Business Tips Archives - Page 6 of 6

A Virtual Receptionist Makes Your Business More Professional

admin October 2, 2015

Why do you want to make you business more professional? If you get the job done, what difference does it make, right? For most businesses, this cannot be further from the truth. If you want clients and customers to actually work with you, then you need to be as professional as you can. And even if you have little to no interaction with clients or customers, chances are you have a competitor, and if they are more professional than your business, then you can bet your bottom dollar that the customer or client is going to choose them over you.

So it is important to be professional, we have that much covered, but how can you do it? Most small businesses are working on a very tight budget, and most of the big ways to seem more professional require major systematic changes. Fortunately, there is one addition you can make that will make your business seem more professional to clients, and it will actually make you a lot more professional by increasing your efficiency and productivity. That simple addition is getting a receptionist. You shouldn’t get just any traditional receptionist though. With full time salary, benefits, vacation, the chance of them calling in sick and leaving you high and dry, and so much else, there is a lot of risk and cost involved for a small business with taking on a new receptionist. No, what you need is a virtual receptionist.

Virtual receptionists are very similar to traditional receptionists except they do not have any of the previously mentioned faults, they have numerous benefits, and they do not cost anywhere near as much. But how will this virtual receptionist make you more professional? Well, the first and simplest answer is that it will give all of your clients a great impression of you and your business when they call or email you and are answered by a trained voice that is ready to help them. At some virtual receptionist services, well at least at Gabbyville, it is their biggest goal to make sure every caller is welcomed and appreciated. They strive to make sure their smile is heard over the phone. Plus, they are there to work for you. They want to see your business succeed too, and you can work directly with them to get just the right personal touch to really make it your own. Having that trained, professional voice answering the phone will give off the impression that you are a serious business, and it will set you apart from your competitors who probably do not have a virtual receptionist like you.

Being professional is about more than just an impression though. If you are really wanting to take your business to the next level, a virtual receptionist is still the right option for you. Think about all those inane calls that you have to answer all the time. No one seems to tell you when you are just starting out, but moving up in a business often means just answering more phone calls, emails, and texts. You never get to work with what you actually should be doing. You never get to do the real part of your job. A virtual receptionist makes it all possible. You don’t have to worry about those calls with all the same questions or responding to another email with the same complaint for the hundredth time. Your virtual receptionist can take care of all of that while you take care of something more important. Plus, you virtual receptionist will make sure you get to those more important things too. They will organize your schedule and send you reminders when you have places to be or things to do. You can personalize this service too. Your virtual receptionist can send you reminders by phone, text, or email. The digital connectedness of your virtual receptionist is definitely a benefit, and it will make you a lot more professional and effective in this growing digital world. In the instance that you need to take a call, though, when you think it is important enough for you to handle, your virtual receptionist can get that for you too. They can transfer the call to you like a traditional receptionist would, but they can have that call transferred wherever you want it. Maybe you are on a beach somewhere, and you need to respond to an important call. Your virtual receptionist can have the call transferred to your cell. After all, taking breaks is part of being professional too.

A Real Estate Agent Can Set Themselves Apart With A Virtual Receptionist

admin September 7, 2015

A real estate agent can be a really great job. Depending on where or how you work you might be able to set your own hours. You might be working from home and your own boss. Not to mention, you get to see the insides of lots of different houses and see where other people live. All joking aside, there are lots of downsides to working as a real estate agent too. You probably get a lot of phone calls of people wanting to list their home with you or looking for help buying a home. You are moving around constantly as you go from house to house and meeting to meeting. It can definitely get tiring.

A receptionist would be a great way to get a lot of those stresses off of your back. You would not have to worry about missing calls from potential clients when you were trying to make a sale. You would not be so tied to your phone, and you would be more scheduled. This would help you get to all the showings you and meetings you need to get to and never worry about being late or forgetting anything. Unfortunately, receptionists are not cheap. For a profession that is largely dependent on home many sales you make in a single month, it can be very difficult to hire someone on a full salary. Plus, you would have to give the receptionist benefits, vacation, and so much more that would really eat up an extra profits you would make from having a receptionist in the first place. While all of that is true, it does not even consider the extra cost of buying or renting a space for your receptionist to work from. This is a huge expense that you might not have considered if you are working from home and thinking about hiring a receptionist.

