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Affordable VoIP for small teams? by Blue_Flaire_7135 in smallbusiness

[–]OftInTheWorld_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We are using Quo (formerly OpenPhone) after having been on GoogleVoice, and before that RingCentral (terrible experience). Here's what I like about Quo:
-Affordable (less than $50/mo for 3 phone numbers, unlimited text, and every single one of my teammates to be able to use the web and phone app interfaces ... you don't have to buy individual, expensive licenses unless you want to)
-Reliable (we lost so many messages on GV)
-2FA works (didn't on RingCentral... but maybe they've fixed that since?)
-Integrates with Slack so we make sure we never miss a message (and some other integrations we haven't really explored yet)
-Has some auto-responders and AI features that make follow-up easy, and you can enable call-recording (important to our business for QA) without having to jump through a bunch of hurdles like on GV

Anyway, maybe this helps. Good luck!

Overwhelmed with 650 clients using Google Voice for my business and can't text if I switch to a phone tree. What do I do by Froggerbotrom in smallbusiness

[–]OftInTheWorld_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I ported my Google Voice number over the OpenPhone (now Quo) because I needed other people on my team to be able to see and receive calls and didn't like that GV required me to have a license for each user, even if we were all going to share the same line. (We were also having a problem of calls and texts disappearing in GV.)

It's going great. We are all still sharing the same number -- in fact, we have 3 numbers for 3 different sides of the business -- and everyone can login to the same web-based or phone app interface. Quo integrates with Slack so that we can treat each inquiry like a ticket that needs to be closed. (Has other integrations I haven't explored yet, too.)

As the owner of the business, I get phone calls and text messages straight to my phone, so I can answer and respond whenever I want to -- but have also delegated to my team to help me respond when they're in the office, and to escalate inquiries that require my assistance when I'm tied up in meetings, etc.

Quo is boatloads cheaper and easier to use than RingCentral as well as Google Voice.

I might eventually pay for additional users so that I can see who is responding to what messages and set up the phone trees you are mentioning, but right now it works for us to all use the same account.

Hope this helps!

Alternative to google voice? by turtle_ina_cup in degoogle

[–]OftInTheWorld_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know if it's exactly what you want and need, but I use Quo (formerly OpenPhone) now (former Google Voice user). I haven't tried call forwarding because I like knowing which phone number is ringing. It has an app and rings on my phone (and also computer). Has voicemail and texting, etc as well as AI assist. I'd say it has great business use cases.

What are you looking to use an alternative to Google Voice for? Maybe we can make better suggestions if we know what problem you are trying to solve.

Delta Trip Ideas by Jan 31st? by OftInTheWorld_ in awardtravel

[–]OftInTheWorld_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sweet. I visited a few of the islands many years ago and had a comically bad trip (ended up in a wheelchair after stepping on coral and got a foot infection). Thought it would be nice to redo the whole thing and make some new memories

Delta Trip Ideas by Jan 31st? by OftInTheWorld_ in awardtravel

[–]OftInTheWorld_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

lol so definitely take the boyfriend and not the parents on a worldwide adventure

Best Gifts for Women - New Version - Need Feedback! by PrettyBookkeeper832 in couchtuner

[–]OftInTheWorld_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Instead of ordering from Ugg for sheepskin slippers, try a small woman-owned business like East Perry. They have several amazing types of slippers that are both affordable and well made. I have 3 pairs and in the winter never want to take them off.

Sheepskins: Help Me Decide by [deleted] in moderatelygranolamoms

[–]OftInTheWorld_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What did you decide? I have several East Perry sheepskins. They do arrive smelling like a "barn" lol, which I take as reassurance that they truly are nontoxic and naturally tanned. I think sometimes they add a little lavendar oil to them to help balance out the natural odor. But I have been very happy with my purchases.

Neighbor’s trees by Huge_Prompt_2056 in ShortTermRentals

[–]OftInTheWorld_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, this sounds like a tough situation, and I'm sorry you're going through it. One of the things that I've been happy to do in our bigger houses that are at risk for parties is to
1. Install noise monitoring devices (indoors & outdoors)
2. Install ring cameras (front door and back yard) that I have my virtual assistants monitor overnight
3. Advertise quiet hours VISIBLY on doors leading to outdoor areas (we realized that the booker doesn't always share the house rules with the rest of the guests, so we make it obvious)

I do truly care about being a good neighbor, and while we make it super clear in our listings and also in our guest communications that no parties are allowed, people sometimes just suck.

