our customers with a more straightforward way of transitioning their business to the next level of success.”
The key here, to always listen to what the customer is looking for.
The Flex and Pro Breakdown
The entry-level Flex Plan is still the perfect product for hybrid workers or entrepreneurs. It now offers better-than-basic features, including SMS, Video, Ring Groups, and Call Recording with 250 GB of storage and more.
A step up from Flex is the Pro Plan, a perfect option for most businesses needing advanced department insights. Pro will include multiple Auto-Attendants, ACD Queues Pro, Microsoft Teams Integration, Advanced Call Reports, and the list goes on. As a bonus, Pro Plan now comes with 1TB of Call Recording storage – the most of any previous VirtualPBX plan.
Keeping it Custom
Enterprises looking for an upgrade from Pro will have VirtualPBX Custom and CRM Plans. But heads up, these plans will not include free trials or self-service sign-up. Instead, it will direct prospective customers to a dedicated Sales Team member for a more personal touch.
The Custom Plan includes advanced features like Dynamic Caller ID, DISA, SIP Trunks, Custom Call Flows, Auto-Route, Select Route, Auto Forward, 2,500 Toll-Free Minutes, on top of everything in the Pro package. CRM Plan consists of Salesforce CRM Integration and 5,000 Toll-Free Minutes, and both plans will include 2TB of Call Recording storage.
Additionally, our popular Call Recording feature will be a staple for all VirtualPBX 2022 plans.
Free Trials Are Back
Did we mention FREE trial offers are back? Start the celebrating now. This 14-day benefit will be available for customers who utilize the Flex and Pro Plan self-service sign-up. There are no restrictions on features or minutes during the trial period. After the trial period, customers can expect to be billed per the plan selected.
Getting Connected and Staying Connected
What sets VirtualPBX apart is the 24/7 support from our dedicated onboarding team. We mean it when we say we “ensure that multiple sites and potentially hundreds of user devices get configured from the first day of operation.” Our teams are genuinely committed to guiding users to a better tomorrow in communication. Your success is our success, so let’s get started.
Is This Thing On?
Posted on January 7, 2022 by Jenae Townsend
Business Phone Call Recording
We live in a work-from-home world where business phone call meetings are a given. And exciting opportunities have presented themselves in these virtual meetings, one of which is Call Recording —no more missing a vital moment or forgetting a crucial piece of information.
The ability to record a video or call session with coworkers or clients can be a helpful assist when it comes to improving training strategies, quality of service, or just when you need a refresher. It truly opens up a whole new world in communicating effectively with customers and teammates, providing accountability and transparency at the push of a button.
Can You Hear Me?
A telephone-recording service allows users to record, store, replay, and manage conversations with ease, thanks to the robust VirtualPBX interface. But how does it work?
Like all VirtualPBX’s technology, the call recording feature can be customized to your preferences. Any extension that you’ve permitted to access call records can playback, download, sort, or delete as much or as little of the record library as you see fit. You are the owner of this destiny and how you want it to work.
This includes giving each department its specific settings, too. For example, you could turn on all calls recorded for your customer service department but exclude ones for the accounting or sales teams.
We offer a step-by-step guide and video to help you through the process and recordings. But if there is one thing to take away, you have so many options at your disposal.
Should You Hear Me?
Depending on where your business has a residence, your answer to “Is it legal to record phone calls?” could be different than what you expect. And at VirtualPBX, there is no default legal disclaimer allowing viewers to know that they are being recorded, which could be an uh-oh if consent isn’t presented upfront.
This means it is up to you to complete your due diligence concerning capturing conversations legally, and your local legal counsel is the first place to look when considering recordings for your own business. Customers wishing to use this feature should update their system greetings or ringback audio to comply with their local and state regulations or laws.
If you aren’t sure about the type of consent you fall under, Digital Media Law Project offers a detailed look at what one-party consent and two-party consent laws mean.
Back to the Future
There is so much to Call Recording besides the above. There is no more confusion about agenda topics or “I don’t think I said that” conversations. It provides an accuracy like never before. Imagine forgetting about a particular service order, and you didn’t write it down. Don’t panic because you can push some buttons and Marty McFly that scenario with Call Recording.
The Future of Business
Posted on January 3, 2022 by Lon Baker
The New R&R
The future of business recruiting and remote working is evolving. And no one knows it better than us. Since 1998, helping companies and teams work and communicate from anywhere has driven the VirtualPBX squad. We constantly improve the transition and communication processes for remote employees because we know the remote work lifestyle is here to stay.
Remote Control Mode
Building a remote team that can thrive has many challenges, and they all are minor compared to one thing — 99.9% of the most talented people in the world do not live anywhere near your company’s physical location.
By opening up the parameters of the hiring process, you cast out a wider net to meet talented and innovative individuals. This fundamental principle has driven our recruiting approach and allowed us to retain an expert team. But once you attract the talent, there is another step.
The Laws of “Employee” Attraction
To attract talented team members in today’s business environment requires more than just offering excellent pay, benefits, and challenging work. Respecting a person’s time is equally important.
Asking employees to commute to an office, attend in-person meetings, tote their laptops, belonging, and more around all day can drive dissatisfaction and impact productivity. Removing as much of the “overhead” in an employee day should be your top priority.
Following the 80/20 rule, leveraging technology to allow employees to work from home and save time and actual commuting costs is an easy win for both sides.