Don’t misunderstand, we think you should hire a receptionist, but let us tell you about a different option that you might not be familiar with. It’s called a virtual receptionist, and it’s so much more than it sounds. Unlike a traditional receptionist, a virtual one does not need a physical space because they work out of their company’s home base. They do not need a full salary from you because you are paying for a subscription. This also means you do not have to worry about providing benefits at all. Overall, this will save a ton of money.

And that lower price does not get you any lower quality. In fact, especially with virtual receptionist services like Gabbyville, you are getting even better service than you would with a traditional receptionist. At Gabbyville, for example, their goal is to make sure that every caller can hear the receptionist’s smile through the phone. That is to say that your callers will always feel welcomed and listened to. Virtual receptionists are dedicated to making sure that their customer care is as valuable as you want it to be. You can work closely with them to ensure that they have all the information they need to cooperate with all of your potential callers. Plus, they will never be away from the phone during work hours. That’s how dedicated they are to you. A traditional receptionist might be away on vacation, sick, taking leave, or any number of other things. A virtual receptionist service will make sure you have a team of professional receptionists ready to answer your calls at any time. Since the whole team is working for you, there will always be someone there to answer that call.

Plus, a virtual receptionist has other special qualities that a traditional receptionist does not that can allow you the chance to get away. Maybe you’ve had your eye on that vacation to the beach, but you have been too worried to step away in case you miss a possible business opportunity. A virtual receptionist will answer your calls even while you are gone. Any important business that comes through can be sent to you via text, email, voice message, or any other method you prefer. That way you can treat yourself with that relaxation time. After all, you deserve it. You made the great decision to hire a virtual receptionist!

Are You A Tech Startup? You Need A Virtual Receptionist

admin September 1, 2015

Starting your own technology company is a lot of work. If you are starting from the ground up, then there is a lot to do and a lot to keep organized. You will probably be fielding a lot of calls and trying to get investors, make money, and sell your brand. You will also want to distinguish yourself from competitors. In all honesty, there are a lot of tech companies trying to get off the ground right now, and it can be hard to stand out amongst all of the others that are flooding the market. How do you set yourself apart, stay organized, keep in touch with clients, investors, and other and seem professional while doing it? It might seem like it is impossible, but keep to it, and you will be bound to make it. One thing that can help you ensure you make it, though, is a virtual receptionist.

A virtual receptionist is almost as trendy as having a tech startup. Just like the name sounds, a virtual receptionist works much the same as a traditional receptionist, but it operates entirely digitally. This is a great benefit for a tech startup. Everyone will have a receptionist, but a virtual receptionist that works digitally makes sure that your clients and potential investors see that you understand the tech market and know where the next big thing is. A virtual receptionist might seem like a scary idea though. How will they give that personal, positive interaction that an in house receptionist would bring? At least with services like Gabbyville, virtual receptionist are dedicated to offering the same customer service that a traditional receptionist would offer. At Gabbyville, for example, their goal is to make sure the caller can hear their smile through the phone. They will make sure to work closely with you to provide a personal, courteous, and welcoming demeanor to your callers.

“But an old fashioned receptionist would help me get organized with everything I have to do,” you might be saying to yourself. Luckily, a virtual receptionist can do this too and even better. A virtual receptionist will help keep you organized, on time, and they will do so entirely through calls, messages, and emails. They will help you keep a calendar with your appointments on it. They will then use this to send you text messages, phone calls, or email reminders to make sure you are where you need to be and when you need to be. They will also send any files, documents, voice messages, and anything else to you in any format you need. If you want a voice message sent to you, then they will have an email waiting in your inbox. They can also have pertinent documents faxed to you and texted to you if you prefer. With a virtual receptionist, then, the goal really is to have things functioning the way you want them to.

