Telecom Bill Analysis Pays Off!

What would you do with an extra $8062.56 this year?...how about $40,312.80 over the next 5 years? That's the average amount of savings we're finding for companies when COMMWORLD of Kansas City performs a Telecom Bill Analysis.

In a sample of 16 Kansas City area businesses, COMMWORLD found more than $129,000 in annual savings. That's serious money! Cost cuts averaged $671.88 per month for each of those 16 companies. The least was $68 per month and the largest was $3000 per month.

Here is how one company put their savings to work. They got a brand new phone system with voice mail that integrates with email, the ability to record calls, management reports and a 5 year warranty. And they're still paying less per month than they did before.

This small manufacturing company had an old Toshiba phone system which they purchased from COMMWORLD back in 1986. It had served them well, lasting far longer than less reliable systems would have lasted. But, let's face it, the system was old...an antique in technology terms. So it didn't offer any of the newer features which could benefit their business.

COMMWORLD did an analysis of their local, long distance and internet carrier service bills and then recommended a better solution. They had been paying $368.77 per month for those carrier services and they were using a 24 year old telephone system. Today they have a great new telecom system with features that really help their business and their monthly expenses are $40 less than before!

Introducing Strata Call Manager...

Next Generation Net Phone

The Strata^® Call Manager is a powerful new Unified Communications tool that combines the capabilities of your telephone and computer. It helps you get more done…faster and easier than ever!

Strata Call Manager has a new look and easy to use interface. It includes features such as:

Presence
Instant Messaging / Chat,
Outbound dialing from any application
Many other powerful features

Following in the tradition of protecting your investment in technology, existing Net Phone customers can upgrade to the new Strata Call Manager.

It's a new year... A new beginning ... And we all want 2010 to be a better year than 2009.

OneCoach founder, John Assaraf has created all new videos for 2010 to help small business owners grow their business and live an extraordinary life. You saw him in "The Secret" and you may have read his best-selling business book, The Answer.

Sweetheart Special

New Toshiba "Executive" Speakerphone model DKT3014-SDL

Large 8 line x 24 character Display
Programmable Buttons
Charcoal Color

Hurry. Quantities are limited and when they're gone – they're gone!

MSRP $488.00
Sweetheart Special $195.00 (Taxes & Shipping Included)

Customer Spotlight...

Professional Office is a COMMWORLD of KC client for 23 years

In April, 1987, Dr. Ron Wright, DDS placed his trust in Bob Bennett and COMMWORLD of Kansas City when he bought a small Toshiba phone system for his dental office. (We were Communications World back then.) Two years later, Dr. Mark Handley joined the practice and he eventually acquired the business. Today Dr. Wright, Dr. Handley and Dr. Addy, DDS have a thriving dental practice in Leawood, Kansas.

When the business outgrew their original projections, COMMWORLD migrated them to a larger phone system while protecting their original investment by re-using the older phones. When the office moved and expanded, COMMWORLD Technicians moved and expanded the phone system to meet their changing needs. It's been a good working relationship for 23 years.

Although the old phone system still worked, after 23 years, advances in technology had passed it by. So, when the Office Manager, Kim Handley, heard one too many patients ask to leave a message in voice mail, it was time to update their technology.

Today they are enjoying the many benefits of a new phone system with voice mail and advanced features that really help the staff be more productive. Plus, they're able to take advantage of tax incentives to help pay for the new system.

In a recent conversation with COMMWORLD Vice President, Curt Wiens, Kim Handley stated, "We love it. We're very happy and everyone at COMMWORLD is awesome! Please, thank everyone at COMMWORLD for making the transition go so smoothly. With our new system, life is good!"

Dr. Wright, Dr. Handley and Dr. Addy, DDS is located at 11100 Ash, Suite 204, Leawood, KS 66211. The office number is 913-491-6282.

COMMWORLD Community Connections

COMMWORLD of KC was proud to sponsor the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association's Annual Meeting once again. The keynote speaker was a very entertaining Edward I. Koch - former Mayor of New York City, lecturer, radio commentator, author and partner in the law firm of Bryan Cave LLP. The luncheon was held at the Marriott Muehlebach Hotel. COMMWORLD of KC is an Affinity Partner of the KCMBA.

