For starters:

1. Every piece of luggage I travel with gets a bright red handle cover. If I have to check a piece of luggage I can easily spot it on the conveyor belt at baggage claim. Additionally if it’s lost for any reason it now stands out. I tell this to the agent and it makes it a lot easier to find.
2. Use technology. I use my phone now to check in and as my boarding pass. Additionally I can check the weather, make Phone.com calls and keep track of all my reservations.
3. Join every loyalty program and be loyal. My father-in-law taught me this. He joined every program he could and so have I. Over the years I’ve gotten 5 international airline tickets and some rental cars just from my miles alone. Whenever I get the opportunity I point my miles to American Airlines, my airline of choice.
4. Get a credit card that gives you miles. I personally chose a credit card that gives me miles on most major airlines. Some cards give you points versus miles and typically those don’t give you the most bang for your buck in my calculations. Typically the cards that give miles 1:1 or better for every dollar spent have an annual fee, but that’s ok with me. It’s always worked out in my favor.
5. Always carry food with you. I’m not suggesting you act like my mother and carry an entire chicken or a salami, but I always carry some snacks. Whether it’s a granola bar, a bag of nuts or some junk food, there’s always a few snacks in my bag. My mother was right, sometimes you get stuck on a runway, in the airport or you just get hungry on a long flight. Starving yourself isn’t good especially when traveling.
6. If you’re flight is canceled or you’re going to miss your connection I suggest calling the airline on your cell phone versus standing in line with everyone else to face that poor unfortunate counter attendant that is getting an earful from upset passengers.
7. On that note, be nice and smile. Even if you’re having a horrendous trip or are stressed to your breaking point, I suggest you be nice if you want to get anything from anybody. Want to rebook a canceled flight? Don’t scream at the unfortunate soul behind the counter; talk to them nicely and they’ll likely do their best to help you out.
8. If you’re a frequent traveler, need a tax deduction or can get your company to splurge for you, a membership to an airline club can make your travel significantly better. Private bathrooms/showers, quiet secluded areas, free food and drink plus a whole list of other benefits make club membership one of a traveler’s best friends.

One friend of mine always flies with a scarf that he pulls up over his mouth and nose when he sleeps on planes. He claims he doesn’t get sick from flying because of this. Do you have any tips or tricks you can share with us? What do you know that others may not? Please share on Facebook or Twitter.

This definitely isn’t necessary if you have our Mobile Office app but it’s nice to have options, plus I like push the limits of these phones along with fiddle. Enjoy the video and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask on Facebook or Twitter.

What I learned today is that almost all the wired IP phones we sell have ethernet pass through. Meaning you can daisy chain your hardware. If you only have 1 ethernet wire at your desk you can plug it into your Phone.com IP phone then run another ethernet cable to your computer.

This may seem very simple or even silly if you have WiFi at your office but I’ve been uploading many gigabytes of family video’s today to the cloud and if I would have been hardwired to the internet it probably would have taken much less time.

Out of curiosity, if you have WiFi at your office do you still plug your laptop into the ethernet or just go wireless? Let me know on Facebook or Twitter.

Most modern laptops have tiny built in microphones but, let’s face it, the sound quality on those microphones isn’t really all that great. The solution, it would seem, is to connect an external microphone. The microphone, with the proper interface, can cost anything from a few dollars up into the big bucks for a broadcast-quality unit. Even a modestly priced one does amazing things to the way VoIP sounds over your laptop (by the way, the same is true when you replace the little pinhole size microphones on many modern cameras with an external microphone, assuming of course that your camera will support such a microphone).

Communicator supports external microphones but, it seems from what I’ve been reading, a lot of people who have used such microphones complain that they’re still not getting the sound quality they were hoping for. As it turns out, the reason is simple: the laptop is still set to use its own internal microphone. All it takes is a simple setting change to choose the external microphone and instantly get the sound you are paying for.

Figuring out which microphone is actually in use is also usually simple. Just tap the external microphone, then flick the laptop with your fingernail. Watch the bar on the microphone input. That will tell you quickly enough which microphone is really being used.

