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How Toll Free Numbers Can Be Used to Build Customer Loyalty

Ilsa Morales 9th May 2019 Tech

As your business grows, you may notice that your current phone number can’t handle the influx of new customers. Or maybe you’re missing out on customer calls because you’re using a landline and your customers are upset that they have to pay to call your business in order to make customer service calls. Perhaps you don’t want to take business calls on your personal phone line anymore. When these thoughts begin to creep in your mind, it’s time to think about getting a separate business line. Doing so can help increase customer loyalty and business credibility.

Benefits of a Toll Free Number for Customer Loyalty

So what is the best option for a separate business line? A toll free number has several benefits for a small business. The number one benefit of a toll free number is that it is a great way to begin building a loyal customer base.

Toll-free numbers or 1-800 numbers, as you may remember them as, grew in popularity in the 90s, but they are still prevalent today. One of the reasons is that they are a free way that your customers can make customer service calls to your company with. A toll-free number also gives your business the ability to reach a national audience no matter how small your company is.

So how does a toll free number build customer loyalty?

Recognition

Toll free numbers are easily recognizable, and therefore people have an ingrained trust of a business with a toll free number. Toll-free numbers have been around long enough that people know that they won’t get charged for calling one and therefore have no qualms about making a phone call to your business when they need to.

Branding

Toll free numbers were created to serve the people of the business that uses them. It also helps to brand your company as a trustful company because a company that chooses a toll free number is associated with a larger company. You get access to an entire nation of customers, too. You can take the number and advertise it on all of your marketing materials. From business cards to billboards, when people begin to see your number everywhere, they will start to recognize your brand and associate the number with your company.

Customer Service

Toll free numbers up to the ante on your customer service. Most people prefer to interact with a live human on the phone when they have a problem with a product or service. They want to speak with someone right away, and they want their issues handled immediately. When you refer to the web for customer service there can be delayed responses. Choosing to staff a friendly customer service representative will do wonders for your business because it helps to put an angry customer at ease. Since many of the issues in a company can be solved over the phone, your customers will be happy with the swift response time and help. You can also offer support to your customers around the clock. Only with a toll-free number can you provide 24-hour customer service which in turn builds customer loyalty.

Did we mention it’s free for customers?

Again, customers do not want to have to pay to call a business that messed up their order. A customer service line should be free if you want your business to be taken seriously.

Memorable

Choosing a vanity number for your toll free line can also make your company much more memorable. Using a vanity such as 1-800-FLOWERS shows your customer base exactly what you are selling. Even if they forget the name of your company, they’re not likely to forget a vanity number like that.

It’s better than emails

When customers are frustrated with your company, no matter how polite you try to sound in an email, it is not going to come across well to an angry customer. Customer service lines are the best way to handle upset consumers. A brief email is no match for a charming human on the other line.

Trustworthy

If you are running an e-commerce website, people may be wary of your business. Many of these e-commerce sites are untrustworthy and sell damaged products. When your e-commerce company provides a customer service phone line, a person is more inclined to trust your company because you have provided them a way to get in immediate contact with your business in case something goes awry.

Delegating Tasks and Managing a Team

Tom Senkus 9th May 2019 Tips

One of the primary tasks of an entrepreneur is to delegate tasks and managing a team. Without proper delegation, business owners run the risk of using up too much of their energy, ensuring burnout and inefficiency.

Effectively Managing a Team with GCF

Luckily, modern business models have made it incredibly easy to manage their staff, especially with the recent innovations made in telecommunication. In this article, we’ll take a look at several ways to delegate tasks efficiently using Global Call Forwarding’s telecom solutions.

Time of Day Routing

One of the more popular add-ons that aids delegation for subscribers to Global Call Forwarding is “time of day routing.” As implied by the name, time of day routing redirects inbound calls based on when the call is placed. This means that you can delegate tasks by the department, for example, when another group is in a meeting. Similarly, you can redirect calls with the time of day routing to ensure that even outside of regular business hours, customers can get in touch with a representative from your organization to answer their inquiries. This helps offset overwhelming your team with an abundance of callers daily, spreading the workload around.

Also, time of day routing enables your business to outsource inbound calls out of business hours to call centers that are located in more favorable time zones. For instance, if you have a business in New York, you’re probably aware of how few hours of overlap there are between London and your headquarters. To cover those early morning hours and late afternoon calls, time of day routing can enable your business to employ a call center in the United Kingdom.

White Listing & Black Listing

Using Global Call Forwarding’s whitelisting and blacklisting capabilities can focus on which department and staff members receive calls from various sources. For instance, you may want to keep your sales team whitelisted to ensure that only important company calls are made between departments. Or, you may want your accounts receivable department to blacklist problematic callers that can gum up the workflow. By limiting and enabling different parts of your company’s communication networks, your business is more easily managed and a natural flow of delegation is possible.

