Tag: business communication

Two New Laws Governing Enhanced 911 That Businesses Should Know About

March 11, 2020

Get Ready for New 911 Laws. In 2020, all businesses must comply with two new laws governing Enhanced 911 – Kari’s Law and Ray Baum’s Act. The deadline for compliance was on February 16, 2020. GAGE Cloud Voice can help your organization comply with the new rules. Here’s how our platform keeps you compliant:

Kari’s Law Requirements

Kari’s Law requires organizations with multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) to send a notification to on-site personnel that alerts them to the emergency when 911 is dialed from their premises.

It also requires that organizations must remove any requirement that a caller dial “9”, or any other number, to reach an outside line to make a 911 call.

Our Solution

Our cloud communications platform does not require a prefix to access an outside line. In addition, it automatically alerts on-site personnel when anyone in the building dials

911 as follows:

Calls the phones of company predefined personnel and plays an automated recording of the time and date of call, username, phone number and extension that dialed 911.
Broadcasts an email with this same 911 call information to multiple contacts at once.

Ray Baum’s Act Requirements

Ray Baum’s Act requires organizations to provide a dispatchable location, including street address, floor, room and/or suite number (if applicable) to public

safety with 911 calls.

Our Solution

We offer Enhanced 911 with a specified location listing

per phone. The location can include:

Building address
Building number if on a campus or floor number if in a multi-floor building
Room/office number

We support Enhanced 911 on Hosted PBX seats or SIP trunks with the inclusion of a Direct Inward Dialing (DID) number for each physical telephone as long as the PBX manufacturer allows support for this service.

Is Your Organization Subject to the New Rules?

All businesses must comply with Ray Baum’s Act. All businesses with MLTS must comply with Kari’s Law. Examples include companies across verticals, such as:

Multilocation companies
Education campuses (K-12, colleges and universities)
Hotels
Hospitals
Retailers
Financial institutions
Warehouses

What is Kari’s Law and the Ray Baum Act?

Kari’s Law – Kari’s Law was passed into law on February 16, 2018, and applies to multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) “manufactured, imported, offered for first sale or lease, first sold or leased, or installed” after the compliance date of February 16, 2020. The law:

Prohibits the “Prefix” Requirement When Calling 911 — Locations with MLTS must remove any requirement that a caller dial “9” or any other number to reach an outside line to make a 911 call.
Requires On-site Notification — A notification must be sent to on-site personnel when a 911 call is dialed from an MLTS.

Baum’s Act – Ray Baum’s Act was passed into law on March 23, 2018. Section 506 required the FCC to conclude a proceeding by September 23, 2019, that considered rules to ensure that MLTS systems to relay a dispatchable address to public safety responders along with a 911 call. On August 2, 2019 the FCC released its Report and Order that adopted such rules and concluded its proceeding as directed by Section 506.

A dispatchable address is now defined as “the street address of the calling party, and additional information such as room number, or similar information necessary to adequately identify the location of the calling party.”

E911 COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST

Here’s a list of tips to help you deliver compliant E911 service to keep your employees, vendors and customers safe.

Ensure callers can direct dial E911 without the need to dial an access code, such as * or 9, first to get an outside line.
Plan E911 support for virtual workers and satellite offices.
Set up E911 notifications for designated personnel in the event there’s an emergency.
Consult with legal counsel regarding your need to comply with the new E911 rules.
Map “dispatchable locations” where first responders can find E911 callers, including address, building, floor and/or room.
Test E911 access across endpoints by making a 933 test call, which will trigger an automated message with the caller name, call-back number and address.

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Are you ready for the 911 Laws? We Can Help! With Gage Cloud Voice, you can now take advantage of integrated mobility and collaboration tools without worrying about these new laws. To learn more about the 911 laws or about our services, please contact us today!

Holiday Communication Tips Every Small Business Should Know

December 9, 2019

The holiday season can be one of the happiest times of the year, but it can also be one of the most chaotic for businesses of all sizes. For small businesses, maintaining a constant line of communication throughout the season can be challenging; no one wants to be overwhelmed by holiday spam, but vacation schedules often leave large gaps in the lines of communication between you, your employees and your customers. On top of that, you may have the added stress of trying to secure next year’s contracts in addition to the ongoing work.

Ensure that clients know you’re thinking of them this holiday season – and make sure they’re thinking of you, too – by following a few of our holiday communication tips.