How To Keep Connected
At VirtualPBX, we rely on our Voice, SMS, and Video platform to allow team members to work together from anywhere in real-time. Also, we leverage Google for email and calendaring to ensure everyone is in sync and being productive.
To succeed as a distributed team, managers and supervisors must realign their processes and communication with measuring performance based on quality and timeliness of work product, not physical presence or proximity of your team.
Now You’re Stronger Than Yesterday.
As they said in the Six Million Dollar Man — We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better, stronger, faster.
The same is true for the future of business – for your business and for your team.
That’s A Wrap
Posted on December 29, 2021 by Paul Hammond
As we approach the end of 2021, I want to take a moment to thank you for your patronage, reflect on this year, and look ahead to what’s coming in 2022 for VirtualPBX.
Whether you are a new customer of ours or one that has been with us since the beginning, I can’t stress how much we appreciate you coming on this amazing adventure with us. We have had so many milestones to be proud of as a company, and sharing them with all of you is the best part.
Taking a Look Back
This year more than most, has been one of reflection. In February, we lost our founder 
and one of my dearest friends, Stephen Lange, to a battle with cancer. Steve was an amazing and truly talented man with a kind heart. He began VirtualPBX out of his father’s basement in San Francisco over twenty years ago. Even in his last weeks, he was always keen to know how we were doing and ensure that we continued the business that he started with the same passion and integrity that he showed during his time with us.
While his loss has been heavy, we are encouraged by his legacy to press forward in providing an excellent service. One of the final projects we worked on with Steve was turning down our legacy platform and migrating customers to our newer, more robust, and capable platform, which was completed at the beginning of 2021. It was a monumental and pivotal task that required all teams to work in unison and laid the foundation for our growth.
How do we define growth? We push to constantly add more features and benefits by committing to listening to you, our customers, and what you require to be successful and sustainable. At VirtualPBX, we care about what you think, and we care about your story. Here are some highlights from our year.
- Added New Integration with Microsoft Teams
- Added Send SMS Action in Zapier
- Honored With 2021 TMC Teleworking Solutions Excellence Award
- Extended Local Calling to Canada and Mexico
- Made Significant Updates to Our Referral Partner Program
Of course, this company would not be where it is without each team member here and their unwavering dedication and loyalty to the core tenets in which we share our work. Several of our employees celebrated 5+, even 10+ year work anniversaries this year, and we added new faces to our Sales, Marketing, and Support Teams.
Through the collective efforts of our team, we make the most incredible differences. I’m proud of what we have achieved together. Our individual teams’ commitment to staying on mission to provide product excellence, customer care, support, and operational efficiency was second to none.
The success of 2021 is a credit to you, our customers. It has been a privilege, and we thank you for allowing us to participate in your business. To say I am excited about what 2022 will bring is putting it mildly. We have so many exciting projects on deck, and the energy in the company is at an all-time high.
Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday and a cheerful and hopeful new year.
Paul Hammond
Chairman & CEO, VirtualPBX
VirtualPBX Customer Service
Posted on December 21, 2021 by Jenae Townsend
“I Own This”
If you are new to VirtualPBX, those are three little words we live by with our consistent and superior customer service. Period. It is the heartbeat of our organization and one we take pride in giving 24/7, 365 days a year through chat, email, and phone. There is no passing of the buck when it comes to helping a customer get the answers they need, on time, with an actual human.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a small or large business at VirtualPBX. Every customer gets 100% focused attention because we all know what it is like to be on the other side of a botched customer service issue. Ever get caught fighting a losing battle with a chatbot? Not on our watch.
What Motivates Us?
The power of excellent customer service is far-reaching, and it is not only good for the reputation of your company, but it builds valuable trust in your brand. Did you know that per Forbes.com, about 96% of customers will leave a business after a bad experience? I have switched brands, changed banks, and canceled subscriptions based on terrible customer service treatment.
Let’s face it, and usually, when you are in customer service, you should expect an aggravated human or two. But it is the ability to take that aggravation and turn it into a positive journey that makes the job awesome. And is one of the main reasons our teams spend so much time developing ways to ensure that our customers always feel like they get A+ treatment through the whole process. Here are some ways we take care of everyone in our VirtualPBX community.
Got Youtube?
We provide free weekly online training sessions that you can attend as many times as you like on our company Youtube channel—hosted by a senior member of the VirtualPBX Support Team. Another cool thing is you can access our past training videos.
If you do miss one, never fear. We also provide support guides organized by topic.
Onboarding for Everyone
When you sign up for the VirtualPBX service, you immediately get a “White Glove” personalized training session with a member of our customer service team. Getting you up to speed with all the features is about helping out your productivity, feeding your mindset, and sustaining you for a successful future.
Profesh It
On top of what we provide free, we step it up even more with a paid professional service to our customers who are about to go through an extensive deployment or integration. This upgrade takes it off your plate so you can put your energy into other facets of your business. Raise the roof on that one.
No Velvet Rope
Speaking of roofs, from the top of the ladder and down, everyone at VirtualPBX is a part of the process of what makes our award-winning customer service exceed expectations. “All hands on deck” is one of our approaches, and leadership doesn’t just say it. They do it. By meeting with individual customers to assess their needs or stepping in to help out a team member with a live customer inquiry, it’s all in a day’s job.
It’s a simple philosophy. Be friendly, be supportive, and most importantly, be present for that customer.