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4 Efficient Ways for Businesses to Make International Calls

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International means between or involving different countries. Communication is an integral aspect of every relationship. In the business world, it’s not only vital but the core of everything. Communication can be a challenge if you have business partners worldwide.

A few years back, making an international call would cost you an arm and a leg. With the advancements in technology, this situation has changed.  But still, a phone bill can be outrageous if you’re not using the right technology.

Most businesses can’t afford these exorbitant costs because it impacts their profits. Regardless of your telecom company, you can’t avoid hefty costs. But all thanks to technological advancement, it is no longer exorbitant to make an international call.

There are various options organisations can leverage when making an international business call. The variety of apps available in the market make it easy to make free or inexpensive international calls.

But if you’re in business once in a while, you’ll need to dial international landline numbers. Unfortunately, some of the free apps may not allow you to place a call on a landline or mobile number.

Thanks to some Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) apps, they don’t limit you to only the free apps. You can make calls to landlines or mobile numbers at an affordable rate.

Here are some of the app’s businesses can leverage to make cheap international calls:

1. Talk360

Talk360 is a useful calling app that businesses can leverage. Apps like WhatsApp or Telegram require a steady internet connection to work. Also, the recipient and the caller both need to have the apps installed.

But with Talk360, the recipient doesn’t need the app or an internet connection. When making an international call, you can call landlines, smartphones, or regular phones.

The good news about Talk360 is that it gives a one-minute free trial. So, it’s easy for you to determine if the app will suit your business

Besides, you can use the app to make cheap calls everywhere worldwide. This includes countries in Africa like, Kenya, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. If you’re in the US, or anywhere else in the globe, you can be calling Nigeria for free using Talk360.

Like many other international calling apps, Talk360 uses Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). The VoIP service makes it easy to connect callers to receivers online. Therefore, you can use Talk360 to make calls to both internet and classic telephone network receivers.

However, you’ll need to install the software on your phone if you’re making calls. The good thing about Talk360 is that you still can make inexpensive and high-quality international calls, whether you’re calling a smartphone or a landline.

2. Skype

Skype is a popular Microsoft online calling and messaging platform. The free online video and voice calls are the ones that made it more widespread. The recipient and the caller should have a Skype account to enjoy their free calls.

The app works on various platforms, and you can use it to send in-app messages. Making an international call to a landline or mobile phone will cost you a small fee. You can leverage the two options available for payment: Skype Credit or a subscription.

Skype Credit is ideal if you don’t frequently make calls to landlines. It acts as a pay-as-you-go service for Skype. You are only required to pay when you’re making calls. Download the app, purchase credits, then key in the desired number and the correct country code.

But a subscription would be best for your business if you frequently call abroad. Monthly subscriptions will give you unlimited international calls.

You’ll have to pay Skype connection fees, besides the direct and subscription payments. The amount varies for different nations. Each nation has a unique call rate.

On Skype’s website, you can enter the country you want to make your call to, to know the rates. However, you shouldn’t be worried as Skype is relatively affordable compared to regular international phone calls.

3. Facebook Messenger

Facebook has at least 2.9 billion active users globally. And 12.5% of all these people use messenger to communicate with one another.

Today, most businesses understand the value Messenger has on global communication. Therefore, Messenger is snowballing as an effective tool for communication.

Facebook is popular because of its messaging abilities. Today businesses can leverage Messenger to make free international calls. All you need is a steady internet connection for the call to be effective.

You can download the app on Apple or Google Play store. By clicking the people icon, it will display if your desired contact is available on Messenger.

But first, ensure that your recipient adds phone numbers to their profile to enjoy free calls. The beauty of this app is that you can make cheap calls even when you’re in transit. Additionally, Messenger is easy to use, and you don’t need to be tech-savvy.

4. FaceTime

The FaceTime app is undoubtedly one of the favourite apps among Apple users. Unfortunately, you need an iPhone or iPad, among other apple devices, to use this app.

If your iPhone has an iOS7, you may make free or cheap premium quality calls to Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, or globally.

Just ensure you have a stable Wi-Fi or mobile data connection for the calls to be premium. However, if you don’t have a strong Wi-Fi connection and you’re only using mobile data, it is safe to make only audio calls. This is because video calls will consume an enormous bandwidth making it costly.