Perhaps the most important feature of a virtual receptionist for a tech startup is the cost. Surprisingly, the cost is lower with a virtual receptionist than it would be with an old fashioned receptionist. “How can that be with all of these services they offer?” you are asking yourself. Well, if you think about it, then it makes a lot of sense. A virtual receptionist does not require a full salary or benefits of any sort. Instead you are simply paying for the subscription to the service itself. This alone will already be substantially less than hiring a traditional receptionist, but there is more too. A virtual receptionist means that you do not have to rent or buy a physical space where the receptionist can work from. This will be a huge cost benefit for you and your business if you are still in the very early stages of your startup. Finally, a virtual receptionist will always be present. A traditional receptionist will need to go on vacation. They will also take sick days, lunch breaks, leave early sometimes, and they might even leave the job entirely. This would leave you high and dry for those periods of time when you do not have anyone answering the phone, and it can be a huge mistake for a startup to miss a call when it is just starting out. A virtual receptionist will be there throughout all of work hours and, along with everything else, will make sure you don’t miss that call with the million dollar offer to invest in your company.

The Top 4 Ways Your Telephone Can Be Your # 1 Business Resource

admin July 3, 2015

Amidst these busy technological times when it seems that everything is being programmed or operated by some robotic voice or algorithm, it is easy to overlook the telephone as one the most important Business Resource. Yet, it’s hard to imagine any business, especially a small business, operating without it. In fact, for many businesses, the telephone is their top resource, and they aren’t even aware of it. This post, then, hopes to illustrate the four biggest ways that a small business can use a simple resource, like the telephone, to increase their business.

1. Personal Connection with Clients and Others

When you’re trying to run a business and you are worried about all the various aspects of a company, it can be easy to forget about the clients that really make the whole thing work. Making a personal connection with those clients that is built on mutual understanding, service, and dedication is important, and it is the primary way any business will continue operating. The telephone, then, should be greatly valued in any workplace. Every phone call to a client is a chance to sell your goods or pitch your service. By putting a good foot forward and establishing a positive rapport with the client, you are increasing the likelihood that they will return and want to do business with you. On the reverse side of this, a bad phone interaction can leave a sour taste in a client’s mouth and cause them to go elsewhere. Do not underestimate the value of the telephone in providing customer service.

2. The Low Cost of the Resource

Imagine having a customer service representative for your business that does excellent work at little to no expense to your business. Turns out, you already have one of those if you have a telephone. Along with being a great customer service tool, it can also be used for scheduling, organizing your company and its assets, and so much more. If you invest in a receptionist or a virtual receptionist service, the potential benefits of your telephone only increase, and the cost remains at a very low level considering all it provides. Furthermore, chances are your business is already paying for telephone services, so make sure that your business is getting everything out of it that you can.

3. Your Business Can Always Be Open (And You’ll Never Miss An Opportunity)

Getting business is, of course, very important, but it is almost equally as important to not lose potential business. If, for whatever reason, a potential client cannot reach you or get in contact with you, you are practically guaranteeing that they will not look into you further. Luckily, having a telephone means that you are just a few digits away from anyone’s specific desire to speak with you or inquire about your services. It was mentioned in the previous point too, but if you employ a receptionist (especially a virtual receptionist), you can even further ensuring that potential clients can get in touch with you at any time. This is true, too, of suppliers, employees, or business associates. The telephone means that you never have to worry about missing out on someone’s emergency or a change of plans – especially with the help of a receptionist or virtual receptionist service.

4. It Can Save You Time And Money

We have already discussed how the telephone does not cost very much, especially considering the benefits it supplies, so it is already clear how it can save you money. This fact is true, however, in other situations too. With a receptionist, for example, you are allowing yourself the freedom to move away from the phone or direct your attention to another matter that might be more pressing than an impending phone call. Voicemail or a receptionist means that you can go on to your next project, speak with someone else, or even take a break while still resting within the comfort that you can get back to the call when it is convenient to you. It’s great to be busy, but if you can’t be busy on your own schedule, then you will never get everything done that you need to do. A telephone lets you do all of it and more.

Beating Business Burnout with Virtual Receptionist Services

admin April 30, 2015

In the corporate world, taking on more responsibilities such as accepting a mid-level or management position has its own upsides and downsides. Sure, there might be a slightly higher pay check, and you might get a title, but certainly your hours are going to increase, and your stress is going to double…at least!

Due to the said drawbacks, some get to the point where they simply want to survive the workload and go on with their day. Because of the need, many turn to virtual receptionists for call answering and other similar services. By doing so, they become stress-free because they don’t have to do all the work-related tasks themselves.

