How would you rather spend your time online if you had a health concern; searching WebMD or speaking with a real doctor through video conferencing?

MobiHealthNews writer Jonah Comstock posted an article today, Five Reasons Virtual Doctor Visits Might Be Better Than In-Person Ones, showing how video conferencing is growing in popularity for healthcare uses:

1. Convenient for both patient and doctor
2. A virtual waiting room is better than the physical one
3. Increased patient engagement thanks to screensharing
4. More convenient, automatic record-keeping
5. Patients feel like doctors pay better attention to them during virtual visits

Virtual Checkups Save Time, More Comfortable

Video conferencing used to be expensive but now it can easily be done via your laptop, tablet, and even smartphones.

The benefits of virtual doctor visits are the same whether you’re in a rural area or if the doctor’s office is down the street.  It’s going to save you time and be more comfortable.

You won’t have to leave work for extended periods of time, you can wait in your house instead of a waiting room, and you may find that your doctor pays more attention to you.

Telemedicine Kits and Kiosks

Telemedicine Kit

Comstock reported that health kiosks are now being developed that perform virtual visits where “a doctor can listen to a patient’s heartbeat, take their blood pressure, and look in their ear with a connected otoscope, to name just a few devices.”

Generally speaking, a doctors office can use something like VoIP Supply’s HIPAA approved telemedicine kit and all you’ll need is a strong internet connection and a good webcam.

It’s the doctor’s responsibility, Comstock notes, to use a video service that is “HIPAA compliant to protect patient medical information — but nonetheless virtual visits are gaining popularity as a new way to deliver healthcare.”

Via MobiHealthNews

VoIP Supply’s mission is to do well, so that it can do good for the community.

That’s why we’re so proud to announce our nomination for the 2013 Buffalo Niagara Business Ethics Award (BNBEA).

Ethics is the type of corporate philosophy that’s normally recognized so, The American Business Ethics award was founded in 1994 by the Society of Financial Service Professionals (SFSP) as a way to shed some light on companies doing the right thing. (more…)

Small businesses hear about trends all the time. In theory, a lot of them sound like great ideas to boost sales or add traffic to your site. But, which ones actually work?

Patience always works.

There’s no harm in watching and waiting to see which trends pan out.

To keep yourself from wasting valuable time on flashy new fads, check out the advice from fellow entrepreneurs in 15 Business Trends To Avoid This Year from the Mike Michalowicz Blog: (more…)

If you like beer, you’ll love KegWorks, the online supplier of “tools for drinking.”

KegWorks is one our local friends here in the Buffalo area who was very interested when they heard about VoIP Supply’s 6 Pack Club;  our monthly craft beer exchange, not an ab workout.

Liz Chatterton, Brand Ambassador at KegWorks, interviewed us on why the beer club is good for our company culture. Because, let’s be honest, we have this club to trade beers and have some fun.

KegWorks Store

But, it turns out that’s it’s also good for team building, sharing ideas, and discovering new things.

The Ad Club of Buffalo has invited Garrett Smith, CMO of VoIP Supply, to speak on their panel, Why Content Marketing Matters at their monthly Ad Lab educational event.

What is Content Marketing?

You know what marketing is. You may have even heard of content marketing but may not know how it plays into your company’s strategy.

Content marketing that’s educational and solves a customers problem will help build brand loyalty, engagement, and trust.  Consumers appreciate information in articles more than ads.

If you don’t believe that, the Ad Club of Buffalo has compiled some interesting stats from a Roper Public Affairs survey:

• 78% of CMOs believe that custom media represents the future of marketing,
• 91% of B2B marketers are focusing their efforts on content,
• Statistics show that content marketing costs 62% less per lead than outbound efforts while producing roughly three times as many leads per dollar.

Join the Ad Lab

For an informative discussion that might just change the way you connect with your customers, join some of Buffalo’s best content marketers:

• Mitch Mirksy: Senior Social Media and Emerging Tech Marketer at Fisher-Price
• Crista Finn Geary: Owner, Creative Director, and Community Manager at Crista Geary Creative
• Elena Kunsevich: Brand Engagement Specialist at Perry’s Ice Cream
• Moderator Griffin Jones:  Founder and Social Media Manager at Griffin Jones Social Media