Part of DiscountCall’s mission is to educate the consumer. By being an informed consumer, you will be able to make the best choices in terms of your telecommunications needs. Randy Berlin, president of DiscountCall, along with DiscountCall’s Director of Operations Rob Michael and Project Coordinator Tony Miyares offer tips to help solve a variety of telecommunications and business issues.

May Tip of the Month- Office Remote Access by Tony Miyares:

Recent Tips:

April Tip of the Month-Domain Email Accounts by Tony Miyares
March Tip of the Month- Troubleshooting when your Internet is down by Rob Michael:
February Tip of the Month- Do you need VoIP by Randy Berlin

Archived Tips:

January Tip of the Month-- Troubleshooting when your phones aren’t working by Rob Michael
December Tip of the Month - Time Management for Incoming calls by Robert Michael
November Tip of the Month- Service Level Agreements. Do you need one? By Randy Berlin
October Tip of the Month-Only Buy from People you Like by Randy Berlin

May Tip of the Month- Office Remote Access by Tony Miyares:

Virtual Private Network connections allow users who work from home or on the road to connect in a secure fashion to a remote corporate server using the routing infrastructure provided by the Internet. From a user’s prospective, the VPN connection is a point-to-point connection between the user’s computer and a corporate server. VPN technology also allows a corporation to connect branch offices. A remote connection allows the user to work as if he/she is sitting in front of their office PC.

There are multiple ways of setting up remote access to your office or home PC. Some applications are web-based. In this case, the setup process does not require IT expertise. Some remote web applications offer a basic service, free of charge, while others offer a service with advanced features for a monthly-fee. The following are companies that offer this service:

• www.gotomypc.com
• www.logmein.com
• www.pcnow.com
• www.access-remote-pc.com

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April Tip of the Month-Domain Email Accounts by Tony Miyares:

Are you currently using a free email service like Hotmail or Yahoo Mail? Consider a business email account. By establishing a business email account (info@yourcompany.com), you will have an email address that is permanent as long as you keep your domain name. No matter how often you change your Internet service provider, you will never have to change your email address again. Also, a personal or business email address adds credibility and helps to promote you and/or your business. Every time you send an email, you are promoting your website for free because your email address contains your domain name. Besides, info@yourcompany.com is much easier to remember than whoareyou@freeaccount.com.

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March Tip of the Month- Troubleshooting when your Internet is down by Rob Michael:

We all hate it when the Internet goes down. If it happens, follow these steps before you make a costly call to the IT service staff.

If you are having issues with your Internet try these steps first:

• Ask co-workers if they are having problems with the Internet. If only one computer has the problem, it’s most likely an internal problem; not an issue with your Internet Provider.
• Check your physical connections at the back of the computer and at the wall. Unplug the cable; touch the end of it with your finger, and then plug it back in. Do this at the wall and the back of the computer. Next, reboot your computer. If this does not solve your problem, call your IT vendor and let them know about your troubleshooting efforts.
• If everyone is having the same problem. Check your connections at the router and/or switch. Reboot the router, switch or both if you have them. If the problem still exists, make a note of what lights are lit on your equipment, call your IT vendor and tell them your troubleshooting steps. They will be able to work with you in more detail and the information you have given them will speed up the process.
• If your vendor feels that the problem is with the Internet Service Provider and you are a customer of DiscountCall, call us, otherwise call your carrier and let them know all the steps you have taken.

By following some of these troubleshooting steps you may be able to solve the problem. If not, you will be able to give good information to the experts who will solve the problem.

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February Tip of the Month- Do you need VoIP by Randy Berlin:

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that allows you to make calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line. It’s a term that is used to describe many things, whether it’s free calling internationally or connecting multiple offices around the world via one central location. Most carriers use VoIP to carry some or all of their voice traffic. Some VoIP services may only allow you to call a person that uses the same service, while some allow you to call anyone who has a telephone number - including local, long distance, mobile, and international numbers. Also, while some VoIP services only work with your computer or a VoIP phone, other services allow you to use a traditional phone connected to a VoIP adapter.

VoIP is most appropriate for:

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January Tip of the Month-- Troubleshooting when your phones aren’t working by Rob Michael:

Phone service; it’s a critical part of doing business. However, we often take it for granted when our phones are working properly. Then a problem occurs (you can't make or receive a call), and your business comes to a grinding halt. Don't panic! Follow these steps when phone service problems occur. It may help you avoid a potentially costly visit by your phone repairman.

If you are having a problem with your phone service, try these steps first:

1 – Make sure the problem exists on all phones. If it is just on one phone, then it’s most likely an internal problem, perhaps an issue with the phone and/or wiring. At this point, consider making a call to your phone vendor, if you have one, such as DiscountCall.

2 – If you have a phone system and the issue appears on all of your phones, check the phone display (if you have one). If it is blank or doesn’t look normal, it may be an issue with the phone system. Try rebooting your system first. If you don’t know how to reboot your system, call your vendor and they should be able to walk you through the process.

3 – If you have rebooted your system and the issue still exists, try calling your main phone number from a cell phone. Write down a description of what you hear when you call. Now its time to call for help. If you are a customer of DiscountCall, call us. If not, call your carrier. Describe to them exactly what you did while troubleshooting as well as what happens when you dial the number.

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