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How to Find the Right Virtual Office Receptionist
Finding the right virtual office receptionist is important in moving your business forward. Since the receptionist plays the role of a telephone contact person with the public,it’s important that this person represents your business properly. Choosing a voice for your company should come down to four crucial factors: experience, professionalism, tech savviness and time management.
The Right Voice 
Your live virtual receptionist should be friendly and someone with strong communication skills. The job requires knowledge about the history of your business and its image. The candidate needs to be able to learn company information quickly and demonstrate an understanding and loyalty to the company. The right voice is someone who can answer all the simple common questions about a company, as well as project an engaging personality that helps expand relationships. It’s a community position that could have a huge effect on how the business is perceived.
Professionalism
The virtual assistant must treat clients in a way that they feel they are served in a timely manner. The position involves respecting clients and resolving conflicts. It requires a mature thinker who can clarify confusing situations. It’s all about keeping heated situations under control. It requires an understanding how to treat people fairly and give them a sense of comfort. The receptionist must be easy to train about company policies. To find out how well your clients are being treated, call them up sometime and ask.
Technology
It’s essential for your live virtual receptionist to keep up with technology, at least for work that pertains to office management. The individual should at least know about Microsoft Office and QuickBooks. Being familiar with Word documents and Excel spreadsheets helps the business save time and money. Find out the extent of a virtual assistant’s knowledge, whether it includes graphic arts, web design or programming. You can save a lot of money on overhead the more you can consolidate several jobs into one position. Since the tech world is always evolving, it’s important to find a receptionist who enjoys learning about new software.
Time Management
The key to the success of a live virtual receptionist is how well they can efficiently manage time. They need to make significant accomplishments that can be measured several times per day. You will need to communicate to the receptionist prioritized tasks, so that the most important jobs get done first. The best candidate is the one that effectively saves you the most time to concentrate on organizing and growing your business. An ideal virtual receptionist can handle a variety of assignments within a reasonable time frame.
About Jim Jacques
Jim Jacques is the President of United Virtual Office, a leading nationwide provider of virtual offices for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses. A virtual office includes an address at a prestigious business location in the US, live virtual receptionist, courier services and more. Google +
How to Become a Live Virtual Receptionist
‘Virtual Reception’ is a fast growing industry that enables businesses to add a personal touch to an automated system,without having to limit their customer service stemming from the burdens of additional costs. A Live Virtual Receptionistis generally an independent contractor that provides professional administrative and secretarial services to clients who have virtual offices. They’re trained to perform these different aspects of administration remotely through the use of the Internet and a home office equipped with necessary communication devices.
If you’re interested in becoming a live virtual receptionist you must first familiarize yourself with the answering service industry. Usually working in virtual offices requires applicants to have an employment history accented with various clerical and customer service ventures. It’s a good idea to have this experience going in, as you will be dealing with various callers and interacting with them at different levels.
To become a virtual receptionist today begin with the following steps:
Research. Once you know what is expected of a live virtual receptionist, you can then harmonize your skills and better present your resume to potential employers. Your resume should be geared toward customer service and your ability to interact with the general public.
Polish your skills. You must make sure when relaying messages that you transcribe them as accurately and concisely as possible. Virtual Answering Services have customizable policies and requirements. As a live virtual receptionist you want to make sure you know the specifications of the company you are providing the service for.
Prep for the interview. During the interview you will be scrutinized on your ability to perform and handle potential cliental. Employers will test your ability to problem solve and measure how well you handle general conflicts that may arise from interacting with callers. Keep calm and you’ll do just fine.
Apply. Look in various facets of employment marketing. View local newspapers, magazines and search online. Virtual Receptionist jobs are everywhere!
About Jim Jacques
Jim Jacques is the President of United Virtual Office, a leading nationwide provider of virtual offices for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses. A virtual office includes an address at a prestigious business location in the US, live virtual receptionist, courier services and more. Google +
5 Ways to Create and Run a Successful Business
- Reduce Office Costs. One of the easiest ways to start and maintain a successful business is to reduce office expenses. Many businesses can use a virtual office solution to run their office, reducing the need for on-site employees. Virtual Offices can be used for any type or size of business and entail many benefits, including saving money on office space/leases, having a prestigious business address in major markets across the US, having a Live Virtual Receptionist handle all of your calls, proper meeting and conference facilities/resources and so forth.
