The post How to Forward a Text appeared first on VirtualPBX.
]]>When someone texts your main business phone number, where does that message go?
Customers don’t necessarily stop to think about whether your number is meant for calls, texts, or both. They just see the number on your website, Google listing, email signature, or business card and may send a text expecting someone to see it.
That means forwarding a text can mean two very different things.
If you already have a message on your phone, you can manually forward it to someone else in a few taps.
If customers are texting your business number, you can also automatically forward incoming SMS and MMS messages to an email address, webhook, or both so those messages have somewhere useful to go
How to Forward a Text
Forwarding an individual text is pretty simple on most phones.
How to Forward a Text on iPhone
In the Messages app:
- Touch and hold the message you want to forward.
- Tap More.
- Select the message, or multiple messages, you want to forward.
- Tap the Forward button.
- Choose a recipient and send the message.
Apple also offers a feature called Text Message Forwarding that can make messages from your iPhone available on other Apple devices signed into the same account.
That’s useful if you want to read and respond to your own messages from a Mac or iPad.
How to Forward a Text on Android
In Google Messages:
- Open the conversation containing the message.
- Touch and hold the message you want to forward.
- Tap More, then Forward.
- Choose the person you want to send it to.
- Tap Send.
The exact buttons may vary depending on your phone and messaging app, but the basic process is the same.
You receive a message, select it, and send a copy somewhere else.
That works when the message is already sitting in front of you.
A business phone number creates another question entirely.
What Happens When Someone Texts Your Business Number?
Think about the phone number your business puts everywhere.
Customers call it. It may be on your website, invoices, ads, email signatures, social profiles, or storefront.
Eventually, someone is probably going to try texting it too.
The important part is knowing what happens next. Do those messages even land somewhere? And if they do, is anyone actually watching for them?
A customer could send a question, photo, appointment request, or other message and assume your team received it.
Meanwhile, your team may have no idea it’s there.
Forwarding incoming business texts gives those messages a clear destination and ensures they won’t get lost.
They can go to an email address someone already checks, a webhook that passes them into another system, or both.
Automatically Forward Business Texts to Email
Email is already part of the daily workflow for most businesses.
Forwarding incoming SMS and MMS messages there means someone doesn’t have to remember to check yet another inbox just to find out whether a customer texted the business number.
Maybe all incoming texts should go to a shared email address.
Maybe one business number belongs to a specific department and its messages need to reach that team.
Either way, the customer keeps texting the same business number they already know.
The incoming message simply gets sent somewhere your team is more likely to see it.
Forward Business Texts to a Webhook
Some messages need to go somewhere other than an inbox.
A webhook can pass information from an incoming text into another application or workflow automatically.
That can mean sending a notification, passing the message into a CRM or internal tool, or connecting it to something custom your business has built.
The webhook gives you a way to decide what should happen with the message after it reaches your business number.
And because email and webhook forwarding can work together, the same incoming message can be visible to your team while also feeding another system.
How VirtualPBX Text Forwarding Works
VirtualPBX Text Forwarding automatically routes incoming SMS and MMS messages sent to your VirtualPBX business phone number to an email address, webhook URL, or both.
You choose which VirtualPBX number you want to forward messages from and where those messages should go.
Different numbers can have different destinations, so the forwarding setup can follow the way your business already works.
A main business number can send incoming messages to a general inbox. Another number can forward them to a specific person or team. You can add a webhook when those messages need to connect with another tool or process.
Customers don’t have to learn a new number or do anything differently.
They send a text to your business number.
VirtualPBX makes sure the message goes where you told it to go.
Receive Inbound Texts Without SMS Registration
Not every business needs to send text messages. Sometimes you just need to make sure the messages customers send to your business number don’t disappear.
With VirtualPBX Text Forwarding, you can receive inbound SMS and MMS messages without completing business SMS registration. Customers can still text your business number, and VirtualPBX forwards those incoming messages to the email address, webhook, or both you choose.
If you want to send outbound business texts, you’ll need to register. But if your goal is simply to receive the messages customers are already sending you, Text Forwarding gives them somewhere to go without that extra step.
How to Set Up Text Forwarding in VirtualPBX
Setting up Text Forwarding only takes a few steps.
- Log in to VirtualPBX and open the menu in the upper-right corner.
- Select Messaging.
- Choose Text Forward and click Add Number.
- Select the VirtualPBX business phone number you want to forward messages from.
Enter the email address, webhook URL, or both where you want incoming messages sent. - Click Create Text Forward.
Once the rule is active, VirtualPBX automatically forwards incoming SMS and MMS messages sent to that number to the destination you selected.
See Text Forwarding in Action
Give Incoming Texts Somewhere to Go
Your customers already know your business phone number.
If they decide to text it, you shouldn’t have to wonder whether anyone will see the message.
With VirtualPBX Text Forwarding, incoming SMS and MMS messages can automatically go to the email address, webhook, or both that make sense for your business.
Your customers can keep texting the business number they already know, you just make sure those messages have somewhere to go.
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]]>The post The Most Expensive Customer Touchpoint in Your Business appeared first on VirtualPBX.
]]>The High Price of Making Callers Do Homework
When someone calls your business, they didn’t end up on the phone by accident. They made an intentional choice.
They could have searched online, sent an email, or bought from a competitor. Instead, they chose your most direct customer touchpoint—raising their hand to talk directly to you. Yet somewhere along the way, modern business began treating that hand-raise as an interruption—a cost to minimize, a queue to manage, or a menu of rules for the caller to follow.
As Lon Baker, our COO, pointed out in our recent conversation: “Somebody who’s calling you is already giving you a chance.” The real question is what we choose to do with that chance.
We aren’t getting worse at communicating; we’re just becoming less tolerant of communication that wastes our time. Context is what transforms an interaction into a relationship. It is the difference between recognizing someone and treating a customer like a stranger who has to explain themselves all over again.
