Blog

Two years after a major shift to remote work, many organizations’ employees are still operating on unsecured networks. Find out how risky an unsecured network can be, and how you can lock them down, in our latest blog. 

If you are looking to upgrade to a cloud-based solution, you probably have a lot of questions yourself, as do your employees. Read on to learn both some of the challenges and some benefits of upgrading to cloud communications. 

As a small business with a growing number of clients, you may find it challenging to compete with the advanced customer care your larger competitors are delivering. Learn how adding a cost-effective contact center license to your team’s toolkit can help you care for your growing cutomer base without the need to increase headcount.

Learn how S-NET stays true to its promise as the vendor that is Large Enough to Deliver, but Small Enough to Care. We assign a Client Technology Advisor to each customer account, who serves as your single-point of contact and ensures that your needs are met. Learn what our CTAs do differently from big name providers.

Client Support Specialist, Kelly Quinn found her first job in telecommunications from an ad in a newspaper. Her favorite project so far is – you guessed it – Marco’s Pizza! When Kelly is not reading books or Netflix, you can find her cheering for Tom Brady’s old college team.

Now that the business world has evolved to include video conferencing, is a simple phone system even necessary anymore? We sure think so. Cloud-based phone systems offer functions and features that not only meet the basic needs of a company, but can promote work efficiency and customer experience.

Meet Matthew Forst. Billing Associate for S-NET Communications, on his free time he enjoys playing video games with his wife and spending time with his daughter. Find out how he mixed his loved for sports and numbers together!!!

Providing exceptional service to customers can be challenging – especially for smaller businesses with limited support staff. But what if we told you, you could boost customer satisfaction without adding more agents? Learn how.

Finding a so called ‘good deal’ for your business phones on marketplaces like eBay, Amazon, and others could be tempting. But is it really worth it? Find out what our CTAs and Support Team have to say about customers buying a gray market phone.

SD-WAN technology can increase employee productivity and customer satisfaction while increasing your margins and profitability. So, what is SD-WAN, you may ask? Well, read on to learn more.  

Disaster struck Lewis Floor and Home at the time they least expected. Their phone system went down and they where not able to have communications with their customers. Find out how a four hour call with George G, helped Lewis Floor and Home get set up and running in less than 24 hrs.

Wondering what omnichannel customer service is all about? Learn the definition and how it can impact on your bottom line in our latest blog.

Meet Anah Aquino, Quality Analyst for S-NET Communications. She joined the team after leaving one of our competitors, RingCentral. The great team around her and the ability to communicate with anyone at any time has made her very happy to have chosen S-Net as her next step in her career. While she cooks for her family, Anah likes to jam to all sorts of rock music.

We are excited to launch S-NET Engage, a comprehensive, multi-flow contact center solution that helps you automate the customer journey and deliver personalized interactions for your clients.

When S-NET Network Engineer, Michael Koselinski is not installing services for new clients, he loves to unwind by spending time with his daughter and camping. Team sports are not his first choice as a pastime, he would rather study for his Cisco Networking Certification.

If you are part of the S-NET Communications family, you know that you have a whole team behind you every step of the way, our Support Team. But you may not be familiar with all the ways in which they can help support your business.

Meet Christina Rodriguez, Provisioning Specialist here at S-NET Communications. When she’s not helping our customers with complex system request , you can find her playing the piano to pass the time. Some of her coworkers have heard her sing once or twice.

As a business owner, you may be deciding between renting your phone and networking hardware or buying the equipment straight out. Conventional wisdom dictates that equipment purchases are good investments and enable you to save in the long run. But with technology changing faster than ever before, is buying your hardware the wisest decision?

Provisioning Specialist, Mico Cha, started out as a Web Tech Analysis for tech giant GoDaddy. His career has taken a 360 and now he works as a Provisioning Specialist for S-NET Communications, where his experience and challenges allow him to grow and provide a better lifestyle for his family.

