Business owners who have clients overseas often find themselves dealing with an extra business cost; overseas calling. Keeping in contact with clients is vital for building up good relationships with them and keeping the work and orders flowing in, however it’s not always possible to communicate via email all of the time. If you have a number of clients overseas who are requesting that you call them, you’re probably worried about what your next telephone bill will look like. Thankfully, there are a number of different hacks which you can use in order to save money when you make an international call.
Overseas Packages
Calling your international clients using your standard landline package is probably costly for you, but you’ll be glad to hear that many telephone providers offer international calling packages which can be added to your existing business contract. Some providers may also offer exclusive business packages which include international calling in the monthly price. Call your provider today to find out whether there is anything that they can offer you to help keep the bills at a manageable price, even when calling abroad.
Internet Calling
Many business owners communicating with international clients turn to internet calling in order to minimise costs. Skype is an essential if you’re dealing with clients overseas, as you can video call, voice call, and instant message at no cost. There many other Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers offering overseas calls at a cheap price, however it’s important to find a good one as the quality of call and set-up and connection costs can vary between providers. Some providers will also charge for business use but will allow you to make personal calls for free. You may also want to consider finding a provider which fits a VoIP box to your broadband modem, allowing you to use a conventional landline phone to make overseas calls using the system.
Pre-Paid Phone Cards
If you’re calling clients using a mobile or smartphone, chances are the costs will mount up quite quickly. International calling packages and pre-paid phone cards can be the answer to this problem, with many providers offering deals on cards to various different countries around the world. If you mainly contact your overseas clients using a smartphone, get in touch with your provider to enquire about any business deals which they may offer that feature international calling. Alternatively, you could use a pre-paid international calling smartphone app, which allows iPhone and Android users to make calls overseas either via Wi-Fi or their data plan.
Check the Small Print
If you sign up for an international calling package, you should always check the small print as many providers fail to include a number of popular countries. Depending on where your overseas clients are located, you will need to double check to ensure that the plan you sign up for includes the countries that you’re going to be calling in the price – don’t take any deals at face value, or you could miss out!
How do you save when calling international clients? Let us know in the comments.