“Anywhere the customer has to do homework, we’re doing something wrong,” Lon noted. Why should a caller have to successfully decode your departmental organization just to have a decent call experience?
The goal of developing technology isn’t to see how much software we can erect between a business and a buyer. It is to see how much friction we can strip away.
In our latest podcast, Lon and I sat down to talk about this exact philosophy—how we refine new products, set strict demands for new technology, and ensure our tools protect human connection rather than getting in its way. If you’re interested in how product design can respect human time and attention, it’s a conversation worth watching.
Watch or listen to the full podcast discussion with Lon & Abi
P.S. Want to see how we’re applying these product principles to AI call routing? Explore VirtualPBX AI Voice.
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]]>The post How to Make a Phone Call From Your Computer appeared first on VirtualPBX.
]]>If you already spend most of your workday on a computer, it’s fair to wonder why you should have to reach for another device every time you need to make a phone call.
The short answer is: you don’t.
You can make and receive regular phone calls from a computer. The setup you choose depends on whether you simply want your computer to work with the phone you already have or you want the computer itself to become part of your phone system.
For businesses, that distinction matters.
How to Make a Phone Call From Your Computer
There are two basic ways to do it.
The first is to connect your computer to your existing cell phone. Apple lets an iPhone and Mac work together for calls, for example, and Windows offers similar functionality with compatible smartphones. You get to answer and place calls from the computer, but your cell phone and its phone number are still part of the equation.
That’s convenient if your goal is simply to use your personal phone from a bigger screen.
The other option is to use a phone service directly from the computer.
Calling software can run as a desktop app or right inside a web browser. Instead of using your cell phone to place the call, the computer connects to the phone service itself. Put on a headset, use your laptop’s built-in microphone and speakers, dial a number, and you’re connected just like on a regular phone.
Behind the scenes, the call is traveling over your internet connection. For a business, this second setup has a major advantage: your computer can connect to your business phone system, not your personal cell phone.
Make the Computer Part of Your Business Phone System
Calling a customer from your computer is one thing. Calling them from your computer using your business number and your business phone system is much more useful.
Your customer sees the company’s number when you call instead of an employee’s personal cell. When customers call you, those incoming calls can follow the same routing you’ve already set up for the business. Calls can still be transferred. Voicemail still goes where it belongs. Your team is still working from one phone system.
The only real change is the device you happen to be using. That makes computer calling particularly useful for businesses with remote or hybrid employees, but you don’t have to work from home for it to make sense.
Maybe you don’t want another piece of hardware taking up space on your desk. Maybe you only make a handful of calls each day and a desk phone feels unnecessary. Or maybe your computer is already where almost everything else happens.
None of those situations require you to give up your business number and start handing out your personal cell.
Your Computer Is Already Where the Work Happens
Think about what you’re normally doing while you’re on a business call.
You might be looking at a customer record. Reading an email. Pulling up an order. Checking a calendar. Taking notes. Sharing information with someone else on your team.
Most of that is probably happening on your computer already, so making the call there too means one less device to bounce between.
It also gives employees more flexibility without creating more ways of handling business calls. Someone in the office can use a desk phone. Someone away from their desk can use a mobile softphone. Someone working from a laptop can make the same business calls from the computer.
You don’t need three different phone systems, just one that works across the devices your team actually wants to use.
Make Calls From Your Browser With the VirtualPBX Web Phone
The VirtualPBX Web Phone turns your browser into another way to use your business phone.
Log in from your computer and you can make and receive calls with your VirtualPBX business number. Your contacts, call history, voicemail, voicemail transcripts, and call recordings are there too, along with the controls you need to hold, mute, and transfer calls.
There’s no desk phone required, and there’s no need to place the call from a personal cell phone just because you happen to be working from a laptop.
With the VirtualPBX Web Phone, the computer is one of the places your business phone works.
And because it runs in the browser, there’s no traditional desktop software you have to install before you can start using it.
How to Make a Phone Call From Your Computer with the VirtualPBX Web Phone
Prefer an App? Install the VirtualPBX Web Phone as a PWA
You don’t have to keep the VirtualPBX Web Phone buried among 47 browser tabs, either.
If you prefer the feel of a standalone desktop application, you can install it as a Progressive Web App, or PWA.
A PWA is built with web technology but can be installed on your computer and opened more like a traditional app. We have a deeper explanation of what a PWA is and how it works if you’re curious.
In practice, the choice is simple.
Like working in the browser? Keep the Web Phone there.
Want a separate icon and window for your business phone? Install the PWA.
You’re using the same VirtualPBX phone system either way.
The Phone Is the Service, Not the Plastic on Your Desk
Making a phone call from your computer doesn’t have to mean finding a workaround for using a “real” phone.
Your computer can simply be another place your business phone works.
Keep the desk phone if you like it. Use your mobile app when you’re on the move. And when you’re already sitting at your computer, open the VirtualPBX Web Phone and make the call from there.
Your customers can keep calling the same business number. Your team can keep using the same phone system.
You just get another way to make and receive business calls.
The post How to Make a Phone Call From Your Computer appeared first on VirtualPBX.
]]>The post Back to School: Practical Communication Tools for Schools appeared first on VirtualPBX.
]]>For school administration teams, the month of August is one of the busiest. Staff are returning to the building, new hires are onboarding, and at some point, students will return to classrooms. Amidst the hustle are ongoing budget talks, building maintenance tasks, and often conversations surrounding communication procedures and channels. Let’s identify budget-friendly options and simple strategies, particularly for independent schools, to address these topics.
Make It easy to Connect
If a parent needs to contact the school, that information must be easy to find and easier to access. It may even be worth choosing a specific number for visibility. Schools have a wealth of budget-friendly digital communication tools at their disposal. Don’t leave parents stuck emailing or calling an often-busy office line any more than you would leave your staff sifting through, filtering, forwarding, and returning emails and voicemails. Easy, real-time communication is essential for internal time management.
