Among the top responses was Not Getting a Human on the Phone.  Now when it comes to live telephone receptionist services, appointment scheduling and great customer service, we’re not the most objective.  That’s why I’ve included the complete list below (just so you can see what else annoys you) or you can click here to read the original article.

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It was not much more than a decade ago that e-mail was just coming on the scene and, “You’ve got mail,” was music to your ears. How times have changed. Now the very thought of sifting through your inbox is enough to provoke anxiety in even the most well-tempered business professional.

If you were in business a decade ago, you may recall another change that started sweeping across the business world about that time: the demise of the telephone Receptionist. With the advent of email, the phone was ringing less often, and with voicemail becoming ubiquitous it was easy to tell clients and customers to just, “email it to me or leave me a voice message.”

Now you’re drowning in messages, both email and voice, and it’s possible that your laid off Receptionist may be having the last laugh. How can this be? The answer comes down to dealing with issues as they arrive versus postponing them to a later date. In effect, that is all you are doing with email and voicemail messaging. Not that the Receptionist was solving all your crises for you, but this person was an expert at directing the flow of communications traffic in your business.

What you sacrifice with email and voicemail messaging is having a live, intelligent human being to triage your workflow and help you sort the urgent, but unimportant, from those tasks that truly move you in the direction of your objectives. A person to help you determine what can be dealt with more efficiently in real-time and what is better postponed for a later date.

Take, for example, the case of the client who has a quick question on the status of their business with you. A question you could answer in under a minute, let’s say. In the old world, this client may have called your business, spoken with your Receptionist who, in-turn, got you on the line to announce the call. Knowing this was an easy answer, you took the call and put the issue to bed in under a minute.

In today’s world, however, this same client may have left you a voice message or sent you an email. Not only is the client now stuck waiting for a response, but you have to take the additional time to retrieve the message, compose a reply or return a call. Depending on the nature of your client, simply listening to the voice message or reading the email might actually take longer than just answering the question on the spot! You have effectively doubled, tripled, or worse, the amount of time needed to deal with this issue.

This is just one of many scenarios where a live telephone Receptionist can be a big time-saver for you and a welcome improvement in service to your clients and customers. If you are in a business where you deal with many frequently asked questions, require appointment scheduling or desire certain types of calls screened out altogether, a live Receptionist can add even more value to your business.

So how can you get out from under the current deluge of email and voicemail messages? There is a great new solution that allows you to enjoy many of the benefits of the live telephone receptionist without the need to hire an employee. Recent advances in telephone and Internet technology allow an off-site or virtual Receptionist working from a remote location to perform many of these vital tasks.

If your issue is sorting through voicemails, consider forwarding your telephone to an off-site Receptionist who you can train to determine which calls should be connected to you in real-time, and which calls should be summarized in a concise message and transmitted to you via email or stored in a web call log.

If you’re drowning in emails and don’t have the time to sift through and find the ones that require immediate attention, consider configuring an auto-reply on your inbox informing your clients that you only check email on a set schedule, but if they need immediate assistance they can call your Receptionist who knows your availability. Imagine the relief you will feel not worrying that some urgent issue is buried in your inbox among the myriad newsletters and questionable promotional offers.

If you haven’t explored how a modern-day off-site Receptionist can streamline your workflow, improve customer service and enhance your professional image, you need to take a closer look. Somewhere out there a former employee may be chuckling every time your inbox chimes.

Victor Mataraso is the Founder and President of Reliable Receptionist, a personalized, off-site telephone Receptionist and appointment scheduling service. Based in the San Francisco East Bay Area city of Walnut Creek, Reliable Receptionist provides telephone answering and appointment scheduling services to the Bay Area, California and western United States. For more information, visit www.ReliableReceptionist.com or call (925) 627-4200.