- Reduce Communication Costs. Using virtual phone systems will allow you to never miss a call while not having to install expensive phone systems for your business. These virtual phone systems will take calls around the clock, forward messages to you if required, and act as an office assistant. Phone networks, and their associated operating costs, can be one of the largest expenses for a small business.
- Go Digital With Documents. Having all of your paperwork in digital format will reduce a lot of unnecessary printing expenses, as well as save room in your office. Unless it is very necessary to have forms on hand, all documents should be digital and only printed on demand. This is also very friendly for the environment, which all businesses should strive to be.
- Hire Contractors Instead Of Employees. If you need sales reps to promote your business, hire them as a contractor for your company and pay them a commission. This will greatly reduce your tax burden for employment taxes, reduce your insurance costs, and limit your liability.
- Use Free Advertising. There are many ways that you can use free or low-cost advertising to promote your business on or off the Internet. Take the time each day to promote your business using free methods, and you will see a significant increase in your earnings.
About Jim Jacques
Jim Jacques is the President of United Virtual Office, a leading nationwide provider of virtual offices for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses. A virtual office includes an address at a prestigious business location in the US, live virtual receptionist, courier services and more. Google +
Why Businesses Need to Find Their Perfect Employee
In the current economic and business climate we find ourselves in, finding and retaining that perfect employee we all love so much has become much harder. There are strategies, however, to find great employees and then, once that happens, it’s up to you to keep them happy and make sure they don’t leave.
Putting your company out there online and utilizing job recruitment websites and bulletin boards is the first things you want to consider. Most prospective employees are turning to online job searches as their primary tool in finding new employment. Job seekers these days are all too familiar with employers referring them to their websites for an online application. So many of them do not inquire at your place of business anymore. Take advantage of this trend by maintaining a high level of online saturation to attract that perfect employee.
The business employee of the modern world is also very interested in flexibility. Looking at virtual offices with a live virtual receptionist ensure a high level of flexibility, and with many mothers returning to the workforce, flexibility is huge. Companies that let the employees pick their shifts and are flexible about hours and childcare issues tend to produce happier and more productive employees. And when this happens, your retention rate shoots through the roof.
There are always good employee prospects out there, its just about finding what’s perfect for you and your business. Keeping them in this high turnover environment is a difficult challenge, but one that if conquered will give your business a high level of success. Many companies simply embrace the fact that employees are not going to stick around forever, so the mood and environment at the business project that onto the employee. This in turn contributes to a high turnover rate, one that we have seen in the past five or so years. Businesses that go out of their way to ensure employee happiness do much better than those that accept turnover as inevitable. Small things go a long way with workers and you should not underestimate the impact a small gesture can make.
Taking advantage of the online job seeking trend, being a flexible employer and maintaining a happy work environment are small things that can go a long way to building a successful company.
About Jim Jacques
Jim Jacques is the President of United Virtual Office, a leading nationwide provider of virtual offices for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses. A virtual office includes an address at a prestigious business location in the US, live virtual receptionist, courier services and more. Google +
How Unanswered Phone Calls Only Hurt Your Business
There has been some very good news on the economy lately. Things are slowly improving; however businesses are still struggling and cannot afford to lose any customers. Also, as technology continues to advance and the Internet is available almost everywhere due in large part to smart phones, there is an expectation from customers that the business should be available to them all the times and from wherever they might be.
Virtual Office Answering Services is a great and affordable option to provide access during off business hours. Many small businesses cannot afford a phone answering service around the clock and the same time cannot afford to lose any customers. Statistics show that over 30% of customers that call after hours will not leave a message. No business can afford not having access to more than a third of their customers. The magic pill to resolve all these issues is phone answering services.
Live phone answering services provide an affordable alternative to have a live person answer to customer issues when the business owner is not available. Since such services are available online, the business owner has access to their customers anywhere, anytime. Quite often customers leave a business due to how long it takes to have their problem resolved. With phone answering services, businesses can respond to any outstanding issues quickly; thus increasing the customer satisfaction.