Business Phone Service
Digital phone service can be a time and budget saver for schools—less expensive than traditional phone lines with more functionality and reliability.
- Create dedicated lines for specific needs. Attendance, enrollment, school tours, transportation, or other high-volume requests can each have their own line. This gives schools more control over how different types of calls are handled and creates room to add smarter call handling down the line.
- Use an automated directory to help filter calls and reduce the load on administrative staff. This is especially beneficial during the busy hours of arrival and dismissal.
- Give everyone one school phone number to use. Staff can call from the school’s main number whether they are using an office phone, desktop computer, or mobile app. That means parents know who is calling and staff don’t have to share their personal cell phone numbers.
- Use existing phones where possible. A modern phone system doesn’t necessarily mean replacing all of the phones already in the building. Depending on the school’s setup, existing equipment can often continue to be used.
- Keep the system easy to manage. Business hours, greetings, voicemail, call routing, and other settings can be changed as your school year changes, without requiring a complicated IT project.
For schools working with a budget, simplicity matters here, too. With Smarter Voice, there’s one straightforward plan and one straightforward price, with every feature included. You don’t have to worry about choosing the right tier today only to find out later that something your team needs is locked behind a more expensive plan.And getting started doesn’t have to become another project for your administration team. New users, numbers, and phone settings can be set up quickly—often within hours—and our team is here to help along the way. The goal is to give schools a phone system that is powerful enough to grow with them without creating more work to manage it.
Using AI To Unweight Your Team
Even with a great phone system in place, busy times can still mean a ton of calls coming in at once for things like attendance, illnesses, late arrivals, and early pickups. Someone has to sort through them to figure out who needs to handle each one, forward calls, listen to voicemails, and return calls that couldn’t be answered.
What if some of those calls could simply take care of themselves?
Some easy, straightforward AI can help answer calls, understand what the caller needs, collect the information your team needs, and route the conversation to the right place. And because different lines can be set up to handle different jobs, schools can decide which calls should be handled automatically and which should go directly to a person.
Take an attendance line. Instead of asking staff to field every call, an AI receptionist could answer the call, record the student’s name and attendance details, and deliver that information wherever it needs to go—whether that’s your SIS/LMS, directly to a teacher inbox, or whatever workflow makes sense for your staff.
An enrollment line could work differently, giving prospective families answers to common questions and directing them to an admissions team member for deeper conversation.
A general school line could continue to route callers to a person.
That kind of flexibility is what we built AI Voice to provide. AI Employees are custom to your business, handling calls and routing. They can even step in when someone needs to leave a message, collecting the important information and delivering a complete, clear message—not a transcript—that is easier and faster for your team to understand and act on.
The goal isn’t to replace your staff. It’s to give them a little more room to focus on everything else that needs their attention.
AI Employees are designed around specific jobs, so each part of the system can stay focused on what it is supposed to do rather than trying to be everything at once.
Don't Let The Conversation End There
For larger independent schools with dedicated admissions teams, VirtualText can also be a useful admissions tool. Webchat can help prospective families get quick answers, with the option to continue the conversation by text when needed. And because those conversations remain available as a historical contact base, admissions teams can follow up consistently, send reminders, and continue engaging families over time—including opportunities to connect with siblings. For larger schools focused on enrollment, VirtualText can be a useful way to turn an initial question into an ongoing relationship.
Start with your Staff
When thinking of communication strategy, begin with your staff and work outward. This single strategy will improve the consistency and accuracy of the information floating around your school. Your staff should get information first rather than hearing information at the same time as students and parents. This ensures there is time for them to ask clarifying questions and express concerns well before you share with your parent and student community.
Use Channels that work
One of the biggest struggles in school communication can be finding the channels that work. You cannot expect to be present in all of them, so determining top channels and committing to consistency in those channels is key. If you’re unsure, send out a simple Google Form or other simple survey to collect responses from your parent community and your staff. You will likely find that your staff have slightly different preferences and you can adjust based on that information to be sure the information is in their hands at the right time.
Popular, free underutilized channels:
Google Calendars
Google calendars are a mainstream calendar system that integrates with Android and Apple platforms. Schools can create Google calendars to share with the school body and make real-time updates. Don’t forget to make use of every field, from the location to the time to a description of the event and web address if applicable.
Social Media Groups
Consider private or secret parent groups or public alumni or supporter groups to rally your greater community. Social media can be an excellent tool to create your online community while giving the school administrative control in the background. Create events, coordinate social gatherings, and connect your school community members.
Private Social Media Profiles
Classrooms may keep a private Instagram page to capture pictures easily viewed by parents. Best practice is still not to include the name or location information of your students.
Keep a predictable Schedule and Rhythm
Once you’ve determined your channels and the content those channels will hold, set a schedule for each where appropriate. For example, if a newsletter is your channel for all-inclusive communication, send that out weekly at approximately the same time. Let your community know when to expect communication. Staying predictable ensures your information is easily found and allows priority/important non-routine information to stand out.
Time of Day
Learn the best times of day for the most captive audience and aim to communicate consistently during those times. Again, this may be different for parents than it is for your staff, but establishing a predictable rhythm can help make sure important information isn’t lost.
Keep it Simple and Short
Too much, too often is overwhelming and can add confusion. Commit to organization, with 80-90% of your communication scheduled, consistent, and only as frequent as needed. If you send a weekly newsletter, keep all email content to that newsletter. Majority of your content should be short and to the point.
Where and Which Channels will tell the story
Engagement is informative, but it’s also emotional. In some channels you’ll want to include your story. This is compelling content that appeals to your reader. (e.g., an interaction with a student, an anicdote from a teacher about a caring parent, even a comment about the positive hum of the student body returning for the school year). This could be a short introduction included in every newsletter or a pullout story in every weekly email. You can also include short engagement pieces in your social media, like Facebook and/or Instagram.
