AstriCon, the longest-running event devoted to the Asterisk open-source communications framework, celebrated its 14^th year in Orlando last week. Todd Baca and Mark Parker were there at the TeleDynamics booth speaking with Asterisk experts and telephone systems professionals.

According to the Asterisk website, more than a million communications systems in over 170 countries are based on Asterisk, and “almost the entire Fortune 1000 list of customers” use Asterisk. So, if you are in the telecommunications business, you need to know about Asterisk!

How often have you led or participated in a conference call where a technician had to come in to set up the call or troubleshoot? Because many conferencing systems are not intuitive enough to be operated without some training and practice, they often go underutilized and the company doesn’t fully reap the productivity and cost-saving benefits that the systems are meant to provide.

Konftel has made this problem a thing of the past with its sophisticated yet easy-to-use conferencing solutions. Here we present a customer success story that demonstrates how Olsson Associates has been using its Konftel platform to improve and simplify the communications among almost 1,000 employees across some 30 offices in seven U.S. states.

Part 1 of 2: The cloud-based UC trend and its business advantages

When providing services for your customers, it’s all about convenience. Imagine a customer trying to find out some information about your service from your website. Her question is very specific and can’t be answered by the FAQs you have on the site. She spots a button on the bottom right of the screen that says “Can’t find what you’re looking for? Talk to a rep now!” She clicks it and is immediately connected via voice to a customer representative and gets her question answered on the spot. Now that’s service!

This is just one of the functionalities that Web Real-Time Communications (WebRTC) provides. A survey conducted by The SIP School found that 88% of professionals have either never heard of WebRTC or only have a cursory understanding of it. Here we present a few facts that will help you better understand how it can benefit your business.

It seems like everyone is talking about digital transformation these days. Technology is changing the way business is done at a mind-boggling pace, and making sure their companies are able to adapt to this change is a top priority for today’s business leaders – 81% of CEOs said keeping up with new technologies was their chief concern in a recent KPMG survey.

As a telephony dealer, you can help your customers on their digital transformation journey by intelligently leveraging their VoIP telephone system. And the good news is, it’s easier than many people think.

By Colleen Schmidt, Director of Partner Success, CoreDial

Risk is something that we fear because it requires us to put ourselves out there to achieve something greater. There is always a chance you could lose something important to you, especially if you take a risk on a venture or idea you know little about or have not adequately prepared for. The same is true when it comes to taking risks for your business. As much as we would like to mitigate business risks, the fact is they are an integral part of the growth process for any business. Just ask these business risk takers: Ben Silbermann, the creator of Pinterest, risked everything by leaving a job at Google to create the virtual pinboard site. Ben would survive early disappointments and now presides over a company worth $1 billion. Or Drew Houston of DropBox, who held to his guns when Apple Founder Steve Jobs told him to join Apple or be taken over in the market and now enjoys running a $1 billion company.

For VARs, MSPs and other resellers, your risks may not be the same as the ones mentioned above, but embracing the trends in the industry is the key to long-term success. For the unified communications (UC) industry, taking a risk on hosted and cloud-based services, as well as having a technology partner you can trust, will ensure your business stays economically solvent over time and is ready to meet the changing needs of your customers. Ignoring the shifting tides in the industry will lessen the options you can bring to the table for your customers, which will eventually impact your bottom line.

Sneak preview of new enhancements coming later this year

By Kate Clavet, Marketing Specialist, Grandstream Networks

It’s becoming imperative for any business to have tools available that not only enhance their internal communication but also keep their customers coming back. With so little face time (thanks to the internet), a customer’s experience is increasingly important. Grandstream’s UCM IP PBX series is a practical way to manage your communication without compromising on features or emptying your wallet. After all, we’re always striving to improve our customer’s experience and, by extension, yours.

To maintain a high level of service, there must be tools in place that highlight efficiency and collect data so that customer service, lead follow-up, etc. can be measured. Without metrics and data for evaluation, maintaining a positive customer experience is nearly impossible. Grandstream wants to make that easier for you. In the second and third quarters of 2017, a lot of enhancements are coming your way.

By Nathan Miloszewski, on behalf of Yeastar

When it comes to VoIP PBX systems, channel partners need to determine whether an on-premise solution or a cloud-based service is best suited for their customer.

Each solution has its strengths. For the instances in which you determine that an onsite IP PBX is the best option for your customer, we’ve put together these guidelines to help you sell against the hosted solutions offered by your competitors. Here at Yeastar, we work with thousands of channel partners who find themselves in competition with cloud-based VoIP service providers and have identified the most compelling arguments for an on-premise solution. Think of each one as an additional arrow in your sales quiver.

Replacing a legacy PBX that a company has used for years with an IP PBX can be intimidating, and understandably so. That’s why we recommend a transition method that allows the new technology to be gradually introduced over time. This not only ensures business continuity but also gives the associates plenty of time to adjust to the new equipment.

Fashion models aren’t the only ones who accessorize. Your customers need accessories, too! If they have an IP phone system, peripherals are an easy way to instantly boost productivity. When putting together your next enterprise telephone system proposal, consider including some from this list, or browse our website for more ideas.