Review of The 2009 Chevrolet Traverse December 17, 2008
Posted by answer360 in Business Profiles.Tags: remote pbx, traverse, virtual pbx
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My Office away from the Office November 2, 2008
Posted by answer360 in Business Profiles.Tags: fireplace, panera, remote pbx
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I am one of those people who get “cabin fever” if I stay in one place too long. I have to leave the office every morning to remain sane. One of my favorite work places is a store called Panera Bread. It is a bakery that has a good lunch menu. Best of all the have wi-fi and it is free unlike Starbucks.
The atmosphere is very comfortable and staff is normally courteous and helpful. Many times small eateries do not appreciate “road warriors” or “remote workers” hanging out all day starring at a laptop. At Panera they do ask that you not take up a table meant for six by yourself. Also they ask that you limit your wi-fi usage during the crucial lunch hours of 11 AM to 2PM.
The location I go to most is like the neighborhood hang out for “remote workers” and retirees. The manager knows the regulars by name and most of the employees are local high school and college kids who can help you with your lap top!
Whoever came up with the concept and then added wi-fi, gets my vote for the genius award! The food is great, the baked goods are delicious and the bread is the best thing since sliced….. you get the picture!
I will say the coffee drinks are hit or miss at best. Those who have a Starbuck’s sentence when they order a drink, (frap, no whip, half and half, no foam, with a shot of vanilla,etc) will be disappointed
But if you want a big comfortable chair with a living room table and an fireplace, this is the place work from. I would probably never leave if they had a business center with a fax machine and printer!
Message Etiquette October 17, 2008
Posted by answer360 in Business Profiles.Tags: etiquette, first impression, message, remote pbx
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How many times has one of the following happened to you?
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You call someone and get his voicemail telling you that he will be out of the office until July 6th. The only problem is it’s September 8th when you place the call.
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You call a big organization but still can’t get in touch with a living, breathing person no matter what combination of buttons you push, and you’ve already left three messages and received no returned phone call.
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Someone leaves you a message, but you can’t clearly hear her name or number. The only part of the message that is really understandable is that the call is urgent.
When he thought up the idea of voicemail in the late 1970s, inventor Gordon Matthews’ probably never imagined that more than two decades later people would still be abusing and misusing his would-be office miracle.
Those types of encounters are annoying, frustrating, and a total waste of time you probably don’t have. The worst part is they happen by the millions every day and show no signs of stopping.
If you use a telephone at work, chances are you’ve been to voicemail hell. It’s a horrible place, and unfortunately most of us know it well. The good news is there are some steps you can take to stay out of this hotspot.
the Quality of Your Outgoing Messages: If you give people information that can help them help themselves, you will get them what they need faster and save yourself time as well.
1. Identify your name, organization, and telephone number in your outgoing message. Example: “Hi, this is John Smith with ABC Corp at 212-555-1234.”
2. State that you are not available and any other important information. Example: “I’m out of the office today, January 3rd. I will be returning January 5th. I will not check voicemail until I am back. If this is an emergency or you need immediate assistance, please call Bill Withers at 917-555-6543.”
3. Tell people how to leave an appropriate message. That’s right: if you want good information, ask for it. Example: “Please leave a brief message stating how I can help you, along with your phone number, and I will call you back.”
4. If you prefer email, offer that as an option to callers. If you have an unusual name or company name, spell out the email address. Example: “You may want to email me at jsmith@abcco.com
5. To cut down on repeat calls if you work in a high-volume call area, state that you will return calls within 24 hours or whatever time period your organization’s policy on return calls requires.
6. If you update your message when you go out of town, don’t forget to update it again when you get back.
7. If your system allows callers to bypass your message by hitting the pound key, tell them that, especially if you have an unusually long message.
Who is in charge? September 25, 2008
Posted by answer360 in Business Profiles.Tags: coach, football, remote pbx, small business, virtual pbx
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Coach and Son
I know this is a website that talks about business issues from a telecom perspective. However, I just want to speak about a new passion I have discovered: Coaching Pee Wee Football! It is after all football season. We are in Texas. So I guess we can discuss football anywhere! My son is playing for a team that I have become one of the coaches of. We practice three to four times a week, which I thought was a bit much. We had our first game this past Saturday and boy we could use about three more days of practice! There is a reason the pros do this everyday. Getting 22 ten year olds and five thirty something’s on the same page is not easy. I guess it is like managing a small business. See – I know I could get some business value out of this post.
My son woke me up 4 hours before the game out of excitement. As we arrived at the field the smell of Frito pies and BBQ took over. The fresh cut grass brought back memories of my first tackle game almost 30 years earlier. Suburban parents grabbed the seats with the shade while other erected massive tents complete with lawn chairs and tables. I almost forgot everyone was gathering to watch 10 year olds play football.