For those interested, I found this tip on a web site called RadioWorld (www.rwonline.com), which is devoted to the technical details of radio broadcasting. Programs such as Communicator, it seems, are now being used by broadcasters to send broadcast-quality sound from remote locations, for uses such as news reporting. I would think it could also be quite useful to traveling executives participating in conferences back at the home office.

Facebook is a key tool for companies, from sharing news about the company to publishing coupons or disseminating information, it’s become part of how businesses work. So when an admin on the company Facebook page wants to Like, comment or Share as themselves not the company it can be frustrating. I couldn’t figure out how to do it myself (posting on the Phone.com Facebook Page as Jeb Brilliant) and searching on Google wasn’t much help. When I read Baochi Nguyen’s guide to changing 1 tiny setting I was relieved and wished she had posted it years ago.

Follow the instructions and you can start posting as yourself on any Facebook Page you’re an Admin on, in particular your companies Page, with ease.

Many Facebook Page admins are unaware of a somewhat obscure setting in Facebook that allows you to Like, Comment, and Share on your Facebook page as an individual rather than as a brand. Here’s how to change that right now:

1. Log into Facebook.

2. In the upper right corner, click on the star-like icon. You will see the option Use Facebook as. Select your brand page. NOTE: this is a very important step — you must, at this point, be logged in as your brand page in order to complete this process.

3. On your brand Facebook page, click on Edit Page >> Update Info located at the top of the page.

4. On Edit Page, click on Your Settings in the upper left navigation.

5. In the Posting Preferences section, uncheck the option to Always comment and post as your page, even when using Facebook as your personal profile.

6. That’s it! Now you can interact with your Facebook Brand Page as an individual. This means that when you are logged in to your personal profile, you can engage as yourself with your brand’s posts in the home feed. If you are on your brand’s Facebook Page, you can toggle between your personal and brand profiles by using the star-like tool in the upper right corner. Facebook will also alert you at the top of the page as to the profile you are engaging as. Now go amp up engagement and reach!

Many thanks to Baochi for enlightening me about this setting. You may have already known about this but it’s really helped me. Make sure to read her blog and if you get a chance, say thanks to her on Twitter.

By now, most Phone.com users know that they can call the landlines in a host of countries at no extra charge, and can call cell phones for a fraction of what it once cost – less, indeed, than it used to cost to call just a few hundred miles away in some parts of the U.S.

What some Phone.com users – particularly those who are taking advantage of home phone service which at Phone.com closely parallels what’s available to small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) – may not know is they have at their disposal a simple method of calling loved ones overseas from their cell phones … at Phone.com rates. Indeed they can call overseas family members from any phone at all in the U.S., say from a friend’s house, and their friend won’t have to pay a penny.

The trick is simply to set up a menu with choices for callers to choose which member of the family they want to reach. For example, press one to ring your phone at home, two to ring your cell phone, three to ring the missus’ cell, and four to reach your son or daughter overseas. Essentially you’re turning the cell phones into virtual extensions of your home phone, exactly the way a business would do it (an awful lot of residential VoIP providers simply don’t offer menus to their customers). Then you can call home from your cell, press four, and speak to your child either for no extra long distance charge if he’s on a landline, or for nickels and dimes instead of dollars if the call is going to his cell. (You will also be using minutes on your cell phone plan, but those are really cheap these days.)

Of course there is a little risk involved. That’s because the call to overseas cell phones isn’t free (hey, Phone.com has to make a little money!). And your kid’s friends can call your home and ring his or cell cell phone just as you can – but you’ll be paying for the call. By the minute.

Then again, if you’re a really nice Sugar Daddy, you might even get the kids overseas a separate U.S. Phone.com number. That’s what I did.

1. Create a Mobile Extension in your Phone.com control panel. Then go into the settings for the new extension and click the words View Server Details that’s on the right side.
2. Download the Bria app from the Apple iTunes store to your iPhone or iPod Touch (I’ll continue to just refer to both the iPhone and iPod Touch as just the iPhone).
3. Open the newly downloaded Bria app on your iPhone and scroll down to the Phone.com settings and tap on it.