1. Establish Communication Adjustments

It’s only natural to want to keep as up-to-date as possible with your customers, but during the holidays, everyone’s schedules tend to change. From the start of the holiday season, it’s important to establish a clear schedule for how your clients would prefer to communicate. Will they have a set of days where they’ll be on vacation and won’t be able to access their office phone? Will schedule changes interfere with your weekly check-in call, or complicate your production schedule? Anticipating everyone’s changing availability and establishing the best points and times of contact before the holiday season will take just a bit more stress off of both you and your clients, and ensure projects stay on schedule despite the holiday hoopla.

2. Plan for Chaos & Prepare for Flexibility

No matter your business, the holiday season requires a strong line of communication not only between you and your clients but also between you and your employees. To ensure that you’re not left understaffed in your hour of need – and that you’re not interrupting your staff’s well-earned time off – look back through the business records of previous years and meet with your staff in order to determine the best course of action on how to divvy up work for the season.

Between their feedback on what struggles they might have had and the business records from the previous year, you can configure a schedule that is much less likely to require last-minute emergency phone calls, to prevent too much work from piling on one person and ensure all of those end-of-year deadlines are met.

3. Clearly (and Concisely) Communicate Need-to-Know Information

There’s a fine line between what your customers and employees need to know about your holiday operations and overwhelming them with so much information that they decide to forgo reading your messages altogether. Before making any official announcements, ask yourself these questions:

Will your holiday schedule/hours differ from your day-to-day operations? If so, does this affect your customers?
Are you planning any special sales or promotions that need to go out in a timely manner?
What tactics or policies in the past led to frustrated customers or overworked employees?
Which channels are best to reach the widest possible array of clients? Consider updating your voicemail message, email autoresponders, social media channels, or sending a newsletter.

4. Match Customers’ Communication Style

When considering all of these other tips, there is one important thing to remember: customers respond to outreach that fits their behavior. Look into the methods of communication most utilized by the majority of your clientele and put your focus there. Keep in mind, your customers are just as flustered in this busy season as you are, so going the extra mile to accommodate them can really send a strong positive message when it matters most.

Emails are always an excellent jumping-off point, but for the holiday season, exploring other communication avenues, such as interactive social media polls and posts showcasing company holiday traditions, can help you stay connected during a season when lots of people are spending their time online and on the go. At the end of the day though, never underestimate the power of a simple phone call – especially during the holiday season, when everyone is attuned to the personal touches!

While it’s important that your customers keep you in mind for the coming new year, we also know how important it is to show clients and employees how much they mean to you and your company. So, make your communications list, check it twice and give your communication strategies the supportive boost they need to carry you into 2020.

Stay Better Connected With GAGE

May 16, 2019

Since 1980, GAGE has designed, implemented and serviced business communication systems ranging in size from a few phones to hundreds of interconnected devices. Through the years, our service lines have also grown to include managed IT, cabling, and standby backup power. As a family-owned business, our diversified culture and connection to each other have laid the foundation to better connect with our customers and establishing true relationships throughout the years. We know that when you’re family in Louisiana, you stay connected – and that’s why GAGE is truly in the business of connectivity.

Customized Approach

Cloud-based, cutting-edge technology is nothing without the people behind it. Being better-connected starts with service before and after you become a GAGE customer. Easy to personalize and use, our secure GAGE Cloud Voice platform will connect everyone in your business, creating an efficient and effective work environment. With no system to install, it’s easy to add seats or functionality on-demand. We also provide a complete suite of managed IT Services, catching and fixing even the smallest problems before they turn into big ones. No matter your needs, we always take a customized approach to build a tailored solution for your company. At GAGE, we take pride in our customer relationships. Just because business technology constantly changes, it doesn’t mean relationships have to change too.

Service You Can Rely On

As a GAGE customer, you’ll enjoy a level of service beyond your expectations and a personal, responsive relationship with real people. We value your time, money and trust, which is why we don’t let our customers down. When it is all said and done, we want our solutions to allow you to focus on what really matters: running and growing your business.

Better Connected

GAGE is a Louisiana-based company, and we know the importance of being connected to the community that has supported us throughout the years. We are learning and growing every day from our community and culture. Being local means more than having a home office, though – it’s about giving back to your home. Since our company’s opening in 1980, we have poured our hearts into Family, Service, and Community. It’s the way we started, the way we’ve grown, and it’s the way we’ve become Better Connected.