How to Run Your Business Professionally from Home Amid COVID-19 — Quick Tips from Smith.ai’s Betsy Barnett

This is a guest post by Betsy Barnett, Assistant Team Manager at Smith.ai.

‍The Challenge

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, small business owners like you are running your office from the safety of their home. While it seems like this would be a simple transition, in reality this poses several challenges to your business. As you attempt to maintain the balancing act of professionalism and working from home with your family present, you are also faced with the following difficulties:

• You are facing a choice of which telephone number your business line is forwarded to. Oftentimes there is more than one responsible party involved in your daily business operations.

• You will lose the capability of transferring callers to the correct person and will be forced to take down a message that may get lost easily in the chaos. 

• The person you choose to have answering your calls must maintain a quiet work environment. 

• They must always be near their computer in order to schedule and take notes regarding calls.

• You’re left answering the phones, while still attempting to grow your business and tend to your family.

• While at home, you can easily become sidetracked by the “honey do” list that has been created over the years, as you now find yourself having time in your home and able to take on these projects. 

The Solution

If you found yourself nodding along to any (or all!) of the concerns listed above, Smith.ai offers you stability and peace of mind for your business calls and chats during this trying time. 

• Working remotely from home is nothing new for us. Our receptionists have been maintaining a quiet work environment from the comfort of their own home since we established Smith.ai. 

• We are available to take your calls and chats 24/7.

• At Smith.ai, we realize that your needs change as your business grows. With us, you will always be in control of your call handling instructions, we can even add special instructions for days you find yourself in important meetings and are not willing to be disturbed. Additionally, we can also add special instructions where we transfer your VIPs straight to you. 

• We offer a call and chat dashboard that is accessible via a computer or a mobile device, so you can monitor your account activity at any time. 

Where You Go From Here

Are you ready to have our team of receptionists answering your calls? Awesome! Let’s discuss a few things first:

• We offer a 14-day money-back guarantee for both our virtual receptionist and live chat services.

• In addition, knowing how you may be affected by the coronavirus, for a limited time, we are offering the following benefits when you utilize the code SMITHCOVID19:

1. An additional 20 free calls or chats ($140 value; you can apply those 20 calls to any plan)
2. 1 free integration
3. 1 free 24/7 AI Chatbot (including unlimited chats and white-glove setup & installation on your website, $150 value).
   

When signing up, here are some things to remember: 

• Just like when hiring a new employee, there’s always going to be a bit of a learning curve; however, we are committed to demonstrating our adaptability to our clients’ business needs through our superior customer service. 

• We foster business relationships built on open communication, as communication is the key to all relationships. 

• Our receptionists can schedule appointments, complete intake forms, transfer calls, and conduct callbacks for you.

• Simple instructions equate to better results while our receptionists answer your calls and chats. (For instance, if you are a computer repair shop focusing on Apple, direct us to ask "Do you need a Mac repaired?" rather than "What kind of computer do you need repaired?")

• It’s important to provide the answers to the questions that your typical callers ask. (If clients have trouble finding your office, don't just provide directions but add details like "The building with the blue awning," or "If you pass a park you've gone too far.)

• Provide us with all the details you can regarding your business, like:

1. Who are you? List your team members out and their job titles.
2. What do you do? 
3. Where are you located? Does that have an impact on your business?
4. How do you conduct your work? (Do you offer consultations/appointments with potential clients? Do you charge for those consultations? Do you have set office hours or do you only accept scheduled appointments only?)
   

If you have questions or need help getting set up, please contact our support team either via email at support@smith.ai  or telephone at (650) 727-6484. Additionally, you can chat with us right here at Smith.ai!  We are here to assist you any way we can!