Spoofing calls has become common practice for scammers and could affect your business phone number as well. Learn more about what we are doing here at S-NET to ensure that your business number and identity are secure.

Michael has found the accuracy in numbers fascinating ever since he was a little kid, but had his own unique perspective on math even as far back as elementary school. When he is not managing S-NET’s billing operations, he enjoys camping and reading. Get to know him.

S-NET Customer Support is now fully transitioned to using a multi-flow cloud contact center solution, powered by robust AI technology. Learn how this new platform enables our team to provide our clients with better, faster, more attentive customer service.

S-NET Field Network Engineer, Bob Thoms started out as a General Manager of a local Chicago pizza joint, but returned to the technology he loved as a kid when a severe injury left him unable to run a quick serve restaurant. Now he is leveraging his experience and passion for the service industry to support S-NET’s many clients in the quick serve sector and beyond.

You know that daydream you have of traveling across the country and still getting paid? Well, this executive and his family will be living out of an RV for the next two years as they travel across the United States in search of their forever home. He will be working full time during the entire adventure. Learn how he is planning to do it!

You may have lost some of your staff, found it challenging to fill open positions or have been forced to make significant changes to retain your existing team. If any of this sounds familiar, learn how a few small changes can boost your employee retention and talent acquisition efforts in a challenging landscape.

S-NET Strategic Alliance Manager, Jade Gray specializes in the franchise space and spends her workdays developing and nurturing brand relationships. Passionate about pairing people and businesses of all sizes with solutions designed to support their growth, Jade creates technology packages that solve her clients’ critical business needs. Get to know her.

You know those annoying meetings that could have easily been replaced by a well-written email? Stop wasting your team’s time with unnecessary discussions and start using the communication tools at your disposal to convey information more quickly and efficiently. Here are just 6 meeting types that are better replaced by email, chat, file sharing or online collaboration platforms.

I can safely say that 2021 was a challenging year for individuals and businesses alike. We started the year mid-pandemic with a large percentage of American workers trying to manage their personal and professional responsibilities from the safety of their homes….

Strategic Alliance Manager, Jon Adams has worked in the Telecommunications industry since the divestiture of the Bell system and AT&T. His career has been an adventurous ride since, as he held various positions in training, sales, business development and channel management. Get to know him.

How many unique communications services and vendors is your business using today? How many different apps, platforms, dashboards, and file-sharing services are you toggling between each day? As both technological capabilities and your business have evolved, it’s probably just become second…

As a growing number of businesses operate with a remote or hybrid workforce, the job of managing and securing an increasingly distributed corporate network is challenging to say the least. Secure SD-WAN extends your network perimeter to the end user and safely connects your distributed users to distributed resources, all without sacrificing application performance. Here is how.

Advanced customer service features are no longer just for call centers. They can be equally effective in small to mid-sized businesses, helping them provide the top-notch service that keeps customers loyal and revenues high. Learn which call center features will boost the quality of your customer service most.

There are literally countless VoIP providers vying for your business all around the world. Seriously. For us to try to quantify just how many VoIP providers there are out there would be nearly impossible.  Instead of focusing on the thousands of…

Whether you’re ready to switch to VoIP or just considering it as an option, preparing for the switch can seem like a hassle. For many small businesses, same outdated PBX system has probably been in use for decades.  Upgrading your traditional…

As the world of telecommunications and technology continues to evolve, keeping up with the latest trends can become overwhelming. The newest and most preferred business communications solution on the market is UCaaS or Unified Communications as as Service.  The ultimate business…

With years of experience connecting our in-office and remote staff using S-NET technology, we have developed several collaboration practices that work well for our team. Learn which methods have the biggest impact on our productivity and see if there are any fresh communication channels that could streamline collaboration on your team.

S-NET Strategic Alliance Manager, Jim Kowalski started his career in wholesale mortgage banking and made a switch to telecommunications in 2007. In addition to helping prospective S-NET clients find customized solutions to their business challenges, Jim also works with numerous IT vendors, consultants, and telecom professionals in S-NET’s Partner Channel. In his free time, Jim is an avid runner, planning to run his 14th full marathon this fall. Get to know him!