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An off-site Receptionist (sometimes called a virtual receptionist or remote receptionist), can help insure all your business calls are answered live while still avoiding the salary, expenses and administrative headaches of hiring an employee to answer the telephone. Just like a traditional receptionist, your calls are answered live, callers are assisted per your instructions, and calls you want can be privately announced and seamlessly connected in real-time back to you on any phone number. Your callers won’t even realize your Receptionist is off-site.

What’s more, your off-site Receptionist can perform a new client intake capturing key information and locking up clients for you in real-time even if you’re not personally available to take a call. They can even go so far as to schedule a consultation on your calendar. However, the true hidden benefit might just be the ability to manage your own workload more effectively. By eliminating unwanted interruptions and reducing wasted time with unqualified prospects, many attorneys quickly notice their billable hours increasing exponentially.

Victor Mataraso, M.B.A. is the Founder and President of Reliable Receptionist. Based in the East San Francisco Bay Area city of Walnut Creek, CA, Reliable Receptionist provides off-site telephone receptionist and appointment scheduling services that help attorney convert more callers to clients and increase billable hours. He may be reached at (925) 627-4200 or through their website at www.ReliableReceptionist.com.

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Through our association with The Bar Group, we will be offering resources designed to help attorneys enhance their professional image, improve customer service and manage their workload more effectively.  We also have experience helping attorneys to increase billable hours and convert callers to clients with our live, professional team of off-site Receptionists based in Walnut Creek (Contra Costa County), CA in the San Francisco East Bay Area.

For more information on how Reliable Receptionist assists attorneys, visit our Attorney page.  For more information on The Bar Group, click this link.

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Conversations dominate our markets. We no longer live in the days where customers and consumers turn to companies for answers. Word of mouth and the opinions of others are worth much more than the company jargon on a web site. With the advent of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Yelp, your employees are talking and accessible outside of the office walls, and the market is listening to what they have to say. Whether you are a small business owner or CEO of a major corporation, your employees are your most important brand ambassadors.

The steps to having successful brand ambassadors are simple.

1) Realize the importance of employees… all of them.

Your employees, from entry-level positions to the most senior management, are extremely important. Remember that whoever has the first point of contact with your markets is in an influential position. Their interaction with your customers and consumers is crucial. This interaction shapes the image of your brand in the mind of the consumers, and they will take that information to their friends, their conversations and the web.

2) Keep your employees informed
Communication is key. This sounds like a no-brainer, but it is surprising how little internal communication there is in some companies. As ambassadors of your brand, an informed employee is one of your strongest assets.

3) Let your employees know you appreciate them and the work they do

Employees are happier when they feel their work is appreciated. Without them, your company could not exist and be successful. Let them know you appreciate their hard work. Happy employees will gladly sing praises.

Markets are dominated by conversations that are happening all the time. Today’s technology provides numerous platforms for conversation. Your employees are an influential voice in these conversations-they are your strongest brand ambassadors, and it is important to treat them as such.

Victor Mataraso, M.B.A. is the founder and president of Reliable Receptionist, a personalized, off-site telephone reception service. Based in the East San Francisco Bay Area city of Walnut Creek, CA, Reliable Receptionist specializes in helping small to mid-sized company convert callers to clients. He can be reached at (925) 627-4200 or at www.ReliableReceptionist.com.

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Whether you are a business owner blessed with too many phone calls, or an entrepreneur looking to convert callers to clients with greater consistency, a telephone answering service can often be a valuable partner in maximizing your business. However, too many businesses do not get the results they are looking for upon choosing a telephone service provider. Here are the Top 5 Mistakes they typically make:

1. Assuming all telephone answering services are the same.
   Enter telephone answering service as a search in Google and you’ll return more than 1,000,000 results. The most common mistake is to assume all these companies provide the same type of service, equal quality of service or even serve your type of business at all. The telephone answering industry has evolved quite a bit in the last decade and has become increasingly specialized.
2. Not knowing what you want from an answering service.
   The best way to identify what type of telephone answering service you require is to first understand what you are trying to accomplish. Are you simply looking for a live person to answer a call and take messages? Would you prefer someone who can function as your receptionist to screen, announce and connect the calls you want in real-time? Maybe you need someone to handle a call from start to finish by scheduling your appointments, placing orders or more. Do you want your callers to feel as though they have reached a service, or that they have reached your office and are speaking with your receptionist?
3. Not asking the right questions of the answering service.
   Depending on your answers to the above, there is certain fundamental information you should gather from a prospective telephone answering partner such as: How many different people will be answering my calls? What are your live answer hours? Will there be additional usage charges for having calls connected back to me in real-time? Where are your agents located? What systems do you have in place to guide agents in handling my calls? Will I have the opportunity to meet or speak directly with those handling my calls?
4. Choosing the low cost provider.
   Like most things in life, you get what you pay for with telephone answering services. Too many business owners compare solely on price only to discover their calls are not handled to their specifications. There is an incredibly wide range of telephone answering services available. From calls answered 24×7 in distant, off-shore call centers by agents paid a few dollars a day to highly trained and well educated receptionists working business hours in your local community. A part-time shift worker at a large call center will never become as familiar with your business as a full-time receptionist in a smaller local office. Don’t underestimate the value of having your bread and butter business phone calls handled professionally and to your specifications.
5. Not communicating your needs clearly and consistently.
   Whether you are delegating work to an on-site employee or an off-site receptionist, it is critical to clearly convey your desires to the people doing your work. Not only is it necessary to setup clear procedures initially, but it is essential to keep your partner informed as your business changes and your needs vary accordingly. Keep in mind that nobody will know your business as well as you (employee or virtual assistant), so be sure to make your instructions clear, concise and consistent.

So, before choosing that answering service, call center, virtual remote receptionist or other off-site partner, spend a little extra time to thoroughly research your decision using these guidelines. This will greatly enhance your chances of forging a successful, long-term partnership with your telephone service provider.

Victor Mataraso, MBA is the founder and president of Reliable Receptionist, a provider of personalized, off-site telephone reception services. Serving the East San Francisco Bay Area, California and the western states, Reliable Receptionist specializes in customizing solutions to help clients enhance their professional image, improve customer service and manage their workload more effectively. He may be reached at (925) 627-4200 or through www.ReliableReceptionist.com.

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by Victor Mataraso, M.B.A.

There are many benefits to having a live, professional receptionist answer telephone calls for your small business. Among them are enhanced professional image, improved customer service and the ability to manage your workload more effectively. As with anything, there are certain people who are naturally predisposed to doing certain work and the receptionist is no different. When it comes to telephone reception, whether you are looking to hire a full-time receptionist for your office or outsource your telephone answering to a virtual receptionist service (sometimes called off-site or remote receptionist), there are several key qualities you will want your receptionist to posses.

1) Strong telephone personality – As effective a communication tool as the telephone can be, it is a somewhat narrow channel. By this I mean that messages and meaning can only be conveyed verbally and are only received using one of our five senses. The result of this is that the caller must rely solely on the voice coming through the phone line to interpret the communication effectively. This necessitates having a receptionist whose natural speech pattern is animated and friendly. Without the benefit of the non-verbal cues that dominate so much of face communication, meaning can easily be misconstrued if not delivered articulately and with appropriate emotion.

2) Genuine desire to help – Some people just take natural pleasure in assisting others. You want to engage a receptionist who derives satisfaction from lending assistance and makes it their mission to see every call through to its best conclusion. If your receptionist does not have the caller’s best interest at heart, this will come through on the phone. Not unlike a top salesperson who must be customer focused to succeed, your receptionist should channel all their skill and knowledge into understanding what the caller requires and finding the most expeditious manner to deliver it.

3) Coachable – Another key quality you want your receptionist to possess is to be coachable. This means they are willing to learn and adopt those systems you have in place for your business and execute them effectively. By definition, the receptionist is not charged with developing the experience you want your callers to have. As a business owner, you must develop the systems you wish to employ for converting callers to clients and repeat customers. The job of the receptionist is to learn these systems and follow your instructions to take the caller down the appropriate path in the most amenable fashion.

