Education: AA Liberal Studies, Limestone University
Erica has been writing about small business finance and technology since 2008. She joined Merchant Maverick in 2018 and specializes in researching and reviewing business software, financial products, and other topics to help small businesses manage and grow their operations. Her expertise has been cited in MSN, Reader’s Digest, Vox, U.S. News & World Report, and Real Simple. She is a Certified ProAdvisor for QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll, a graduate of Limestone University, and currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina.
One form of relief offered to small businesses is the Employee Retention Tax Credit. First introduced in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, this tax credit could be claimed by eligible employers on quarterly tax returns. This program was expanded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act signed into law in December 2020, making the credit accessible to more employers.
The SBA offers a variety of loan programs that vary according to business needs. Its flagship program is the 7(a) loan program, which offers loans for most general business purposes. However, it also offers special programs such as microloans and disaster loans. Find out more about SBA loans, including who qualifies.
QuickBooks Online is cloud-based accounting software. It has the complex accounting capabilities that small business owners need and supports numerous integrations. Quickbooks Online has a lot to offer in terms of features, accounting, and usability.
If you don’t know where to start, begin your research with our vetted list of the best business phone systems. There are options available to meet the needs of nearly any business. Many of these options offer free trials, so you can get hands-on with the service before signing up.
While there are some exceptions, most businesses are ready for VoIP phone systems. Existing contracts, lack of stable internet, and businesses that don’t need a phone system may need to do some more research before taking on VoIP.
There are several reasons why traditional phone systems are becoming obsolete. Ultimately, landline phone service is becoming outdated and expensive, while modern systems offer more mobility and features without needing the physical infrastructure of landline service.
With virtual phone lines, businesses are no longer restricted to overpriced and overcomplicated business phone systems. Keep reading to learn more about virtual phone lines, including what they are and how you can get your own.
The beauty of a virtual phone line is that you don’t need traditional phone equipment. However, you may opt to use existing IP phones or analog phones with adapters. Your VoIP provider may also sell equipment, or you can shop from a retailer that carries VoIP hardware and equipment.
Congratulations! If you’ve completed the previous steps, you’re now the owner of a toll free number. If you’re with a VoIP provider, you should be able to log into your account or dashboard to assign or route the number to a line. You’ll also be able to customize settings.
For many businesses, it’s a smart move to switch to a modern business phone system. VoIP systems are affordable, easy to use, and provide plenty of features you won’t find with legacy systems. VoIP systems offer more mobility and are scalable to grow with your business. And if you’re still not convinced, the sunsetting of the PSTN will arrive before we know it.
Today’s best business phone systems utilize the latest technology for reliable phone service, fewer dropped calls, better clarity, and features that make it easy to communicate with customers and employees outside of picking up the telephone. Best of all, VoIP service is surprisingly affordable.
GoTo Connect is worth looking into for a number of reasons. It boasts a lot of great features, the system is easy to navigate, customer service is good, and you won’t have to worry about the security of your data.
Overall, we give OnSIP a score of 4.1 out of 5. OnSIP offers a good service. Its VoIP system has plenty of features, customer support is great, service is reliable, and you can easily customize and scale your system to fit the needs of your business.
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The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation.
Merchant Maverick’s ratings are editorial in nature, and are not aggregated from user reviews. Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services. The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships.
Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone.
