My phone bill is too high what can I do? This is a common sentiment felt by both residential and business customers alike. According to an article in the National Post , Canadians are paying more for their cellphones than almost any other country in the world. If you or your business want to cut down on your monthly phone bill costs, here are some tips that will help. If you would like some expert advice on ways to cut down on your monthly costs for your business, contact the professionals at Network Telecom today.

My Phone Bill Is Too High; What Can I Do:

How to Save Money On Office Phone Bill

Today’s business world is very competitive and companies need to cut costs as much as possible in order to stay competitive. It is important to take a look at any area in which you can save money. The following is a list of ways that you can possibly save money on your office phone bill.

1. Combine Your Phone & Internet Services In A Bundle

You can save a considerable amount of money by combining your phone and Internet services into a bundle, often 10% or more per month. If you eliminate your traditional landline service and switch to a VoIP system, the savings can be incredible. Read about your rights when signing and cancelling a fixed term wireless contract in Ontario here. To find out more about what VoIP is and the advantages and disadvantages of using it, read our article “What is VoIP”.

3. Get Quotes Based On Your “Must-Have” Features

Take the time to know which phone features are essential to your business and ask providers for quotes based on those features. Some of the most common features that most businesses require include:

• Voicemail
• Auto Attendant (Virtual Receptionist)
• Extension Dialing Across Locations
• Call distribution Queues
• Music on Hold
• Conference Bridges
• Ring Groups

5. Replace Faxing With Scanning & Email

You can do away with your fax machine and all of the costs associated with it. Today, most documents that in the past needed to be faxed can be safely scanned and then sent by email. This will also cut down on the amount of paper and toner you use as the incoming email can be viewed on-screen and doesn’t have to be printed off from your fax machine.

You may find that on rare occasions, someone may not accept an email fax (perhaps for some legal documents) and they require that you fax them a document. There are some virtual fax options available online that you can access for this purpose, such as GreenFax. GreenFax is a send-only, pay-as-you-go service that charges only 7 cents for the first page and then 5 cents for each additional page. For a list of other faxing options, click here.

6. Review Your Phone Bill Regularly

The vast majority of businesses set up their phone system and then never think about it again. It is a good idea to take a look at your current service package at least once a year and compare it to what other companies have to offer. Prices change and you often can find a much better deal than you currently have. If you don’t have the time, or would like assistance in finding the best telephone system and service for your business, contact a telecommunications specialist.

7. Look For Free Or Unlimited Long Distance Options

Some phone packages include great savings features like free North America-wide long distance or unlimited long distance. These features can be worth it if your business does a lot of long distance calling. However, if your company is more localized and your long distance calling is limited, then signing up for a package like this might be more expensive for you than if you just paid for the actual long distance calling that you do. It is helpful to analyze your monthly long distance calling practices to decide whether or not this is a feature that will benefit you.

8. Don’t Get Locked In

Beware of contracts that lock you in for a number of years and then charge a fee to get out of that contract. Ask lots of questions to make sure that there are no hidden fees for cancelling and that the rate that you are quoted is the price that you are going to be paying, with no surprise extras.

Carefully read through all of the fine print on any contract that you sign. Watch out for any yearly rate increases that may be listed which will increase the low price that you thought you were getting. Check to see if there are also installation fees that are not included in the quoted price as well.  All of these extra fees could end up making your costs much higher than what you originally thought they would be.

11. Be Pleasant but Firm

If your phone bill is too high and you decide to try and get your service provider to lower it, remember to keep your emotions in check during the conversation. This is no time to be condescending, aggressive, or rude. A customer service representative often will have the right to end a call immediately without any repercussions if you are being excessively unpleasant with them.

Rather, be pleasant but firm when you are making your inquiry. According to an article by CBC News, a Rogers employee told them that “some discounts at his telecom company are discretionary – meaning employees can decide whether or not to offer them.” A service representative would be much more inclined to offer one of these discounts to a customer who was professional and polite on the phone rather than to someone who was being pushy and rude.

12. Ask for the Loyalty/Retention Department

If the first person that you speak to doesn’t offer you a better deal, don’t give up. Ask to speak to someone higher up or someone in their loyalty or retention department. Retention departments strive to keep customers from switching to a competitor. According to NG Data, “customer retention often is faster and, on average, costs up to seven times less than customer acquisition.” Many companies recognize how important it is to keep the customers that they already have.

Do not, however, ask to be immediately transferred to the retention department. The customer service representative that you first speak with will need to get your personal information such as your name, and they will also look up your customer history first. They will need to have this information before they can transfer you to another agent.

My Phone Bill Is Too High; What Can I Do:

Tips for Residential Customers

1. Use a Pre-Paid Phone Card

If you don’t make a lot of long distance calls, then using a pre-paid phone card instead of signing up for a monthly plan that includes long distance may be a more cost-effective option for you. The advantage is that you only pay for the calls that you make, and since you are paying up front, you won’t be hit with any surprise bills. Just remember to watch out for any expiration dates or connection fees. Also, don’t lose the card or you will also lose those minutes you paid for.

2. Get Rid of Your Home Landline

If you already have a cellphone, then you may not really need to have a landline at home as well. You can use your cellphone for all of your calls and then you only have one monthly phone bill to pay. If you make a lot of calls though, it may be a good idea to switch to a cellphone plan that allows you unlimited minutes so you don’t go over your limit.

Most cellphone plans don’t charge you extra for long distance calls like a landline does, so you will enjoy even more savings. For most businesses, though, just having a cellphone isn’t enough. A desktop model phone that is connected to a landline or is VoIP-capable, is much more convenient and comfortable to use in a business setting.

Get Rid of Your Home Landline

If you already have a cellphone, then you may not really need to have a landline at home as well. You can use your cellphone for all of your calls and then you only have one monthly phone bill to pay. If you make a lot of calls though, it may be a good idea to switch to a cellphone plan that allows you unlimited minutes so you don’t go over your limit.

Most cellphone plans don’t charge you extra for long distance calls like a landline does, so you will enjoy even more savings. For most businesses, though, just having a cellphone isn’t enough. A desktop model phone that is connected to a landline or is VoIP-capable, is much more convenient and comfortable to use in a business setting.

3. Bundle All of Your Services

If you are paying for a landline, cellphone, cable TV, and high-speed internet services, then bundling all of these services with one provider could save you a lot of money. Most companies have great incentives and introductory offers for new customers to shop around to get the best deal.

However, pay special attention to the fine print. You will probably have to sign a contract to find out how much their cancellation fees as well as any added taxes or hidden fees that could increase the price. It’s also good to find out how long the low rate will last and how much the price will go up after that time has passed. The lowest advertised monthly price isn’t always your best deal.

4. Only Pay for the Services You Use

Many phone plans come as a bundle with a combination of services that you may or may not use such as caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding etc. Find out if you can switch to a basic plan that let you simply add on the extra features that you do actually need. It’s doesn’t make good economic sense to be paying for features that you don’t even use.