Samir Sampat

When it comes to marketing, you either get it right, or you get right back to the drawing board to figure out what went wrong. When you do hit it out of the park, you’re going to need a little help fielding all those new incoming leads. And when you’re stuck in the brainstorming stages on a new project, you’re going to want someone there to take the calls so that you’re not collecting messages and never finding the time to get back to people.

People love their animals, and they want to make sure that they get the necessary care and medical attention they deserve. If you’re running a veterinary clinic, you have a tall order and a lot of expectant clients that are looking to you to be available whenever they may need you.

If you’re running a small business, you’re likely juggling a lot of different responsibilities. Fortunately, when it comes to delegating and dividing the work, you can now cross answering all those incoming calls off your list, thanks to the modern answering service and virtual receptionist solutions.

Today, there are a lot of options to outsource your business communications. Call centers, answering services, virtual receptionists—it can be hard to keep up. The latter two are more similar than not, but call centers are a completely different entity. Before we get into the criteria that you’ll want to include in your search for a good answering service, let’s take a closer look at the differences between these services and which is best for your needs.

If you’re in the business of landscaping and gardening, you probably don’t spend a lot of time by the phone. And even if your mobile device is right in your pocket, you might not be clean enough to reach it when a call comes through. Whatever the case may be, an industry like landscaping can really benefit from having someone always available to answer the phones.

An answering service is an integral part of any business that wants to keep up (and keep in touch) these days. This partnership can help your business grow in several different ways, from increasing leads and conversions to reducing the costs associated with customer service and phone support. Of course, not all answering services are created equal and you’ll want to make sure that you take the time to find the best one for your needs.

If you are in charge of a law firm, you likely have a lot on your plate with client cases and all that those entail. You’re spending hours on research, interviews, preparations, and other activities to get clients and the case you’re representing ready for court. In the legal field, services are in high demand and attorneys like you need to be able to dedicate time to clients. That may mean outsourcing things like an answering service to ensure that you never miss a lead, but don’t have to be tied up on the phone all the time.

If you’re working hard on client projects and don’t have the time or resources to spend your day on the phone, you might be considering another alternative. Hiring a single receptionist or assistant is the natural first thought, but the costs of bringing an employee on can be astronomical for smaller firms. Not only that, but an in-house receptionist will only be able to handle the calls that come in during business hours. Today’s global, always-on economy calls for more accessibility and there are plenty of solutions out there to help you achieve that. One of the most valuable is the modern answering service.

Buying a franchise is a great way to get started in business when you don’t want to start from scratch. Franchises have a track record of success and many of the biggest names in the corporate world are franchise operations. Of course, these premium brands come at a premium price so they might not be ideal for every franchise owner or owner-to-be. How, though, can you make sure that you choose the right franchise to buy? Here are some things to keep in mind.

There’s a franchise out there for everyone these days. With so many options to choose from, it can quickly seem overwhelming when trying to figure out where to start. Fast food, mailing and shipping services, hair salons, auto repair, and even health services brands are available for franchising, so even narrowing down an industry can be a bit of a challenge.