Once the first whistle blew, all the peace and reminiscing stopped. Mass confusion ensued. After each of the first seven plays, the result was the same; Penalty Flags. The infractions were either too many players on the field or illegal procedure. At times kids were substituting themselves. When they would look to us for guidance, there was no less than seven “coaches” hollering, I mean, yelling and barking instructions. It seemed most parents had an agenda for their child as they would pull little Johnny to the side and give them advice.
The head coach asked me to help out with the offense. In hindsight, it was not because of my ability or football prowess. It was because I show up to every practice and stay until the end. I’ve seen this type of phenomenon in the workplace also. It is from the person who may not be the brightest but comes early and leaves late. Before you know it, that person has the responsibilities that someone else either wanted or was qualified for. For my dedication, the head coach anointed me “Offensive Coordinator”. I did not think there was such a title at this level. We also have a line coach, defensive coordinator, secondary coach and linebacker coach. Most of the non-coordinator coaches rarely show up for practice.
One of many flags
The question became “Who is in Charge?” The head coach is a very passionate person who knows how to motivate people. While he patted me on my back for the successful plays, he gave me evil looks and words on botched ones. No wonder the coordinators prefer to sit up in the booth in the college and pro ranks.
The game was very tight. Our team was up by one touchdown with less than a minute remaining. We had the ball and needed one first down to taste sweet victory. After a decent 5-yard gain on first down, we had three straight penalties that backed us up 25 yards. So now with 26 seconds to go, we are looking at 4th and 20 on the opponent’s 40-yard line. The parents were shouting, “Punt the Ball”. The kids and coaches said, “Let’s go for it”. Conventional thinking says punt the ball. But as the new Offensive Coordinator, I had one last trick up my sleeve.
I called the play, sent it in to the Quarterback. He looked over at me with a look of surprise and disgust. I looked at the head coach and told him, this is a risky call. The center snaps the ball and the QB fakes right to the strong side of the field. (Most plays at this level go to the wide or strong side of the field). At the last moment before being tackled, he cut left and in what seemed three minutes, jetted untouched for 60 yards putting the game out of reach.
All of a sudden, I was a genius. Everyone looked me in the eye and said things like “good call coach”, “great strategy” and “you da man”. As a basked in my newfound glory, (12 minutes earlier I was crazy for calling a pass play) I did not have the heart to tell everyone that was not the play I called! The play I sent in was a double reverse to the right. It’s really called 47 Sweep, Wedge Right Reverse. The only issue was the second string 4 back hadn’t practiced the play and missed the first hand off. The QB seen that and rather than panic, turned the other way and ran for his life. His instinct made me look good. It made the whole organization look good to the outside world. Winning does that for you. The truth is our internal organization is a work in progress. We have 6 more weeks of this and I find myself looking forward to the off-season already.
Real Heros of The Game
Hero Coach
Now it is clear to me why non-athletic people love football. It is just like the business world. You have winners and loser. You make mistakes and still have the opportunity to win. Had we lost, I would have probably taken the blame for the two turnovers, twelve penalties, the mass confusion and all of the hollering. Business is like football….as long as you show up, you can play!
Check out the VIDEO
America The Beautiful September 16, 2008
Posted by answer360 in Business Profiles.Tags: beautiful, first impression, remote pbx, virtual pbx
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My daughter and I went to see the documentary “America The Beautiful” on Monday night. It was about the obsession in the United States with physical beauty. It was a real wake up call for me. The gist of the movie was about the lengths people will go to just to look like a model. Even though the models were borderline anorexic. It also spoke about the first impression a person makes by being considered attractive. People who are considered attractive get better jobs, contracts and overall consideration. One of the things I have always liked about our RemotePBX service is that it makes a wonderful first impression about your business.
The filmmaker and co-stars
Long before someone gets to determine if you are attractive or not, your phone has been answered professionally. Your custom on hold messages as the system finds you on your cell phone. You never get a second chance to make a first impression so make sure you handle your business calls accordingly
Disaster Recovery for your Phone! September 2, 2008
Posted by answer360 in Business Profiles.Tags: disaster, hurricane, pbx, remote pbx, virtual
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On August 30th, I was in the Destin, Florida area with my family. It use to be one of the best kept secret in the country. If you have never been there, it is a beautiful place 10 months out of the year. The two months that I do not like are the ones during hurricane season. This time we had to evacuate or face the possibility of staying another week. We chose to travel north then west back to Texas.
As I watched the historic evacuation of the Gulf Coast on CNN, I felt for the many business owners who could not operate because of the impending hurricane. Most small business do not have a DR plan for their business. The ones that have a DR plan usually focus on the computer networks. I remind business owners all the time – Your phones are just as imortant! Remote PBX customers have a build in DR plan! Since our office runs on a virtual RemotePBX phone system, our location is not important. Call are still handled as if we are in the office. Can your business phone system survive a natural disaster? What would happen to your business if you could not answer the phone for a month?
