Phone Resource

[SecTrainer]

Very useful phone service for a small business, consultant, etc. where you need to project a "bigger" presence and high connectivity to customers at a pretty reasonable price. They have several different kinds of services so use the comparison chart (menu on the left) to check out the different features.

http://www.onebox.com/

[Silva Consultants]

I have been using OneBox for a couple of years and am very happy with the service. I particularly like the ability to receive all of my messages, including voice mail and faxes, in my email inbox. Keeps me from having to check multiple places and everything forwards out to my Blackberry when I'm on the road.

[SoCal Public Safety]

Great info. I'd been shopping around for this type of service, and couldn't really tell which service provider was the best option. Thanks!

[Curtis Baillie]

The only problem with OneBox is a live operator is not answering the phone. It's recorded.

[SoCal Public Safety]

The only problem with OneBox is a live operator is not answering the phone. It's recorded.

I'm assuming it's a standard message with your company's info and "please press __ for extension __" sort of thing, is that a correct assumption? If so, that would be perfect for my current needs.

[Curtis Baillie]

For my needs I prefer a live person. I think a recorded message would be a turnoff to potential clients.

[N. A. Corbier]

For my needs I prefer a live person. I think a recorded message would be a turnoff to potential clients.

recorded messages usually project a very large corporation, or one trying to be.

[Silva Consultants]

For my needs I prefer a live person. I think a recorded message would be a turnoff to potential clients.

Onebox has lots of different service options, and I believe that one of them is a live receptionist (for an additional fee of course). I have my system set-up so that it forwards incoming calls out to me wherever I am (office, home or cell phone), so if I'm available the call is answered "live". If I'm not available, it goes to voice mail.

I used a telephone answering service in the past that had live operators. There were a few really excellent operators that made a great impression on callers, but there were also quite a few that couldn't care less about what they were doing and didn't make any attempt to hide it. Some also had challenges speaking good English. Because of the inconsistency, I eventually gave up and went to a voice mail system instead.

I do dislike the voice mail systems where you have to press several buttons just to get the point where you can leave a message. But in general, I think that most people have grown to accept voice mail and are just as comfortable
in getting a recorded message as in getting a live operator. If a potential client of mine was turned-off by getting a recording instead of a live operator, this is probably not the type of client I would get along with anyway. :)

[Curtis Baillie]

The only problem with OneBox is a live operator is not answering the phone. It's recorded.I stand corrected - they do offer a live operator.:)

[SecTrainer]

For my needs I prefer a live person. I think a recorded message would be a turnoff to potential clients.

Even large companies today use autoattended answering systems, and if done right they're actually more efficient than humans unless your reason for calling isn't "on the menu", as I recently experienced with Comcast.

What people hate is systems that don't answer quickly, or systems that trap them in endless chains of voicemail menus ("voicemail jail"). OneBox does not suffer from either of these faults. It picks up quickly, gives a very succinct message with a few choices and gets the caller to where they want to go. It's actually ideal for the smaller operation because your callers don't need to wade through a labyrinthine organization.

And, you don't have to send anyone to voicemail with OneBox either if you don't want to. Just have your calls forwarded to your cell phone or home, etc. and answer the call in person just like you would if you were in the office.

However, I think most people today understand that even if you did work in a company with a live receptionist, a call forwarded to your phone while you were at lunch or in a meeting, etc. would go to voicemail. I don't think that bothers anyone nowadays. What's important is promptly returning their call.