Blog

Does your business enroll in preventative maintenance for IT solutions? If you’re like most businesses, the answer is probably no. But why? You get a physical once a year. You go to the dentist every 6 months. You get your oil changed every three to ten thousand models (depending on...

Automation for small business is often regarded as something to be feared. Prognosticators suggest that in the not-too-distant future, soldiers, doctors, and customer service reps will largely be replaced by robots and automation. Now that sounds like bad news, but it doesn’t have to be. There are a lot of...

  I once knew a handyman who when asked whether something could be done would always respond, “Well we can do anything, it just depends on what you want to spend.”   The same is true of pretty much every IT solution this side of the Rosie the Robot. (though...

  When it comes to reflecting on the year, Tech Trends of 2021 are about as pleasant of a subject as you can find. When thinking about our collective life in general, 2021 feels a lot like an extension of the end of 2020, which for a lot of us, is...

Saving Money with Modern Wireless Technology There was a time when if you wanted to add telephones to a building, along with a quote for the telephone system, you’d need an extensive labor quote for recabling. Any office or location that didn’t previously have a telephone would need a cable...

What’s the 411 on the 540? You may have heard the news that Roanoke is on track to get a new area code. You may have found yourself wondering what it means to you…or whether it matters. Well, area codes have a storied history but while they do matter, they...

  As you may or may not know, RCI began as a company that primarily engineered equipment for telephone systems. This was back in the 70s. Since then, RCI has evolved into a full business technology company that offers all kinds of IT solutions. Today that can include installing a...

  Halloween is mere days away and we've already touched on scary technology problems for small business. This time of year, business owners tend to also worry about vandalism and general mischief. And with this concern, comes requests for surveillance and crime prevention. While your business likely won't suffer from...

Happy Halloween! Look Out! (for These Scary Small Business Tech Problems) It's that time of year again. Even if the chill isn't quite yet in the air, we still feel it up our spines as jack-o-lanterns make their first appearances on neighborhood doorsteps and scary movies play on television and...

The Leaves Are Falling and It's That Time... for Changing the Outgoing Message Autumn is here! Winter is coming… What does that have to do with technology? Fall is a time of change. And as the seasons are changing, along comes cold and flu season, weather related closures and the...

Telephone System GUI - User Experience is Key When you think about telephone systems, what do you think about? Most people think about calling, answering, and transferring – your most basic functions of telephone system. They’re important but standard. Voicemail and auto attendant probably come up the next most frequently....

Should You Hire an IT Professional? As a business owner or manager, you can’t do it all…but sometimes you feel like you have to. Budgets need to stretch after all. However, your time is valuable too so hiring out for specialists in certain areas is important. Some choices are obvious....

Buy Local (is Good for Service Too!)   Most of us like the concept. Buy American has been popular for years but in the last decade “Buy local” gained a lot of traction. Towns exhibit this trend with Buy Local bumper stickers with the name of the town, farmers' markets,...

Many SPAM Calls Start with A Roundabout Meandering Introduction But I don't want any SPAM!   At the height of lockdown, Americans were streaming a lot of television. Although much new content was produced, viewer hunger tended to gravitate toward comfort food comedy nostalgia. And the number one program people...

More Business is Great! If You Can Handle it...   Across Virginia, pandemic restrictions have been winding down. Crowds have increased. We’re seeing fewer masks. Capacity limitations have been removed. And with the restriction wind down has come a pick-up in business. Having additional customers is always a positive development!...

If You Don't Have Simple Voicemail, You're Probably Not Using It to Its Fullest Potential Have you ever received a letter or bill addressed to your home address but to a person who doesn't live there? Addresses don't move with people and sometimes updating a particular company or even friend...

Isn't Cybersecurity Fun? If you are a regular reader of the RCI blog, you may notice that today’s blog is a little late. Why? Our site was down earlier in the week. Why? The host of our site, one of the leading hosting sites in the world was having “connectivity...

Call Logging We’ve all been there. You hang up with a customer and say, “Gee, I wish I recorded that.”  Maybe things went poorly. Maybe you’re having a difficult time remembering a date, time, or name. Maybe you need a coworker or supervisor to weigh in on something and you...

Choosing an IT Company Choosing an IT company is the most important tech decision you'll make. Good help is hard to find... Its hard to find companies that will take good care of you. That's true whether you’re selecting a pediatrician for your child, your regular lunch spot or a...

Safety First? Well, not always it seems... Not Safe workplace Tech   Safe Workplace Technology The old adage “Safety First” is a good one to live by.  But at work, sometimes safety can take a back seat to profit or efficiency. It’s not alway deliberate negligence (to coin an oxymoron)....