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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 +
Does Accent Matter For a Business
Accents are disappearing among American English speakers. And, it’s sort of sad. Y’all hearin’ me?
As accents disappear, so goes a little of our individuality and character. We are morphing into a nameless, faceless, voiceless mass. After all, what is Paula Deene without her accent? Very, very rich!
There is a slightly discernible feature in the voice and timbre of just about everyone. But, television has homogenized the ear until persons of color, immigrants, and everyone else from every part of the country pretty much the sounds the same. It’s even harder to differentiate the voices on national radio venues.
There was a time when people from one part of the town needed subtitles to understand neighbors from another part of town. Social classes and ethnic origins were betrayed, and education only moved you from one parochial voice pattern to another.
Now, people just like us really are not people just like us. And, with the proliferation of outsourced customer service, we get down right annoyed and impatient with operators who don’t sound like Tom Brokaw or Katie Couric.
Businesses big and small should listen to their operators and receptionists. You need a personable receptionist, hand-trained in your business and products. You need the voice of credibility, not smothered with a heavy regional or in-articulate accent.
Your office can be anywhere your public voice is. A turnkey virtual office can connect nasal Philadelphians with throaty Georgians, Boston broad vowels with soft Texan twangs, backwater Virginians and Arizona Navajos.
- Let your virtual office:
- Forward calls to your phone.
- Give notice of voice-mail and fax receipts.
- Process customer phone orders.
- Schedule appointments.
- And, provide 24/7 customer service.
- And, much, much more depending on the package you like.
Now, don’t be getting your voice in a tizzy! There are plenty of wonderful receptionists out there with great phone voices – even some with accents. Some of the best even play their accents up, and many a customer loves the sweet tones they know are toying with them. But, as often as not, the caller needs clarity and understanding. They may not be confident in either with the accent of someone they don’t know.
About Jim Jacques
Jim Jacques is the President of United Virtual Office, which provides business owners with virtual office services to help them save money and grow their business. Virtual Offices include a prestigious business address in myriad U.S. cities, Virtual Phone Services, courier services and more. Google +
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Time Management Strategies for Attorney’s to Increase Productivity
Time is money no matter what your profession, but lawyers deal with many duties at one time. Successful multitasking is not necessarily part of the curriculum for law school. Organization is the key to improving productivity in a legal office. Time management for attorneys is paramount because the details are critical. Lawyers can use tips and tricks to improve their skills and adapt a time-efficient lifestyle.
Good Morning Sunshine
The early bird gets the legal worm, as they say. Start the day earlier to get some personal chores out of the way. Even just one hour will give you time to exercise and avoid spending part of your workday at the gym. As you sit and eat breakfast, go through the to-do list for that day and plan. Create a travel route that makes the most efficient use of your time. For example, whether you have to pick up court documents or your dry cleaning, schedule the trip at a time you will be in the area.
Organize by Assignment
Time management for attorneys means good organization skills. Create a template to help structure time for new cases. When you get a client, break the workload down by task and objective. Create lists of questions that need answers for during investigations. Develop a workflow chart that every person working on the case can refer to while doing his or her part. Add deadlines for tasks as much as possible. Even better, delegate and have a secretary or paralegal do this for you.
Don’t overbook your time. Instead, outsource work when you can. This could be case related items or just general office management. A live virtual receptionist is a cost-effective approach to managing the phones, for example. Save your valuable time for supervision and fire prevention.
Create Virtual Offices for Lead Generation
A lawyer spends years in school learning how to interpret the law, but that doesn’t bring clients to the door. Most attorneys need to spend some time looking for business, especially in the beginning. Technology offers a solution to this problem through telecommuting.
Virtual offices are the new-age way to handle time management for attorneys. A virtual office allows you to hire someone to do the legwork and marketing without spending the time or money on a physical location. Setting up virtual offices will allow you to micromanage the situation via the Internet or phone. That frees up time to deal with the actual legal requirements of the job.
Between court visits and digging up new clients, an attorney can easily end up spinning his wheels when trying to build a practice. Time management for attorneys is a necessity in the legal business world. Utilizing the modern tools available today will help lawyers stretch their time. With proper time management, attorneys increase productivity and decrease stress to balance out their lives.
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 Startups Benefit by Having a Virtual Office in New York
Successful startups and New York City are a match made in heaven. Over 40 startups have been acquired this year to date, and the city’s reputation as a hub for talented entrepreneurs shows no signs of slowing. The big apple has been a global center for finance and fashion, and it’s more recently become a center for technology and innovation.
In a city where rent is notoriously among the world’s highest, what’s an entrepreneur working out of their Brooklyn apartment or the Madison Square Garden Starbucks to do?