Evermore, schools are required to stretch budgets further all while often being asked to increase services, support, and communication. At VirtualPBX, our primary objective is to provide enterprise-level services to small and medium-sized businesses and organizations without making communication more complicated than it needs to be. From a simple, all-inclusive phone system to smarter tools that can help answer calls and take messages when your team is busy, we’re focused on helping schools communicate better and keep their teams connected. And with real people here to help when you need them, you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.
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]]>The post Why phone trees are costing businesses more than you think appeared first on VirtualPBX.
]]>The phone is still one of the most important doors into a business. It is where a prospect asks a final question, a patient makes an appointment, or a customer asks for help. But too often, the first thing waiting on the other side is a phone tree:
“Press 1 for sales. Press 2 for support. Press 3 for billing.”
That experience may seem like a minor inconvenience. The numbers suggest otherwise.
Bad phone tree experiences turn customers away
- 68% of customers have had a bad experience with an interactive voice response (IVR) system. Among them, 58% said it took too many “press this number” prompts to reach a person, and 53% said the system never routed them to one. Verint, State of Digital Customer Experience 2024
- 70% said they would likely switch to a competitor after a terrible customer experience. Verint
- The problem is not that people no longer want to call. 44% of consumers named phone calls as a preferred support channel in Twilio’s global survey. Twilio
- Those calls can carry serious intent: 38% of answered calls from digital marketing were leads, and 42% of those leads converted during the call, according to Invoca’s analysis of more than 70 million calls. Invoca
How a phone tree makes callers do the work
A traditional phone tree is organized around departments, extensions, and internal rules. Callers do not think that way. They think:
- “I need to change my appointment.”
- “I have a question before I buy.”
- “I’m calling about a charge on my account.”
A phone tree asks the caller to translate that need into the company’s structure. If the right option is not listed, they have to guess. If they choose incorrectly, they may be transferred, sent backward, or forced to start again.
The system may be routing exactly as designed. The customer experience can still be failing. Customers still value the phone. The problem is that many businesses make calling unnecessarily difficult.
The hidden cost of a phone tree
A phone tree adds friction after a customer has already searched, compared options, found the number, and chosen to call.
That is often a high-intent moment. Yet Invoca found that only 56% of callers across the industries it studied reached a person. Invoca
The resulting costs are easy to overlook:
- Lost revenue: A ready-to-buy caller hangs up and chooses a competitor.
- Wasted marketing spend: A lead generated through search, advertising, or a referral never reaches the team.
- Damaged trust: The business feels difficult before the customer speaks with anyone.
- Employee disruption: Poorly routed calls create transfers, repeated explanations, and unnecessary interruptions.
- Weak after-hours experiences: The phone tree ends in a voicemail box that feels like a dead end.
These losses rarely appear neatly on a report. The call simply ends.
What should replace the phone tree?
This is where AI Employees from VirtualPBX come in. No two are the same because no two businesses are the same. An AI receptionist is a type of employee that replaces the rigid phone tree experience with a conversation-first approach. Instead of choosing from a list, callers say what they need in their own words.
A caller might say:
- “I need to reschedule tomorrow’s appointment.”
- “Do you service commercial properties?”
- “I have a billing question.”
An AI receptionist identifies the intent, provides approved basic information when appropriate, and routes the call to the right person, department, or group. When a human is needed, the goal is a warm, accurate handoff—not another maze.
Hear an AI Receptionist Work Right Now
Call us at 888-825-0800 and fire away! Ask our own AI receptionist questions, test its speed, and see how it handles our business logic. Listen to an example now.
Let callers say what they need
A conversational front door means callers spend less time navigating and teams receive better-routed calls. Common questions about hours, locations, services, and policies can be answered using approved company knowledge, while the path to a person stays open when human judgment is needed.
It also gives businesses a cleaner way to handle business hours, holidays, and fallback routing without turning every new scenario into another menu option.
AI receptionists solve the front-door problem. For businesses ready to replace voicemail too, AI answering services capture and deliver structured messages as a separate, focused product.
The traditional phone tree was built for systems that could follow rules but could not understand intent. With AI Employees that limitation no longer has to define the customer experience.
Your callers already know what they need.
Let them say it.
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]]>The post Is This the End of Voicemail? appeared first on VirtualPBX.
]]>When was the last time you actually listened to a voicemail?
For a lot of us, voicemail already means reading a transcription or glancing at a notification. Opening the inbox, pressing play, and sitting through the recording feels like something you do only when you have to.
For a business though, that recording can kick off a whole chain of work. Someone has to remember to find the message, listen to it, replay the part where the caller rattled off their number, figure out what they need, chase down anything they forgot to mention, decide who should handle it, get the message to that person, follow up with the caller, then probably make a note somewhere that the interaction happened.
That’s an awful lot to ask from a missed call.
Voicemail made sense when the alternative was a ringing phone and no information at all. We have better options now, and AI Employees are the voicemail replacement service you’ve been looking for.
A recording only captures what the caller gives you
Take a maintenance call to a property management company.
A tenant might leave their name, building, unit number, a description of the problem, and some idea of how urgent it is. Or they might forget the unit number, mumble the callback number, or spend two minutes explaining the situation without mentioning the one thing the maintenance team really needs to know.
Once they hang up, that’s the message. There’s no chance to ask a quick follow-up question or clarify something that didn’t make sense.
The same problem comes up when a patient needs to reschedule an appointment, a homeowner wants an estimate, a client has a billing question, or a prospective customer calls after hours. The details change, but the limitation is the same: voicemail depends on the caller knowing what information the business needs and remembering to include it.
