Line Sharing Technology Saves You Money
Whether you operate a home business or a large corporation, your lifeline to the world is the telephone line. With out it you would be out of business. Phone lines are very important, but they are also expensive, and as a valuable resource, they should be managed wisely.
Line-sharing technology can cut fixed costs on your monthly bills and give you the advantage of more control over your telecommunications system. Sharing phone lines for voice callers, a fax machine, a modem, and other devices is both feasible and cost-effective. Automatic call processing technology makes this possible as well as profitable.
Automatic call processors save the monthly cost of having dedicated phone lines for your fax, modem, and/or voice calls. By effectively using your phone lines, you can eliminate one or more of them with the help of a "smart" phone switch.
When installed on your system, the line-sharing device automatically routes calls over one or more lines to multiple devices. When a fax call comes in, the switch automatically sends the call to your fax. If it's a data call, it's routed to your computer. Or if the caller is a human, it's routed to your phones, phone system, or answering machine. The correct device answers automatically and no other devices will ring. A smart switch pays for itself in a few months and keeps on saving you money for years to come.
Many small businesses need a fax but only use it a few times every month. With line sharing technology, individuals and businesses longer need to pay the monthly bill for modem or fax lines. Line sharing is has been around for nearly 20 years now and most major companies are already taking advantage of the major cost savings it offers. Many small businesses are now using it too.
The line sharing device (fax switch) automatically routes fax calls to the fax machine and modem calls to the correct modem over an existing voice line thus eliminating the need for dedicated fax or modem lines. Savings amount up quickly so this "magic box" pays for itself in a few months. After that it's money in the bank or more appropriately "money in your business."
Two Dependable Line Sharing Choices
There are two types of single line sharing devices that have proven very reliable. The main difference on which you would choose depends on whether you need more than one phone number or whether you prefer to use a single phone number to access your fax, phone, answering device or modem.
If you want to share two voice devices in one line or use the phone company voice mail, distinctive ring would be the best choice. Otherwise, a tone detection product would be the most likely be what you would need. Tone detection is the most popular method in telephone line sharing technology.
Tone detection: Here the line sharing device immediately answers the phone call but the caller (if it's a voice call) doesn't know it. The switch generates a ring tone identical to the so the caller thinks the phone is ringing, but what the box is doing is listening.
Tone Detection Devices listen for one of three things:
- CNG Tones (the tones a fax machines identifies itself with),
- DTMF Tones (touch-tones pushed on the keypad or appended to the dialing string), or
- No Tones - the lack of a signal (typically used for voice or answering machine).
The line sharing device listens for the appropriate tones or lack of tones, then quickly identifies what type of call it is and then routes it to the proper device.
An example of a popular tone detection device is a product called the Stick.
http://faxswitch.com/stick.html
http://faxswitch.com/stick_next.html
Tone Detection Device require no extra phone company services to operate.
Limitations:
The only phone company features that it doesn't work well with is:
- Call Forwarding - All calls including your fax and modem calls would be forwarded),
- Phone Company Voice Mail - Since the tone detection product answers all incoming calls, the only time the phone company voice mail works is when the phone is busy. With a tone detection product you must use an answering machine or on premise voice mail to answered unanswered calls.
- Distinctive Ring - There is another type of line sharing device for use with this service (see below).
If you require any of these three services you will need the other type of line sharing device, which routes the calls by using the "Distinctive Ringing" service feature offered from the local phone company.
Distinctive ringing: Distinctive ringing is a service offered by your local telephone company that you pay about $2.50 a month per number for (similar to the way you pay for call waiting and other features).
Distinctive ringing gives you up to three phone numbers on one line. Each number issues a different ringing pattern so if it's a normal ring you know its phone number one, a double ring is phone number two and so forth. A distinctive ringing line sharing device monitors the line and then when a call comes in, it routes it by phone number to the specific device for that phone number. The box never actually answers the phone to listen. With this type of application, you have two or three phone numbers sharing one line. You actually have a fax number and a voice number.
Using a distinctive ringing switch is just like having 2 (or 3) dedicated phone lines except you can't have more than one call going at a time. You call one number for your fax and another number for your voice.
The most popular distinctive ring device is a product called the SR Series.
http://faxswitch.com/sr.html
http://faxswitch.com/sr_next.html
The solution depends on user preference. The main difference is how many phone numbers the small business requires.
With a tone detection product like The Stick, you have one phone number for both fax and modem (and voice if you prefer). Tone detection devices route the call on one number and one line to the correct device (fax or modem). Tone detection does not require you to subscribe to additional phone company services.
A Distinctive Ring Device like the SR-Series would give you two or three phone numbers on one line. You have different numbers for your voice and fax or modem. Distinctive Ring products do require that you subscribe to your local phone company's distinctive ringing service for them to route calls to the right device.
How much is line sharing worth?
| Monthly Line Cost | 1st Year Cost/Savings | 3rd Year Cost/Savings | 5th Year Cost/Savings | 10th Year Cost/Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $ 20.00 | $ 240.00 | $ 720.00 | $ 1200.00 | $ 2400.00 |
| $ 30.00 | $ 360.00 | $ 1080.00 | $ 1800.00 | $ 3600.00 |
| $ 40.00 | $ 480.00 | $ 1440.00 | $ 2400.00 | $ 4800.00 |
| $ 50.00 | $ 600.00 | $ 1800.00 | $ 3000.00 | $ 6000.00 |
| $ 60.00 | $ 720.00 | $ 2160.00 | $ 3600.00 | $ 7200.00 |
How much is it worth to you?
| Monthly Line Cost | 1st Year Cost/Savings | 3rd Year Cost/Savings | 5th Year Cost/Savings | 10th Year Cost/Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $ 20.00 | $ 480.00 | $ 1440.00 | $ 2400.00 | $ 4800.00 |
| $ 30.00 | $ 720.00 | $ 2160.00 | $ 3600.00 | $ 7200.00 |
| $ 40.00 | $ 960.00 | $ 2880.00 | $ 4800.00 | $ 9600.00 |
| $ 50.00 | $ 1200.00 | $ 3600.00 | $ 6000.00 | $ 12000.00 |
| $ 60.00 | $ 1440.00 | $ 4320.00 | $ 7200.00 | $ 14400.00 |
Cuts Fixed Phone Costs
An automatic line-sharing device will save your business about $50 dollars a month per line on average. A smart switch can save you 1-9 lines per unit in phone charges, and multiple-line devices can save you even more.
A computerized call processor can automatically tell whom the call is for and whether the caller is a person or a machine. Fax switching frees up the fax line for other uses when the fax is not in use.
Distinctive ring processors allow up to 3 phone numbers on the same line. Tone Detection call processors allow up to 9 devices to share a single phone number. Modems can share lines with other modems, fax machines, voice systems or any phone-connected equipment. You can pool multiple modems over one phone line in one call automatically. Line Sharing will save you thousands over the life of the equipment.
Each product is for a slightly different application but they are all designed to save you money. Your automatic phone fax modem switch is much much more than just a fax switch. It is your money saving telecommunication device. It saves YOU real money, month after month.
Review the products. Click on the links to find out more. Chances are, you will find a smart phone switch that will meet your needs. The right product could save you thousands!
If you have any questions about which product would be best for you, email us , call toll free in US and Canada (866) 337-0965 or call (217) 337-0965. We are happy to help you.
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