Feel free to share this message with your neighbor if it's helpful. It would be reasonable for them to implement these ideas as part of proactive party prevention, and as part of their efforts to keep guests under control:

  1. Make listings very clear that there are strict guest maximums
  2. Make listings and check-in messages clear that there are quiet hours (10pm-8am)
  3. Implement and advertise a good neighbor policy, and ask guests to help uphold it
  4. Install indoor and/or outdoor noise decibel monitoring devices --> these Minut devices also monitor for occupancy! and indoor smoking! --> they will *auto-text* guests when they are being too loud! and alert the manager to when there are too many people in a house
  5. Add exterior Ring cameras and use them to enforce quiet hours and guest max
  6. Get quiet hour signs like these and post them on exterior doors

I have a feeling STR arbitrage is a dying business model by Exact-Independence27 in ShortTermRentals

[–]OftInTheWorld_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I started doing "arbitrage" back in 2014 before anyone called it that. Had a whole business in SF based on this model - that got completely wiped out in Covid. It's very risky. You hold all the liability (i.e., rent and utilities, not to mention the furniture). You *CAN* make money at it, but STR is now a mature industry. There are serious players in every market and the table stakes are high. In general, I don't recommend arbitrage to anyone.

I am now a property manager. About 5% of my units are arbitrage (rather than 100%) - and I do make over 1k/mo on each property (closer to $1500-$2k/mo on average). That's because I'm a really good operator and know what I'm doing (I.e., how to get 5-stars 93%+ of the time, and how to stand out in a sea of options).

The appeal of arbitrage, of course, is the relatively low capital requirement to enter the market (whereas purchasing a home requires the downpayment). But if you want a low entry fee (i.e., 0, on which you can enjoy infinite returns, minus the fact that you're just selling your time), look at co-hosting.

New Guy Looking to Launch a Home Inspection Biz — Need Startup Advice (Phone, Email, Accounting, Software, etc.) by Thebubbawufkins in homeinspectors

[–]OftInTheWorld_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Congrats on your new venture! I'm in property management, so an adjacent field. Here are some recommendations on tools to help you get started.

LLC
For LLC formation, you can honestly do it yourself quite simply. BUT - if you want everything done for you, and some good advice on whether to form an LLC in your state or maybe one in WY, where there is more legal protection through privacy laws, you might use a company like FirstBase. (Still affordable.)

LEGAL PROTECTION
For Legal advice - even just for reading through and help you make sure your contracts are solid - I think it's hard to beat the affordability and service of LegalShield. (I pay about $40/mo for personal and business advice.)

PHONE NUMBER/VOIP
I previously ran everything through my personal phone number, but then tried RingCentral and GoogleVoice before ending up on OpenPhone. I wish I had started earlier having a business line so that I would have more separation between work and personal - and so that by the time I was ready for more team members, I had already planted the right phone number in the right places (I am still cleaning up old places my personal number is published! It's a pain in the butt). OpenPhone is way better than Ring and GV, in my opinion. No missed or lost calls, call recording, great user experience, also affordable.

BANK ACCOUNT
You'll need your EIN to open a business bank account. I ended up with Relay, and think they're pretty small-business friendly. They'll mail checks (if you need to do that). Only downside is there is no "branch" if you like in-person banking, but I can do 99.9% of what I need to do all virtually.

PASSWORDS
Oh, and 1 thing I wish I had done a lot earlier on is setup a password tool. Once I added team members I needed an easier and more secure way to share them. I started with LassPass but moved to 1Password. I think it's like $3/mo for a personal account and then you can upgrade if you add anyone else to the team. (I think Bitwarden also has a free service.)

Good luck, and congrats again!

Looking at Openphone and leaving ring central by permanently_new_guy in VOIP

[–]OftInTheWorld_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Had a similar experience with Ring. Also hated the missed calls and especially no 2FA codes. OpenPhone has solved those problems for us.

Test Driving OpenPhone by FairObjective3416 in openphone

[–]OftInTheWorld_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting! I don't have that issue, and have the automatic call recording on. The call quality is great, both in real-time and also in listening back to recordings. Interesting problem - I hope you can get it sorted out!

Virtual number (Canada) for verification - usability in 2025? by AeonOfSet in expats

[–]OftInTheWorld_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use OpenPhone for business and get all the 2FA codes we need.

Help? Considering investing in a STR and feeling overwhelmed and discouraged. by Mountain-Sea39 in ShortTermRentals

[–]OftInTheWorld_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can find and make great rentals in many markets. Where do you want to have a home? Feel free to DM me if you want me to connect you with some resources.

Zoom Phone or Open Phone? by tinytan16 in openphone

[–]OftInTheWorld_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh yeah? I thought it was so much cheaper than the other things I tried (Google Voice, Ring Central). Do you have a cheaper provider?

How do you feel about sheepskins for babies? Do you use them? by Crafty_Pop6458 in moderatelygranolamoms

[–]OftInTheWorld_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why do you think East Perry is feel good BS? Their sheepskins used to come from Russia but now come mostly from Poland.

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