Technology has made customer service the backbone of success for a business. Through the Internet word travels fast and no business (especially small businesses) can afford to lack in customer service. A virtual phone answering service for a small business is no longer a want but a need, since growth and survival might depend on it.
About Jim Jacques
Jim Jacques is the President of United Virtual Office, a leading nationwide provider of virtual offices for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses. A virtual office includes an address at a prestigious business location in the US, live virtual receptionist, courier services and more. Google +
Business Flexibility Really Improves Your Overall Health
Starting a business can be an expensive affair. From office space, transportation, hiring employees to paying rents and wages, the list is endless. And the most crucial issue? Time. That’s right! As the saying goes, ‘time is money’, which is probably the most important when it comes to day-to-day business operations.
Problem? Nope, because this is where virtual office services come into the mix. The way we do business in today’s world has transformed with the introduction of the virtual office solution to business hardships. Now you can sit at home or anywhere in the world you want to be for that matter and run your business without the countless stress that comes with office space.
Virtual offices provide myriad business services, a permanent street address at a prestigious business center, Live Phone Answering Services, mail services, fax services, physical conference and meeting rooms and much more. Virtual offices literally take away all the stress and headache from business owners and allows them to work from home or anywhere in the world.
What could be better? This not only makes things easier for new business start-ups, but it also saves a lot of money for business owners. You can now literally go green with a virtual office. And the most important of all is that the entrepreneurs can have an improved and healthy lifestyle. Yes, such flexibility to work from anywhere improves one’s health tremendously. Since you save time on transportion and other business related things, you have more time to exercise and have a healthy lifestyle. You can hit the gym and still attend you clients phone calls, as your virtual office phone answering service forwards them to your cell phone.
All in all, virtual offices have made life so much easier and more profitable for business owners, and not to forget much healthier as well. With such services at your doorstep, you can definitely lead a much better lifestyle. Mentally, physically and, of course, financially.
About Jim Jacques
Jim Jacques is the President of United Virtual Office, a leading nationwide provider of virtual offices for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses. A virtual office includes an address at a prestigious business location in the US, live virtual receptionist, courier services and more. Google +
Phone Answering Services: Why Virtual Offices Are Perfect For All Professionals
A Phone Answering Service is a telecommunications package offered by Virtual Office Services. You can either avail an automated one or a live phone answering service where a real person answers your virtual office phone.
A phone answering service is very useful for all kinds of professionals.
- Accountants: Phone answering services have features like voicemail, reception answering capabilities and no physical handsets. They even offer local telephone numbers which makes it perfect for accountants who want their clients to know that they provide the absolute best customer service.
- Attorneys: Attorneys need to be as professional as possible. Without the space and resources for receptionists, they now have the option of opting for a Live Virtual Receptionist to handle their phone calls all day, everyday. This is especially important when their in court because their phone will be answered, messages will be taken and the attorney can call their client when they are finished with the hearing.
- Doctors and Dentists: The main focus for doctors and dentists are their patients. This means that they have almost no time to attend to calls. A virtual phone system ensures that they don’t miss any of their calls, even when they are tending to a patient. It also cuts down on costs because Virtual Phone Systems are much more affordable than having two or more receptionists.
- Small Businesses, entrepreneurs and startups in all industries: Small businesses and startups are not ones for big budgets. Hiring a staff, regardless of how big, requires space and budgets. In those early days, a phone answering service can help them save on both. It also helps those who travel, as they can be on the road (or on vacation) and still be “open” for business, which is extremely important for existing business, new opportunities and eventual growth.
Along with various features, phone answer services also have flexible packages to suit your needs. They’re not expensive, don’t take up space and are efficient thereby making them ideal for almost any professional in any industry.
About Jim Jacques
Jim Jacques is the President of United Virtual Office, a leading nationwide provider of virtual offices for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses. A virtual office includes an address at a prestigious business location in the US, live virtual receptionist, courier services and more. Google +
Save Money with a Virtual Office in Los Angeles
Owning a business should be about the quality of services and products you offer, not your location. However, the area where your office is set up often plays a large role in the number and type of customers you attract. While having a large city office would be certain to draw more interest, it’s an expense that few business owners can afford (especially small businesses). After all, who wants to spend their entire income on rent?
