Below is a copy of post to the Phone.com Forum from one of our customers named Trey:

I just wanted to share some tips that I have found extremely useful:

One of our options when clients call our number is to press 9 for the emergency line. I have set up our system so that the emergency extension will dial multiple people simultaneously, with the option set to show our phone.com number as the caller id. All other extensions show the callers caller id. Some cell phones (blackberry is one) have the option to have different ringer exceptions for particular numbers. So we all set up our phones to override the ringer settings when the call comes in from our own business line number. This way we can turn our ringers off when in a meeting or while sleeping at night, but if someone calls the emergency line, it will still ring on our phones.

Hope people out there find this helpful.
trey

Thank you Trey for taking the time to write and post these great tips. Comments like yours from our users are great to see / read!

To follow up on our earlier post. Once you’ve transferred your existing home phone number, you can customize your new system to meet your individual needs. Your home phone system can now:

- Allow you to effectively run your  business from home and provide an improved professional sound it may have been lacking
- Direct your calls based on client importance to ensure you never miss a critical call
- Forward your calls to voicemail at specific times
- Provide music for callers who are put on hold
- Give you the option of checking your voicemail via text messages
- And much more…

To make it even more convenient, you can manage your entire account online, and we provide 24/7 technical support. Plans start at just $9.88/month with no long-term contracts. We offer a unique pricing system that allows you to reduce your bill based on the number of people you refer to our service. Refer enough friends and your bill is free. You can even earn credit towards your account if your referrals exceed your total bill!

Transfer your existing number and start receiving the benefits of our home phone service today!

Small businesses that make the choice to purchase an 800 number receive countless benefits. Everyone in the business is able to continue using their existing mobile devices or land line phones, but they are now all connected by the same new number. In addition, an 800 number for your small business will allow you to build your customized phone system in which you can:

• Record your own personalized greetings or select a professional voice to record your greeting
• Set up a call menu that uses an audio message to offer callers the options they want upfront
• Create extensions for employees or departments in other locations, even worldwide
• Activate your dial-by-name directory
• Use advanced phone call scheduling to route incoming phone calls to different places based on the day and time they are received
• Utilize Follow Me Calling to get your calls forwarded to multiple numbers that ring simultaneously until you answer one
• And more

Phone.com Virtual Office 800 numbers offer you the flexibility you need to customize your phone system to meet your small business needs.

Activating an 800 number for your small business could not be simpler; there is no hardware to purchase or software to install, no technicians to hire, and no maintenance. You can even configure all your individualized virtual phone number settings through an online account.

To set up your small business’ 800 number, simply assign your current phone number to your new virtual extension. When people call your new virtual number, they can dial your extension and be forwarded to your existing phone or phone system. This allows them to be connected with multiple staff in various locations who are using different phones, all at once!

Once you’ve set up your small business’ 800 number:

• We will activate your new local phone number and all of your calling features
• You can then use your online account to set up your 800 number and customize it to meet your individual needs
• You have the ability to modify your settings at any time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Get the credibility and efficiency your small business needs at a price you can afford. Set up your small business’ 800 number today for the flexible solution to call handling.

The Polycom business phones we sell with our virtual office service are some of the best IP phones in the market. One complaint we got from a cfew customers is simply that the “…handset barely stays on hook, falls off constantly, needs a deeper well to hold it in tight”.

Well: If you feel your way under the top section of the part holding the handset on the IP501 (just under the hook switch) you will see something that looks like a big plastic screw (see photo). It is a cover that you can pull out, when you do, take it out rotate 180 deg and push back in. It will assert kind of a small shoulder / pin that will hold the handset better.
Thats it. The folks at Polycom thought about this.

Phone.com Virtual Number is one of the simplest and no brain phone services in the market. Get a new phone number (any area code in the US) or keep your own number (cell phone or home phone) by transferring it to Phone.com. Now you can set up your phone service from your private online control panel so any or all your phones ring but you only need to give out one number.

You can set your account so that calls are forwarded to your cell phone during the day and home phone at night or any other order you want. You can also have back up phones when you are on vacation or at a friends house or even when your cell is dead and you dont want to miss a call.

You also get to screen calls so you decide if you want to answer the call or not. If you dont want to answer you can disconnect or send the call to your voicemails. You can hide your personal phone number both to receive calls but also to make calls – this way you can keep your cell phone totally private.

Your voicemails will come straight to your email with an wav or mp3 voice file attachment, but also alert you on SMS that you have voicemail and, if you want, even transcribe the voicemail for you to text. This way you can read your voicemails and save a lot of time. Translation is very good as the service uses a combination of sophisticated technology and human transcribers.

The price is only $4.88 per month for 250 minutes and then there is a “pay as you go” system in place where you pay per minute but never more than $18.88 per month! Guaranteed.
However, you can also pay less or get the service free: just introduce the Phone.com Virtual Number to just one friend and you pay $1 less per month. Introduce to 5 friends and the basic service is free. Above 5 friends you start earning credit. Click here for more information on the Phone.com Reward Program.

And you have so many more features such as sending a fax from your PC or attractive low rates on international calls (plus several countries are at no additional cost including, France, Germany, the UK and others).

Finally, unlike some other companies, Phone.com does not block you from making any calls and does not analyze your calling data in anyway. Your phone number is totally private!