A Toll-free number (aka "800 number") allows potential customers to contact your business without the burden of Long Distance charges.  Generally, toll free charges aren’t expensive and can be bundled with your long distance plan.  Costs for toll free numbers increase as the usage increases—more calls means higher costs; but then again your business received more calls; bit of a conundrum.

Toll free numbers come in 4 main formats—800, 888, 877, or 866, but few 800 numbers remain available.  Having a toll free number for your business is indispensible as research has clearly shown that consumers are much more likely to call a business with a toll free number than those without due to long distance costs.  If the competitor has a toll free number, consumers typically call them first, and often not bother to call the second business if they are satisfied with what they hear on the first call.  After all, everyone prefers free.  

Additionally, toll free numbers give your business a more professional image; that it is large and well established.  If you select a "vanity number"—one which spells your business name—it makes it easy for customers to recall your company’s phone number and name. It can boost the recognition factor of your business. Rather than just having a random phone number, a vanity number can stick in a person's mind and make a callback more likely. 

Unlike vanity license plates that cost a lot more, toll-free "vanity" phone numbers don't cost more. You pay the same whether it spells something or not. You can also "bank" several numbers now that you might want to use in the future, and pay only a small fee to hold them indefinitely.

When choosing a toll free vanity number, think beyond 7-letter words. While the number is only 7-digits (i.e., 800-123-4567), the word or phrase you advertise could be longer (but not too much longer). When a caller finishes dialing the first 7 digits, the number will connect. Any additional numbers they might continue to punch in won't matter. Many businesses use vanity numbers that contain an extra letter or two.

In a nutshell, the value that a toll free number can bring to a business almost always outweighs the cost. 

For more information about how Execulink can help your business cash in on these benefits call 1-877-Execulink or email business.solutions@execulink.com and speak to your dedicated telecom specialist.

Tax Time Again

It’s that dreaded time of the year again when Canadians gear up for filing their personal and business tax returns. Did you know that Income Tax was originally established as a temporary war measure? Read the excerpt below from Wikipedia:

"Unlike the United Kingdom and the United States, Canada avoided charging an income tax prior to World War I. The lack of income tax was seen as a key component in Canada's efforts to attract immigrants as Canada offered a lower tax regime compared to almost every other country. The Conservatives opposed income tax as they wanted to attract immigrants primarily from the United Kingdom and the United States, as opposed to Eastern Europe, and they wanted to give their preferred choice of newcomers some incentive to come to Canada. Wartime expenses forced the Tories to re-consider their options and in 1917 the wartime government imposed a "temporary" income tax to cover expenses. Despite the new tax, the Canadian governments ran up considerable debts during the war and were unable to forego income tax revenue after the war ended.

So what can Canadians do? Well, tax experts state that saving tax dollars involves doing a lot of little things right, throughout the year.
Tax planning doesn’t just occur on April 30 when you file your tax return. It occurs when you’re planning to purchase that new vehicle, when you’re paying your teenage son or daughter that monthly allowance, and when you’re recording the revenue and expenses of the business. Tax planning is truly a 365-day- a-year fight. Check out our "Off the Shelf" suggested reading for ideas of what you can do to help keep some of those hard earned dollars in your pockets.

Source: Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_taxes_in_Canada

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Tips from the Tech

Your password is your first line of defense in protecting your privacy; it can also be your strongest defense - if done properly. We often overlook the role a good strong password plays in securing our lives. Sacrificing security and privacy for speed and convenience can have dire consequences; just ask anyone who has had their data or identity stolen. 

Think of security as a chain, all the links strong and secure; the password representing one of the many links and if it weakens and fails, then the efforts of all the other links (SSL encryption of customer data for example) is for naught.

As a good rule, a strong password should include a mix of upper and lowercase letters, as well as numbers and non-alphanumeric characters such as # and % and be at least 6 characters long.

Some examples of what your password should never include:

 • The word "password"

 • A string of numbers in sequence (e.g. 1234)

 • Any part of your username (your username and password should never be the same)

 • A word that is often associated with your business (e.g. "pepperoni" for a pizzeria)

 • Your children’s, spouse’s or pets names or birthdates

 • Your phone numbers

Going hand in hand with securing your life by using strong passwords is to never write them down and absolutely never store your passwords in an easily accessible location. Don't leave them on your desktop, don't tape them to your monitor screen, and don't keep them in your wallet or purse.  This all seems common sense, but the reality is that people often do it and often regret it later.

For some ideas to help you create strong passwords, click here.

Come join Execulink at the "Black Tie Bingo" fundraising event for the Guelph General Hospital on Saturday March 5th. Execulink is a proud sponsor of this very worthy event and is eager to contribute to a better quality of life in our communities.  Come enjoy good food, good music, awesome silent auction prizes and Bingo of course!   Click here to get more details

With Tax Season upon us, here's a good read that can help all of us keep a few more bucks in our pockets. "167 Tax Tips for Canadian Small Business: Beat the Taxman to Keep More Money in Your Business"