Business Tips Archives

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best Business Phone Answering Service

Gabbyville April 18, 2025

Best Business Phone Answering Service in USA

Let’s be real: running a business is hard work. You’ve got a million things on your plate—and answering every single call probably isn’t at the top of your to-do list. But here’s the thing: missing just one important call can mean losing a potential customer. That’s where a business phone answering service comes in.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through what these services actually do, why they’re a game-changer, and how to find the Best Business Phone Answering Service in USA for your business.

What Is a Business Phone Answering Service?

Think of a business phone answering service as your very own team of professional receptionists—without the overhead of hiring someone full-time. These services handle your incoming calls, take messages, transfer calls, schedule appointments, and more. Some are even available 24/7 so your business never sleeps (even if you do!).

They help you sound polished and professional—even when you’re juggling five other things at once.

Meet Your Secret Weapon: The Virtual Receptionist

A virtual receptionist is a real, trained person who answers your calls remotely. They greet your callers with your business name, follow your script, and make sure important messages get to the right person. All while making your business sound buttoned-up and super approachable.

Virtual receptionists can:

Answer calls live (no more voicemail tag)
Screen and forward important calls
Schedule appointments
Take detailed messages
Handle FAQs
Offer bilingual support (in some cases)

They’re friendly, professional, and always on point—basically like having a receptionist in your pocket.

Why More Businesses Are Using Phone Answering Services

Here’s why thousands of small businesses, startups, and even large companies are turning to phone answering services:

You Never Miss a Call

Even after hours or on weekends—someone’s always there to answer.

Better Customer Service

A friendly voice on the other end of the line goes a long way in building trust.

Save Time

Let someone else handle routine calls so you can focus on what really matters.

Save Money

It’s way more affordable than hiring a full-time receptionist (and you only pay for what you use).

Room to Grow

As your business expands, your answering service scales with you—no extra stress involved.

Features You Should Look For

Not all answering services are created equal. If you’re searching for the Best Business Phone Answering Service in USA, here’s what to keep an eye out for:

Live, 24/7 Call Answering – Never let a call go to voicemail.
Bilingual Receptionists – Help your business reach more people.
Custom Call Scripts – So every call sounds like you.
Appointment Scheduling – Integrated with your calendar.
Lead Qualification – Your virtual receptionist can screen and pass along only the most qualified leads.
CRM Integration – Sync with tools like Salesforce, Calendly, and more.
Detailed Call Reports – Stay in the loop on call activity.

👉 Need help choosing the right features for your business? Talk to our team today.

Who Can Benefit?

Honestly—just about everyone. But some industries benefit a lot from having a pro answering their phones:

Law firms – Keep things professional and confidential.
Medical offices – Never miss a patient call again.
Real estate agents – Capture leads while you’re out showing homes.
Home service pros – Book more jobs, even when you’re on the job.
Financial advisors – Provide top-tier service while staying focused on clients.

How to Pick the Right Service for You

Choosing the Best Business Phone Answering Service in USA isn’t just about features—it’s about finding the right fit. Here’s how:

Figure out your needs – Do you need full-time coverage? After-hours help? Just someone to back you up when you’re busy?
Check their reputation – Look for reviews, testimonials, and case studies.
Ask about customization – Will they tailor call handling to fit your business?
Try before you buy – Most top providers offer a free trial or demo.
Evaluate their tech – Do they integrate with your tools? Is their platform easy to use?

Curious what this looks like in action? Get a free demo today.

Final Thoughts: Make Every Call Count

At the end of the day, every phone call is a chance to win a customer—or lose one. A phone answering service makes sure you’re always on your A-game, even when you’re not available. It’s not just about answering the phone—it’s about delivering amazing customer experiences, every time.

So if you’re ready to sound more professional, boost productivity, and make sure no opportunity slips through the cracks, it’s time to explore the Best Business Phone Answering Service in USA.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Let’s talk! Schedule a free consultation and discover how a virtual receptionist can help your business grow.

Why Your Law Firm Should Invest in a Legal Answering Service

team klientboost January 18, 2023

What is a legal answering service?

If the phone in your law firm rings constantly, it is a sign of demand for your services. Every call is important since communication and response is the primary key to business for an attorney at law. A call can either be for a new case, an existing one, or from a new potential client. So it is crucial to answer every single call.

Your responsiveness directly affects the retention of your clients. If the calls of a regular client are not answered or if a new client is not able to get in touch with you, they end up going elsewhere.

Having an answering service can make all the difference. Regardless of whether you’re in another client meeting or travelling, your calls can be answered and rescheduled to fit into your agenda. You can ensure proper responsiveness and satisfaction for your clients when their calls are answered professionally.

Benefits of a Legal Answering Service

Legal industries are a multi-billion dollar industry that generated a revenue of over $110 billion in the year 2020 alone.

Answering phone calls and responding to your clients is very important, but as a lawyer, you cannot be practically available to answer calls 24/7. This is where a professional and real time answering service can fill the gap for you and make sure that your calls are always answered professionally.

There are downsides to missing incoming calls but they can be overcome and turned into new opportunities simply by routing all your inbound calls to a live phone answering service. Let’s take a deeper look into how a live answering service can help legal professionals.