Even though we are in the age of the Internet, the phone is still the primary contact for most small businesses. Unlike email, a phone conversation is real time. If your email service is down for an hour,clients and prospects most likely will not notice. Let your phones go off for a hour! You are effectively out of business. Think about it, unless you have a web business like Amazon, Ebay or Paypal, you are interacting with your customers, vendors and prospects on the phone.
Client of The Week – The Delta Associates August 24, 2008
Posted by answer360 in Business Profiles.Tags: clients, coaching, delta, remote pbx, virtual pbx
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One of the joys of having a virtual business is working in any environment that you create. The Delta Associates have been clients for 9 years but we had never met in person. About two months ago we had a conversation about their current setup with Answer360. Carol wanted to make sure they were taking advantage of our technology. The Delta Associates have been in business almost 30 years providing an array of services including business consulting, executive coaching, team building and employee assessment.
Even though I have been in the Virtual Office business for almost 12 years, I was not prepared for what I saw when I arrived at their home office in South Austin. My interactions with Jack and Carol over the years have been very professional. When I look at their website, they are dressed in business attire. Everything I seen or heard about The Delta Associates said “buttoned up professionals”. So much so that I even got dressed up for our meeting.
Upon arrival I was greeting by a big beautiful black dog. Carol let me in to their very neat and well maintained home that looked like it was built in the 1950’s. She apologized for Jack being a little late. I assumed he has a morning meeting. That was not the case. Jack had came back from his morning jog! We had a great conversation about VOIP and how it could benefit not only their business, but some of their clients.
The Delta Associates added two VOIP lines to their RemotePBX. This enable them to cut off two land lines from AT&T. The net savings was $60 per month. The new flexibility was immeasurable. Using the Remote PBX with the VOIP phones allowed them to take calls anywhere in the world as if they were still in Austin as long as an high speed Internet connection is available.
The meeting with The Delta Associates has inspired me to reach out to more clients. Each client has a unique story. I think that is what helps make Answer360 stand out among our competitors. We attempt to learn as much as possible about our clients and custom tailor a solution that is unique to the their current issues. The meeting made me say “What took me so long to connect with such interesting people running an even more interesting business”
One Number Five Places August 10, 2008
Posted by answer360 in Business Profiles.Tags: auto, christian, remote pbx, remotepbx, repair, virtual, virtualpbx
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How can one number work in five places? Christian Brothers Automotive has five locations in the Austin metro area. The owners got together and bought radio advertising. The radio spots where done by Dave Ramsey, the debt free motivational speaker. Rather than having to advertise five numbers for all of the locations, they wanted to provide one number for prospects to call. We helped them secure the number: 512-FIX-AUTO. The caller has the option to press a digit to reach the nearest location. This system is designed to route calls during business hours. After hours the system takes a message then delivers it via email.
The owners have the ability to log on to the web admin and view reports on how many calls were received over a specific amount of time.
This is a great way for multiple location companies to maximize their marketing. Callers only have to remember one number. They can use the number in print ads to save space.
Virtual Benefits July 31, 2008
Posted by answer360 in Business Profiles.Tags: answer360, busted, remote pbx, virtual pbx
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Yesterday I received a call from a client via my RemotePBX. He asked a couple of questions that I answered successfully. At the end of the call, I said “When I get back to the office, I will send you some more information”. He surprisingly said “You are not at the office!” BUSTED – Virtual Office Rule No. 7 – Never say when I get to a computer or the office. Although the rules have changed regarding home bound workers, clients do not necessarily want to know you are at Jason’s Deli and not stuck in the office!
The benefits of working virtually are great. I had lost my appreciation because I have done it for so long. I closed my last real office in 2002. The only reason I had a office was because that was what everyone else was doing. The freedom of working from anywhere you have a Internet connection is great. I will be adding more stories I have heard from other Virtual workers
iPhone vs. Blackberry July 20, 2008
Posted by answer360 in Business Profiles.Tags: answer360, blackberry, iphone, remote pbx
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Let me say both phones are nice….and addictive! I have had the iPhone for about 6 months now. Since I am a
Mac fanatic, I really enjoy using it. It is fun to use and everyone digs it. Surfing the web, listening to my iPod and showing off my pictures make the iPhone super cool. With all that being said, boy do I miss my Blackberry.
Hands down, the Blackberry is the phone of choice for me as a business person! The push email, cut and paste and one handed operation helps it earn the name “Crackberry”. My email arrives instantly and I can tell where it came from by looking at the icon. On my iPhone, I have to dig three steps deep into one of five folders (I check five email addresses from my phone). I am about to make the switch back! Not because I don’t like my iPhone – I love it. I am switching solely for the email functionality. There it is – I said it! I am going to lose a lot of cool points but I will make up for that by not getting my email 30 minutes later!
