Blog: Business Education

When you’re two hours into a complex repair and rebuild and the phone just won’t stop ringing, what do you do? If you take the time to stop and answer every call, you lose valuable productivity and aren’t able to give your existing jobs the focus that they deserve. On the other hand, if you don’t answer the calls, you’re losing valuable leads (and potentially some existing business) because people can’t reach you when they need to.

The solar industry is exploding, which means your business probably is, as well. What can you do when you’ve got client jobs to handle and calls coming in left and right? You could hire a receptionist, but even they would only offer so much support. Fortunately, the advances in technology have completely reinvented the “answering service” of old and created an entirely new business model that almost every business can benefit from.

Smith.ai shares 10 reasons your small business needs a virtual receptionist to handle your communication needs, whether they’re on the phone or via live chat.

Graphic design is your main focus. You can’t dedicate time to clients and designs when you’re constantly being interrupted by the phone. And what about those clients with the last-minute questions coming in after hours? Are they getting in touch with someone about their designs or needs? You are a designer, so it makes sense to design a solution that works to fit your firm. That starts with hiring the right answering service to help along the way.

An answering service could be just what your interior design firm needs. You can outsource to a third-party service that will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so your existing and potential clients can get in touch when they have questions or concerns. Plus, they can handle a host of other tasks in the admin and communications area, freeing up your time and resources.

If you’re in the IT and managed services industry, you know all about having the right support for people when and where they need it. What you might not have considered is that this also applies to you and your business needs. Just as you manage IT systems and networks for your customers, you can outsource to a team that can handle your communications and admin needs: the modern answering service.

As a busy photographer, you have a lot of things on your plate, and you spend most of your days out on photo shoots, at events, or traveling to and from those sessions. That can make it challenging to field all the phone calls coming into your business. And if you’re missing calls, you’re missing opportunities. That’s not going to be good for business, but you’re only one person—what can you do?

Entrepreneurship has become increasingly popular. Hundreds of thousands of people across the globe have recently been inspired to start their own businesses. In fact, Intuit QuickBooks estimated that nearly 17 million new small businesses will have been formed in 2022 alone. And with the holiday season quickly approaching, you now have the perfect excuse to celebrate those hard-working entrepreneurs in your life (or give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back.) To help you get a headstart on your holiday shopping, we’ve compiled a list of the best gifts to give business owners.

The holiday season is the perfect time to show clients your appreciation and nothing says “we value your business” more than a gift. The right gift can set the tone for the rest of a relationship and keep your business top of mind all year long, so to help you put your best foot forward, we’ve compiled a list of the best business gifts you can give your clients this holiday season.