Faster response rates

While providing legal services to your clients, you need proper communication to focus on details. But you cannot afford to lose other clients waiting to get in touch with you. With the help of virtual receptionist services, you can improve the rate of response in your law office.

Having an in-house receptionist can only help so much but having virtual and live receptionists can expand the scope of your business. Client calls can be answered regardless of business hours, and you can also enable SMS texts for reminders and follow-ups.

No more missed calls

A missed call can be a missed opportunity. Did you know that over 80% of business communications occur over the phone? Every call has the potential to be of great importance when answered and a law practice practically requires round-the-clock availability. With the help of a proper law firm answering service, you can make sure that all your callers are promptly responded to.

Gabbyville’s supported CRM integration can also help you get back to your clients, document interactions and maintain the quality of your services. A growing legal consultation needs to have the ability to handle higher call volumes. A dedicated call answering service can help with this, increasing your client intake.

Higher lead count

Legal answering services are increasingly becoming an essential part of the legal industry. If you’re looking to increase your lead count and conversion rate, you may want to consider using one too.

In today’s fast-tracked busy world, anyone can require legal assistance at any time. If you are unable to attend to the personal injury of a client even once, your services can be overlooked entirely. This is where an attorney answering service comes into play. You can obtain additional leads and clients at any given point of the day (or night) without having to worry about your personal presence.

Positive first impression

In the line of legal services, there are endless possibilities to attract potential clients. But the real challenge lies when it comes to retention of new clients. You need to make a good first impression to ensure your new client continues to take your legal services.

You cannot afford to lose a customer on any grounds. Even language should not be a barrier. With a proper lawyer answering service, you can make sure that your trained bilingual receptionists can speak Spanish just as easily as they can speak English.

As per statistics, 79.2% of the US population speaks English, meaning every 2 out of 10 people speak a different language. Businesses in the US suffer a loss of over $2 billion merely due to cultural misunderstanding. Having a full-time bilingual representative for your law firm can eliminate miscommunications and keep up the standard of your business services.

Detailed appointment scheduling

The management of client intake process and call handling is an essential part of customer relationship management. Regardless of the size of your legal operations, you need to be able to make time for all clients. Valuing your customers is a crucial practice and your clients should not be ignored.

Having a dedicated business phone can help you manage all your inbound and outbound calls. You can efficiently focus on your work while your virtual assistant helps you with your appointment scheduling. You can be in a court, travelling or in a meeting but you need not worry about missing anything important because you receive alert communications giving constant updates and reminders regarding new developments.

With a virtual legal receptionist, you need not worry as they can assist you even after hours and maintain an efficient legal intake capacity of your law firm. All your meetings can be accurately scheduled and rescheduled based on your agenda for the day.

Ability to answer client questions

Law is a field of technicalities where a new or unexpected event can occur at any time. You need to have representatives with deep knowledge about the law and your firm to deal with any situations.

Virtual receptionists usually undergo a rigorous training scheme before they are deployed to represent your firm. They can handle all technical queries and give you constant updates about each call via SMS.

A lawyer’s job is not easy, but the process can be made easier with the help of a legal virtual receptionist. They can reduce your workload by answering simple queries and directing your clients in the right direction without overburdening you.

Gabbyville’s skills professionals are your solution

Improve the efficiency of your law firm with the help of Gabbyville’s legal virtual receptionists and ensure top-notch customer service available 24/7. Gabbyville trains your virtual receptionists who are warm enough to greet a customer with a smile and smart enough to handle any situation on your behalf.

We serve a wide range of businesses and provide numerous services like voicemail and text messaging. You can use our mobile app to stay on top of all activities in your law office and receive constant updates at reasonable prices.

Get in touch with us and clear all your queries before you hire us to answer the queries of your own clients.

8 Features You Can’t Ignore for Your Phone Answering Service

team klientboost October 20, 2022

What is a phone answering service?

Did you know that 89% of customers are more likely to buy from you again after a positive customer experience? This is where having a phone answering service for call handling comes in.

A phone answering service is an office that runs your phone calls while you run your business. In an ideal situation, you would always be available to answer or pick up the business phone. But think of it like a virtual receptionist who handles all incoming calls and outgoing calls for your company—except without the actual in-house receptionist.

Phone answering services have been around for some time, but with advances in technology, they’ve become more efficient and less expensive than ever before. If you’re serious about growing your business, a phone answering service is a must-have tool for keeping your communications flowing smoothly. While some companies set this up through their landline service provider, others integrate it into their voicemail system.

In this article, we will take you through the important features you should look for in a phone answering service before settling for one answering service company.

8 Features to Look For in Your Phone Answering Service

Now that you know what a phone answering service is, it’s also important to know the key features to look for in your call answering service when you choose one.

1. Unlimited Live Call Answering

When you run a business, you can’t always be there to answer the phone. However, if you own a business that deals with customer service, you know that sometimes having someone to talk to on the spot can make all the difference.

With unlimited live call answering, however, your office phone number is never busy. If someone needs to get in touch with you about an order or some other issue, they can do so 24/7—on nights and weekends too. All of our plans also include unlimited SMS messaging as well as voicemail transcriptions.

2. Call Routing

Call routing is a feature that is unbelievably important for businesses in all industries. It’s not just about having the right department answering your calls, but also about being able to keep track of where each call is coming from and what department it’s going to.