Many local innovators are discovering that using a virtual office in New York fits their need for a professional image on a limited budget. You need space that’s as nimble, flexible and innovative as your business plans, and a conventional office arrangement isn’t likely the best choice. Here are some of the most popular benefits:
Mail Forwarding Service: You need a real address for correspondence with clients, potential investors and contacts. While a P.O. box might be more within you price range, can you really afford to reveal you’re not in a permanent brick-and-mortar structure? A virtual office gives you a real address in a prestigious business area (i.e. on Madison Avenue) without the need to sign a lease.
Reception Services: Never let your calls go to voice mail again when you’re in a meeting or sleeping off an all-night coding session. Your calls can be answered by a trained receptionist at your New York virtual office.
Meeting Space: While you might be able to work from home, being able to schedule meetings with associates in a furnished, non-residential space matters. Take advantage of furnished offices and conference rooms in the same office as your virtual address.
Temp Employees: If you need help on a short-term project but can’t commit to full-time employees, use talented staffing available through your virtual office in New York to get what you need to done.
About the Author
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.
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 +
United Virtual Office Adds More New York City Virtual Office Addresses
Known by monikers such as the “Big Apple” and “The City That Never Sleeps”, New York City is a global icon. Often described as the cultural capital of the world, NYC boasts a multitude of renowned landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, United Nations HQ and the Empire State Building, and is an important center of international diplomacy and commerce. Aside from the cultural spotlight New York City perpetually receives, its also an excellent city for businesses to establish a presence via a New York City Virtual Office, and we have just added even more virtual addresses in the city.
With a prestigious business address located in the heart of the city-Madison Avenue, Broadway, Third Avenue and One Penn Plaza- you give your business a piece of the limelight that New York City perpetually bathes in, attracting clients not just within the city, but all over the nation.
The most impressive factor, however, is the savings you accumulate as a result of avoiding the costs associated with leasing a physical office space. Use these savings to invest in other aspects of actually growing your business and improve your business’ foundation. Moreover, the immense New York metropolitan is hardly homogenous. Millions of people are in need of all kinds of services, presenting startups with a prime opportunity to expand their reach.
The number one reason people launch or expand their business in New York City is that its, of course, New York City. For the past several centuries, NYC has been a symbol of entrepreneurial opportunity, and the city continues to live up to its reputation today.
Getting a Virtual Office in New York City means you don’t have to spend money on an expensive office space downtown and instead can get a prestigious business address to show off to both current and prospective clients. And if you want to hold meetings or conferences at your address, you can rent out the fully furnished, state-of-the-art space so that people know you’re a legitimate player in your industry.
With a Live Virtual Receptionist to handle your phones calls, faxes and mail, whats not to love about everything a New York City Virtual Office will provide for your business ventures?
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 +
Virtual Offices: Why You Need One
Virtual offices can be an indispensable asset in the modern business world. Virtual office services are being utilized by an ever increasing number of companies, particularly small businesses and new startups. If you don’t know what all the fuss is about, read on and learn about the advantages of a virtual office.
Save Money
This should hopefully be an obvious answer: the money savings. The potential savings when compared with a physical office are unchallenged. The rental cost of an office space is no longer an issue, nor is the cost of maintaining and furnishing an office (i.e. computers, office equipment, hiring a cleaning staff, etc.).
Break Down Barriers
When location doesn’t need to be taken into account, your choice of applicants for each job within your company expands greatly. Maybe the extremely talented and ideal job candidate is located in Barcelona, or you require a level of cost effectiveness that is only offered by workers in another continent. When you’re working from a virtual office, it’s not a problem.
Enhance Business Image
We live in a dog-eat-dog world. With all businesses endeavoring to get to the top of their niche, competition is the name of the game. As a startup or small business then, one of the most important things to do is create an image for your brand that is strong, reliable, innovative and recognizable. Because virtual offices give you a prestigious business address in the city of your choice, you are telling your current and prospective clients/customers that you are a leader in your industry.
Think about it this way. If, for example, you’re trying to decide between two marketing firms to work with for your company, there are many things you’re taking into consideration. One of the most important? Legitimacy and brand image. If one of the companies has its headquarters on Madison Avenue in downtown New York City, and the other one is out in the suburbs, you are going to gravitate towards the firm located downtown, even if it’s only subconsciously.
Virtual offices give you that prestigious business address to set yourself apart from the competition while also attracting a large pool of prospective clients, including a phone number and mailing address. And if you want to hold meetings or conferences in your office, you can. The offices are fully furnished, state-of-the-art and are available for you to rent.
Live Virtual Assistant
Many entrepreneurs get started with a very small budget; because of this, they are often unable to hire administrative staff to assist in the day-to-day running of a business. This leaves them with stacks of simple, but very time-consuming and consequently costly, tasks to take care of while, at the same time, trying to launch a business. Virtual offices can benefit from a Live Virtual Receptionist: a cost effective virtual assistant to answer your phone calls and keep the business running smoothly, all for a fraction of the cost.
Reduce Stress
Perhaps the biggest advantage of a virtual office is the reduction in stress levels. Working in your own space, without the noise and bleak atmosphere of some offices, as well as removing the need to commute for any length of time, makes a dramatic impact to stress levels and improves productivity.