In addition, they easily boost revenue and even cut the time as well as the effort that it takes for certain jobs to be accomplished. As straightforward as it may seem such advantages can go a very long way in the corporate world.

For managers and business owners, the said services are quite useful as they can easily beat business burnout since they give the luxury of delegating tasks, balancing work and personal matters, and prioritizing important duties, among others. Such features are essential because saving your focus and energy for client visits and high-level tasks is important if you are in a manager or owner position.

Because of the abovementioned advantages, many small business owners are employing virtual receptionists to aid in operations since they are affordable compared to full-time assistants. This is essential because the ability to be efficient and stress-free is a powerful tool in today’s fast-paced and competitive business sector. In fact, for some, it has become indispensable.

Conclusion

If not addressed, business burnout can lead to chronic stress and decreased productivity, which in the long run can lead to monetary losses. The good news is: with technological advancements like live receptionist services, you can easily prevent this from developing. With this, you can easily make business burnout a thing of the past. So, if you’re a business owner with a no-nonsense personality, signing up or the said service is the way to go.

Increase The Productivity On Your Office

admin March 19, 2015

After some time, working in the office may become boring to the point that employees start to slow down. In turn, it may affect the overall efficiency of your business and therefore hinder productivity.

With this, boosting productivity at the workplace becomes utterly important if you want to maximize your return on investment (ROI). The good news is: it is entirely possible and can be done with a change of habit. Simply put, there are so many ways to get things done with less time.

For instance, there are times when your employees feel sluggish to the point that work hours become unproductive. Instead of making them work through it, it would be best to give them a well-deserved break to help them feel refreshed.

Another great strategy that employers like you should consider is teaching your subordinates to multitask—multitask with efficiency—that is. Remember, doing things simultaneously gets the work done with less time. On the other hand, this may result to employee burn out and to counter this, it is essential to apply such strategy in a gradual manner.

You may also give clear instructions with regards to cutting the bureaucracy. Not everything needs your permission, so it’s good to delegate tasks and define their priority levels. The goal here is to encourage them to develop a sense of autonomy to do things on their own.

Furthermore, simple yet effective remedies such as hiring live virtual receptionists can yield great results when it comes to increasing overall productivity. These trained experts are well-versed when it comes to handling calls with quickness, liveliness, and utmost efficiency. After a while, your company will reap endless benefits that you won’t obtain from other channels.

Bear in mind that we are in an age where almost everything is high-tech; as such, it would be best to tap its full potential to ensure your company’s success. One way to achieve this is to hire virtual receptionists that will handle your call answering service, appoint meetings, and keep track of schedules.

In conclusion, if you are given the chance to hire someone who can help you focus on the bigger parts of your business, then by all means, grab the opportunity without hesitation because this is arguably the best thing that you can do as a business owner.

7 Ways to Cut Cost For Your Small Business

admin March 9, 2015

Starting a small business is guaranteed to be pricey, that’s why entrepreneurs targets to find ways to cut cost in starting a new business.

What others do not realize is that cutting on expenses can also be a great way to boost your company’s profit. For example, hiring a live phone answering service for your small business is guaranteed to cost less than an in-house receptionist.

Use Cloudsourcing – Cloudsourcing involves hiring highly-qualified experts to do the job with the fraction of the cost of an in-house employee. These online employees such as freelancers and virtual receptionists can be employed within just a set period of time and it depends on your needs. By using cloudsourcing, you don’t have to hire an in-house employee that requires a full-time payroll plus the benefits to be given.

Hire Interns – In relation to freelancers, calling up your local colleges or universities for interns can be a great alternative to full-time employees. Students can perform the company’s required task with little to no cost at all.

Use Open-Sourced Software – Instead of using expensive and licensed software/operating system, there are a plenty of open-source or free applications that works just as efficient with the genuine software. Linux’ Ubuntu and Open Office Productivity suites can be found over the Internet.

Ensure Excellent Customer Service – Taking care of your main source of profit (the client/customer) is also essential in cutting-cost for your business. By making sure that customers are well-taken care of, they will in return, encourage others to patronize your service or product.

Use The Power of The Internet – The Web has made everything easy and accessible that’s why utilizing it is a smart way to do. Free publishing, advertising and even affiliate marketing is just some of the things you can find on the internet for free.