This ensures that you have complete knowledge of each customer’s interaction with your business, which will help you determine how well your company is serving them. This will also allow you to get back in touch with callers in a more timely manner than ever before.

3. Outbound Calling

If you’ve ever had a business call and were greeted by a recorded message, you’ve experienced what’s called an outbound calling service. An outbound calling service is basically a phone answering service that works on the opposite end of the line that you do. Instead of you dialing in to get through to your bank, your doctor’s office, or your grocery store, these companies make it easy for you by having an automated phone system already set up.

Outbound calling services are important for businesses because they can save them money on staffing and equipment cost. By outsourcing their inbound calls to an answering service, companies can free up their staff to handle more pressing matters that don’t involve spending time with irate customers or dealing with technical issues.

4. Accurate Message Taking

Accurate message taking is the cornerstone of effective customer support. For businesses in all industries, if you want to be taken seriously, it is imperative that your messages are handled by a professional who can transcribe the information quickly and accurately.

With this feature, your customers can receive the best service and rest assured that you stay on top of their business needs.

5. Appointment Scheduling

Scheduling appointments is at the heart of business, whether your company is a restaurant, a medical office, a veterinary clinic, a law firm, or a one-person operation. While it’s easy to take down a general idea of someone’s needs when they call to schedule an appointment, being able to accurately record the information you’ve gathered lets you provide better service and have a more complete record of what was said.

This also gives you the opportunity to use this information later on when serving them so that you can be sure that your service is exactly what they need.

6. Professionalism and Specialized Training

When you think of a business, customer service or the service provider may not be the first thing you think about, but it cannot be separated from the product or service itself.

Professionalism and specialized training can be the difference between a good business and an exceptional one. A good business is one that has a quality product or service. But an exceptional business is one that offers exceptional customer experience on top of that. First impressions are long lasting, afterall.

7. Personalized Greetings

One of the most important things to establish when a company opens is an effective live answering service. In fact, scripted voicemails can actually increase response rates from customers by 22%. A phone answering service can set you apart from your competition with just a simple greeting. Imagine calling several different companies and hearing the same generic, unimpressive answers to your questions or even worse, no answer at all!

With personalized greetings, you will have a real person answer on the first ring every time and that person will help you with whatever you need, whether it be information about products, services or even scheduling a meeting. This way, businesses don’t have to worry about overloading their employees with phone calls as well as giving customers what they want in terms of service.

8. Real-time Status Updates

The best way a telephone answering service can benefit businesses is by providing real-time status updates for your customers. Your customers can call and ask questions or express concerns about your company’s products or services and receive an immediate response when you have 24/7 live operators who are trained professionals to answer their questions and address their needs.

One example of how cell phone answering services benefit businesses is when answering calls from customers who need assistance with your products or would like to know more about your company’s services.

Gabbyville’s Phone Answering Service is Your Solution

No matter your service offering, Gabbyville’s professional phone answering service is ready to answer your calls. With Gabbyville at your side, you can feel comfortable that your customers are spending their time with a friendly and knowledgeable representative who can answer their questions and provide the help they need. Our dedicated agents can deliver solutions for after-hours answering, scheduling, and so on. Don’t miss out on your potential clients!

Gabbyville’s virtual receptionist service can be used by both retail and office environments. Retailers will find no downside to using Gabbyville’s phone answering service. When you’re busy with customers, you don’t want to spend valuable time away from the register or from helping customers in the back room answering business phones. If you wish to enable call forwarding for all calls, we’ll guide you through the procedure for doing so on an iPhone or an Android phone.

With our professional answering service, you can feel confident that customers are receiving great customer service, being helped right away, and spending more money because they aren’t on hold or waiting for help.

Get started with Gabbyville today!

Virtual Assistant Services Help Remote Workers Stay Connective, Productive

admin April 13, 2020

Our world recently became uprooted and our workplace – as we knew it – temporarily no longer exists. Within a matter of weeks, the number of individuals working remotely has skyrocketed. In an economy that is seeing a record rate of unemployment, those employees who are able to work from home have a great opportunity.

But, let’s face it – although working remotely is possible, not every business is set up to do so, right? And for those that are, it is not always a smooth transition. For instance, individuals may be able to use certain programs to access their desktops in the office, but what about the routing of calls? Who is going to answer those? And, then there is that need to come together with your colleagues for briefings and meetings – how is that supposed to work if everyone is working remotely?

You don’t need to worry. As all the kinks get worked out, you will find that there is help to get you through. And, the best part? Your company looks like you had an emergency plan of solid gold. Here’s how virtual assistant services can help remote workers to stay connected and productive.

Sound Organized and Professional

Let’s be honest here. With everything that has happened over the last couple of months, many business owners have been scrambling to try to make things work. Depending on the line of business you are in, you may have even had to get creative in ways to make money. After all, just because the world around us seems to be shutting down, you still have bills to pay and employees to care for, don’t you?

Well, customers love hearing confidence. And, when you are struggling, confidence doesn’t always shine through. Therefore, enlisting the help of some virtual assistant services, your business can sound like it has everything together – even if only by a thread.

The voice that the customer will hear will be professional, polite, and well-informed. He or she will make your business appear to up and running with smooth operations all around. And, that’s the impression that can give a customer confidence in your company.

