Dealing With Changes In The Workplace

admin March 23, 2015

Change is the only thing that is constant in this world; this is true both in our personal lives and in the business field. Because of this, adaptation has become a must-have virtue in the business world to the point that it can actually make or break a company or a professional. That is why the ability to adapt is important nowadays. It is the most essential weapon in your arsenal if you’re a business owner who wants to trump competition in an effective an efficient manner.

Furthermore, the said virtue will bring endless benefits to your business and to achieve this, you need to develop a combination of attributes – some of which – are elaborated below.

Acknowledge That Change is Inevitable

To deal with change, you need to acknowledge that change is bound to happen. This is most true in the office because of countless challenges that a business may face. One moment you’re chatting with an office receptionist and the next thing you know, you’re dealing with a virtual secretary.

Keep a Positive Attitude

Now that you have accepted that change will happen, it’s time for you to, say, add a dose of positivity to the workplace. For starters, being optimistic and maintaining an overall good attitude will not only uplift you, they will also add a sense of purpose to the office.

Think Long Term

When changes happen, always think of the bigger picture. What you have to realize is the fact that most often than not, they will be for the better in the long run. With regards to this, you should ask yourself if replacing the good ol’ secretary with a virtual receptionist who specializes in answering service is a good option.

As meaningless as it may seem, it should be noted that a telephone answering service has a huge potential to help your company. Now, the choice is yours if you’ll go for it or not.

Summing up

Change, we all go through it, no matter how hard we try to escape. At home, at school, and eventually at the office, it is inevitable and is necessary for business to prosper.

Putting the mentioned factors into consideration, learning to adapt is a little something that both business owners and employees should embrace if they want to lead a promising future.

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.

Building Customer Relations

admin March 16, 2015

They say that growing your relationship with clients or customers is one of, if not the most essential part of running your business. Whether you own a modest small business or company, connecting with your clients is important.

Question is how do you develop a good working relationship with your customers? Here, we attempt to answer those queries.

Employ Good Receptionists – It’s usually your first line of defense. In charged of giving the first impression of your company, hiring a professional answering service is an effective way to build the foundation with your clients. GabbyVille’s virtual receptionists handle your calls with empathy and professionalism.

Get To Know Them – This is basic. Its common knowledge in order to connect with your customers is that you get to know them first. You can start by reviewing their names whenever you address them. Over the phone or face-to-face, mentioning your client’s name create a sense of familiarity.

Give Top-Notch Customer Service – More than just hiring a good answering service, connecting with your clients also lies on giving them the best possible service. By having access 24/7 and a courteous customer service representative, you’re sure that your clients are more than satisfied.

Make Them Feel Special – Making your client feel special will definitely build a strong relationship between you and them and this gives you a better opportunity to connect with them. Gestures, like sending them a holiday greeting or even offering them an all-exclusive deal, your connection with your patrons will surely grow.

Listen To Your Customers – Your business falls in the hand with your consumers. It determines if you cannot be measured regarding your client’s satisfaction. Pay attention to what to what they are saying from your social media accounts, e-mail hotlines and phone calls to your company. If their suggestions or concerns are sensible, give it a serious thought within your company and find a way to achieve it.

Reward Your Most Loyal Customers – Loyal customers’ means that they bring the business with repeated transactions with you and recommending you to their peers. These loyal customers deserve a reward from you. More than just providing them quality service, you can give your customers special discounts or a regular customer program.

Building relationships and connecting with your customers gives you the edge from others. By keeping your loyal clients happy, your business will inevitably grow.

6 Common Misconceptions About a Virtual Receptionist

admin March 11, 2015

As the digital age grows bigger, a lot of companies are now utilizing the benefits of virtual receptionists. However, some business owners are still reluctant with this kind of service.

Misconceptions and misinformation are the usual norm whenever there is a new form of technology.

Various answering service companies, such as GabbyVille strives to provide crucial information on what implementing a virtual secretary is all about.

1. They Can Only Do Few and Simple Tasks – On the contrary, besides answering live calls; they can also take detailed messages and send it via email. Return personal calls on your behalf, create multi-conference calls, give appointment reminders and even play your favorite “on hold” music.

2. It’s Expensive – The main reason why majority of small to medium-size business owners prefer virtual answering services is that it’s more affordable than hiring an in-house receptionist. You only pay for the minutes you have used and do not require you to pay for employee benefits.

3. You Would Not Know What’s Going On – One common concern the owner has is that he would not be up to date to what is happening since virtual assistants are not physically in the office. Here’s the thing, even though you’re virtual employee is not in your office, you will still be up to date with all that is happening with your business. From calls coming in to messages left by your clients.

4. It’s Just an Automated Voice – Contrary to the popular notion that they are just androids, here in GabbyVille, our virtual receptionists are live and actual people is answering your client’s calls. The only difference is that, instead of working in your office, they are located from our headquarters.

5. The Responses Are Scripted and Generic – Another misconception. Although they are well-trained to stick to a script, they can still adapt their talking skills from person when needed. Also, the scripts provided are customized to reflect your preferred handling of your client’s calls.

6. It Requires You To Sign A Long Term Contract – Employing a virtual assistant only requires you to pay for the minutes you are using. Depending on your preferred package, you avoid the hassle and technicalities, you only pay for what the minutes you need.

To conclude today’s blog entry, misconceptions arise when dealing with a new process or technology. But as they say, these queries can be handled and solved if enlightened.

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.

How Virtual Receptionists Handle Irate Customers

admin February 27, 2015

One way or another, we all have encountered customers that are hard to handle. Clients, especially the angry ones make some transactions a little complicated than the usual.