There are few things as fun as a team building to signal that businesses are finally returning to normal. Since our last team building at the Brookfield Zoo in 2019, the S-NET Team has grown significantly. So, with the overwhelming majority of our team vaccinated and Covid-19 restrictions lifted in Illinois, it was time to show our new staff how we do things here at S-NET!

Now at the tail-end of a global pandemic that turned our worlds upside-down for the better part of two years, organizations across the world are recognizing an entirely new set of challenges to overcome.  Consumer demands are evolving day by day,…

We’ve all heard some of the common Voip misconceptions, like “it’ll overload my network.” But, How true are they? VoIP is quickly becoming the dominant platform for phone communications, and for good reason. The right VoIP solution can give your team…

Employee engagement is one of the most important yet undervalued measures of business success. According to Gallup, highly engaged businesses have 59% less turnover and are also 21% more profitable. Engaged employees work more efficiently, stay longer with the company, and…

S-NET Network Engineer, Nino Noriega enjoys learning about each client’s business needs and finds resolving their challenges very rewarding. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies, playing video games and playing outdoor sports. Get to know him!

VoIP seems like it’s kind of taking over the world lately. With millions of workers transitioning from their offices to working on their couch in PJs, most have enjoyed the freedom of VoIP. However, despite its prevalence, not very many people…

Are you sure you’re getting the most out of your phone service? Looking to upgrade your old legacy system? Choosing between a hosted or on-premise system? The number of options for what type of phone system you have and how you…

As COVID-19 once again rears its head and more and more executives begin to embrace permanent remote work, we’re bound to encounter more virtual mishaps. Calls cutting out, videos crashing, and screen share capabilities gone awry are not only a frustrating…

Interactive voice response or IVR is an often utilized and often misunderstood feature of advanced call centers. As a caller yourself, you have certainly experienced both the good, and unfortunately the bad of an IVR. IVRs are also known as a…

According to a recent report by Forbes, poor customer service costs businesses just like yours around $75 billion each year. This is a sharp year-over-year incline that shows no sign of slowing down. That same report found that a staggering 67…

Secure SD-WAN extends the network security perimeter all the way to the user and efficiently connects distributed users to distributed applications, without compromising user experience or security.  

S-NET Accountant, Emily Fischer is motivated by optimizing internal processes within the accounting cycle and enjoys helping clients with billing questions. In her free time, she likes to run, play the violin and perform with her twin sister. Can you guess the name of their violin duo?

When used for long-term telecommuting, Call Forwarding deprives your team of a wide range of VoIP features that support efficient call handling and a positive brand image – features you are most likely already paying for.

Strategic Alliance Manager, Mike Muar works closely with large QSR accounts, such as Marco’s Pizza and helps franchisors, franchisees and independent businesses get the solid communications technology they need to be successful. Get to know him!

Without a solid technology strategy, digital transformation can result in a disjointed collection of applications, confused employees, inefficient communications and too many vendor contracts to manage. Read S-NET CEO, Alex Fayn’s thoughts on how a cohesive business communications ecosystem can help.

Joe Cunanan has been an integral part of S-NET’s Customer Support Team since he joined in 2015. Technical by nature, Joe enjoys finding outside-the-box resolutions to unusual technical challenges. Get to know him.

Significantly improved over its predecessors, S-NET Connect 6.0 includes a wide range of new features and functionality upgrades for Desktop and Mobile, as well as for call center Agent and Supervisor editions.

As organizations plan a gradual return to the office, many will invest in the technologies that help them overcome the challenges of connecting a hybrid workforce. Learn what are the 4 workplace communication trends that we can expect to see in 2021 and beyond.