Call Answering, Routing, Transferring and Messaging

Speaking of confident answers, how are your employees going to answer calls? Sure, they have phones at their desks, but what is going to happen when they are working remotely? This is often the part that stumps small businesses.

Phone systems are complicated. Don’t believe us, just take a look at that phone room or closet where all the lines are hooked up. In addition to this, there is a lot of virtual organization that gets one call from one place to the next with the press of a button. It’s not like you can just uproot this system and send it home with your employees!

There is something you can do, though – use virtual assistant services. They will answer your calls as they come in and can then direct the calls to the right person. Not only will this keep your business moving, but it will also allow the caller to feel the personal touch and the direct service. Essentially, it’s a win-win.

The very nature of some businesses will keep all employees from taking calls at home. And, it’s understandable. There are confidentiality and HIPAA protections and so on that can disrupt the flow of conversation. That’s ok, though!

Virtual assistant services don’t simply answer and pass on calls. They can answer calls and take thorough, detailed messages, too. If you prefer to receive your messages and either disperse them to your teams or handle them yourself, you can. You can feel confident in the delivery of the message each and every time.

Group Meetings and Conferencing

If your business is used to gathering up all the employees at certain times of the day, week, month, etc., for particular meetings, you may think you can’t do that while working remotely. For any ordinary remote work situation, you could call the employees into the office for a meeting.

Unfortunately, during our current situation with COVID-19 and social distancing orders, that’s not really a possibility. So, what do you do? Well, virtual assistant services can help with that, too. With ease, they can initiate multi-conferencing.

What does this mean for you? You can hold meetings with all your employees at once. The best part is that you don’t have to worry about setting it up – the VA’s can handle that.

Behind-the-Scenes System

While you normally work from your office, you know how to handle all of your daily operations. It’s smooth sailing. But, when you are thrown into a new virtual workplace, you find yourself in new territory. Things that you are used to doing with ease may even seem impossible now.

Here’s some good news – while you were busy perfecting your in-office routines, virtual assistants were busy perfecting the virtual workplace. Making use of programs and other capabilities allow one to work smoothly and efficiently from home – with assistance, of course. And, well, they can help you navigate.

• Answering calls
• Transferring or routing calls
• Returning calls
• Setting appointments or calling with reminders
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These are just a few of the services virtual assistants can help with – all with extensive hours. They offer a great system with a high-quality phone system so your business will continue sounding as professional as if you were in the office. Don’t let all these uncertain changes in the world around us get you down. There is hope.

Virtual assistants have the tools and the knowledge to make remote work simple and effective. That’s why it is important – as you find yourself in this new way of running a business – to reach out and talk to the professionals. Don’t venture through this unknown territory alone. Do it with the guidance of those who do it every day! By taking this extra step, you are making this transition easier for your employees – and thus maintaining their productivity.

With the utmost professionalism, no one will ever know your business model has temporarily changed. Instead, it will look like you are moving forward as if all is right in the world. Maybe even better!

Coronavirus Crisis Will Stress-Test Your Business Continuity Plan

admin April 6, 2020

Ah, the novel coronavirus that has millions of people around the world staying home, wearing masks, and finding a new sense of normalcy. It’s brought some unfortunate circumstances for businesses around the globe. With the majority of individuals required to stay home, businesses may be left unattended.

For business owners, the impact of this virus can be incredibly damaging. That is unless you were prepared! Wait – you are probably wondering how in the world you were supposed to know that things would get this bad, aren’t you? The world today is surely unlike any other time we have ever known.

Even if you had a plan in place for things like a natural disaster or a simple power outage, it likely didn’t cover you for the vast extent of the current situation. In other words, there’s a good chance your business continuity plan was not designed to handle the coronavirus crisis.

What Is a Business Continuity Plan (BCP)?

Before we move on, we should take a moment to discuss what it is. In short, a business continuity plan is put in place to keep business running in the event that it gets disrupted. A formal procedure with detailed instructions is created for a business to follow during certain instances where the course of normal business cannot be followed.

So, why do you need one? Because emergencies happen. Unexpected events happen. Nature happens. And, well, the coronavirus happens! Anytime something occurs that can change the way your business operates, it will have an impact on your business.

However, if you have a business continuity plan in place, then you know the steps that need to be taken to continue working and ensure the success of your business despite adversity. Keep in mind, though, the level of success you reach is dependent on how prepared you are.

Key Factors of a Business Continuity Plan

A business continuity plan won’t be much of a plan if you don’t include the key factors that will get you through:

Impact

Take the time to determine how a disaster (or international health crisis) may impact your business. These will include the financial as well as the operational impacts. Analyze where these impacts may affect your business so that you can know the areas you’ll need to address in your plan.

Recovery

What steps will you be able to take to keep your business running if the above areas are impacted?

Organization

It won’t do any good if you do all the planning and analysis, but don’t keep any organizational structure to it. Think about it – your business has an organizational structure for its daily operations. Who will handle the emergency plan? In what capacity? Develop a team and have it ready to roll should you need it.

Practice

If you solidify your business continuity plan and put it aside until it is needed, it may be sitting dormant for many years. Then, what happens? A crisis like the one we are facing today arises and your company scrambles to try to put it into place. You need to create your plan and practice it. That way, when the need arises, you are ready to move forward without delay.

