Call Forwarding – How It Works

Ever wonder what happens when you forward your calls? Here are answers to the more commonly asked questions.

Does the caller know that his call is being forwarded?

No, the caller to your Halloo number does not know that you have chosen to answer at a particular location. Because you may have your business calls routed to a home number, you should be prepared to answer in a manner appropriate to the nature and image of your business. Continue reading

Halloo Hint: Don’t Get Caught in a Phone Loop

This is great advice for new Halloo users.

Q: What is a phone loop?

A: Phone loops are an easily fixed, but common problem with users new to virtual systems. This happens when you have your phone forwarding to one number and then set that phone to forward to the first number. You will notice a drop in calls and your costs will increase exponentially.

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Halloo Hint: Call Forwarding Preferences

The Halloo Find-Me, Follow-Me feature connects you to incoming calls based on your call forwarding setup. Each user in your account will program one or more lines, corresponding to their home, office, and mobile numbers. Then, each user will set rules to tell the system where they are currently and when they plan to change locations, so that the forwarding system can follow appropriately. Continue reading

Small Law Firm Never Misses a Call

Ari Law attorneys focus on small business, litigation, intellectual property, contract and defense. Located in the financial district of San Francisco, they serve the entire Bay area as well as numerous other locations, including China.

Ali Aalaei, the Principal of the firm, noticed a discrepancy between the number of calls directed to the firm by a referral agency and the number of calls that the firm was registering. The referral agency indicated that they were missing three to five calls a week. Mr. Aalaei and his colleagues were shocked by the realization that they were losing potential business. This prompted further investigation into the customer experience of a caller to the firm. Continue reading

Halloo Hint: How to Turn Off the Halloo Voicemail Feature

Q: I have selected “Rings before voicemail picks up,” but I really need to be able to set extensions to forward only (without ever going to Halloo voicemail). Is this possible?

A: Simply set the “Maximum incoming voicemail length” to “0″ for the extension(s) that you don’t want to reach voicemail. Note: If you record a greeting for that extension, it will still play, which will allow you to record a brief message before the script hangs up. In addition, if you check the “For further assistance” option, the caller will be given the chance to jump to another extension, including back to the auto attendant by pressing 9.

Disaster Planning: Include Your Virtual Phone System

Sadly, unexpected disasters can strike your area and business in numerous ways. While there’s no way to completely prepare for every type of disaster, having contingency plans and needed tools readily available can help you navigate through tough times.

Part of a disaster plan should address how you’ll communicate with your customers, clients, and employees. It may not be feasible to individually call each member of your team or expect team members to have access to their normal work environment. Instead, you may need to set up a communication system that can be accessed by employees once they reach safety. Including a virtual phone system with automated attendant, call forwarding, and hunt group features into your disaster plan can minimize service disruptions. Continue reading

Two Virtual Phone Features that Save Lost Opportunities

What does your company do when a customer doesn’t want to leave a message? Losing potential touch points with customers can come with a high cost. By using features included in a cloud phone system, you can overcome some of the barriers keeping you from communicating with your customers.

According to recent studies, nearly 4 out of 5 people calling into a small business who get voice mail do not leave a message. And it’s likely that this trend will only increase in the era of text and instant messaging features built into smart-phones.

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Halloo Hints: Set Up Your New Solo or WebCall Account

Follow these simple steps in order to set up your new Halloo account. You must have your Account-ID, Username, and PIN handy in order to sign in to My.Halloo.Com. If you are unsure of this information, please visit My Halloo and click on “Sign-in help” to retrieve your PIN.

  1. Sign in to My Halloo as yourself.
  2. Set up your General preferences so that the Halloo system knows how to send you email and page you.
  3. Set up your Call Forwarding preferences so that the Halloo system knows how to reach you.
  4. Set up your Voicemail Greeting and preferences next, so that your callers can leave you messages.

Halloo Hints: Forwarding to Extensions

Q: I have selected “Rings before voicemail picks up”, but I really need to be able to set extensions to forward only (without ever going to Halloo voicemail). Is this possible?

A: Simply set the “Maximum incoming voicemail length” setting to “0” for the extension(s) that don’t want voice mail. Note that if you record a greeting for that extension, it will still play, which will allow you to record a brief message before the script hangs up. In addition, if you check the “For further assistance” option, the caller will be given the chance to jump to another extension, including back to the auto attendant.