   

4. Once you’re in the settings page
   • A. Fill in the Display with your phone number
   • B. Input your Username and Password found on the Phone.com Control Panel when you tap on View Server Details in the Settings. The password is case sensitive.

• Click Done and then Register at the top. You may have to hit the Accounts button at the top left of the app to go back 1 level but then click the little arrow to the right of Phone.com and click Register.

  

You should be logged in and ready to make calls. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to reach out to us on Facebook or Twitter anytime.

ATA-
*Our ATA’s both have the same transfer commands

To transfer with an ATA you need to use the attended transfer function (*2). This depends on the functionality of the analog phone you have connected. You will put the current call on hold, probably using a “Flash” button. Once you hear the dial tone, dial *2 and the 10 digit phone number or extension number you want to transfer to. Once you get an answer, just hang up the phone. The 2 calls should then connect.
The Linksys SPA301 will be the same as transferring with an ATA.

IP Phones:
*Our IP phones have very similar transfer commands.

Cisco SPA303
Performing an Attended Transfer
STEP 1 During an active call, press xfer. The call is placed on hold and a new line is
opened to dial the number.
STEP  2 Either:
• Enter the number to which you want to transfer the call, then press the dial
softkey or wait a few seconds.
• Press the dir softkey and either choose a number from the personal
directory or select the Corporate Directory, then press the dial softkey.
*If you hang up before the second call rings, the transfer fails and the first call is disconnected.
*If you misdial, use the delChar, clear, or cancel softkey to make your changes before the call is transferred.
STEP  3 Press the xfer softkey after the phone begins to ring, or at any time after the phone
is answered.

Performing an Unattended (Blind) Transfer
STEP 1 During an active call, press the bXfer softkey.
STEP  2 Enter the number to which you want to transfer the call and press the dial softkey.
The call is transferred with no further action required on your part.

Polycom IP 450 and 335-
Performing a Consultative Transfer
To transfer a call:
1. During a call, press the Trnsfer soft key.
The active call is placed on hold.
2. Do one of the following:
— Enter the number to which you want to transfer the call.
3. As soon as you hear the ring-back sound or after the party answers (and
you speak to the party), press the Trnsfer soft key.
*You can talk privately to the party to which you are transferring the call before the transfer is completed.
*If you are using a handset, the transfer can be completed by putting the  handset on the cradle.
*You can cancel the transfer before the call connects by pressing the Cancel soft key.

Performing a Blind Transfer
To perform a blind transfer:
1. During a call, press the Trnsfer soft key.
2. Press the Blind soft key.
3. Enter the number to which you want to transfer the call.

Panasonic KX-TGP500-
Outside calls can be transferred to an outside party
1. During an outside call, press MENU.
2. Scroll to “Transfer” press SELECT
3. Dial the phone number.
*You can dial the phone number from the phonebook
*To correct the number, press {CANCEL} to clear the number and enter again.
4. Wait for the paged party to answer.
*If the paged party does not answer, press CANCEL 2 times to return to the outside call.

Transferring a call without speaking to the outside party
1. During an outside call, press press MENU.
2. Scroll to “Blind transfer” press SELECT
3 Dial the phone number.
*You can dial the phone number from the phonebook
*To correct the number, press CANCEL to clear the number and enter again.
4. Press TRANS and the outside call rings at the other unit.

Communicator-

Blind Transfer (transfer this call now):
1. During a call, click the “Transfer” button; the active call will be placed on hold and a call entry field appears.
*If you change your mind and want to resume the call, press the “X” button on the right side of the panel.
2. Type a number or extension to which you want to transfer the call, or select a contact from your Contact List.
3. Click the “Transfer now” button. (If it says “Call First,” click the drop-down menu and select “Transfer Now.”) You will be disconnected immediately.

