Bill “PhoneBill” McClain

You can call Gates, Joel, Murray, or Clinton…but only this Bill has the answer 💪 UCaaS Provider - VoIP- ☎️

Pioneering the intersection of AI and business communications as a 3X founder. 

Currently revolutionizing voice technology through UponAI while leading innovative UCaaS and CCaaS solutions at StratusDial, backed by extensive experience at Networking Solutions.

At StratusDial, I've transformed business communications by:
• Implementing cost-saving solutions that reduce operating expenses by up to $9,000
• Developing seamless Office365 integrations and advanced VoIP systems
• Building a 24/7 technical support infrastructure that maintains 99.9% uptime
• Creating custom UCaaS/CCaaS solutions for diverse enterprise needs

Through UponAI, I'm pushing the boundaries of:
• AI-powered voice recognition and natural language processing
• Intelligent call routing and automated customer service solutions
• Machine learning algorithms for enhanced communication efficiency
• Voice-enabled business intelligence and analytics

My entrepreneurial journey spans:
🔹 Advanced Telecommunications
🔹 Enterprise Network Architecture
🔹 Cloud Communications
🔹 AI/ML Implementation
🔹 Business Process Automation

Proud to be recognized by industry leaders, including Eric Hernaez, Founder & President of SkySwitch, for maintaining exceptional service standards and driving continuous innovation in business communications.

Specialties:
#AIVoice #UCaaS #CCaaS #CloudCommunications #NetworkingSolutions #VoIP #BusinessIntelligence #EnterpriseNetworking #ArtificialIntelligence #DigitalTransformation

Looking to connect with:
• Business leaders seeking communication solutions
• Technology innovators in AI and voice tech
• Enterprise clients exploring digital transformation
• Fellow entrepreneurs in the tech space

Let's discuss how AI-powered voice solutions can transform your business communications. Open to partnerships, collaborations, and innovative ventures.


Founder -

Networking Solutions 29 years
StratusDial 13 years
UponAi 2 years

3X Founder - 0X Exits

Founder President & CEO

Does the idea of switching phone providers for your business sound like a permanent migraine? Here’s what’s worse:

Turning your customers away because you’re unable to provide a good phone customer experience because of lousy support from your business phone provider.

When you entrust ☎️PhoneBill (& the team at StratusDial) with your company’s new voice, here’s what you get:

✔️ Pre-installation audit to locate savings (sometimes $9000!) & lower your operating costs
✔️ Take care of allllllllll the prep, installation, routing, testing… everything done-for-you
✔️ Hold your hand through set-up & advise you on phone experience best practices
✔️ Latest phone features for maximum efficiency (hello, Office365 integration!)
✔️ Custom set-up the big providers won’t do (e.g. overhead paging system)
✔️ 60-day and 90-day check-ins to make sure you love your new system
✔️ Eager-to-help technical support, 24/7

As a smaller (but mightier!) provider, we can deliver the type of boutique service that the large competitors wish they could deliver. 😉

Ready to have your business phone system work for you (not against you) in bringing more clients to your business?

Message ☎️PhoneBill on LinkedIn. I’ll sort you out.

Bill (PhoneBill) McClain

Thank you for registering your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry. 

You successfully registered your phone number ending in 6500 on November 19, 2010. Most telemarketers will be required to stop calling you 31 days from your registration date.  

I remember reading that message and feeling hopeful.  

Peace.  

A quiet phone line.  
Fewer dinnertime interruptions.  

That was the dream.  

Here is the dry truth.  
Registering a phone number with the Do Not Call Registry tells legal telemarketers to remove that number from their call lists.  

It does not stop scammers.  
It does not stop every robocall.  

The Registry gives people a choice.  
People can say no to many sales calls.  
People can gain some control back.  

In my world, voice and AI can help.  

Smarter call routing.  
Better spam detection.  
Clear rules for teams that want to stay trusted.  

Business needs to reach people.  

Respect needs to reach them first.  

Thoughts on how the Registry works for you today?

#PhoneBill ☎️

You can call Gates, Joel, Murray, or Clinton…but only this Bill or AI from UponAi has the answer ☎️🤖

No alternative text description for this image

Last fall, StratusDial brought on two new automotive dealerships running their phone system with another provider.

