Archive for August 2011
GSM Gateway Telephone Systems Technology For Small Business – Because It Works
It is very common for small business to invest in telephone technology and not get all the promised savings. There are some technologies that are so simple and straight forward that the promised savings are almost always delivered. Although GSM gateways have been around for decades, the unlimited phone plans for as low as $45 a month have not.
As long as you partner with a company that takes the time to develop the right solution for your business, the integration of GSM gateways into your business can be the best thing you have ever done. Typically the pay back on these investments is less than 6 months. In some instances the pay back has been less than 3 months.
If you spend over $200 a month on calls to mobiles on your fixed line phone bill, a GSM Gateway could mean dramatically lower costs. How? By taking advantage of the fact that mobile to mobile calls are cheaper than landline to mobile calls.
The enormous growth in the use of mobile phones has led to increased costs for business. For many companies 80% of their costs can come from 20% of calls typically to mobiles.
WHAT IS GSM GATEWAY?
A GSM gateway (also known as a Mobile Sim Gateway) is a device which is connected to one or more GSM SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card(s). Once installed the GSM gateway will intercept all calls made from the fixed handset(s). Using intelligent programming and least cost routing (LCR), the gateway will determine if the call is being made to a mobile phone. If the call is Fixed Line to Mobile call (F2M), it is connected to the GSM gateway by the SIM card. This enables all F2M calls to become (Mobile to Mobile) M2M.
A GSM gateway is a tool for:
• Cost savings
• Receiving and sending SMS messages
• Receiving and sending FAX messages
• Forwarding calls to mobile phones – Mobility Extension
WHY SHOULD SMALL BUSINESS CONSIDER THE GSM GATEWAY?
In today’s world, a person’s accessibility and their ability to communicate freely is of utmost importance. Technologies such as mobile phones, email-on-the-go and instant messaging has meant that as consumers or in business, we all expect to be able to communicate with each other quickly and easily.
This has led to a dramatic increase in the use of mobile phones in the US which can be very expensive to call from an office landline.
• Although call rates are dropping from providers, businesses are making significantly more calls. This means your phone bills are still increasing and businesses should be motivated to reduce these costs in other ways.
• Using unlimited SIM cards in GSM gateways addresses this issue. The unlimited plans providers businesses with a fixed lower bill each month no matter how much the volume of calls increases
• Most businesses understand the concept of how your call costs can be dramatically reduced. This is primarily achieved by programming your existing PABX to divert expensive calls to mobiles out through the gateway using unlimited call plans. GSM Gateways are able to significantly reduce the cost of calling mobiles through the use of SIM card. It converts the expensive landline to- mobile call, into a mobile-to-mobile call. This effectively removes the landline “middle-men” from the equation and therefore the cost is reduced.
THINGS TO BE CONSIDERED
The biggest fear businesses have is the investment required and introduction of new technology into their business. However, when done correctly the return on investment is normally achieved well within 6 months and the technology should be seamlessly integrated into your current communications setup. The important aspect is to partner with experts that take the time to understand your business and put together a solution that will work in your unique circumstances. Each company has different calling patterns over the day, week and year. Also the type of PABX you have is vital to making this move go smoothly.
Laptop Power Supply – Keep Your Laptop Going
A laptop computer typically has two sources of power. The laptop power supply usually comes from a rechargeable battery. There is also an AC adapter that provides power.
Battery
All laptops come with a battery; the battery typically is slips into a slot on the underside of the laptop. Batteries have varying lives before they need to be re-charged. The life of the battery can last anywhere from two hours to five hours, it is completely dependent on the use of the laptop and the quality of the battery. The battery is recharged simply by plugging the ac adapter into the laptop and an electrical outlet. There is an indicator on the screen of the laptop that will advise when the power is low or when the battery is charging. There is usually a warning that is displayed that advises the user that the laptop battery power is low and that it is time to plug in the AC adapter. Plugging in the ac adapter will immediately start charging the battery and the lap top can still be used. There are some newer laptops that have solar powered batteries as the laptop power supply. These solar powered laptops hold a charge for up to two hours when charged with solar power, they are not available in great supply yet, but as technology improves availability will become more widespread.
AC
An AC usually comes with the laptop; it is the best power supply for a laptop and will provide the laptop with a continuous charge and avoid any potential problems with losing any information. Replacement laptop power supply ac cords can be quite expensive.
Issues
There have been some issues with ac cords in the last few years that involved the cords burning up and setting the laptop on fire. These faulty ac cords were recalled and the problem was fixed.
A laptop power supply is the only way a laptop will work. If it is faulty you run the risk of losing information and causing damage to your laptop. A faulty one can also cause damage to your laptop. A frayed ac adapter cord is dangerous and can start a fire. A laptop battery will have to be replaced over time because it will not be able to be re-charged.
Merchant Services Gateway App For The iPhone
More and more people are opting for card payments lately. Their ease of use and convenience is making them a preferred option for all kinds of transactions. Thus, there is no need for customers to carry bulky cash or leave a product behind for shortage of cash. Another feature that makes it endearing for customers is that they get fast results.
Thus, for a merchant, it is inevitable to have the means for credit card processing nowadays. There are two ways in which this can be done: credit card terminal and online payment gateways.
In the case of the credit card terminal, you have equipment which processes card transactions. You swipe the card and enter user information which is used to authenticate the card. However, this is not a real time setup and takes about a day to get the charge levied. Another issue is that they run on electricity or via battery. Also, they need to be plugged in as information is sent through wires and cables. So, it is not a feasible option for sales persons and small time entrepreneurs.
On the other hand, online payment gateways are a secure and easy way to make credit transactions. But you need some means to connect to these gateways. With the launch of thousands of business applications that run on the iPhone itself, this is not a problem anymore.
This is how the merchant services gateway app for iPhone works. You enter the credit cards details and user authentication information and click the charge button. This information is then routed to payment gateways and validated. Once validated, the payment gets processed.
Thus, it provides one with mobility in addition to all other features that online mediums provide. Thus, the merchants can run their businesses from anywhere. He/She need not have dedicated phone and cable lines, credit card terminals or laptops to process payments via credit card.
In addition to mobility, the merchants can avail the various services provided by these applications. Payments via any card be it Visa or Master Card or any other, can be done using the Merchant services gateway app for iPhones. Merchants can also manage their accounts and keep a tab on their daily transactions. The interface also provides easy transfer of money. Another plus is that you can secure customers’ trust by preventing fraud and securing user information.
Thus, the iPhone can act as a portable gateway by itself. Once the application is downloaded, you can use the iPhone as a credit card terminal. Entrepreneurs can now tap into the customer base that was not accessible to them earlier. It is also useful for salespersons handling shows, stalls and small merchandise stalls in addition to full-fledged businesspersons.