Managing A Team Woman on Phone — Stockphoto.com O#23559 – ID#100158068988

The Use of Directories

Having a directory for your phone system automatically delegates inbound calls to the appropriate sources. By empowering your customers and clients with the option to self-select through your directory, each part of your organization and individual staff members have a higher likelihood of receiving inquiries from the appropriate caller.

Global Call Forwarding offers many customizable ways to create a functional directory system for your organization. These include IVR and PBX. PBX, short for Private Branch Exchange, helps create a system where customers can dial their choices numerically. For instance, using it, you can add extensions for key staff members for high-priority calls. IVR, or Integrated Voice Response, allows customers to use voice recognition technology to navigate through your directory. By having the ability to reach a staff member directly through your company, communication is easier when it comes to assigning tasks (especially in comparison to email, which may contend with important messages relegated to the SPAM folder).

Voicemail to Email

Voicemail messages are important for communication in your company, particularly when contacting staff members that have a busy schedule. However, they can be hard to access for team members on the go. Being able to access emails, however, can be an easier option. That’s where Global Call Forwarding’s voicemail to email service can make delegating through emails a cinch. When enabled, voicemails are immediately converted to mp3 files.

The advantages of voicemail to email are numerous. First, having a reference document for team members helps make sure your orders are carried out to your specifications. Second, it opens up access to documents that can be easily duplicated from user to user. Third, these voicemails can help log information and serve as a backup.

Simultaneous Ringing

Simultaneous ringing is just as the name implies: when a virtual phone number is dialed, devices connected to a particular virtual phone number ring at the same time. While this feature enables customers to have a minimum wait time, it also helps ensure that each available employee can handle incoming customers. For large volume businesses, simultaneous ringing is a must, but it can also serve as a great benefit for workplaces with a number of employees performing different roles. For instance, a call may be answered by a secretary, salesperson, or a customer service agent – which helps evenly distribute the workload depending on your team’s current availability.

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If you are interested in learning more about how Global Call Forwarding can make delegating tasks throughout your business easier, be sure to explore our website. You’ll find in-depth topics that can answer your questions and spark new ways for your business to manage itself effectively.

Good Habits of Successful Entrepreneurs

Ilsa Morales 9th May 2019 Tips

Tips for Good Habits for Entrepreneurs

You’ve probably heard the phrase that “humans are creatures of habit.” For good or for bad, it is true. Some habits make us happy and successful while others take up too much of our time or make us unhealthy or unhappy. It is essential for entrepreneurs to develop good habits that can make them successful and effective in their careers. Good habits help us to work smarter, work smoother, organize, and assist us when making effective decisions. If you are unorganized, lazy, or putting too much effort in other things, then perhaps you have not cultivated many good habits. So what are some good practices for entrepreneurs to make them more effective? Read on to discover some great habits that you can easily streamline into your everyday routine.

Visualize your goals

Well-thought-out plans often work out better than ones that you pursue right away without taking time out to think. Visualization is a way to expand your creativity; it’s like daydreaming; only more organized with a specific goal in mind. Take a little bit of time out at the beginning of your day and decide on how you wish for your day to pan out. Think about the people that you want to interact with, which deals you want to close, even how you want to interact with your family that day. This little exercise can help make your day go by much smoother, and you can use visualization on your work, too. If you’re stuck on a project, take a breath and visualize your end goals, let your subconscious mind take over and let it show you discoveries. We all can imagine and be creative, but some of us have to work on it more than others. Visualization is an easy way to work at expanding your creativity.

Get a head start to your day

Early risers are usually the most productive people. If you’re the type of person who can barely get out of bed in the morning, try to figure out what it is that’s keeping you from jumping out of bed, ready to tackle the day. Most people are exhausted when they get out of bed, but usually starting the day with a trip to the gym or just some jumping jacks can get you out of that funk. If you think that your problem may be because you’re not getting enough sleep, go to bed earlier. Turn off all electronics a few hours before bed, don’t eat anything right before bed, and save the stimulating conversation for earlier in the day. It also helps to avoid alcoholic beverages before bed, which can interfere with your REM sleep cycles. People who arrive to work before everyone else also tend to get more work done before all the others shuffle in.

Good Habits for Entrepreneurs Business Woman on Phone — Source: Stockphoto.com O#23559 – ID#100005666678

Create a schedule and stick to it

Successful entrepreneurs know that work is essential and that they need to finish a certain amount of tasks in a day before they can move on to other things like socializing. But socializing is also vital for all humans. Make sure that you are scheduling yourself well enough that you have time for both. Yes, it is essential to get all of your work done, but it is also important to get up from your computer and schedule time to connect with the humans around you.