We covered the broader cost of missed and after-hours calls in our After Hours Guide. Voicemail has traditionally been the fallback for those calls, but simply saving a recording doesn’t mean the business got everything it needed from the conversation.
Transcription helps…up to a point
Transcription makes it easier to deal with, but doesn’t really change what voicemail is.
A transcription can only work with what the caller actually said. If they left out the address, gave an unclear name, or never explained how urgent the problem was, turning the recording into text doesn’t fix that.
What happens if you skip the voicemail inbox?
Instead of waiting for the caller to leave whatever message comes to mind, an AI-driven voicemail replacement can have a short conversation with them while they’re still on the phone. If an important detail is missing, it can ask. If something isn’t clear, it can ask about that too.
The caller shouldn’t feel like they’re filling out a form over the phone though, the conversation still has to sound and feel natural. The system just needs to know what information matters. Once the call ends, the business has a message with the details it needs.
That’s just one example of what AI Employees from VirtualPBX can do.
Your employee can function as an AI answering service that takes messages conversationally, organizes the details, and delivers them to the right person based on the business’s rules.
Where that message ends up matters too. If AI captures everything perfectly but leaves it sitting in another dashboard somebody has to remember to check, we’ve basically just rebuilt voicemail with newer technology.
AI Employees deliver structured messages to the people responsible for handling them, so the information is already where it needs to be when someone is ready to respond.
So, is this the end of voicemail?
We think it should be.
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]]>The post Introducing the All-New VirtualPBX Mobile App: Business Calling, Reimagined appeared first on VirtualPBX.
]]>We are thrilled to officially announce the launch of our all-new VirtualPBX mobile softphone app for iPhone and Android!
This isn’t just a minor update—it is a complete, ground-up rebuild of our mobile experience designed specifically for modern, hybrid teams. The new VirtualPBX Mobile App delivers a faster, sleeker, and more unified way to make and receive business calls from your mobile devices using your VirtualPBX business number—all while keeping your personal cell phone number completely private.
Out With the Old, In With the New: How to Switch
Transitioning to the new app is incredibly simple. To ensure a seamless upgrade and prevent any duplicate notifications or audio conflicts, please follow these three quick steps to swap the old app out and get the new one running:
Step 1: Download the New VirtualPBX Mobile App
Get the all-new VirtualPBX Mobile App directly on your mobile device using the updated download buttons below.
Step 2: Log In Instantly with Single Sign-On (SSO)
Open the new VirtualPBX Mobile App and log in securely using your existing VirtualPBX username and password. Because we now support Single Sign-On, you no longer have to manage or configure complex SIP credentials.
Step 3: Uninstall Your Old Softphone App
Once you have successfully logged into the new app, uninstall and delete the old VirtualPBX softphone app from your device. Keeping both apps installed simultaneously can cause conflicting ring alerts, so a quick cleanup guarantees the best performance!
What Makes the New VirtualPBX Mobile App a Game-Changer?
The new VirtualPBX Mobile App is engineered specifically to utilize the native frameworks of both major mobile platforms, making the app feel like a natural extension of your phone rather than a separate tool.
Built For iPhone And Android
- Native Call Experience: On iPhone, CallKit integration allows incoming VirtualPBX business calls to appear directly on your native calling screen, creating a seamless feel from the very first ring.
Network Handoff: Keep talking without interruption. The app automatically transitions your active calls between Wi-Fi and mobile data as your connection conditions shift.
Light and Dark Mode: The VirtualPBX Mobile App automatically matches your device’s display settings, helping you protect your eyes and save battery life.
Business Call Management That Works Anywhere
- Contact Syncing: Easily switch between company directory contacts and local phone contacts.
Visual Voicemail: View, play, manage, and delete voicemail messages directly inside the app.
Call Transfers: Instantly route active calls to another team member with a single action.
International Calling: Stay connected and professional while traveling or working across borders.
Protect Your Business Identity
Keep your personal number private and your brand identity entirely consistent:
Dynamic Outbound Caller ID: Admin users can choose exactly which VirtualPBX business number appears on outbound calls.
Do Not Disturb (DND): Easily toggle your DND status to pause business calls when you need focus or personal time away.
Unified Calling Across Devices
The VirtualPBX Mobile App works alongside the VirtualPBX Web Phone to create a beautifully consistent calling experience. Move between desktop and mobile without changing how you work—reducing training time and keeping your team focused entirely on customer success.
Why This VirtualPBX Mobile App Release Matters
The new VirtualPBX mobile app represents a massive step forward in mobile business calling. For existing customers, it is a significant, free upgrade to your daily operations. For teams looking for a new, reliable business phone solution, it is a standout reason to choose a platform that treats mobile communication as a core priority.
The new VirtualPBX mobile app is available on a single, no-contract $15/user/month plan. Please note that an active VirtualPBX account is required for calling features.
Take your business number anywhere your workday goes! Download the new app today to get started or visit our Mobile Softphone User Guide for additional details.
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]]>The post Best Practices for Managing AI Agents in 2026 appeared first on VirtualPBX.
]]>Artificial intelligence is changing how small businesses operate. Instead of hiring additional employees to answer every call, respond to every message, or complete repetitive tasks, businesses are deploying AI agents that work around the clock.
But simply adding an AI agent isn’t enough.
The businesses seeing the greatest return aren’t using more AI. They’re managing AI better.
AI agents need accurate information, regular improvements, and clear responsibilities. When managed correctly, they become reliable members of your team. When managed poorly, they create inaccurate responses, frustrated customers, and extra work for employees.
This guide covers everything small business owners need to know about AI agent management, including how to deploy AI agents, coordinate multiple AI systems, improve AI performance over time, and where an AI Employee can deliver the biggest impact.
What Are AI Agents?
AI agents are software systems that can perform tasks with minimal human involvement.