Attended Transfer (call, then transfer):
1. During a call, click the “Transfer” button; the active call will be placed on hold and a call entry field appears.
*If you change your mind and want to resume the call, press the “X” button on the right side of the panel.
2. Type a number or extension to which you want to transfer the call, or select a contact from your Contact List.
3. Click the “Call First” button. (If it says “Transfer Now,” click the drop-down menu and select “Call First.”)
4. You will have the opportunity to speak with the transfer recipient first; you can also hold, resume or cancel either of the calls.
5. After speaking with the new party, press the “Transfer Now” button; you will be disconnected immediately.

Windows users can change the default behavior of the “Transfer” button to either “Transfer Now” or “Call First.”
  *Windows users: In the “Softphone > Preferences” screen, click the “Application” tab and scroll down to the “Default Actions” section.

If you need any additional help don’t hesitate to contact us on Facebook, Twitter or the Phone.com Customer Service page.

But these days fax has become a rarity in the United States. I haven’t needed to send or receive a fax in well over a year. I got rid of my last dedicated fax machine something like a decade ago.

So I was somewhat shocked when I was suddenly required to fax a document this week. It seems that customer service at the Hospital Corp of America (HCA), which bought our local hospital some years back, can’t get e-Mail. They demand fax or snail mail.  Having put my life on the line at that hospital, I can say that their medical expertise is top notch, even if their customer service is in the telecommunications stone age. Indeed I bet they’re even still using traditional phone service, rather than far less expensive business VoIP.

But back to the fax.

Yes, I do have a business-class multifunction printer that can be used as a fax. All I have to do is plug it into my Phone.com VoIP line, and be sure to remember to set to machine not to answer incoming calls. Or alternately, if I really needed fax, I could buy another phone number and use that exclusively for fax. Indeed Phone.com’s basic Virtual Office business plan includes two phone numbers even for its entry price of $14.88 a month, and a small business could use one of those for voice and the other for fax. Alternately, for $4.88 a month a business could add another line, just for fax.

But even though I do have such a multifunction printer, I have a better solution: Phone.com’s Internet Fax, a feature I think many have forgotten about. But it is right there to use, both on the dashboard in the upper right hand corner once you log in to either your extension or to the main account, and on the list of functions on the left of the screen when you’re logged into your extension.

In this case I simply scanned the document into a PDF file, and sent it by logging onto my Phone.com account. And the fact is, had I been using my printer as a fax machine, it would have been the exact same electronic scan, so the refusal to accept a file via e-Mail is even more puzzling. After all, my scan scan was a PDF file, which would be identical whether e-mailed and printed, or whether printed locally via fax. An added bonus – the scan is now stored on my computer, just in case I ever need to send the document again.

And indeed I did need it again … thankfully Phone.com’s Internet Fax service sends you a confirmation e-mail that your fax was received, or if not why. In my case, it seems I had set the fax to high quality, thinking that I was being nice in making it easier to read. Bad choice – it seems HCA’s fax machines can’t receive high quality transmission, so I had to resend it at a lower quality, easily done when using Internet Fax.

And … there’s no outrageous fee involved in sending a Phone.com Internet Fax. Just check out what a hotel charges for a fax on your next business trip ($1 per page is not uncommon), or what the local supermarket or office store might similarly charge per page.

Alon came up with his own solution.  He forwarded his cell phone voice calls to his Phone.com number which he can set up so it only rings when he’s on WiFi (saving him the roaming minute fee) and will have all voicemail transcribed and emailed to him if he misses the calls or decides not to answer.  Now he won’t be charged for any incoming calls.

This is a great solution for our customers wanting to save some money when they go abroad but still need to be connected.  I suggest utilizing Phone.com for this, it will save you a world or pain when your cell phone bill arrives after your trip.

Alon also wanted me to include that if you decide to get a local sim card in the country you’re visiting Phone.com can forward your incoming calls to that number at a VERY reduced price compared to the cell phone carriers.  The carrier will charge Alon ¢50/min to roam on his vacation and Phone.com charges ¢4/min to forward your calls to a local cell phone number where Alon is vacationing.  That will be hard to beat…

Do you have any bill shock horror stories from roaming abroad?  We’d love to hear about them on Twitter or Facebook.