Telephone/Fax/Internet for our new business

[Dream_Catchers]

Up

0

::

Hi everyone,

First time poster here, and I apologize if a similar question has been asked but I’ve searched the forum without finding the answers I need (or found answers that were too complex for my brain to understand!).

We’re in the process of opening up our business which will be situated in a small factory setting. We will be creating a small office for me to work, with a PC, a phone, printer/fax and possibly an EFTPOS machine, just a really small setup really. The workshop will consist of about 5 people but my husband and I will be the only ones accessing the office.

I’m looking for recommendations into service providers for phone, fax and internet.
I don’t know anything other than my home phone and internet basics. I don’t know of any other providers other than the popular ones on tv ads either.

I don’t even know if it’s worth me searching for a “business plan” since I will be the only one popping in to do work on a part time basis. But apart from a phone line we will require a fax for receiving faxes, and internet for emails and other requirements.

Obviously we don’t want to spend hundreds on a plan that is more than what we need.

I don’t know ANYTHING about “voip” (whatever that is) or any other fancy terms – I sincerely know NOTHING..! haha

I’m overwhelmed with other aspects of setting up the business so any help, explanations, links or recommendations would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

Up

0

::

Hi Dream_Catchers,

I find all that stuff mind-boggling too, so good on you for asking these questions.

We are lucky enough to have some true experts in this field in our community, and I hope some of them will be along to advise you shortly.

In the meantime, welcome! Please make yourself at home,
Jayne

[Dream_Catchers]

Up

0

::

Thank you Jayne!

Glad i’m not alone..! :confused:

FS Concierge, post: 212428, member: 2205 wrote:

Hi Dream_Catchers,

I find all that stuff mind-boggling too, so good on you for asking these questions.

We are lucky enough to have some true experts in this field in our community, and I hope some of them will be along to advise you shortly.

In the meantime, welcome! Please make yourself at home,
Jayne

[bb1]

Up

0

::

Hi Dream catcher, One thing that would help the experts would be an idea of expected call volumes, As if you are only expecting 10 calls a day the option could be totally different to if you are planning on making hundreds of calls a day. Similiar with internet volums, are you just going to check flying solo (a favourite place), or will you be a heavy user.

[Gizmo]

Up

0

::

Hello Dream Catcher,

I can certainly help you out with all those needs.
I look after many small business looking to keep start up costs as low as possible while at the same time ensuring the solution can adapt with the business.
Feel free to call me on 1300 887 863 as the best place to go from here is a phone call, ask for me Gizmo.

[Dream_Catchers]

Up

0

::

10 calls a day sounds about right…
Mind you my husband usually has the office number diverted to his mobile.
Internet also, will mainly be used for sending invoices to customers via email, maybe 20 emails a month, and any electronic lodgement of ATO “stuff” such as PAYG etc.
So very minimal usage…

I think I’d use more internet at home!

bb1, post: 212448, member: 53375 wrote:

Hi Dream catcher, One thing that would help the experts would be an idea of expected call volumes, As if you are only expecting 10 calls a day the option could be totally different to if you are planning on making hundreds of calls a day. Similiar with internet volums, are you just going to check flying solo (a favourite place), or will you be a heavy user.

[arrowwise]

Up

0

::

The general advice is not to invest significantly in anything new now that is directly reliant on copper lines. Once the NBN hits your area you’ll be forced to upgrade if not compatible. If you really need fax capability a virtual Fax system like www.mbox.com.au is the way to go over a traditional fax machine.

[I.T. Guaranteed]

Up

0

::

Might I suggest http://www.phonechoice.com.au. if you need further advice just ask.
I haven’t heard of any one using faxes for a very long time. Are you sure you need them. these days email and PDFs are the way to go.

[Dream_Catchers]

Up

0

::

I thought about virtual faxing but my husband isn’t tech savy and doesn’t want to resort to using the email to view then print or scan then email, he relies on grabbing the faxes off the machine which is quicker.

I spent the day comparing plans and thus far decided to keep iinet’s ADSL2+ phone plan in mind.
It suits what we need for around $70 a month, and can add a “fax duet” for plugging in a fax/printer/scanner for an extra $6.

That comment regarding NBN is interesting (although I have no idea what NBN is) but will look into it.

[bb1]

Up

0

::

arrowwise, post: 212534, member: 54026 wrote:

The general advice is not to invest significantly in anything new now that is directly reliant on copper lines. Once the NBN hits your area you’ll be forced to upgrade if not compatible. .

Interested in this comment, are you implying that as the NBN hits you area everyone is been forced to upgrade equipment?

[arrowwise]

Up

0

::

bb1, post: 212546, member: 53375 wrote:

Interested in this comment, are you implying that as the NBN hits you area everyone is been forced to upgrade equipment?

Yes – it is called the ultimate end of copper lines and the reduction of support for it where possible. I envisage that once you have NBN to your office or home there will be a window of time that you will be given before you can’t access the copper line anymore. No different to the change from analogue to digital TV. The changeover can be forced faster for businesses, particularly those that reside in larger office blocks where they have even less say.

Many businesses are already planning for this, so they aren’t caught in a situation where they need to make more rushed and costly infrastructure changes.

http://www.theage.com.au/it-pro/government-it/dday-approaching-for-landline-switch-off-warns-nbn-chief-ziggy-switkowski-20140408-zqs6i.html

[Chris H]

Up

0

::

I went through all of this several years ago when I set up my business.
We had a few requirements, the first was that the provision of VoIP systems was completely independent of our telco, I wanted to be able to freely change my provider or relocate the business without the hassle of redirecting numbers.

We went with Telecube, they set us up with a 1300 number and two sequential local numbers (1 for calls and another for faxes). The fax is virtual, so any time someone faxes us (who faxes still in 2015?!?) it appears as an email in our inbox.
It works very well and I seamlessly moved out of working in my house to our office warehouse without needing to speak to anyone.
At the factory we just have a naked ADSL connection that the VoIP connects to. It’s all fairly straight forward and there are probably many people hear who can provide you with a similar service.

[Gizmo]

Up

0

::

Dream_Catchers, post: 212541, member: 65952 wrote:

I thought about virtual faxing but my husband isn’t tech savy and doesn’t want to resort to using the email to view then print or scan then email, he relies on grabbing the faxes off the machine which is quicker.

I spent the day comparing plans and thus far decided to keep iinet’s ADSL2+ phone plan in mind.
It suits what we need for around $70 a month, and can add a “fax duet” for plugging in a fax/printer/scanner for an extra $6.

That comment regarding NBN is interesting (although I have no idea what NBN is) but will look into it.

This is a very good point about fax to email services.
I offer it too. Its a great technology but like all technology you need to consider if its right for the business processes used within a business.

I make sure to ask if the the technology fits, if not I do not recommend it.
I also do the same when looking how a phone can work. Its no longer just about providing a number that rings a phone. With all the features available with my solution its also about seeing how to best customize it to work best for each company.

[TehCamel]

Up

0

::

Hi Dreamcatchers,
where abouts are you based? That will actually have a huge impact on what services you can get. If you want to PM me the address of your warehouse, I can give you an idea on what sort of services you could get?

cheers,

Andy

[MikeDav]

Up

0

::

I have been using VOIP for around 2 years now and there are both good and bad aspects. The main good aspect is that it gives you access to a virtual PBX which is great for creating hunt lists, call forwarding, transferring calls etc. On the negative side, the call quality can sometimes be poor. The NBN may resolve this issue.

[Author]

Posts