Office Depot to brand wireless service

Office Depot today announced that it has started offering a new wireless service targeting the small business market. Wireless Office Service, which will be powered by AccessLine Communications’ hosted voice over IP, gives users the ability to centralize all employee phone numbers (whether in-office, cell phones or home office numbers) with one single main number.

When a customer or employee calls the single number, he or she is greeted with a menu of options, and can immediately by routed to the correct extension without the caller knowing individual phone numbers. What makes the service different is the ability to include all wireless numbers in the routing regardless of the carrier being used. Additionally, employees using different wireless carriers can share voicemail messages with each other.

Kent Hellebust, chief marketing officer for AccessLine Communications, said the service is meant to blend the best features of VoIP with the mobility and increased usage of wireless.

“There is an increasingly number of businesses that are relying exclusively on cell phones,” he said. “These small businesses are interested in VoIP functionality, but they don’t necessarily want to move to a full VoIP service. We’ve taken a part of our technology that the businesses like and put it in wireless office. They can literally call into our customer care center and get set up over a period of an hour or two.”

Office Depot will act as a virtual carrier, retailing the service under their brand, but not handling any customer service calls.

Office Depot will offer the service starting at $90.95. And while not necessarily targeting specific vertical market, Hellebust said realtors in particular are expected to be a prime target.

“For these people find me/follow me is absolutely critical,” he said. “If they miss a call, they very likely miss a sale. For them it’s as much or more about features as it is about cost savings.”.