Purchase Only What You Need – Although buying in bulk supplies may cost less than its price per unit and most will only go to waste especially when you don’t need it. As a small business owner, focus more on your current needs and not what you think you’ll need afterwards.

Go Virtual – Having an actual office is a great thing to have but it costs a lot of money. By having your company utilize telecommuting, you will eschew the need for an in-house receptionist for your small business.

By taking advantage of these awesome ways to cut cost, along with some business acumen, you’re rest assured that your new business will run smoothly..

Challenges A Small Business Will Encounter

admin March 3, 2015

Starting a business can have its share of hardships. However, having a business that can be called your own is what all entrepreneurs aspire to have.

Starting one is hard but keeping it afloat is even harder. There are challenges that every entrepreneur will face whether the business is small or big but, there are problems small business owners will encounter more than usual.

Lack of Skills or Experience – Most, if not all small business owners can be considered new to the field. Although some may say that they have some semblance of experience by working on the same industry, it has still a significant difference between working versus running a company. Lacks of skills are also a big roadblock as it makes the entrepreneur prone to fatal errors when running a business.

Hiring Employees – Running a business alone is hard to do that’s why hiring employees to help is necessary. For small business owners with limited options, hiring freelance workers is a good alternative. Virtual office receptionists are also a great substitute to in-house employees and it also cuts cost.

Finance Management – Managing funds is important to EVERY business whether it’s big or small. Making a profit is why people start a business in the first place. Having enough money to pay for bills is important that’s why usually, pledging business owners are working a day job while starting their business. Gathering extra funds to build the small business, cash reserves and to cover emergency needs.

Time – Time is indeed gold in the world of business. Having enough time to manage all the necessary things for a company is definitely a challenge. Running a company is also a waiting game. Expecting instant success is inadvisable so having enough time and patience is a big challenge to starting entrepreneurs.

Handling of Clients – Small businesses has it hard when handling clients, more so when the individual is angry. With limited employees and a lot of paperwork abound, managing a business is getting harder and harder. Luckily, live receptionist answering services are available to help remedy this business dilemma.

Assuring Quality and Quantity – There will come a time that a small business will grow and get big. And when it does get big, managing the quality of a product or service will be more difficult. It’s almost an inescapable situation where a company begins to sacrifice a little bit of their quality to accommodate the high demand.

Managing a small business will always have its share of roadblocks. However, an entrepreneur must not allow these challenges to hinder them on reaching their goal of building their own start-up companies.

Making Your Business Grow With The Help of The Internet

admin February 25, 2015

By making almost everything accessible, the Internet opens many gates to help you grow your business. Industries such as marketing; gaining clients and even live answering services can be easily found on the web.

One big benefit the Internet gives to your business is that it’s virtually free. It makes everything accessible with little to no cost.

Essential factors such as free advertising and free publishing can be easily found on the web, therefore increasing your visibility to customers and gives the potential to yield more profit.

Creating a website is also a great way to grow your business. Benefits such as ability to display your products or all of your services, extending business hours to 24 hours and 7 days a week and posting information such as blog entries like these that can be seen globally. With these capabilities, it already gives you an equal status with big companies.

An extension of your company website creating social media accounts, sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and even Instagram are the usual tools that can upstart business uses.

However, it is not as simple as that. By creating an account, it also takes dedication and strategy. If you want to make your business grow with the help of social media, knowing and listening to your target audience is the first step.

Another is creating or sharing relevant and well-written content for your audiences to read. You have to ask yourself, “Will my clients/audience benefit from this?”, and “Will they like it”? It’s also interesting to add if the content you provide will make your readers share it to their own social media accounts.

Nowadays, making the content viral is one of the major keys in increasing your company’s reach into the World Wide Web. The key on making a viral-worthy post by all means is creating an eye catching headline that will surely make the reader be more interested on what he/she is reading.

Other services you can find in surfing the Internet when you look for an online secretary, you can find these virtual secretaries that you can hire to manage your client’s queries and concerns. Also, one bonus they provide is an excellent customer service and at the end of the day it will leave your clients happy and satisfied.

Tapping the power of the Internet to grow your business is not that easy. But with the right tools and careful planning, your company’s goal will be reached in no time.