That sounded like good news we know the NetSapiens system they had inside and out. We’ve been running it for over ten years.

But within minutes on site, we learned how bad things had gotten.

Calls dropping. Delays connecting. Terrible voice quality.

The dealerships had been on the system only about six or seven months and it had been a disaster. 
Multiple tickets opened with the previous provider and their IT support team.
 No resolution.

The buy/sell of those dealerships went through on a Monday. 

My team was onsite immediately to handle the migration and full acquisition of all technology.

As they went desk to desk setting up our complete tech stack, nearly every employee had the same question:

“Can you do something about our phones?”

We were patient and empathetic, but knew the priority 👉 the migration and new tech stack came first. 
My team was absolutely slammed but we were up for the challenge.

I arrived on Tuesday to assist wherever I could. 
Our team leader, Eric asked me to look into the phone issue.

So I called the provider for access to the system. 
And what I found was very disturbing.

Here’s the thing:
 Voice traffic must always come first. 

Browsing, streaming, and file downloads come second.
 That’s called Quality of Service (QoS) - and one of the best ways to achieve it is through a VLAN (Virtual LAN).

Picture your network like a six-lane highway. 
Each type of traffic gets its own lane. 
And guess which one gets the fast lane? 
Voice 👍

Now, remember this is a car dealership. 
A big customer waiting area. 
Customers streaming music, video, and social media on the dealership Guest Wi-Fi.

So what happens when that customer traffic ends up in the same lane as voice traffic? 
Big problems. Dropped calls. 
Bad audio. 
Delayed connections.

Within two hours, I’d confirmed the issue. The network desperately needed a traffic cop.

So I installed one - and called it #PhoneBill 🤣

After implementing QoS, separating traffic with VLANs, and making targeted improvements, voice calls immediately sharpened up.

Dropped calls disappeared. Connections were instant. Quality was crystal clear.

In less than a day, we proved our expertise and earned the client’s trust.

That’s the power of understanding what matters most: 
Voice traffic always gets the fast lane.

Do you need a traffic cop?

#PhoneBill ☎️


Networking Solutions, Inc. 
StratusDial 
UponAI

Most CIOs juggle 3+ phone platforms.

I run them all through one brain…UponAI.

In my world, single-platform purity is rare.  

Real companies grow by merger, region, and vendor.  

Result:  
One team on UCaaS A.  
Another on UCaaS B.  
A contact center on a third CCaaS stack.  

As founder of StratusDial, I learned early that forcing everyone onto one phone system creates risk.  

Vendor outage.  
Contract fight.  
Feature gap.
Buy / Sells.
Equity Investors.  

When all calls live on one platform, one bad day can shut a business down.  

So we built StratusDial around a different model:  

Risk mitigation!

No emotion, just strategy.

Multi-platform UCaaS and CCaaS for resilience and choice.  


Then I added one simple rule from UponAI:  

Many phone systems, one AI brain.  

Here is how it works in practice:  

1. StratusDial supports multiple call platforms for one client  
→ UCaaS from multiple suppliers  
→ CCaaS in a remote center  
→ A legacy PBX still in place in one branch  

2. UponAI connects to all of them through flexible SIP  
→ SIP trunk, for whole-system connection
→ SIP endpoint as a dedicated AI extension  
→ SIP URI for routing only certain calls  

3. The AI voice agent handles the heavy lifting  
→ Answers first, in any language the business needs  
→ Understands intent with natural language  
→ Uses sentiment to adapt tone  
→ Passes full context when a human must step in with a WARM transfer

4. The business keeps one AI playbook  
→ One prompt strategy  
→ One routing logic  
→ One integration into CRM, POS, ticketing systems  

The platforms stay diverse for safety.  
The AI stays unified for simplicity.  

That is how we see up to 60% of calls move from human agents to AI  
without ripping out phone systems  
without new chaos for IT  
without customers feeling lost.  

Many platforms for risk management.  
One AI brain for control.  

Thoughts on running many phone systems under one AI brain?

#PhoneBill ☎️

Unfortunately #PhoneBill will not be attending but Jody & Sean will do a great job 🙌

Make sure you stop by to see and support them 👍

See you at ITExpo! 🎤

Jody is joining the CEO Insights Panel: Agentic Voice AI in the Real World to discuss ROI, Trust, and Scaling.

