Going,Mobile,Part,amp,#58,Wire DIY Going Mobile, Part 1: Wireless Phone Service for You

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in When starting a new work at home business it is very easy to become consumed by it. We spend so much time trying to get the business up and running that we may end up becoming burned out and lose our motivation. There is so much to learn and

This article may be used freely on your website as long asit remains intact, including author byline and resourcebox and links. We would appreciate it if you would notifyus when it is used: < mailto:[email protected] >Going Mobile: Wireless Phone Service for Your Home Business(Part 1 of 3)by Donna Schwartz Mills< http://ld.net/?americanglo >There is no more important tool for your at-home businessthan your telephone. You need it to sell your services,negotiate prices, keep in touch with vendors, market andmore. Posting your phone number on your website and listingit on your business card gives potential clients peace ofmind that you are a real person that they can reach at will.It's a simple way to give yourself credibility, even asyou are just starting out.However, it doesn't take the new home worker long todiscover that there's no quicker way to lose that credibilitythan letting the kids answer the phone when clients call.That's why the experts advise that you:* Get a second phone line, dedicated to your business;* Let your family know that you are the only one to answer it, and* Have a good voicemail system in place for those times when you can't answer it.But this can be quite an investment when you're juststarting out, especially if your home is not already wiredfor two telephone lines.The solution: Go wireless.As mobile phone use in the United States has exploded, thecost of wireless service has gone down -- so much that agrowing market segment is foregoing traditional "landlines"entirely.In fact, after comparing the cost of installing another lineto my home with the cost of a mobile phone, I discoveredthat the latter actually cost *less*. That's becausetoday's wireless networks allow carriers to bundle featureslike voice-mail, three-way calling, call waiting and callerID into their basic services -- at no extra charge. Throw infree nationwide long distance on some plans and you couldend up *saving* money while gaining the convenience ofcarrying your office phone with you while you're ferryingyour kids to their after-school activities.HOW TO FIND THE WIRELESS PLAN THAT'S RIGHT FOR YOUStart by asking yourself the following questions:1. How much time do I typically spend on the phone each month for business? How much time do I think I will use for personal needs? When will I be using the phone the most? (M-F 9-5? Weekends? Evenings?)2. Are my clients local or will I also need long distance?3. How often do I leave my local calling area - either for business or personal reasons, and where do I go most often?4. What extra features will I need? (These can include wireless Internet access, text messaging, free mobile to mobile calls, emergency roadside assistance, transmission of digital photos, etc. I highly recommend buying some kind of protection plan in case you lose or break your new phone - these can be lifesavers!)Write down your answers and then visit the followingwebsite, which is a clearinghouse for all things mobile:< http://www.WirelessAdvisor.com >Enter your zip code to access a list of each wirelesscompany currently operating in your area.At this point, you could spend hours visiting the websitesof these companies and comparing rate plans (trust me,I did that while researching this article). What I discoveredis that -- at least in large metropolitan areas --competition is working. Here in Los Angeles, there are sixdifferent companies to choose from, with plans that meet myneeds ranging in cost from $510 to $614 per year, with mostof the difference due to the price of the telephone handset.Once you factor out the cost of the phone, the pricedifferential was much less - only about $20 per year betweenall six companies.IT'S NOT THE MONEY, IT'S THE COVERAGESo your choice of wireless carrier should be based uponsomething tougher to quantify and of way more importancethan rates: service and coverage areas.Unfortunately, no wireless carrier is able to give youperfect coverage 100% of the time. They all have some deadzones where they are prone to dropping calls. But if youchoose a company with excellent coverage in the areas youare in MOST of the time, you may never experience theseproblems.So DO visit the carriers' websites and DO select the planthat best suits your service needs - but not before youstudy the map each company posts showing their coverageareas. If you will be using your phone at home most of thetime and your neighborhood is in an area with poor coverage,you can cross that carrier off your list.Narrow your search farther by returning toWirelessAdvisor.com and checking out their message boardfocusing on providers in your area. There are two kinds ofposts here -- the first from people who are asking what theothers think of X-company or Y... and what their customersthink of their service. Most of the posts are complaints andmany are quite specific about the parts of town where theyhave experienced problems. These are extremely busy boards -if you do not see your target neighborhoods alreadydiscussed here, post your own question -- you will soon getplenty of opinions from those who have been there!Then, if any of your friends or family uses the provider youare considering, invite them over and ask if you can try outtheir phones in the areas you are likely to use them.Nothing beats first-hand experience when making a decisionyou may have to live with for one or two years.Finally, most providers offer a no-penalty 14-day trialperiod allowing you to return the phone and cancel servicewithout paying the exorbitant termination fees (which rangefrom $150 to $200). Make sure you ask about this and make anote of it on your contract in case you and your newprovider don't work out.A wireless phone could be the answer to your businesscommunication needs, and may even save you money. But beforeyou go that route, it is imperative that you carefullyfigure out what those needs are and match them to what'savailable in your area. New products and rate innovationsare coming online all the time. We'll look at some of thosein Part 2 of this series. Article Tags: Wireless Phone Service, Going Mobile, Wireless Phone, Phone Service