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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.

How Can A VPN Help Businesspeople

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Historically, using a virtual private network (VPN) has been a time-consuming and complicated process, making it effectively inaccessible to most internet users. However, as technology has advanced, new methods of protecting privacy have become available.

VPNs are a great way to secure all internet traffic by encrypting all data going in and out of the device. They do this by creating a VPN through which all data is sent. This data is encrypted and wrapped up in an encrypted tunnel, then sent through the internet to its destination.

Although there is a range of benefits for the average internet user, what advantages do VPNs provide businesses?

Cost-effective

A VPN is often a cost-effective security measure that most businesses can operate. However, many large corporations will set up private VPNs. Multiple layers of security can be prohibitive for smaller companies. Nevertheless, there are lots of options they can choose from, the better-known brands offering competitive deals. You can see some NordVPN coupons here, which can save you even more if you are in the process of choosing a VPN. Nord VPN is among the most popular options due to the range of features they provide, making it straightforward for business people to protect themselves. Furthermore, they have a vast array of servers worldwide, which you want to see in a VPN.

Increased Security

Businesses find themselves in a never-ending battle against cybercriminals. With the emergence of new technologies, like VPNs, business owners have more ways to protect their systems and data sources. As the lines between business, personal, and public life continue to blur, it’s more important than ever for companies to get the most from their network infrastructure. The best way to gain this is by investing in a VPN service, which provides an encrypted tunnel between your internal network and the public internet. These services are constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of users.

Protect Your Important Data By Encrypting It

These tools are a proxy network that uses encryption to secure your internet connection. Most VPNs use a client-side solution to encrypt traffic and provide an IP address to the client. Using a VPN, you do not have to install any software on the client end since the VPN does it for you. This is great if you are an average consumer looking to protect your banking information, but it is vital for businesses. If you regularly deal with sensitive information pertaining to business operations, this encryption adds an extra layer of safety.

Public Wi-Fi Protection

Most busy businessmen and women will usually find themselves conducting business on the go. This invariably means that they will be connecting to public Wi-Fi networks wherever possible. However, these can pose unacceptable security risks. Public Wi-Fi security is getting more attention these days because of the increasing number of incidents that involve people being attacked and the use of public wifi hotspots and other devices being hijacked by hackers. The reasons are numerous. The routers themselves are poorly secured and have default credentials. In addition, hackers are taking advantage of this by exploiting the weak security to steal sensitive data or infect devices with malware or ransomware. This leaves two options: stop working or use a VPN.

Multi-device Protection

Nowadays, smartphones are the most commonly used devices to access the internet, especially on the go, which is why it is crucial to have a VPN on your phone in addition to your computer or laptop. Many VPN providers allow you to connect multiple devices simultaneously, so you can protect your computer, smartphone, and tablet from being compromised. It is ideal if you regularly use multiple devices or ensure that all the devices on your network are protected to use a VPN that provides this multi-device capability.

What Should A Business VPN Include?

While you might not be as concerned with online privacy as you are with online security, you still want to make sure you’re getting what you pay for when it comes to VPN services. It can be challenging to decide which VPN is right for you, but here are a few things to keep in mind.

Speed

You all know that VPNs are a great way to bypass internet restrictions and increase safety. However, we may not be aware of the impact VPNs can have on download speeds. Since your data is being routed via encrypted networks, there will be some slow down in speed. However, the better-quality vendors offer different options that allow you to improve this if needed, such as choosing other servers worldwide.

Number Of Servers

One thing to look out for is the number of servers under the control of the VPN provider you choose. The more they have, the better it will be for you. More servers mean more choice, so if something goes wrong, like your speed slowing down, you can change over to another.

Security

Security levels can vary from one provider to the next. Tunnelling Protocols, such as Point-to-Point, are faster. Despite these advantages, though, it is still considerably less secure than OpenVPN, which utilises SSL/TLS.

Data Logging

Data kept by VPN providers about the usage of their service is called VPN logs. It is imperative to remember that your internet service provider has access to everything you do online. Your VPN provider now has access to everything that is ordinarily visible to your ISP. Therefore, you must find a provider that doesn’t keep any form of log data.

Cost

Smaller businesses will often be on a budget, so checking costs is vital. Luckily, most VPN providers offer affordable, multi-year deals. However, don’t only choose on price, other features are just as important.

Support

As a businessperson, you need to focus on the job at hand. So if anything happens to your VPN, you want a dedicated helpline or email to contact. They should at least have a comprehensive help section on their website.

A VPN is a vital tool for busy people always on the move. They can protect data using encryption and provide security in public locations. Numerous options are available, and you must consider them all carefully to make the right decision.