🗓️ Thursday, February 12, 2026
🕐 1:00 – 1:45 PM
🎯 CEO Insights Panel

Sean will also be on-site to answer questions and chat about our AI voice solutions.

UponAi is at the cutting edge of AI, and we're excited to be back again this year to share what we're building.

Stop by and say hi! 👋

Jody Gonzales Sean Henning Bill (PhoneBill) McClain

#ITExpo #ITExpo2026 #UponAi #VoiceAI #AgenticAI #CEO #AIPanel #ArtificialIntelligence #TechConference

Businesses today don’t just need to communicate-they need to connect smarter.

I see the same pattern in companies of every size.

Teams feel busy.
Phones ring all day.
Costs keep going up.

Yet customers still wait on hold.
Messages still fall through the cracks.
Leaders still lack clear insight.

AI in business communications changes that.

Here is how we set it up at UponAI:

→ Improve communication  
AI voice agents listen, understand, and respond in real time.  
They speak in natural language, stay calm with every caller, and never forget key details from past interactions.

→ Boost efficiency  
AI handles the routine work:  
- Simple questions  
- Balance checks  
- Password resets  
- Status updates  

Your people focus on complex cases and human moments where empathy matters most.

→ Scale without new headcount  
Call volume grows?  
AI does not need more desks or parking spaces.  
You add capacity in the cloud, not on the org chart, while service stays fast and steady.

Under the hood we use:

- AI voice agents  
- Intelligent call routing  
- Analytics that show trends, sentiment, and gaps in your customer experience  

The result is a system that works 24/7, keeps quality consistent, and gives leaders clear data instead of guesswork.

I have spent my career at the crossroads of phones, networks, and now AI. I believe the next big gains for business come from how we connect, not how loud we shout. 

Actually delivering today what others promise in the future.

What is your take on using AI to handle the front line of customer communication?

#PhineBill ☎️

Yes 🙌 another AI post from #PhoneBill ☎️

Is it just me, or did every phone platform suddenly launch their own “AI voice agent”?

Here’s the thing… 
We’ve been building our ecosystem for 3 years - not weeks.

Yes, we can spin up an AI receptionist in 5 minutes. 
But then what?

💡 What if your business needs something more complex? 💡 What if you need a real solution that goes beyond just a “hello”?

Most platforms stop at simple use cases. 
We built one platform that lets you: ✅ Launch simple AI voice agents instantly ✅ Scale seamlessly to advanced, fully customized agents ✅ Integrate with any voice platform

And here’s what we’ve learned from experience -
 The second you deploy a simple solution, your customers will want more.
 We’ve seen it firsthand. We’ve built for it.

That’s why UponAI isn’t just another AI tool -
 It’s the ecosystem that grows with your business into the future.

#PhoneBill ☎️

Boost Sales - LinkedIn Training | Social Selling Consulting | LinkedIn Content Creation

Fed up with LinkedIn feeling like a dead end?

Struggling to make it work for you?

Seriously, LinkedIn can be a nightmare. 

You know LinkedIn has the potential to boost your sales, but you're stuck. Tired of ineffective strategies and empty promises from overpriced courses? Hours wasted, no responses, a profile that doesn't convert...

Sound familiar?

I get it. I’ve been there.

That’s why I created Boost Sales. My mission is to turn LinkedIn into your ultimate sales engine.

With 24 years of experience growing startups and Fortune 500 companies, my training focuses on:

🔥 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Turn your LinkedIn profile into a client magnet.
🔥 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Learn exactly what to post and how to engage with prospects.
🔥 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: Connect with decision-makers ready to buy.
🔥 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴: Boost your sales without resorting to sleazy tactics.

Ready to turn LinkedIn from a burden into your secret weapon? 

Let's crush your sales goals together: https://link.fgfunnels.com/widget/bookings/boostsales-linkedin-training

1. LinkedIn Lead Generation Trainer | Beginner to Advanced | Bespoke and On Demand Options

There's nothing that fills my soul quite like speaking.

And I'm always so privileged to be invited on some of the most epic stages, programs and shows!