Remember, this list is in no way definitive. Enquire today and experience the advantages of virtual office services first hand.
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 +
Benefits of Having a Virtual Office in Florida
Florida is a state famous for its pristine beaches, beautiful weather and affable people. With tens of millions of visitors every year contributing a whopping $67.2 billion to the states economy, its no mystery why Florida is a goldmine of opportunity for businesses of all types, as well as tourists.
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Businesses with a presence in Florida can look forward to a boost from the states thriving tourism industry. In fact, according to a recent survey conducted by chiefexecutive.net, Florida is ranked the second best state in the entire country for businesses in 2012.
Moreover, another major factor for making a mark in Florida is the states absence of an income tax. This allows for entrepreneurs and small businesses to invest more capital into their business, ultimately improving themselves and giving them an edge to competitors located in other states.
We at United Virtual Office have just added even more Florida virtual office addresses to choose from. With numerous cities located throughout the state to choose from, from Miami and Orlando to Jacksonville and West Palm Beach, you have the freedom to select a location that suits your business the best, allowing you to connect with your target market better.
Gain the prestige of a premier Floridian city by establishing a virtual office in Florida, attracting more clients and enhancing your business image. The affordability of a virtual offices Florida allows you to lower costs for potential clients, while giving you the chance to improve other aspects of your business and improve your overall cash flow. A Life Virtual Receptionist is there to answer all of your phone calls and forward them directly to you, no matter where you are in the world. In addition, our courier services ensure that all faxes and mail is forwarded to you as well, giving you the ability to conduct your day-to-day business operations anywhere you are in the world, whether on vacation or working from home.
All of the benefits of virtual office services coupled with Floridas moderate cost of living and thriving business scene adds up to savings and an enviable stature among competitors.
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 +
Tips to Get Your Startup Off the Ground
The toughest part of starting a business is actually starting it. It takes hard work and smart planning to get a startup off the ground and moving towards success. Technology makes this much easier, however. It allows us to be in more than one place at one time, virtually.
A virtual office is a great investment for startups. This is a fairly unknown resource as people who haven’t used it don’t know about its many benefits and advantages. For the uninitiated, a virtual office is a virtual office space that provides you with all the facilities that a real office does, without the heavy investment that real estate requires.
A virtual office space allows you to give all your clients one mailing address in a prestigious business location from where all your mail is forwarded to you. This is much classier than using a PO Box. They also provide you with virtual phone services and a live virtual receptionist who takes your calls and messages and organizes your communication. These simple things make running a business much easier and more efficient.
Virtual phone services especially are very useful. Handling your own calls is tiresome and chaotic. Take time to invest in this.
Once you have this very useful infrastructure system set up for yourself, its time to make use of it. Marketing involves getting the word out that your business exists and highlighting what you’re good at. Its vital for people to know about your company if you want new business to come your way. Providing a good product/service makes for great word of mouth marketing. In addition, if you have the funds, advertising is not a bad idea. For those with smaller budgets, social media is the way to go, but note the time commitment that must be made before diving in head first.
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 +
Virtual Offices Prove Very Beneficial to Startups
It’s the 21st Century. Most all of us have virtual bankbooks, virtual music libraries, virtual address books, virtual calendars and so on down the line. So it should be surprise no one that virtual offices have finally stepped into the fold. In fact, for many young companies and startups, making use of virtual office services saves them tons of money and can really help get them up off the ground. But you may still have questions:
- What are virtual offices?
- What makes virtual office services work?
- What type of services am I availed of?
- How does a live virtual receptionist interact with me?
Let’s see if we can’t help shuffle the noise and get you some straight answers.
What It Is: The virtual office is your office, just without the physical location. You are supplied with a mailing address, telephone number, and a courteous and responsive live virtual receptionist to handle all your 9-5 needs.
Professionals: Even though the “virtual” makes this sound like some computer program, the “virtual” sense to your offices is still staffed by real, professional, courteous, responsive and helpful people. People who know you, are able to conference with you, take notes and give you messages you may get throughout the day.
Big Picture: Virtual offices make running a business so much simpler, efficient and very professional. This is especially important for a startup. When you’re still working and testing and manufacturing out of your mom’s basement and the only “official” thing about you is a PO Box, then you could really use an air of circumstance. You could be building the next Microsoft or Apple, but investors and customers are going to be turned off if your cell phone (that you never answer) is the only way to get a hold of you. Taking the virtual office road you always get a professional phone answer, you have expedient mail forwarding, fax and courier services, access to meeting and conferring facilities and so much more.
Getting your new startup off the ground is no easy feat; especially in as weak an economy as the one the globe is currently suffering from. Still you have your product, the time is now and you’re ready to unleash your vision on the world! There’s no sense waiting for someone else to invent their own version of your product first.
Virtual office services take your product to that next level.
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 +