Microsoft Teams has enabled many businesses to continue their work from home and stay operational during challenging circumstances. With its wide range or collaboration tools, it helped streamline workflows and kept employees connected. But despite its many benefits, Teams continues to…

A virtual party may not be your first choice, but it’s a great way to stay connected and celebrate with each other. With a little creativity, it’s possible to find ways to engage your staff, build bonds, maintain company culture and create a sense of normalcy around the holidays.

Justin Jawor, joined S-NET in 2018 and quickly separated himself from the pack with his sales acumen and work ethic. Currently serving as Sales Team Lead, Justin is responsible for closing business, as well as helping the rest of the team hit their goals through training and support. Can you guess which South American country he played soccer in?

Saying that 2020 has been an unconventional year is a huge understatement. But even during these challenging times, there is still so much to be grateful for. Read what S-NET CEO, Alex Fayn is thankful for this year.

Video conferencing is a great way to connect with your team now that they are working remotely. But video call burnout is real. Constantly gazing at a screen and worries over interruptions from kids or pets can be tiring, not to mention the discomfort of looking at our own reflection all day. Learn how to give your team a break from time-to-time and avoid video conference fatigue.

Director of Finance, Kimberly Zacharkiewicz enjoys streamlining procedures, implementing changes and is motivated by delivering accurate and timely results. In her first few months at S-NET, she has already transformed several of S-NET’s internal processes. In her free time, Kim loves hanging out with her family, traveling with her husband and discovering local breweries wherever they go. Read on to get to know her.

Marco’s Pizza, celebrated the grand opening of their 1000th store in Kissimmee, FL, and it was an honor to serve as a supportive partner for this extraordinary occasion! S-NET Strategic Alliance Manager, Mike Muar attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony and brought back some great photos to share the joy and significance of this event.

Many organizations like yours have started to gradually re-open their offices. But the tapered return has proven to be more challenging than expected. With capacity limits set to keep employees safe, many businesses are finding that their existing technology infrastructure does not support their new hybrid work environment. Does yours enable a gradual return?

Tier II Support Engineer, Steve Zellers, joined our team in 2019 when SkyTalk Plus merged with S-NET. Technical by nature, Steve enjoys resolving complex problems, and goes above and beyond to ensure that clients are well taken care of. Can you guess what fantasy video game Steve plays in his free time?

Online collaboration tools have become ubiquitous and indispensable for countless organizations. But can online collaboration software uproot business communication as we know it? While some teams thrive on chat, video and file sharing, others need external calling and advanced call handling to be successful. Where does your business stand?

S-NET’s Strategic Alliance Manager, Phil Damato has been in the Telecommunications industry for over 26 years. Phil is fascinated by his clients’ innovative business models and finds resolving their challenges very rewarding. Can you guess what record Phil and his son set recently?

Remote work has been steadily growing in popularity for years, but exploded when a global pandemic forced organizations out of their crowded offices. Due to their significant business benefits, the telecommuting practices that became ubiquitous in the last few weeks are expected to far outlast the pandemic that popularized them. Is your business ready for this new landscape?

With millions of workers now completing their tasks from home, business etiquette has become much more confusing and difficult to follow. Learn which office policies continue to apply to virtual meetings and avoid becoming the next video conferencing meme.

Despite the increased popularity of web-based communication tools, many businesses are now struggling to implement an abrupt transition to online collaboration with little to no experience. If your team is new to video conferencing and is still getting accustomed to this new way of conducting business, we can help.

As the number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in the United States is rapidly growing, many businesses like yours are bracing for an economic impact. But developing a contingency plan and enabling employees to work from home can go a long way in helping your business weather the storm. S-NET can help extend your team’s communication tools beyond the office and keep your organization safe.

Good news! You can now easily send and receive SMS/Text messages with the S-NET Connect desktop application. Leave a message on your colleague’s cell phone or receive text notifications from a vendor using the same simple interface. See how it works.

All of the menial, repetitive tasks that are a part of your job now can become an efficiency-draining black hole taking your attention and focus from more high impact projects. The good news is, business communications technology can automate some of these tasks and increase your efficiency. Here’s how.