2. LinkedIn Lead Generation and Social Selling Speaker

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙒𝙚 𝘿𝙤:

LinkedIn Content Cure is the ideal solution for businesses looking for professionally written content that inspires engagement, builds thought leadership and credibility, and boosts overall brand awareness. 

If you don’t want to use LinkedIn for lead generation/client acquisition, or you simply prefer to do that side of things yourself, Content Cure is ideal as it takes care of all the heavy lifting when it comes to writing your profile and posts. 

Want to see if this is a fit for your business?

3. Outsourced LinkedIn Content Creation | LinkedIn Content Cure 

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲: 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻

Is your LinkedIn profile just a glorified CV?

Is your bio all about you and not enough about your dream clients?

Or maybe it’s just not converting?

You’re stuck in LinkedIn limbo—wasting time, missing opportunities, and seeing zero results.

Time to flip the script.

Perfect Profile is your way out of LinkedIn hell. We create profiles designed to make you money. 

Whether you're new to LinkedIn or a seasoned pro, we ensure your profile is optimised to turn views into cash.

Perfect Profile is for you if you want to:

🔥 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲: Turn every view into a potential deal.
🔥 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Highlight what makes you the best.
🔥 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀: Become the industry expert everyone turns to.
🔥 𝗖𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼-𝗧𝗼 𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲: Dominate your niche.

📅   Ready to turn LinkedIn into your ultimate sales machine? 

Let’s make it happen. este@boostsales.co.za

P.S. We supercharge company pages too. Your company's LinkedIn page will be a client magnet, building massive credibility and pulling in top-tier clients.

4. The Perfect Profile and Page

Dimension Data Middle East and Africa

Execution of Global Dimension Data Security Partner strategies, initiatives and programmes resulting in Dimension Data being awarded Partner of the Year by 4 out of the 5 vendors.

MEA Security Alliance Manager

Developed and executed on Dimension Data’s Security Solution's Managed Services strategy. The primary focus was increasing the value of the Managed Services portfolio. During my tenure, the Managed Services number exhibited 72% growth YOY, and a profit movement from negative R1.7m to positive R7m.

Business Development Manager: Security Solutions

•	Implementation of Strategic Client Breakaways with more than 100% ROI
•	Conceptualisation and launch of Customer Interactive Forum with over 200
•	participants and ROI OF 150%
•	Establishment and maintenance of Security Solutions brand in ICT market
•	Negotiation of vendor funding in excess of R2 000 000

Solutions Marketing Manager

Is LinkedIn your #1 sales channel?

If not, why the heck not?

What's not working?

𝗗𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲?

"We have ZERO clue how LinkedIn works"
"We haven't made ANY sales with LinkedIn"
"We spend money on content and ads. YET..."

I feel you.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗳𝗶𝘅:

→ Content that gets seen by people who can actually buy
→ Profiles that attract, not repel
→ DMs that get replies (not ghosted)
→ Real conversations, not random connections
→ Tracking what matters—meetings, not likes

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘁:

→ Training — The Connection-to-Conversion Framework™. Real examples. Zero fluff. Tailored to your business and sales cycle.
→ Consulting — Strategy that fits how you actually sell. We rebuild your positioning, messaging, and approach so LinkedIn supports your pipeline instead of draining your time.
→ Done-For-You — A system that just runs and you just close the sales...
 
My team handles the content, tools, and workflows so your people can focus on the conversations that close.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

Most people treat AI like a shortcut.

I use it as a massive advantage.

Not cookie-cutter prompts. No 1000 prompts to use. Not “write me a post” tricks.

I deliver personalised prompts only for your business and your use cases that make the right actions faster, sharper, and easier to repeat.

No manner how long, no matter how many, no matter how in-depth. 

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀

Because it’s built on 24 years in real sales—leading teams, chasing targets, sitting in the meetings where results actually matter.

Everything I train, consult on, or build comes from that world, not from a marketing playbook.

LinkedIn isn’t the answer.

Your people are.

I just give them the tools and confidence to use it properly.

Let’s make it click → este@boostsales.co.za

taplio

The Battle

Bill (PhoneBill) McClain

Este Pretorius

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreBill (PhoneBill) McClain's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Bill (PhoneBill) McClain

Este Pretorius

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Bill (PhoneBill) McClain's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreBill (PhoneBill) McClain's LinkedIn Performance