Buildings crumble without adequate foundations. So do marketing efforts. For the inaugural edition of my marketing column, I wanted to lay a foundation for all the future articles. That foundation – both for this column and for all marketing initiatives – is your website. It’s neither hyperbole nor overstatement to suggest that every aspect of… Read More

“I’d probably use your services, but I know you’ve got a lot of plumbers on your service, how do I know my calls will come to me and not accidentally go to my competition?” asked a fellow I met at the Chamber meeting. From time to time this question comes up and I can proudly say… Read More

Whenever someone new comes on board, whether an employee or a customer, a great policy is to wait a few weeks and then ask, “Is our service exceeding your expectations? Is there something you don’t understand or that we could do differently that would make our service work better for you?” Such valid questions, and such varied… Read More

Voicemail is in the past! Web and mobile-based communications are taking over as our primary means of contact. Statistics revealed by Forbes magazine indicate that 80 percent of callers who reach voice mail don’t leave messages because they don’t think they’ll even be heard. Speech technology vendor Nuance Communications recently conducted a survey with Research Now and found that 95 percent… Read More

“I don’t care if I never answer my phone again!” The frustration in his voice came through loud and clear. “I told my customer I would have his deck finished today. When he came home from work, half the deck boards still had to go down, and the railing had to go up. I thought I’d never… Read More

Less than two decades ago, more than 85% of American workers worked for a specific company. Today over 40% of us identify ourselves as free-lancers, self-employed, independent contractors, on-demand workers, or Gig-workers; these titles all refer to Contingency Workers. These are non-permanent workers who are hired by companies on a temporary basis to fill gaps.… Read More

Our industry is a well-kept secret! A recent conference focused on how to“Rebrand” our services so that people would pay attention to the new services we offer. This is not the first time we have tried to reinvent ourselves. We have tried Contact Center, Call Center, Telemessaging Company, and TeleServices Company, and we still hear, “Oh, this… Read More

People love flashy designs. Boring old words, not so much. That’s why far too many companies place an emphasis on their website’s design first. They want the flash, not the function. It’s a backwards way of thinking; the definition of putting the cart before a blindfolded horse – and then shooting the horse. It can… Read More

Cyber-crime is happening more frequently and with greater consequences. Here are eight things that will help protect your computer. Buy and register legitimate software. Unregistered software can’t receive the updates designed to protect computers from outside attacks. Install updates as soon as you are notified of their existence. Invest in an Antivirus program with a… Read More

In this age of tightened security, we want you to know we offer “password protection” for your account and your messages. This is not something new; throughout the years we have had many instances where a client has requested that we do not give out messages without first asking for a password. We thought we should bring… Read More