Thanks to the services of Virtual Offices, you can now enjoy all the benefits of having an office based in Los Angeles without the price tag that comes along with purchasing or renting the space.
With a Los Angeles virtual office you can have an office in a large, thriving city in a prominent, reputed building/area regardless of where the work is done or you are located. While running a successful business requires a lot of time on the road or traveling around the globe, you can always direct your customers to one secure and impressive office location. (And you can also have everything managed for you, including phones answered, when you go on vacation!).
Along with your virtual office, you will also be able to see a picture and description of the building where your office is located; these buildings were built with high-class businesses in mind and can certainly impress anyone. If Los Angeles is not your area of choice, you can also choose from a wide variety of different cities around the country.
Not only do virtual offices in Los Angeles give you a prestigious business address to display to customers, you can also set up a Los Angeles phone number where clients can reach your office through an answering system or even a live virtual receptionist.
While location is far from the most important part of any business, your address can make a huge impression on customers. Set up a virtual office in Los Angeles and start showing your clients that you’re serious about your work.
About Jim Jacques
Jim Jacques is the President of United Virtual Office, a leading nationwide provider of virtual offices for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses. A virtual office includes an address at a prestigious business location in the US, live virtual receptionist, courier services and more. Google +
Office Space for the Future
Virtual offices are steadily becoming the number one go-to option for businesses now and for the future. These offices can save business owners time, they’re energy efficient and extremely cost effective. Virtual offices come professionally prepared with amenities such as office equipment (i.e. fax machines, copiers, and scanners), office furniture and decor, phone answering services, conference rooms, and in some offices, a live virtual receptionist is also included in the package.
Virtual office space is in high demand due to the overwhelming growth of businesses that require self-managing offices. Business offices that are virtual can bring organization by minimizing the stress and hassle of trying to keep up with everything yourself, such as the costs of utilities, office supplies and countless other maintenance expenses. Having office space is very important for a business owner, whether they are large or small; office space is a very important component of a successful business.
There are a number of management companies that offer virtual office spaces for business. The costs will range depending on the location of the office, the amount of space and the amenities included. Some management companies will offer monthly leases while others will offer leases for six months, a year or even greater. But for the most affordable virtual offices in the most prestigious locations, check us out. That’s why we are the industry leader.
About Jim Jacques
Jim Jacques is the President of United Virtual Office, a leading nationwide provider of virtual offices for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses. A virtual office includes an address at a prestigious business location in the US, live virtual receptionist, courier services and more. Google +
Will I Have Technology Support?
Economic times are tight for many businesses these days. Many small businesses cannot keep up with the costs of renting a brick and mortar office and paying the salaries of a secretarial staff. Unfortunately, there is still a real need for to have a live human on hand to answer the corporate phone, and for closely related clerical work. In the face of these issues, many businesses are turning to a virtual office solution to meet their needs.
One of the best ways to save money while maintaining an adequate level of service is to use a live virtual receptionist as a professional, pleasant point of human contact for your customers. Reputable virtual offices limit the number of businesses each receptionist takes calls for, so customer service will always be available in a timely manner. If customers must be briefly placed on hold, they will hear soothing music instead of being left to cool their heels in a blank silence. A quality virtual assistant will screen, prioritize and forward your calls by the criteria you set, so your highest priority calls can always be forwarded to you immediately.
In addition to the human touch of a live phone answering service, virtual assistants can forward both faxes and voicemails to your email inbox, where you can deal with them at your convenience. A virtual office solution can help manage your calendar and schedule your appointments. A live virtual receptionist may make calls for you as well as receive them; reminding your contacts to keep their appointments and helping you find new customers.
About Jim Jacques
Jim Jacques is the President of United Virtual Office, a leading nationwide provider of virtual offices for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses. A virtual office includes an address at a prestigious business location in the US, live virtual receptionist, courier services and more. Google +