While many of the skills necessary to be a good receptionist can be taught, you will find that if your receptionist has these key qualities, they will naturally excel in this important role.

Victor Mataraso, M.B.A. is the founder and president of Reliable Receptionist, a personalized, off-site telephone reception service. Based in the East San Francisco Bay Area city of Walnut Creek, CA, Reliable Receptionist specializes in helping small to mid-sized company convert callers to clients. He can be reached at (925) 627-4200 or at www.ReliableReceptionist.com.

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If you’re in business for yourself and have considered hiring staff or leasing a traditional office to grow your small business, there may be a more intelligent way to enhance your professional image, improve customer service and manage your workload more effectively.  Unlike a traditional telephone answering service, a remote receptionist (also known as a virtual receptionist or off-site receptionist) can provide you many of the same benefits as a traditional receptionist without the need to hire an employee.

Having a live receptionist answer your business telephone calls is one of the best ways to inspire confidence in your callers and maximize your professional image.  With recent advances in telephone technology, it is no longer necessary to lease office space and hire staff just to have your phone answered professionally.  A remote or off-site receptionist has the ability to answer your business phone calls at their location, assist callers as you’ve trained them to do, then privately announce and seamlessly connect only the calls you want back to you on any phone number.

Even more compelling, with the advent of current web-based tools, your remote receptionist can schedule appointments, place orders, register seminars and perform many other phone based and administrative assistant duties from a remote location.  Unlike a large call center, the best receptionist companies will provide you a small dedicated team of receptionists who you can train to function as your employee for each phone call.  Done properly, your callers won’t even realize your receptionist is not at your location.

Considering the high cost associated with office space and hiring employees, with a little research you may find that using a remote receptionist is a more intelligent option than leasing an office.

Victor Mataraso, MBA is the founder and president of Reliable Receptionist.  Based in the San Francisco East Bay Area city of Walnut Creek, CA, Reliable Receptionist provides personalized, off-site telephone reception and appointment scheduling services for companies with 1 to 100 employees.  He can be reached at (925) 627-4200 or at www.ReliableReceptionist.com.

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By Victor Mataraso, MBA

If you need help answering the telephone for your small business, there is a dizzying array of choices available. From massive call centers in distant countries to locally-based remote receptionists and telephone answering services, there is no shortage of companies willing to answer your phone.

The process of choosing a service provider can often be frustrating and confusing, which is unfortunate because, let’s face it, you’re already pressed for time.  To streamline the process, it is helpful to determine what type of service you need and the experience you want your callers to have with your company. Although there is some cross-over among service providers in this rapidly evolving industry, the following categories have emerged.

The Call Center – Typically these organizations employ a large number of telephone operators trained to take callers through specific steps and/or scripts based on the nature of their inquiries. They frequently do an efficient job of handling a large volume of telephone calls and often make use of an automated menu (IVR -Interactive Voice Response) on the front-end to aid is routing callers to the proper department. They may be based domestically in the Unites States or located overseas in areas such as India or the Philippines. Most often, call centers handle an entire call from inception to termination and offer 24/7 service.

The Answering Service – Traditionally, the answering service has been a third-party relationship. This is where it is clear to the caller that they have NOT reached your place of business, but a third-party service. Frequently, their capabilities are limited to taking messages or paging a service provider who can return a call. They will often employ a large team of 24/7 shift workers who are available to answer calls live around the clock. Many provide nationwide service to a particular industry such as medical doctors or plumbers, or offer more locally based services across a variety of industries. While some can connect calls live, the per-minute charges for call connections make this option prohibitive.