Of course, handling them is also just as hard, so a lot of you are looking for answers on how to handle irate customers. However, encountering an angry one can also be a learning experience.

Whether you are a customer service representative, a virtual office assistant or an on-site receptionist that are handling these kinds of clients, here’s some easy-to-follow tips on how to handle them.

Listen – As they say, you have to learn how to listen. Let the customer say all their grievances, concerns and questions. As they talk, assure them that you are listening by giving them an appropriate response. It’s important to let them say their concerns as it also gives them the chance to calm down.

Be Professional – Maintain your professionalism. All through-out the call, your number one weapon against an angry client is to be professional. Business answering services just calmly responds to customers when they start spewing offensive words.

Let Them Give Their Opinion – Give them the benefit of laying it all out. Not just their grievances, but also their opinions regarding their concern. Let them express what they think without giving judgment.

Use Words That Offer Solution – Words such as, “I can do it sir”, “Definitely” or “Sure” can give a big impact on your caller. It shows them that you are willing to do anything possible to help them resolve their issues.

Contain The Problem – As much as possible, make it a point to remedy the issue just by you. Although there are times that your superior needs to be involved, fixing the problem by yourself will show that you can handle the pressure.

Deliver An Apology With Grace – It does not matter if the customer’s complaint is valid or not. The key to making your customer stay in your service is through a sincere, well-thought and graceful apology. Besides an apology, also offer a promise that by next time, your company will get it right.

Show Some Sympathy and Empathy – More than just listening to their plight, you also have to show the customer that you understand what they feel. Also show the customer that you can feel what they are going through.

Solve The Problem – Lastly and most importantly, nothing calms an irate customer than solving their problem. It’s the main reason why they called so attending their concern surely trumps whatever anger they have felt.

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.

Benefits of a Virtual and an In-house Receptionist

admin February 22, 2015

Receptionists are usually the first person your client ever meets. They are your first contact to your customers and they give the impression your company wants to project.

Live receptionists are the norm for many companies. However, as technology develops, new trends are employed and company offices are advancing to adapt technology on their daily tasks. Nowadays, small to medium-sized businesses adapt in the use of a remote receptionist.

Although both have its valuable benefits, below is a detailed comparison of an in-house secretary to its virtual counterpart:

Virtual Receptionists

Work Hours Are Maximized – Providing more than just plain answering services, an online secretary provides exceptional service by always answering calls during work hours. No breaks and no vacations, a virtual receptionist will maximize every hour you’re paying for.
Remains Professional – They still maintain that professional aura with your clients. With calls answered attentively and quickly, your company’s image greatly benefits from it.
Skills & Expertise – With matching speed, attentiveness and proficiency, your customers are assured to be well-taken care of.
Consistent – Consistency is also one of their biggest key traits as they are always available and will strive hard to get the job done.
Cost Efficient – The biggest benefit of a virtual receptionist lies in its affordability. Reliable and highly efficient, their service does not require additional budget and incentive, such as healthcare & overtime pay. You only pay for their actual hours of work.

In-house Receptionists

Live actual receptionist can still provide something its virtual counterpart cannot. Although the virtual ones can carry task between calls, tasks that require a more complicated process can also be suited to an actual human staff.

Can Be Given Extra Tasks – They may also be given additional jobs that a virtual one can also do, such as clerical tasks like copying files, arranging schedule and working as your assistant on urgent matters.
Fluid and Natural – It is also interesting to add that you and your customers can interact with live actual receptionists. Conversations can be spontaneous, resulting into an interactive transaction between clients.
Gives Added Security – An in-house secretary can, at times, assume some security officer function such as verifying employees’ identification, issuing passes for visitors, and most importantly, observing and reporting suspicious people.

As the years go by, the functions of a receptionist have expanded and the roles have evolved. No matter what the nature or the size of your business, the choice falls directly on your preferences.

Introduction to the Capabilities of a Virtual Receptionist

admin February 18, 2015

Far from just answering and forwarding your calls, the role of the Virtual Receptionist has definitely expanded and has now came a long way in recent years.

Serving as your office assistant, it aims to help your business to be more efficient in handling clients. From receiving calls, appointing schedule, forwarding messages and setting-up multi-conference calls, these outsourced agents are always available, will not throw a fit to an irate customer, objective, and always answers with a smile. They aim to provide small to medium-sized business owners all the benefits of an on-site receptionist while also reducing cost and allowing them to stand at par with big corporations.

Although the role of these virtual receptionists can be traced during the expansion of Information Age, it can be argued that Apple’s SIRI technology contributed to the popularity of this technology. Serving as a personal secretary, the SIRI application assists you in tasks such as making a phone call. Many followed suit as expected. From Samsung’s S-Voice to Google’s Voice Search, the convenience a they provide is now used by a wide range of people.

Many companies still employ the use of in-house secretaries but technological developments along with its more affordable cost make many corporations use this innovation.

Their role has greatly expanded over the years. Ranging from simple tasks such as live phone answering, taking messages and appointment reminders, to more personalized tasks such as giving customized call greetings, multi-conferencing and playing your favourite “on-hold” music.

Huge advancements with regards to communication has greatly benefited the industry. Callers or clients may be led to believe that receptionist is really in your office!

The technology is also becoming more and more sophisticated. Making it personal like never before, these virtual secretaries can screen calls with regards to your status. Whether you’re available or busy attending other matters, your virtual staff will not only take a message, but it will also forward calls to your provided number.

Companies can have remarkable benefits from a receptionist who receives and screens its clients. By providing a cheerful but professional answer to its customers, a good impression can boost your company’s image and make you sound like a Fortune 500 Company.

It is indeed, a great time to be alive as virtual office receptionist services are now made more accessible. The future is now and we are at the threshold of a new era.