When Tony Di Benedetto joined S-NET, he was excited to leave a rigid corporate system behind. He enjoys having the freedom to find creative solutions to unusual challenges and prioritize client needs over well-established processes. During evenings and weekends, he always makes time for his family, and enjoys road biking and salsa dancing. Read on to get to know him.

Most business leaders have ambitious new client acquisition initiatives. But what about your existing customers? Whether you are a one-person-shop, have a handful of account managers or manage a large-scale call center, there are tools that you can use to improve your customer’s experience and, as a result, your bottom line.

In October, S-NET joined forces with SkyTalk and brought founder, Wes Pace on board as VP of Business Development. In his new role, Wes is responsible for ensuring a smooth transition for all SkyTalk clients and partners to S-NET’s services, expanding the S-NET partner program, as well as pursuing large enterprise opportunities. Read on to get to know him better.

2019 was a transformative year for S-NET that enabled us to grow our team, introduce new services, and bring many new clients and partners on board with our acquisition of SkyTalk Plus. Read CEO, Alex Fayn’s thoughts on the main strategues that helped us be successful this year.

Opening a restaurant is risky business, whether you are a part of a well-known franchise or decided to strike out on your own. Below are the 4 techniques that our most successful clients used to boost their average ticket value, increase the number of orders, attract more customers, and build thriving businesses.

S-NET’s Technology Consultant, Jeremy Farmby comes alive when he can talk to business leaders about their challenges, goals and aspirations. He takes the time to get to know organizations and offers technology solutions that allow them to operate optimally. In his free time, he spends time with his 9 month old son and tries to hit the gym often. Can you guess which musical is his favorite movie and why?

An office move is very exciting, but it can also be a stressful, expensive and time consuming process. Conducting business as usual – even though nothing is usual – is challenging. The good news is, your VoIP provider can bring order to the chaos and ensure that your transition is as seamless as possible. Here’s how.

S-NET’s Client Technology Advisor, Alan Cook likes good movies, unique pets and great technology that helps businesses grow and thrive. Alan is excited about the opportunity to get to know his clients and provide them with customized technology solutions. Read on to get to know him better and find out what kind of pet Elliot is.

In today’s competitive market, being a business leader is an increasingly demanding job. S-NET CEO Alex Fayn  knows all too well how it feels to burn the candle at both ends. Read how he learned to manage his work more efficiently to be more present in both of his roles as a business manager and father.

Last Friday the S-NET Team spent the day at the zoo! It was a retreat filled with learning, epiphanies, bonding, games, animal encounters and lots of team building fun. This week we got back to the office energized and ready to implement all the lessons we learned. This is a look back at the amazing day of activities we had.

S-NET’s Field Network Engineer, Joey Casillas likes to keep his mind busy, both in the office and after hours. The ability to learn and grow each day is his favorite part of his job and he loves getting his hands on the newest technologies. In his free time, he loves solving riddles, playing the drums and reading Lord of the Rings. Can you guess which musical piece he listens to at least once a week?

As outdated as they may be, fax machines continue to be a persistent fixture in a large number of businesses. But the costs of analog faxing are becoming much too expensive. With modern technology at your fingertips at a fraction of the cost, all these expenses are a waste of company resources. Learn why your business needs to ditch analog faxing for a more cost-effective alternative.

Gina Garcia has been an indispensable member of S-NET’s team since 2014. When asked what she enjoys most about her work, Gina highlights the family atmosphere and camaraderie without hesitation and is proud of her 5 year tenure at the company. She was excited to visit Hong Kong last month and can’t wait to organize more trips abroad. Read on to get to know her better.

To help organizations take advantage of all the functionalities available in VoIP and efficiently merge them into their ever-growing software ecosystem, telecommunications providers have developed integrations that allow users to easily move from one tool to another and synchronize their data between platforms. A VoIP integration can be so seamless and intuitive, that you may have used one already without even realizing. Read about a few of our best-selling VoIP integrations.