Test the Plan, Plan the Test

Knowing you have a solid business continuity plan in place should you need it can greatly reduce stress in moments of crises – especially if that plan is ready to go with a moment’s notice. When you test your continuity plan, you are looking:

For the strong ability to be able to reduce operational downtime. Your plan should allow you to smoothly move from regular operation to emergency without any hiccups.
To retain the competitive advantage. When your customers can’t reach you, they will go elsewhere. Be prepared and be available no matter what.
For the best, most updated methods available. Seek expert advice if needed. Remember, technology is always changing so your plan should, too.

When Disaster Strikes: The Coronavirus Crisis

All of this brings us to today – to the incredible impact that the coronavirus crisis is having on our economy. Has your business been affected? Were you prepared? Most business owners have a plan. It may not have all the key aspects and it may not have been set in stone and practiced regularly. But, it is a plan.

As our normal operations have been completely uprooted, the key is to discover just how well your plan is going to suit your company – and how minimal the damage will be when all is said and done. And, well, honestly – if you find yourself in a sticky situation because the demands of this worldwide crisis were too strong for your continuity plan, it may not be too late.

Importance of Stress-Testing Your BCP

If your business doesn’t initially pass the stress-test, don’t fret. There may still be something you can do. Sure, being prepared from the get-go can reduce impact, but when it comes to saving your business, it’s better to be late than never:

If your employees are not set up to operate from home, don’t leave your work completely untouched. Reach out to a virtual assistant company who is set up to work from home and can assist with a variety of tasks.
Make sure all of your calls are answered. Even if your production line is down – be there for your customers when they call. If you can’t do this, hire a virtual receptionist.
–

Our online world has a fully functional backup system for you – and this is what will help your business pass the stress-test. Our country will get back to work – and things will come together soon enough. If you have faced this coronavirus without a business continuity plan, you may have taken a hard hit.

But, here’s the good news: now you know the importance of having a plan and will be better prepared for anything that may come your way in the future, right? In fact, it is not too late to take steps now to protect your business.

Time Management Strategies for Business Owners

admin February 26, 2020

Every day you wake up, you have precisely 1,440 minutes with which is use as you see fit. Here’s the catch though – if you choose to waste them, you don’t get a do-over. In fact, time is the one resource we encounter every day of our lives that we will never get back. Once it is gone – it is gone.

So, what steps do you take to manage your time? As a business owner, time management strategies are crucial. Too much time spent on one project, not enough on another, can leave you feeling overwhelmed and unproductive.

It is imperative that you know the best way to make the most of your time so that you can effectively and efficiently run your business straight down the path to success. Implement some (or all) of these time management strategies and watch your business begin to transform.

Practicing Time Management Strategies by Setting Goals

Before you do anything in life, whether personal or professional, you always want to set goals. These goals will help improve work-life balance – use way to monitor your progress – and make sure that you are heading in the right direction.

Your major goal should have stepping stones so that you can monitor your progress along the way. Setting time management strategies with having business goals in mind is a great way to put the focus on what you need to do – and when you need to do it. The key is to stick to your schedule.

Being Possessive of Your Time

As a business owner, there is a good chance that you have quite a network. And, if so, then you likely have lunch, dinner, or drink invitations regularly, as well as requests to attend conferences, webinars, and the like. Sound familiar?

Each time you say yes to one of these things, you are taking time away from work. If you feel you need to go, then go. But, it is ok to say no. Sometimes you have to get possessive of your time. Remember, you only have 1,440 minutes each day so how you spend it will ultimately lead to the success or demise of your business.

Learning to Delegate

Delegating is not always as simple as it sounds. In fact, some people struggle with it, choosing to micro-manage their business. Sadly, this is not the way to encounter the wisest of business practices. Many business owners who struggle with delegating often end up miserable – and their business never reaches its fullest potential.

It is important to note that delegating does not mean hiring more employees. Instead, you could outsource some of your tasks to a virtual assistant. Whether answering and transferring your calls, data entry, bookkeeping, finagling logistics, marketing, or something else – you don’t have to worry about these tasks because there is someone else who can do them for you.

Hiring a virtual assistant means that you can focus on the key parts of your business that need your attention while allowing everything else to be handled by a professional and trained assistant.

Mastering the Art of Self-Care

Believe it or not, some people forget to care for themselves. It is easy to get wrapped up into all that you need to do for your business that you forget the most important thing – the person that runs it! You!

Self-care is a term we hear a lot lately – and for good reason. After all, if you are in a good place physically and mentally, then how are you going to successfully meet your needs at the office?

Schedule a small block of time every day to practice self-care. This could mean going for a 30-minute walk or closing your eyes in meditation for 5 minutes. Even the smallest amount of time is better than none at all. Practicing self-care can give you the drive, focus, and strength to use the rest of your day productively.

Maintaining Your Focus

Daydreaming can be fun and relaxing, but it is not going to get the work done for you. The more you sit back and daydream, the less productive you will be. And, remember – you don’t get your wasted time back ever.

Get rid of distractions as much as possible and consider breaking your workday down into segments. Push distractions aside until the specific time at which you will address them. This will allow you to better maintain your focus in the current moment.

Taking 5 Minutes to Plan Your Day

What are you going to be doing tomorrow? Do you know? Have you thought about it? Walking into a room not knowing what to expect can throw you off a bit at first, right?