Ensure you have the most recent Apple software to enjoy their free international calls. Besides, you don’t need to be tech-savvy to use Facetime app. You only need to log in with your Apple ID and password to make a call.

Even though it’s limited to Apple users, it has a 15.6% global market share. So, there’s no doubt that some of your business partners may be already using the Facetime app.

Final Thoughts

Most businesses are leveraging the global market. So, you must ensure you can make international business calls to enjoy opportunities.

In today’s world, it is imperative that you find effective ways to save money on international calls.  Thanks to advancements in technology, this is now a reality.  Talk360, Facetime, Messenger, and Skype are some technological apps you can always use to make international calls that don’t cost you an arm and a leg.

An Enhanced Platform for International Arbitration Law

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International arbitration is the preferred method of resolving cross-border disputes. The neutrality it offers, together with the relative ease of enforceability of awards, can make it a more attractive forum for disputes than litigating in contracting parties’ national courts.

Eversheds has further strengthened its Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice with the appointment of Wesley Pang as Partner in the Arbitration team.

Wesley has broad experience in advising global corporate clients on major, cross-border disputes. He also acts for clients on investor-State cases, on both contentious and non-contentious issues.

He joins the Eversheds practice from the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre where he was Managing Counsel . Wesley’s arrival comes at an important time; arbitration is the preferred dispute resolution mechanism for clients in the energy and projects sectors and Asia’s share of these markets continues to grow, and increased activity is accompanied by demand for experienced disputes lawyers.

The arbitration market in Hong Kong is growing, and more generally across Asia. This sector-driven demand emanates in part by Chinese state owned enterprises and other Chinese organisations. Disputes in the energy and construction sectors are also increasing, in part as a result of China’s ‘Belt and Road’ initiative. Wesley is well-placed to advise these and other Asia-based and multinational organisations that are active in the region and globally.

Eversheds Sutherland Overview

Eversheds Sutherland is a global multinational law practice created by a combination of law firms Eversheds LLP and Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, in February 2017, and is one of the 50 largest law practices in the world.

When Should You Expand Your Business?

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Global expansion is when a fast-growing business takes its operations into lucrative overseas markets. These businesses are looking to reach the next level of growth and they can do this by establishing a presence in new countries across the globe.

Expanding your business Internationally is a monumental task but, if done right, can be a significant driver of growth.

We are proud to say that we now have coverage in 190 countries, with a small team and no outside funding.

Invest in a scalable infrastructure

Build a platform that is designed to scale from day one.

For example, we made sure that Advisory Excellence was set up with infrastructure where it was easy to add new countries, and track KPIs globally.

A focus on marketing channels that can scale, such as Google, YouTube, Pinterest and LinkedIn, can also prove useful in building a strong foundation for future growth. Whatever your budget, these platforms allow you to test the waters as knowledge of your market increases.

As campaign metrics demonstrate positive growth, your company can expand budgets to grow reach Internationally.

Think globally, act globally

Being in hypergrowth mode is exhilarating but there are plenty of opportunities to learn from mistakes. When you scale very quickly, there is no time to micromanage locally.

Only tailor locally what has been proven to make a significant impact.

Build a small but mighty team

Crafting a small but mighty team is key to moving forward in a positive direction.

Even if there are only a small number of individuals, a dynamic team can move mountains when the focus is right.

Create a high passion and energetic team which is invested in the future of the business.

If you instil one motto in your team, it should be: fail fast, learn and improve. We love trying new ideas and encourage the whole team to continuously test, especially when it’s outside their comfort zone.

The only requirement we set is to approach it methodically, to document the results and to share learnings with the team.

Stay community-focused

Nurture your brand ambassadors; your first and most loyal members or customers will be your strongest voices if they can be involved. We’ve been around since 2013 and have built a community that continuously stays engaged.

Listen to your members or customers, speak with them every week and make changes based on your insights. As a result of listening to our members, we decided to start hosting events.

There is nothing stronger than a real-life experience and it really makes us stand out from the crowd in a competitive market.

Getting more feedback from your audience can push your business to new heights. We collaborate with our members, so a lot of our content is member-generated.

Work smart

Automate time-consuming tasks.

We believe we have a strong proposition for individuals around the world and expanding into new markets has been one of the most rewarding things we have done.