The idea of managing a remote staff makes many employers uncomfortable. But embracing that your team will be spending at least part of their work hours at home or in a coffee shop is a crucial step in keeping up with your changing role as a business owner or manager. Below are a few tips I have learned about managing a remote workforce.

We know that many of our clients rely on Microsoft Teams to collaborate with colleagues at other offices, remote workers, as well as clients, vendors and partners. Now our VoIP phone system easily integrates with Microsoft Teams, allowing you to communicate…

S-NET’s Senior Technology Consultant, Tim Cotter has big plans to leave a significant footprint and is excited to be on a team of ‘goofballs’ tasked with taking S-NET to the next level. Learn more about Tim and how he and the engineering team onboarded one of his favorite new clients in the same week their old phone system stopped working.

The S-NET Connect desktop softphone application enables you to make business calls straight from your desktop computer, keeping you connected when working remotely and enabling you to work more efficiently when used in conjunction with your desk phone. Easily place calls to external numbers such as clients, partners or vendors by using the software’s built-in dialpad.

Our networking portfolio is growing! We are excited to announce a new Wireless Broadband service that is designed to provide our clients with fast, reliable solutions for primary and backup connections. With flexible deployment options and predictable monthly charges, Wireless Broadband was designed to give businesses the bandwidth boost they need to support contemporary cloud-based and communication applications.

It seems like every day there is a new technology feature released to meet a real-life business need. But while we techies are excited about innovation, businesses are not always as enthusiastic about the prospect of new technology adoption. Here are a few tips I have learned along the way to help clients get over their fear and embrace technology.

S-NET’s resident funny guy, Mersim Kosovrasti always gravitates toward tasks that allow him to interact with people and build relationships. He enjoys working with with clients who find technology challenging so that he can ensure that their transition to a new service is smooth. After a tough day of installs, Mersim enjoys walking his dog, Lola, and stays active with judo and soccer. Read on to get to know him better.

The S-NET Connect desktop application enables you to make business calls from your computer when working remotely and boosts your productivity at the office. With a wide range of features and an intuitive graphic interface, S-NET Connect makes keeping in touch with colleagues, clients and partners easy. Here are the most efficient ways to make calls from S-NET Connect.

Call Forwarding is one of the most beneficial, yet underutilized features of VoIP. Forwarding calls ensures that no important conversation slips through the cracks and keeps your team productive on-the-go. Call Forwarding can be customized to meet the unique needs of your business, whether you need a handful of rules or a complex sequence.

S-NET’s Procurement Manager, Julia Fayn works hard to provide clients with quality circuits and advanced SLAs at an affordable price. She is excited to delve deeper into a fast-paced communications industry and enjoys learning about cutting-edge technologies. Julia makes sure to live her life to the fullest, both in- and outside of the office, and enjoys traveling, ice skating, walking her dog, going to the movies and reading. Read on to get to know her better.

You know that your SD-WAN solution gives you full visibility into the traffic running on your network. But did you know that combining SD-WAN with a built-in NGFW gives you full control over all applications and web traffic running on your internet connections? Find out how you can use SD-WAN + NGFW to prioritize business-essential applications and manage user access to websites.

S-NET’s Support Desk Manager, Jeff Ard works tirelessly to ensure that all client calls, questions and requests are addressed in a timely manner. He oversees S-NET’s Technical Support Team and continuously thinks about new ways to improve his staff’s work. Jeff…

VoIP is quickly becoming the dominant platform for phone communications, and for good reason. But not all VoIP solutions and providers are created equal. Going with the wrong vendor can create challenges that outweigh the benefits of switching to cloud communications. So, with all the vendors out there, how do you determine which one is right for you?

Don’t be surprised if you run into S-NET’s Technology Consultant, George Fetcho at a metal concert one of these weekends. During the week, he is managing S-NET’s channel partner program, helping businesses large and small find the right technical solutions for their teams. Read on to find out why he considers S-NET’s position on the market unique in the industry.