I got interested in Call Alerts for
one very simple reason: No one could ever reach me! Whenever
I (or a family member) was on the computer, no one could get
through to me on the phone because they would get a busy signal.
Imagine if I was trying to run a home business, with clients
struggling to get into contact with me -- or if I got an urgent
call from a loved one.
Scenarios like this got me thinking about various options from
my telephone company, like voicemail that would take messages
when I was busy. But that seemed expensive, and plus, there
were plenty of times when I would like to get off the computer
and take a very urgent call. Just having voicemail alone wasn't
going to cut it.
And speaking of expensive, I also looked at paying for a second
phone line -- ouch! That didn't seem like the answer either.
Not too much later, I heard about Internet Call Alerts (you
can also call them Internet answering machines, or Internet
call screening.) There are a number of these products out there,
but they all do basically the same thing.
When you're online, they let you see who's calling you (using
Caller ID).
They let you decide whether to get off the Internet and take
the call, or whether to ignore it and have the caller leave
a message.
Best part is, these programs are most often going to be cheaper
than installing a separate phone line -- which can cost several
hundred dollars.
Even better, many of these programs add other features beyond
Caller ID for your computer. For instance, you can have them
record voicemail messages and then alert you with e-mail. That's
great if you're at work but want to be aware of when messages
are left for you at home. You can also listen to your voicemail
messages over the Web.
All of these benefits are even more important if you're trying
to run a business out of your home, since you never want to
miss an important message.
Basically, I like to think of Internet Call Alerts as giving
you more flexibility -- you can take a call, or ignore it; you
can stay online or disconnect when you receive an urgent call;
you can listen to your voicemail over the phone or through the
Internet.
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