Unlike traditional automation that follows fixed rules, AI agents can understand natural language, make decisions based on context, retrieve information, and complete actions.
Businesses commonly use AI agents to:
- Answer customer questions
- Schedule appointments
- Qualify leads
- Route phone calls
- Respond to text messages
- Process support requests
- Assist employees with repetitive work
Think of an AI agent as a digital employee that’s available 24 hours a day and can instantly access your company’s knowledge.
The better that knowledge is, the better your AI performs.
Managing AI agents starts with choosing the right platform. If you’re still comparing your options, check out our guide to the best AI agent platforms to see which solutions are best suited for different business needs.
What Is AI Agent Management?
AI agent management is the process of deploying, monitoring, improving, and coordinating AI agents so they consistently deliver accurate results.
Many businesses assume AI is “set it and forget it.”
In reality, successful AI requires ongoing management.
That includes:
- Updating company information
- Reviewing conversations
- Correcting inaccurate responses
- Adding new knowledge
- Measuring performance
- Adjusting prompts and workflows
Just like you would coach a new employee, you should continuously improve your AI agents as your business changes.
Best Practices for Managing AI Agents
1. Build a High-Quality Knowledge Base
Everything starts with your data.
Provide your AI with:
- Frequently asked questions
- Product information
- Pricing
- Service areas
- Business hours
- Policies
- Common customer objections
- Internal documentation
The more complete your knowledge base, the more confident your AI becomes.
2. Assign Clear Responsibilities
Don’t expect one AI agent to do everything.
Different agents should specialize in different tasks.
For example:
- Phone receptionist
- Appointment scheduler
- Sales assistant
- Customer support assistant
- Internal employee assistant
Specialized AI agents generally perform better than one agent trying to handle every situation.
3. Review Conversations Regularly
Every conversation teaches you something.
Look for:
- Questions your AI couldn’t answer
- Incorrect information
- Customer frustration
- Frequently repeated questions
- Opportunities to automate additional work
These insights allow you to continuously improve performance.
4. Keep Information Updated
Businesses change constantly.
Updated pricing.
New promotions.
Changes services.
New employees.
New policies.
Your AI should always reflect your current business.
Outdated information quickly destroys customer trust.
5. Know When Humans Should Take Over
AI shouldn’t replace people.
It should allow people to focus on higher-value conversations.
Complex issues, emotional situations, complaints, and negotiations are still best handled by experienced employees.
The best AI knows when to escalate.
When that handoff happens, employees should receive conversation history and context so customers don’t have to repeat themselves.
Why an AI Employee Is One of the Highest-Impact Smart Assistants
For many small businesses, the phone is still the first point of contact.
Unfortunately, it’s also where opportunities are lost.
Employees are busy helping customers.
They’re away from their desks.
They’re on another call.
Or the business is closed.
An AI employee eliminates these gaps by answering every call, every time.
Instead of sending callers to voicemail, an AI receptionist can greet customers naturally, answer common questions, qualify leads, schedule appointments, and route calls to the right person.
The impact extends beyond simply answering the phone.
- Never miss an incoming call
- Handle multiple callers simultaneously during busy periods
- Make a team of five operate like a team of fifty during peak call volume
- Reduce employee burnout by eliminating repetitive phone interruptions
- Provide consistent answers every time
- Capture more leads that would otherwise be lost
- Collect customer information before transferring to staff
- Give employees complete conversation context before they take over
Instead of hiring additional receptionists just to handle occasional spikes in call volume, businesses can scale customer service instantly without increasing headcount.
Employees spend less time answering repetitive questions and more time solving problems, closing sales, and building relationships.
That’s where AI delivers its greatest value—not replacing people, but amplifying what your existing team can accomplish.
See AI Employees in Action
Watch our AI Employee demo to see how an AI receptionist can answer every call, qualify leads, provide accurate information, and seamlessly transfer callers to the right employee with full conversation context.
The Future of Artificial Intelligence Management
As AI continues to evolve, businesses won’t compete based on how many AI agents they use.
They’ll compete based on how well those AI agents are managed.
The companies that invest in accurate knowledge, continuous improvement, and seamless collaboration between AI and human employees will deliver faster service, better customer experiences, and stronger business growth.
For small businesses, AI isn’t about replacing your team. It’s about giving your team superpowers.
When AI agents handle routine conversations, answer every phone call, and provide employees with the right context at the right time, your business can serve more customers, capture more opportunities, and grow without continually adding headcount.
Related AI Resources
If you’re continuing your AI journey, these guides can help:
- Best AI Agent Platforms — Compare today’s leading AI platforms and find the right solution for your business.
- Best AI Search Engines — Learn how AI-powered search is changing the way businesses find and use information.
The post Best Practices for Managing AI Agents in 2026 appeared first on VirtualPBX.
]]>The post For 29 Years, Technology Has Changed. Running a Small Business Hasn’t. appeared first on VirtualPBX.
]]>Running a small business has never been easy.
Twenty-nine years ago, owners were trying to do more with less. They were answering phones, serving customers, putting out fires, and figuring things out as they went.
Sound familiar?
Some things never change.
What has changed is the technology available to help. Today, AI solutions for small business are giving owners new ways to save time, simplify operations, and create better customer experiences.
Back in 1997, VirtualPBX launched the world’s first cloud phone system because we believed there had to be a simpler way for small businesses to communicate.
Twenty-nine years later, we’re still building on that same idea.
At the time, that idea was bigger than just changing the way people made phone calls.
It was about removing a barrier that kept many people from starting businesses in the first place.
Before cloud phones, getting a business phone system meant expensive hardware, complicated installations, and infrastructure that many small businesses simply couldn’t afford.
Lon Baker, VirtualPBX COO, experienced that firsthand.
Before joining VirtualPBX, Lon was one of the company’s earliest customers. In 1997, he and a business partner built a distributed tech support company that relied on VirtualPBX to connect operators across the country.