After you are there for a few minutes, you slowly begin to find your groove. The same thing happens when you walk into a new day. So, to keep yourself from teeter-tottering around until you get grounded for the day, walk into it prepared and ready to go.

Take 5 minutes each night to prepare for the following day. Take a look at your calendar, at your workload, etc., and know what the day ahead is going to look like – and how you will accomplish the most. This simple planning tool can give you the confidence to face your new day with ease – and save you time in the morning.

Automating Business Processes

It is important to streamline your business. With so many software programs and apps available today, there is no reason why you should still be handling the minuscule, day-to-day tasks.

To reach success with your business, it needs to flow smoothly from one step to the next – without someone standing there to make sure it does. Take the time to discover ways in which you can automate your business to reduce your need for spending time on certain tasks.

Time management strategies are one of the most important tools for business owners to have. Create a plan, set your schedule, and be productive. Invest in a virtual assistant to handle the rest. You may be surprised at just how much you can accomplish in the success of your business when you manage your time right.

Your Everything Guide to Virtual Assistant Services

admin February 26, 2020

Virtual assistants are incredibly helpful in all sorts of scenarios. Perhaps that is why people from all types of industries and backgrounds hire them. But, why? What can a virtual assistant do? And, why would someone choose to hire one? Let’s say that there is something you greatly dislike doing.

For instance, what if you have new accounts to enter into your system and you just don’t like the monotony? A virtual assistant can help. You may be incredibly smart when it comes to the services you provide, but you are terrible when it comes to knowing how to promote your service. Virtual assistants can help here, too.

And, maybe you are just well-rounded and great at everything, but time is not on your side. You are overflowing with work and you need help. Guess what? A virtual assistant can help you reduce the burden. Of course, these are just a few of the reasons why someone may hire a virtual assistant.

To get the full benefit of all they have to offer, it is important to understand the types of virtual assistant services available.

Answering and Routing Incoming Calls

How can you get work done if you are holding the phone all day? Not to mention that if you are involved in work, every time the phone rings, you are facing a distraction. This will decrease your efficient workflow and productivity. Besides, who wants to always be tethered to the phone? Sure, you have the choice to not answer the phone, but what does that say about you and your business?

One of the most common services that virtual assistants perform is answering calls and routing them appropriately. This is a simple task that can be done remotely – and the caller will never suspect that your receptionist is not sitting right outside of your office! It gives your business a professional appearance and allows you to stay off the phone and focused on what you do best.

Perform Outbound Calls

Phones work both ways, though, don’t they? That means many businesses have the need to perform outbound calls, too. Your business may have the need for someone to make sales calls. You could provide a script or simply have the virtual assistant make the initial contact with a potential buyer before transferring the call to you to secure the sale. This is a great way to sort out the real leads from those that will just waste your time.

Or, maybe you need someone to reach out to clients and schedule appointments – or even remind them of an already-existing appointment. Maintaining calendars and schedules, sending reminders to both you and clients – these are the tasks that virtual assistants are great at. And, believe it or not, they can keep you on track!

Bookkeeping Services

Large corporations often have finance departments loaded with bookkeepers. But, when you are just starting out or are a smaller company, hiring a full-time bookkeeper can be costly and unnecessary. Though, the other option of trying to handle it yourself can be frustrating – and take you away from what you really want and need to be doing. After all, you are not a bookkeeper.

Thankfully, you can hire a virtual assistant to handle your bookkeeping for you. With this option, you have someone who is skilled in the field handling your numbers for you when you need them, whether a couple of hours per week or a few hours each day.

Various Marketing Needs

Many business owners get stuck – they know they have a great product or service that other businesses or consumers would love, but they don’t know how to get the word out there. To reap the benefits of proper marketing, you have to know how to market. This includes things such as website building, content writing, social media management, and more.

There is a good chance these may not be your strong suit – and an even better chance that you don’t have the time or desire to consistently maintain them. But, guess who does. That’s right, a virtual assistant. Get your business known with a consistent, thorough marketing plan handled by your virtual assistant while you focus on your business.

Data Entry Services

Nearly every business has some form of data entry. Monotonous, repetitive keystrokes that can make you fall asleep fast. Maybe you get bored easily or maybe you just don’t type fast – or well. A virtual assistant can typically get your data entry completed in less time, allowing you to get your projects moving through the pipeline quicker while you get the freedom from the task. Sound enticing? We thought so.

Miscellaneous Other Receptionist Duties

Virtual assistants come from all backgrounds and all walks of life. So, what does that mean for you? It means that you are sure to find someone capable of handling exactly what you need to be done. Virtual assistants don’t just stop with data entry, marketing, bookkeeping, or telephones.

No, no. They possess an eclectic set of skills that allow you to benefit in many different ways. Many virtual assistants can handle a wide range of receptionist and executive assistant duties, including things such as:

▶ Planning and booking travel arrangements.
▶ Organizing and scheduling meetings between any number of parties.
▶ Assisting you in preparation for a presentation (both audibly and visually).
▶ Organize and prepare mass mailings.
▶ Event planning.
▶ Producing graphs, reports, and other items within spreadsheets.
▶ Responding to inquiry emails.
▶ Maintaining your social media presence across various platforms.

With all the possible skills available, there is no end to what a virtual assistant can do for your business.

