Switchvox Offers Small Business Owners Worry-Free Vacations

June 19, 2006; 05:54 AM

SAN DIEGO - To help reduce out-of-office anxiety felt by small business owners while on vacation, Switchvox offers advice on how to easily stay connected to the office while on vacation with the use of an IP PBX phone system.

A recent study from the "OPEN from American Express 2006 Semi-Annual Monitor" report highlighted that 67% of SMB owners plan to take at least one full week of vacation this summer. Additionally, 54% of respondents plan to check in with their businesses at least once a day while out of the office. (http://home3.americanexpress.com/corp/pc/2006/06sbm.asp)

Switchvox offers the following suggestions:

1. Set up voicemail to email -- Enable your phone system to send voicemail messages as email attachments to any inbox. Users can also send voicemail notification messages to any device with an email address, such as a Blackberry or mobile phone.

2. Take your desk phone on the road -- Some more feature-full systems allow extensions to operate the same whether at the office or plugged into the network at a hotel, it acts just as it would in the office. This is a seamless transition for users or callers and all the features of a business phone remain intact: speakerphone, conferencing, transfer and caller ID.

3. Set phones to ring your current location -- By setting up a "follow me" feature, users can have calls to an extension ring out to any other phone, such as a mobile or even a hotel line.

4. Specify time frames -- Be sure to set up more than just day and night modes so SMBs can keep customers informed after hours and also route calls differently during times when the company may be short staffed.

5. Customize call reporting -- Even when out of the office, SMB owners still have just as much insight into call records and reports through online management tools. Users can check to see how long callers are waiting in the sales queue, how many calls are being handled and even how long calls are. Data is presented with easy-to-read graphs and can be exported into customized, advanced reports.

"It can be overwhelming for SMB owners to be out of the office on vacation. The fear of missing important sales calls and emails can increase stress and ruin what is supposed to be a relaxing time," said Joshua Stephens, CEO of Switchvox. "With Switchvox, users can be located anywhere in the world, and as long as they follow these simple recommendations, vacations should be worry free."

Switchvox is sold as a turnkey solution that includes the server hardware and pre-installed Switchvox software, with systems starting as low as $995. Because Switchvox is built on open standards and open source software, it can be used worldwide without many of the compatibility issues associated with other PBX solutions. Further information on Switchvox can be found at http://www.switchvox.com.

About Switchvox

Switchvox is a leading provider of PBX and VoIP phone systems for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The company's flagship product enables SMBs to easily and affordably create and manage their phone system, using traditional analog lines, as well as VoIP services. Based on Linux and other open source software, Switchvox has created software products that fit business and consumer needs. Headquartered in San Diego, more information on the company can be found at www.switchvox.com.