The Remote or Off-Site Receptionist – Recent advances in telephone technology and web-based tools have resulted in a new option for business owners who wish to offer more personalized service to their callers and engage a more active partner in their business. Sometimes called a virtual receptionist, these companies typically offer a smaller, dedicated team of receptionists whose philosophy centers around functioning as an extension of your staff and the front-end for your business. Typically, callers will feel as though they have reached your office. Questions can be answered, appointments can be scheduled and calls can be screened, announced and connected in real-time to your people on any phone number. You are encouraged to communicate with your receptionist regularly regarding your schedule, preferred contact number, even particular people you do or don’t wish to speak with. Often locally based, off-site receptionist companies may even offer you the opportunity to meet and train their team just like you’d train your own employee.

While there are many companies who will answer your business telephone calls, the experience for your callers (and the benefits to you) can vary widely depending on the type of service you choose. Before beginning your search, take a few moments to outline your particular needs and seek out the type of service geared to you.

Victor Mataraso, MBA is the founder and president of Reliable Receptionist. Serving the San Francisco East Bay Area and the western states, Reliable Receptionist provides personalized, off-site telephone reception services for businesses with 1 to 100 employees. For more information or to contact him directly, call (925) 627-4200 or visit www.ReliableReceptionist.com.

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In light of our current economic state, outsourcing parts of business has become a popular option. Many small business owners have discovered the many benefits an off-site receptionist can bring to handling the front end of the business as they continue to maintain the back end. When answering the phone lines, the receptionist is often the first point of contact for your callers so it is vital to build, develop and maintain a strong business relationship with your off-site receptionist. Here are the top five tips to sustain and maintain a lasting partnership.

1. Communicate your schedule with them regularly
Communication is especially important in a business relationship with your receptionist. Perhaps you will be in a meeting for the rest of the afternoon or out of the office on business for a few days. Send a quick email or give them a call with your status and call handling instructions. Regular communication with your receptionist ensures that calls are handled per your instruction and also gives you the opportunity to build a relationship with each other. The more information your receptionist has about your schedule, the more value they can provide for you and your clients.

2. Train them to act as an extension of your staff
One of the many perks of having an off-site receptionist is the ability to train them to function as an extension of your staff in the same way you would an in-office receptionist. When you provide your receptionist with call handling procedures, product and service information, and even the specific language of your business, they truly become a member of your team.

3. Remember that they have the same capabilities as an in-office receptionist
Out of sight no longer means out of mind. With the advancements of modern technology, an off-site receptionist is capable of performing many of the same tasks that a traditional receptionist might do. They can manage your current appointments through a sophisticated web-based calendar system that can be edited and updated in real time, register callers for an upcoming seminar, make outbound confirmation calls and provide a variety of other customized business services.

4. Let your receptionist know how you want your calls handled
To maintain the professional image of your business when outsourcing your phones, make sure your receptionist is clear on how you want your calls handled. This can be completely customized to your preference. A modern off-site or virtual receptionist can screen, announce, and connect calls to you in real-time on any phone number. You may also communicate with them about your availability to take calls, preferred contact number, even particular people you do or don’t wish to speak with. They can also be trained to ask key questions to determine how to properly route calls in your organization. When your receptionist knows how your calls should be handled, the process is as quick and seamless to your callers as if the receptionist were right there in your office.

5. Let them know you appreciate the work they do
Even though you may not see your receptionist, they still are an essential part of your team. They are working alongside you to help grow your business and maintain its professionalism. Let them know that you appreciate the work that they do. Send them a small token of appreciation in the form of small goodies-perhaps a gift card to a local coffee shop, a box of chocolates or even a thank you card. This will bring a smile to their face that can be heard through the phone.

A solid foundation is important in all relationships, especially those in business. Following these simple five tips ensures a long lasting and profitable partnership with your receptionist and continuing success for your business.

Victor Mataraso, M.B.A. is the founder and president of Reliable Receptionist, a personalized, off-site telephone reception and appointment scheduling service. Based in the San Francisco East Bay Area city of Walnut Creek, CA, Reliable Receptionist specializes in helping small businesses convert callers to clients. For more information, call 925-627-4200 or visit www.ReliableReceptionist.com.

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