The Bottom Line

Outsourcing work to virtual assistants can make better use of your current employees and free up your time, too. This allows you to get things done while making the best use of everyone’s time. In doing so, you are only benefiting the business in the long run. Higher efficiency leads to greater rewards.

And, well, virtual assistants can give you the opportunity to soar high. What could you use a virtual assistant for?

The Little Things Matter. So Delegate Already

admin October 20, 2016

By Rigor Arellano

It’s 11 p.m. You’re just about to get your final wink for the night when you suddenly remembered that ~~darn~~ needed email you forgot to send for tomorrow’s meeting.

Your baby starts to cry.

You begin to think that those fresh, smiling faces on ads about starting or growing your own business should be banned from TV. Well, maybe they just had VRs.

To start with, VR isn’t a gadget. But the number of VRs or virtual receptionists has grown considerably. One statistics offer an increase from 2,500 to 25,000 in just four years, and that was in 2012.

Today, there’s just about a VR for almost every business need, from booking cheap flights for trips to identifying an independent bookstore within a 20-mile radius.

In that spirit, here are a few more on what VRs can do for you and your business’ future:

Keep your emails and databases tidy

If you’ve read time-management tips or a book on things successful entrepreneurs don’t do, you probably now know to skip reading emails at the beginning of the day. And with VRs, you might never have to.

Managing your inbox (answering emails, making sure nothing’s missed, everything’s organized) is just one of the energy-consuming tasks virtual receptionists can rid you of. And simply because you didn’t become an entrepreneur just to consume 28% of your day emailing.

Then, there’s data entry. Whether it’s encoding a box’s worth of business cards you got from attending a conference or logging new social media contact details, there’s a VR for that too.

And if you guessed that a virtual receptionist can also act as your personal, online secretary then, “YES.” They can help plan your work day, schedule meetings, and even offer a fresh take on how you do business, depending on their background and expertise.

Make you look awesome online

If you want to establish or boost your online presence but find it financially and mentally taxing to set up office space for a new employee, then have a VA to write or create graphics for you.

The talent pool of freelancers has gotten wider globally over the years. In fact, freelancers account for 34% of the workforce in the US alone. That includes writers, graphics designers, SEO and SEM experts who are literally just a few mouse clicks away on freelancing sites like UpWork. Or even on LinkedIn if you will.

So whether it’s producing content that speaks directly to your target market or helping your business standout amongst the competition with a killer ad (or a Pokemon Go-related post), remember that there are VAs for those too.

And being virtually available, they already have their own computer and internet connection—two other things you won’t have to worry setting up any more.

Get you focused on more important things

Hiring VAs can do a lot for managing online stuff. But their skills extend to handling bookkeeping and payroll duties, event planning and management, and

print marketing.

It’s important to note though that good employees, office- or home-based, take after good employers as well. So it’s not enough to simply hire VAs, but also to determine your priorities and set proper business goals first.

So be sure to prepare well, as you would with hiring office-based employees. Albeit, less the stress of screening applicants, providing equipment, and splitting the limited office floor.

It is a latter of delegation, after all. And perhaps, with a clear set of tasks given to your VA, the next time you’re up at 11 p.m. and your baby starts to cry again, you’ll have more time and energy for that little thing that matters more. Much, much more.

Courage and More: What You Can Learn From Big Tech Company Decisions

admin October 4, 2016

By Rigor C. Arellano

One of the most successful and well-loved companies in the world launched its new iPhone sans a decades-old technology, the headphone port. In a word, it was “Courage.” In memes: Dongle.

Some argue that it’s arrogance, choosing company profits over consumer convenience. Others offer explanations as to why taking the controversial leap towards a more wireless future now is indeed bold, especially from an entrepreneur’s standpoint.

But whether you’re rooting for Apple, Samsung, Google or Huawei; there’s something we can all take away from big company decisions like this: an example.

Think long-term

Nobody with limited resources, time and energy (who doesn’t?), would plan to put up a sustainable means of living for it to last only a few weeks. Thus, the efforts you take now must be drivers toward your end goal.

Think iTunes.

Before it’s launch, music was ubiquitously believed to be sold and enjoyed only by purchasing entire albums. Apple changed that when it made music downloadable at a dollar each, eventually entitling us to listen to music we liked anywhere, anytime. Till this day, it continues to bring in revenues for the company, and even, the music industry itself.

Apple is undoubtedly no short-term thinker. It thinks differently; it thinks ahead. And going back to its newest phone, some analysts actually speculate that the removal of the headphone port on the iPhone 7 is a step towards what the company will have (figuratively and literally) in store for its users next year, the iPhone’s 10th anniversary.

Side note

Should you purchase the iPhone 7 or wait till next year? It depends.

If you’re the kind of consumer who replaces your smartphone every two years to take advantage of new technology, then go for it. And in the spirit of planning ahead, getting enrolled under the iPhone Upgrade Program would probably suit you better.

Also, it’s the first iPhone that is dust and water resistant (like ip67 class; goodbye liquid damage) that starts at 32GB of storage and is priced the same as the iPhone 6s Plus.

If you happen to lack the money (or will) yet to buy the new iPhone, remember that being content with your current iPhone isn’t a crime. It’s never good to impulse-buy, especially if it would risk you going beyond your means.

Besides, iOS 10 is free, which according to this tech guide, feels like having a new phone anyway once installed on your phone.

