In today's economic environment, now more than ever, businesses are searching for ways to quickly cut costs, streamline operations and recover receivables faster. One simple way to accomplish that is electronic invoicing, via fax or email. The cost is a fraction of what you pay to mail your invoices, your customers receive them immediately, and your collection cycle is shortened. Not only will you eliminate high postage costs, but your paper and printing costs are reduced as well. Best of all, there is no need to develop programming or purchase hardware and/or software, because we have the delivery system already in place. You just email your data to us, we parse it, and we send your invoice or statement in the format you want, including PDF invoices.
May 2008 Archives
Electronic invoices come in two forms: faxed invoices or emailed invoices. Many companies choose one or the other, but you can actually do both simultaneously with our system. That way you can deliver an invoice in the format your customers like best. There is no need to maintain separate databases for your fax or email invoice customers either. Our system can handle both types of recipients in the same database. Why are more companies embracing the idea of emailing or faxing invoices? Dramatic cost savings! No more printing and no more postage! And with the added benefit of not having to buy any new hardware or software, implementing e-invoicing or electronic invoicing is the fastest and easiest way to see immediate savings.
In my opinion, yes. Someday, sending voice messages over the Internet may be as convenient and reliable as today's fiber optic system. But unfortunately, VOIP isn't there yet. There are many companies in the voice broadcasting business that use VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) to send their customers' messages. And since it's cheaper to use VOIP, their customers think they are getting a better deal. Yes, it's cheaper all right, but there's a price to pay in the end. The problem is reporting. VOIP's reputation as a reliable platform to properly record and time delivered messages is questionable. So if you are paying per minute, or per call, you may want to think twice about the report you get back if you're using VOIP.
There's plenty of doubts and you won't have any trouble getting second and third opinions by Googling "VOIP reliability" or "VOIP dependability". In a new book that will be released this summer (Summer '08) by Himanshu Dwivedi, entitled Hacking VOIP, he says, "administrators must contend with eavesdropping, audio injection, Caller ID spoofing, VOIP phishing and other unique exploits. All of these security holes can result in the leakage of information and in unreliable phone calls." In the voip lowdown blog, one commentator admitted, "all we hear about in the mainstream media is how vulnerable and unreliable VoIP is. And let's face it... until people start taking the steps to safeguard their networks, this technology isn't going to go places."
There's a lot of work to do to get VOIP up to the standards that fiber optic customers can take for granted. Until that day comes, your best bet is to use "old fashioned" fiber optic telephone lines to get your messages out and properly reported.
The days of using automated phone dialers and sending pre-recorded phone messages to an indiscriminate list of numbers in the phone book are long over. The federal government, and most state governments, have instituted laws that strictly regulate such activities. In fact, if you aren't careful, you can be subject to a very hefty fine. While the laws are constantly changing, there are some general rules of thumb you need to know about.
First, unless you have an existing business relationship (EBR) with someone, it is against the law to voice broadcast a message to someone who has their number on the national Do Not Call list. Many states have their own Do Not Call lists as well. Second, the only exceptions are for non-profit organizations or political candidates. So, if you are private telemarketer, you are advised to study the rules carefully, or hire an attorney who can help you. There are phone lists you can purchase that are "scrubbed" against the Do Not Call list that would enable you to call people who don't mind being solicited. However, if you are misled and the list was not scrubbed against the Do Not Call list, as advertised or promised by the list broker, you can still be fined. One company was fined over a million dollars. These are treacherous waters and you have to VERY careful. Here is a good run down on what the law says: http://www.dnclistmanager.com/do_not_call_laws.html
Nearly all of our OrangePoint business involves serving customers who send messages to those whom they have a prior business relationship with, so our customers are safe from any penalties. Nonetheless, it's important that you follow the letter of the law, and that's exactly what we ask our customers to do. Meanwhile, there are several companies that specialize in "call compliance" -- services that insure that you don't get yourself in trouble. Here is the link to a popular call compliance company that claims none of their customers have ever been fined. It would be worth it to check them out: http://www.callcompliance.com
Nearly all of our OrangePoint business involves serving customers who send messages to those whom they have a prior business relationship with, so our customers are safe from any penalties. Nonetheless, it's important that you follow the letter of the law, and that's exactly what we ask our customers to do. Meanwhile, there are several companies that specialize in "call compliance" -- services that insure that you don't get yourself in trouble. Here is the link to a popular call compliance company that claims none of their customers have ever been fined. It would be worth it to check them out: http://www.callcompliance.com
You should also review the Federal Communication Commission guidelines here: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/tcpa.html