“We couldn’t have built that business before 1997 because the financials didn’t make sense. We would have had to pay for all of that infrastructure first. Once we had a cloud phone system, we could scale it up or down with how many operators we brought on.”
Cloud technology didn’t just make communication easier.
It made new ideas possible.
And that has been the thread running through VirtualPBX for nearly three decades: using technology to make business more accessible.
Want to hear the full conversation?
Lon Baker, VirtualPBX COO, shares the story behind VirtualPBX’s beginnings, how technology has changed the small business landscape over the last 29 years, and why he believes AI will be the next major shift in how businesses operate. Check it out on YouTube.
Every technology shift solves something. And complicates something else.
Technology has always changed the way we work.
The internet did.
Cloud phones did.
Smartphones did.
Texting did.
Now AI can, too.
But every major advancement comes with a tradeoff.
Smartphones made it possible to answer emails from anywhere, take customer calls on the go, and run a business without being chained to a desk.
They also made it harder to ever truly disconnect.
That’s how technology works.
Every great advancement solves a problem. And it usually creates a few new ones, too.
Lon has watched those shifts happen throughout VirtualPBX’s history.
“The biggest changes were really first when VoIP came along. That was a big transition. You could buy a desk VoIP phone, connect it to your home internet, and suddenly you had a business phone line sitting on your desk.”
But AI represents something different.
Previous technology shifts changed one part of a business.
AI has the potential to touch nearly every part of it.
“The difference with AI is that it’s impacting everything, whether it’s processing data on the back end, building products, or actually doing services for customers on the front end.”
AI Isn’t a Silver Bullet. It’s a Tool.
The conversation around AI has often been one extreme or the other.
It’s either the technology that changes everything overnight, or the technology that replaces everything.
The reality is somewhere in between. And that’s where AI automation for small business becomes valuable.
We don’t think AI is a silver bullet.
It’s another tool.
One that, when used well, can make life a little easier.
Lon believes the biggest mistake companies make with AI is focusing only on what they can replace instead of what they can improve.
“The first phase was this massive overhype where people thought, ‘We’re going to replace our customer service team. We’re going to reduce our engineering team.'"... “But when you take AI down to the individual level, the power it gives people is underappreciated.”
AI’s biggest opportunity may not be removing people from the process.
It may be giving people more capability.
A business owner who has an idea but doesn’t know where to start can ask questions.
A team member can work through problems faster.
A small business can access tools that previously required an entire department.
That’s where AI gets interesting.
Customers Don't Care How You Answer. They Care That You Do.
If you own a small business, you’ve probably answered a customer call while replying to an email.
You’ve probably hoped the phone wouldn’t ring while you were already helping someone else.
Maybe you’ve called a customer back from the parking lot or squeezed in a few emails between appointments.
That’s just part of the job.
The challenge today isn’t a lack of communication tools. It’s that customers expect fast responses with real answers no matter where you are or how busy you are.
That’s why more businesses are looking at AI solutions for small business, small business automation, and customer service automation.
Not because they’re trying to replace great customer service, but because they’re trying to protect it.
In fact, many small businesses are approaching AI the same way. Research from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce shows that businesses are finding practical uses for AI to save time, streamline operations, and improve productivity—not to replace the people who keep their businesses running.
People don’t hate interacting with AI.
They hate bad customer experiences.
A rushed employee can create one.
A confusing phone menu can create one.
Poorly implemented AI can create one, too.
The technology isn’t what people remember.
They remember whether you got them the help and answers they needed.
Where AI Employees Fit
AI Employees were built around a simple question:
How do we remove friction from the first interaction a customer has with a business?
For many small businesses, the first person who answers the phone is also the person running appointments, helping customers, managing operations, or doing the actual work their customers came for.
Your AI Employee is a virtual receptionist for small business that answers questions, routes calls, and helps customers get where they need to go without forcing them through phone menus that aren’t always as simple to a customer as they might seem to the business.
But the goal isn’t automation for automation’s sake.
The goal is making communication simpler.
Lon describes the philosophy behind AI Employees this way:
“You reduce the friction for the customer and you compress the complexity. Those are the two things we keep coming back to.”
That means removing unnecessary phone trees. Reducing complicated setup. Making it easier for customers to get answers. And making it easier for small businesses to deliver great experiences.
Why AI EmployeesComes First
When we looked at where AI could make the biggest difference, we didn’t start with the most complicated problem. We looked for the places where small business automation could remove the most friction without creating more complexity.
We started with the first one customers experience. The phone call.
Lon explains:
“The first experience when a caller calls in is the biggest point of friction. If they can’t get to somebody, and it isn’t a pleasant, fast experience, you’re turning away business at your front door.”
That’s why AI Employees aren’t designed to do everything.
Take an AI receptionist for example. It’s designed to do one thing extremely well: be a better first point of contact.
It answers naturally, understands what callers need, and helps route conversations without forcing customers through tons of menus.
Of course, customers don’t call businesses because they want to talk to AI.
They call because they need something.
It doesn’t matter how they get what they need. Only that it’s quick, friendly, and ultimately—helpful.
Celebrating 29 Years by Looking Ahead
Our 29th anniversary isn’t just a chance to look back at where we’ve been. It’s a chance to look at where small businesses are headed next.
For nearly three decades, we’ve watched technology remove barriers that once made running a business harder.
And we believe AI solutions for small business have the potential to continue that work — giving more owners access to tools that were once only available to larger organizations.<
Not by replacing the people behind small businesses.
By giving them more tools, more capability, and more opportunity.
Lon’s hope for the next chapter of VirtualPBX is simple:
“My goal is to bring all the power and talent of our company and our products to any small business owner that wants to start a business — just like I started 29 years ago when I found VirtualPBX the first time.”