Check out the February issue of Thinking Bigger Media's "KC Small Business Magazine". COMMWORLD's Bob Bennett is the author of an article entitled, "How to Manage Change...or Maybe Not". Bob is well qualified to pen an article on change within an organization. He learned about it while earning his MBA and he has lived it for 29 years of owning a company in the constantly changing technology industry.

Congratulations to the 2010 Winners of the 25 Under 25^® Awards. This prestigious honor goes to 25 outstanding small businesses in K.C. with 25 or fewer employees. The Awards Gala on February 27th in the Downtown Marriott's Count Basie Ballroom is a highlight of the year for Kansas City entrepreneurs. If you've never attended – think of the Academy Awards for small business owners. COMMWORLD is honored to be a 2005 winner of the 25 Under 25^®. Award.

COMMWORLD of KC is honored to be nominated again this year for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award. Our thanks to those people who have nominated our company.

Congratulations to our own Cindy Harries who celebrates 25 years with COMMWORLD of Kansas City on February 1st! Many of our customers have come to know Cindy through the years. Today, she fills the important dual roles of Operations Manager and Voice Mail Specialist. Here's a Very Special thanks to Cindy for her dedication, service and friendship through the years from Bob Bennett and Linda Bennett – owners of COMMWORLD.

Beware of Phone Scams...

This scam has been around for a long time and it's still happening. There are unscrupulous people out there who are trying their best to take your hard-earned money using phone scams.

It may start with a voice message asking you to return the call to a phone number with a 3-digit area code that seems very normal. The message could be anything... Call to collect a prize, call about your order, call about a relative... Anything to get you to place the call.

Or it could begin with a call to your wireless phone. It rings once or twice, then disconnects. Then Caller ID displays a number beginning with one of these area codes. You return the call assuming it is a normal long distance call.

But your call is actually connected to a phone number outside the U.S. and often in the Caribbean. Higher international call rates are incurred, but you won't know until the phone bill arrives.

809, 284, 649 and 876 area codes have been used for this type of scam. "809" goes to the Dominican Republic, "284" goes to the British Virgin Islands, "649" goes to the Turks and Caicos and "876" goes to Jamaica. There are probably others.

Our best advice is – be careful what numbers you call. If you think you've been scammed, contact the carrier with whom the charge originated. Their name and toll-free telephone number should be printed on the bill along with the charge in question. If a different company provides the billing for the carrier in question, they may be able to help. If you are unable to resolve the problem, you can file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission.

Fun Phone Facts...

What do a telephone and a dead man's ear have in common?

The invention of the telephone did not happen in a straight line. There were many people working toward that invention from their different perspectives. Although we were taught that Alexander Graham Bell was THE inventor of the telephone, there is some controversy regarding that "fact". Bell definitely was the one who got the first patent.

Alexander Graham Bell's perspective on telephony was unique. He was born in Scotland in 1847 into a family which influenced his interest in music, the spoken word and ultimately, the telephone. His mother played music, his father devised a system to help deaf people speak and his grandfather taught speech.

In 1873, Bell was a professor of vocal physiology at Boston College and he taught deaf people to speak. At night he worked on enhancements to the telegraph which would allow multiple messages over a single wire.

The telegraph was big business, replacing the Pony Express and other slower means of communications over long distances. Inventors searched for ways to improve telegraphy and there was a waiting market for those improvements. A new patented enhancement to telegraphy could make millions of dollars for the inventor. Conversely, there was no immediate market for the development of the telephone. Most people couldn't imagine the value of such a device.

The "harmonic" telegraph, as Bell called it, was a simple concept but the actual building of it proved to be challenging. In the summer of 1874, Bell's inventive mind took a detour and he worked on a teaching aid for the deaf called the phonoautograph. This was a gruesome device made out of a dead man's ear. (Ick!) Speaking into it made the ear's inner membrane vibrate and in turn, move a lever. Then the lever made a wave-like pattern of the speech onto smoked glass.

Bell was intrigued by the way the vibrations of the tiny membrane caused the much heavier lever to move. This led him to believe it would be possible to use a similar membrane in telephony. The membrane would vibrate as a result of the caller's speech, then the vibrating membrane would be used to vary the intensity of an electric current. He theorized that an electric current could replicate speech using another membrane.

Through his work with the phonoautograph made from a dead man's ear, Bell had discovered the theory of variable resistance – the principle behind the telephone. The actual application of the principle would take more time, experimentation and thought before the telephone became a reality.

So, what do a telephone and a dead man's ear have in common? The answer... Alexander Graham Bell!

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