Simplify your life

Create a practical routine for yourself instead of overpacking your schedule. Don’t take on heavy workloads that you know you can’t tackle. Taking on too much work will overwhelm you with stress. Simplify by setting limits for yourself, such as working only during a specific part of the day. Minimizing your tasks in an efficient matter can help free up space to focus on the important things.

Keep a journal

Writing in a journal is a great way to keep all of the necessary things you need to remember in one spot. You can use this paper to write down your thoughts, dreams, ideas, make lists, write out your goals, etc. Anything that is important to you or strikes you as interesting – write it down. This might seem unnecessary since you have a phone and computer that you carry around already, but writing helps you to connect with more existential pieces of life. Journaling can also help improve your emotional intelligence. Seeing goals in your handwriting will have more of a profound effect on you than keeping them in a document you never open on your MacBook.

What are some of the habits that you apply in your daily life that have made you more successful?

Events for Entrepreneurs to Attend in 2019

Ilsa Morales 9th May 2019 Tech

Entrepreneurs should be making an effort to attend as many events as possible each year. These events are helpful for industry insights, trends, networking, and giving you a leg-up over your competition. It is also the perfect opportunity to take a break from the office to learn and bond with members of your team. It is crucial to make time in your schedule to attend several of these events each year, because one day you may be up there doing the same thing; giving fresh insight to the new entrepreneurs and like-minded individuals.

Continue reading “Events for Entrepreneurs to Attend in 2019”

Be More Professional – Use Toll Free Numbers with Extensions

Ilsa Morales 16th May 2018 Learn, Tips

Consumers prefer to work with a business that they can trust, and the most professional companies allow consumers to feel at ease, enabling them to freely give their trust. There are several ways to make your business appear more professional and gain the trust of your clientele. If your product is amazing but you are struggling with getting people to trust your brand and give it a try, then it is probably time to upgrade your business style. This can be done in a series of ways, such as upgrading your website, using high-quality business cards, and adding a phone number where your customers can reach you.

Invest in Your Website

A website is usually the first thing that potential customers will be viewing before trying your service or product. Having a polished and up-to-date site gives the appearance of validity. You can affordably update your web page by using a popular hosting site or hiring a professional designer to create something that is unlike other sites. Very few businesses can compete in their market without a proper website, and if you have no website is extremely unprofessional, and you’re probably going to miss out on a lot of traffic.

Your Business Card Matters

Sharing a quality digital business card is another great way to leave a lasting impression at networking events. It is always a great idea to use a professional printing company and it may be worth it to splurge on the highest card quality offered. If you are not that creative, it is a good idea to outsource the image that you will be using for your card to a professional artist or graphic designer. This will ensure that your cards are unique and memorable, while clearly representing your work. Word of mouth marketing is one of the greatest marketing tools in your arsenal. Be sure that you are ready to jump on any opportunity that comes your way by being fully prepared with an elevator pitch and a high-quality card.

Open Up Communication with Toll Free Numbers

One of the simplest ways to promote your business and make it appear more professional is to use a toll-free phone number.

Getting a phone number for your business is the first step in creating a more professional brand. Having a toll free phone number shows that your business is legitimate to potential customers. Plus, advertising a phone number on your website will drive more customers to your page. Being able to customize your greeting on a toll free line is a much better first impression than hearing a simple “Hello” with no other prompts. There are several different benefits to using a toll free phone number for your business. You can customize a unique phone number with Global Call Forwarding, take advantage of unlimited forwarding options, and you can benefit from unlimited extensions.

Phone Line Extensions

Phone extensions are different divisions within your company that your toll free phone number will forward to when the person on the other line is prompted to be directed to that department. If you have a small business, your business will seem larger by simply adding several extensions for no extra charge from the provider. If there is only one person working in that department, that is no problem. The unlimited extensions simply create the appearance of having a larger company without having to pay extra.

You can customize your extensions and greeting with your new toll free phone number by using the Global Call Forwarding control panel. You can gain access to your control panel from any device that uses an internet connection. Simply log into your account to begin setting up the different extensions. The more extensions you have, the bigger and more professional your business will seem.

If you have three people working for your company, a sales manager, a CEO, and a marketing person you can still take advantage of the unlimited extensions. For example, you can create your own greeting on the toll free line, and then it will prompt the consumer to dial an extension to reach the department that they need. The prompts may be “Press 1 for the Sales Department, Press 2 for the CEO, and Press 3 for Marketing.” Once your customer has chosen their needed department, they will be forwarded to the person in charge of that department. If you have multiple people working in one department there is also a feature included in every virtual phone number package that will allow your consumer to be forwarded to any person that is available within that department. This is called Sequential Forwarding. This feature ensures that your customer will always be greeted by someone in your business even if an employee has stepped out of the office.