Change isn’t easy

Chris Myers for Forbes placed it right: Consumers are a finicky bunch. We crave innovation yet dislike transition.

But whether we’ll stay loyal to a brand, or for those of us in the middle-ground to become actual promoters, relies mainly on an entrepreneur’s ideals and intentions. It also helps a lot if you make any major product or service shift desirable for us in the long haul, despite feeling the pains of adjustment.

Were our benefits in mind when you planned and implemented the change? We can tell.

When Apple finally confirmed the fears of some, bidding the headphone jack adios, some point out that it’s only because it wants us to buy the AirPods or other of the wireless headphones that Beats is offering. Perhaps. Is it a deplorable act for a business to do so? Certainly not.

Will we be heading onto a future of missing AirPods, or one of realized sci-fi dreams of a wireless world and where a virtual assistant is summoned by a simple tap on the ear? Time will reveal.

Meanwhile, here is a video from Business Insider of an Apple user testing out its AirPods:

Don’t rush it to profit

Much ado with quality has much to do with customer loyalty. Throw in an awesome system for support, and you’ll be remembered as a company that cares.

It is a lesson that Samsung knows very well, having gained a steady number of followers around the globe through the years. In an unfortunate series of events however this 2016, the highly-anticipated Galaxy Note 7 came out too early. Rather, too soon.

Samsung execs apparently heard a rumor that nothing heavy is going to happen with the new iPhone 7, and thus rushed all processes to beat the Apple product in both features and release date.

Of course, no well-meaning company would deliberately cause its customers any harm. (Because just why?) But the tighter deadlines that suppliers and processors had to meet apparently resulted to many of the products bursting into flames. And Samsung is sadly reaping lawsuitts.

Perhaps that adage is true: Haste makes waste.

Failure may be a drawback, even for big companies. But nevertheless, it is an unmistakable and important part of entrepreneurship—if you find the means and will to learn from it. That takes courage and more.

How to Hurt Your Online Sales: Let Your Website Load 3 Seconds Longer

admin September 18, 2016

By Rigor C. Arellano

What could happen in 3 seconds? A 10-percent drop on your online sales, apparently.

This is according to research made by Dynatrace, which says that many customers will abandon a shopping website if it doesn’t load within three seconds.

Impatience and irony

John Rakowski of AppDynamics said that consumers who are accustomed to “lightning fast speeds through the use of tools such as Google search” have higher than ever levels of expectation. “A slight glitch can leave them feeling disgruntled,” he added.

Sadly, despite the general increase in internet speeds worldwide, websites have actually become slower from last year said the company, pointing out causes like third-party connections to social networking sites and chat functionality.

Globally, the average page load time has gone from 4.2 to 4.5 seconds. In the U.S., website response time has increased up to half a second from 2015.

And while we can work on the ugly tolls of technology like impatience and forgetfulness through healthy means later, here are a few things you can start doing now to catch up with faster loading times and save your site’s potential loyal customers:

Look into CDNs

If you’ve ever wondered why larger websites load faster despite their rich content, it’s partly because they use CDNs or content delivery networks. This service delivers a website’s static files like images and CSS to servers that are near a user’s physical location. Less data travel time, faster website loading.

Loading is fine, when cache is good

Be sure that when users visit your site, it leaves a cached version of it on their computer. Remember those static resources like images? Browser caching means they are stored in your user’s device so that your web page will load on their end faster. Unless the cached version is changed, it will save a lot of time requesting data from your servers, and thus, the more efficient loading time. (Want to know more about browser caching? Learn how here.)

Get a new image format

Save bandwidth by having photos of different sizes and resolutions on your site. Either you can have your photo editor to have it optimized for the web or use tools like Adaptive Images and similar programs to help.

New image formats like JPeg XR can lighten your image’s weight between 20% to 50%. images actually take up 61% of a website’s page weight on a desktop computer according to the HTTP Archive.

Poor plugins, poor performance

As the age-old question for many goes, “Substance or style?” While plugins can bring new features and make your site look cooler, if they cause your website to not perform then, you might already know the wise answer.

More plugins equate to more loading time. So be sure to have a list of all the plugins you have and see if some duplicate functionality or simply isn’t doing its intended job or giving you your desired results. It will also add simplicity to your site, and can even leave a better impression on your customer’s online experience. (For more tips on faster page loading, check out this article.)

Weighing things down

Providing a rich multimedia experience to your customers via your website’s new features or solid-looking images can definitely do your businesses’ branding and even online reputation good. Who doesn’t want an outstanding piece of digital land on the World Wide Web after all?

But given that online users, particularly shoppers, are becoming more time-conscious, you might want to consider soon applying more efficient page loading strategies.

With that said, having a mobile version or an app of your online shopping store can now be considered a must. Essentially, with wireless networking travelling at new velocities than before, your items will load much faster on a mobile device, what with smaller-sized content to process and all.

Thinking of having a mobile version or an app of your online shopping store? It can do a lot for your business; in fact, it can now be considered a must. With wireless networking reaching new velocities, your items can be seen much faster on a mobile device, what with smaller-sized content to download and all.

The internet after all has long been considered as the “information superhighway.” And now we see that its commuters are becoming wearier of any waiting time, and it’s growing by the second. Now could be a good opportunity for your business’ website to catch up. Or later. Oh well. Time is ticking.