That has always been the mission.
Leveling the playing field.
Making powerful technology accessible.
Helping more people bring their ideas to life.
To celebrate our 29th anniversary, we’re making it easier to see what AI Employees can do for yourself.
For a limited time, AI Employees are 50% off for your first three months, bringing the price from $99/month to just $49.50/month.
Because after 29 years, we’ve learned something pretty simple: The best technology isn’t the technology that gets all the attention.
It’s the technology that doesn’t get in the way and helps you do your job a little better tomorrow than you could today.
The post For 29 Years, Technology Has Changed. Running a Small Business Hasn’t. appeared first on VirtualPBX.
]]>The post No-Contract Business Phone Setup Shouldn’t Be This Complicated appeared first on VirtualPBX.
]]>You shouldn’t have to sort through confusing tiers, contact fine print, and hidden limits just to have a business phone setup that helps customers call in and staff call out.
But that’s usually how it starts.
You open a few pricing pages, thinking you’re trying to answer something simple: “What will it cost for my team to make and receive business calls?”
Then the tabs start multiplying.
One provider includes call recording, but only if you jump to a higher tier. Another shows a lower monthly price, but the tools you actually need sit one plan up. Someone else wants a signed contract before you can actually see if the system fits how your team works.
You’re not trying to create some complicated communications stack.
You’re just trying to make sure customers can reach you, your staff can return calls, and the right company name and number show up when they do.
It’s exactly for this reason that VirtualPBX is moving to a smarter voice: One simple, but fully-equipped business phone system. One clear monthly price. And an optional AI receptionist layer when a business wants smarter call answering without adding more pressure to the team.
One Simple Business Phone Setup, Not Five Plans to Compare
VirtualPBX is built around one clear monthly plan: $15 per user.
That’s it.
No contracts. No hidden caps. No gated features or plan tiers for the tools businesses need every day.
If you’re looking for a month-to-month business phone system, the point should be simple: know what you’re paying, know what’s included, and know you can manage all your calls without being pushed into a bigger package just to get what you need.
All the tools small teams use everday are included, like:
- Business Hours
- Caller ID Tools
- Call Forwarding
- Call Routing
- Inbound & Outbound Calling
- Mobile And Desktop Apps
- Real Support From Real People
- Ring Groups
- Voicemail-To-Email Transcription
- Web Calling
Let’s be real, features like this shouldn’t be scattered across multiple tiers.
A good business phone setup should help you sound professional, stay reachable, and keep calls moving without making you compare five plans just to get the tools you expected in the first place.
AI Call Answering Service, Without the Phone Tree Friction
A missed call is rarely just a missed call.
It can be the next job that goes to someone else. The appointment that never gets booked. The customer who needed a quick answer, couldn’t get it, and moved on.
For a lot of small businesses, the issue isn’t effort. It’s the setup.
When things get busy, it can get hard to answer the phone. After-hours calls hit a dead-end voicemail. A lot of phone trees make people frustrated and they hang up. Work calls land on personal cell phones. Separate tools create separate bills, separate logins, and no clear owner when something breaks.
That’s where an AI receptionist can help.
VirtualPBX gives businesses the foundational phone system they need. AI Voice is the multiplier for the teams that want a smarter way to answer, route, and capture more calls.
It’s not required. The VirtualPBX phone system works simply and easily, entirely on its own.
But for businesses that want to go further, an AI receptionist gives callers a more natural way to explain what they need. It can answer common questions, route calls, collect details, and help make sure the right information gets passed along.
That can make a real difference during busy stretches, lunch breaks, evenings, weekends, or anytime after-hours calls turn into missed calls and follow-up scrambles.
What Your Business Phone Setup Should Actually Do
You don’t need a giant phone system.
You need one that covers the everyday moments where calls matter.
A good business phone setup should help you:
- Sound professional from the first ring.
- Route callers to the right person or team.
- Cover calls when things get busy.
- Keep work calls separate from personal numbers.
- Give after-hours callers a clear next step.
- Let your team make and take calls from wherever they’re working.
- Stay simple enough to manage without a dedicated IT team.
That’s what VirtualPBX is built to do.
VirtualPBX gives businesses the smarter voice tools they rely on every day.
AI Voice is there when a business wants to go above and beyond to handle more calls without handing every interruption back to the team.
What We’ve Learned After Nearly 29 Years
VirtualPBX has helped businesses manage calls since 1997. Businesses of one. Businesses of 300. Teams in offices, on the road, working from home, and everywhere in between.
After all that, a few things are pretty clear:
- Businesses care more about reliability than feature lists.
- Missed calls matter more than complicated dashboards.
- Most businesses outgrow personal cell phones long before they realize it.
- Switching feels harder than it should, so people put it off.
- When a team needs help, they need to be able to reach a real, knowledgeable person.
- A phone system should feel manageable from the start.
It comes down to understanding and knowing what businesses actually rely on every day.
…the technology has grown as my business has grown and changed.
“I have had VirtualPBX since the early 2000s and it has grown with my business over the years. They have been very helpful and the technology has grown as my business has grown and changed. Thank you for such great service!”
ANDREA T.
Calls Still Matter
Customers still call when they need help. They call when they’re ready to book. They call when something is urgent, unclear, or easier to explain out loud.
That’s why the voice experience matters.
A caller shouldn’t have to fight through a confusing menu. A team shouldn’t have to guess who missed what. A business shouldn’t have to choose between a bare-bones plan and an expensive package just to get the basics covered.
Smarter voice gives you a simple business phone system: $15 per user, per month. No contracts. No hidden caps. Core voice features included. Optional AI employees when you want a smarter way to handle more calls.
Choosing a business phone system shouldn’t be the thing that gets in the way of answering your customers.
The post No-Contract Business Phone Setup Shouldn’t Be This Complicated appeared first on VirtualPBX.
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