Every extension can also be set up to have their very own personal voicemail and message delivery settings. That way the right people from your company will receive the messages that have been left for their unique department. This is helpful for an organization in any size business. If you only have one employee, and the message was left for the sales department, the employee will know how to respond properly.

Never Underestimate the Power of Your Toll Free Phone Lines

Having a phone number that your business can be reached at is extremely important for growth. Toll free numbers allow customers from anywhere to call your number without being charged. These phone lines create a way for the business and consumer to interact on a more personal level. You can use yours for customer service or as a helpline. Establishing a relationship with your customers in such a direct manner paves the way for a long-term relationship. Customers will be more likely to stay loyal to your company if your helpline or customer service line is filled with helpful and friendly professional people. Once a customer has decided that they are loyal to a certain brand, they are more likely to spend more freely on that brands’ products. While you focus on gaining more customers through marketing and advertising methods, having a customer service line will help your business keep the customers you already have.

The best part about having a virtual toll free phone number is that you can add a line to your everyday cell phone. These virtual lines can also be added to landlines and other devices like computers and tablets.

Virtual Office Systems Provides Relief: Home Business Tips

Global Call Forwarding 8th September 2016 How To's, Tips

Home office professionals and entrepreneurs find accessibility with virtual office system benefits

Managing the day-to-day administration of paperwork, phone calls and accounting is one of the most difficult challenges of a home business professional. You don’t have the support system that you find in large corporations, with switchboards, trained customer service personnel and personal assistants. So when you’re running the show all on your own, you need help. It’s that simple.

One of the easiest ways to find help is to contact a virtual phone number provider, which can immediately make your life easier. By setting you up with a toll free forwarding number, and by providing you with the benefits that a competent provider can offer, you can propel your business to the next level. Here are some of the ways you’ll benefit:

Accommodations for travelers. Some of us travel across town, the state or the country in order to meet clients and get our business done. That’s a lot of time on the road, and if you’re not reachable, you’re losing clients. With a virtual phone number you’ll never miss another call! You can get the “follow me” voicemail solution that will find you no matter where you are. The phone service can try as many numbers as you’d like until they reach you. They can even screen your calls, so that you can decide which calls you want to take and which ones you’d like to send to voicemail.

Consultant assistance. With a phone service, you can create the important image of success a consultant needs to succeed, as well as serve your clients better and create more billable hours. Call forwarding service will allow you to maximize your availability during working hours and free yourself from calls after hours. You can control the numbers where you can be reached as well as the times of day and days of the week you are accessible.

Home business management. With a virtual phone system, you can present an image of success and professionalism that will give your customers a sense of confidence in your company. You will have a voicemail solution that allows you to work successfully from your home without sacrificing your personal life.

As a home office manager and entrepreneurs, finding help can be crucial for the success of your business. By finding a virtual office system that works for you, you can take a positive step in improving your business.

Home business and small business owners benefit from virtual office system features

Shopping for a virtual office system that can offer you things like 800 phone numbers, vanity numbers, and office management assistance can be mind-numbing. Especially if you’ve never had such a service before. Where do you start? There are dozens of companies out there that can offer you countless benefits.

Once you narrow down the main services you want, you’ll probably have lots of additional questions.

Here are some basic features that you’ll want to look for that will enhance your benefits and help your company see results:

Look for a competitive rate. Toll-free rates can be as low as 4.5 cents per minute, which is very competitive in today’s market.
Beware of lengthy contracts. Instead of getting tied up in a long-term commitment, look for a company that offers monthly subscriptions for toll-free numbers.
Rely on technical support. Make sure that the company you sign up with offers a client services department to help you with any questions that come up. You don’t want to be hung out to dry in the middle of the afternoon when you have a question or concern.
Look for customization. Your company may have special needs, like you may need rotational voicemail for different people or groups. You also might need a script for special recordings, or rather you might choose to utilize a voice talent service. Make sure you are given these options for maximum impact.
Look for accessibility. Make sure that you have call forwarding available to you. Also, investigate the features to the call forwarding service. For instance, can you choose the time of day or days of the week you would like to get calls from a particular number? Make sure you have options with this feature, as well as with Call Back and Paging options.
Number flexibility. If you have an existing 800 number, make sure you can direct it to your new system. You should also be able to attach multiple 800 numbers to your system as well.
Look for payment options. If suitable for your needs, look for a pay-as-you-go plan. This allows for additional flexibility. Another option is a prepaid minute plan, which can help you stay in control of your usage.
Consider additional customer benefits. Some companies offer customer referral programs, which might include giving you credit for every new customer you refer. These benefits can add up over a month or a year and help you save money.

As you consider signing on with a virtual office service, knowing the benefits to look for and the questions to ask can help save money and lots of time.