Your small business answering service Information
There is an epidemic in the United States. An epidemic that is so overlooked, if gone unchecked any longer, could cripple the economic strata of the U.S. An epidemic that could be responsible for the genocide of millions of businesses. Curious what it is? I am referring to the gross mismanagement of e-commerce businesses. Okay, perhaps the phrases “cripple the economic strata” and “genocide of millions of businesses” was stretching a bit too far, however, it is a fact that the bulk of e-commerce businesses are not built on an infrastructure that embodies stability. I am referring to a lack of customer service support in the umbrella of businesses designating themselves “e-commerce” or “virtual businesses”.
It is true that the lure of starting the e-commerce business is powerful. An endeavor as such usually requires little or no capital investment, a credit card processing account, and rudimentary knowledge of HTML coding. These three elements compose the basic formula for starting an e-commerce business. There is a marked difference in the formula for starting a business and the formula for maintaining a business. To expound on the latter, what truly makes a business thrive is proper customer relationship management and immediate telephone / live voice account support. This is the key component that is missing from most on-line or “virtual” businesses.
Take, for instance, the internet based company Netflix. If you are unfamiliar with the company, they are a relatively young e-commerce business specializing in mail order DVD rental. The minds behind the ingenious idea that is the basis of Netflix failed to create telephone support for their product. There is no doubt this decision was a calculated one as they most likely weighed the cost of maintaining an in-house call center vs. integrating purely e-mail based support. Without looking at the numbers side of the argument, imagine the frustrated consumer having problems with their order and having to rely on a 24 hour lagged e-mail response system to rectify their account issues.
Based on this plausible conjecture, I believe lack of live operator support will be the ruin of the Netflix organization and the downfall of all e-commerce businesses that follow the same train of thought. What these businesses do not realize is that it is possible and extremely cost effective to outsource your call center needs to an established advanced call center facility. This solution has a two fold benefit. It serves to establish a solid foundation of customer relationship management and opens businesses up to benefit from word of mouth advertising.
I believe even a small internet business can greatly benefit from utilizing a call center to manage their customer service or sales calls. The initial investment is usually zero (excluding research time to find the appropriate facility) and most call centers charge on a per call basis (meaning you only get charged for the calls they actually receive). If looking at business from the customer’s perspective as opposed to looking at it from an initial profit standpoint, it behooves all e-commerce businesses to initially setup a live call center to manage all of their calls. If the infrastructure is not initially setup correctly, your business may fail before it has even begun.
Todd Cardin is the east coast marketing team leader for Specialty Answering Service. For more information about Specialty Answering Service, please visit our answering service / call center website and explore our services. This article may be reprinted and republished without permission as long as it remains wholly intact.
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ezinearticles.comSmall businesses are widely responsible for creating jobs and economic health. Though it may seem that the needs of a small business far from being the same as those of its larger counterparts, advanced small business phone systems are in high demand, especially given the lack of resources necessary to maintain dedicated staff that would handle phone answering. The market for small business phone systems definitely exists, but very few companies in the phone industry have been able to meet the needs of small businesses in terms of costs. The telephone solutions that many small companies are using are no match to what the true phone systems could offer. We are talking about powerful systems, with improved answering features, call routing and call messaging. The benefits of such small business phone systems are numerous. Controlling the costs of communication, improving the professional image of your company, increasing responsiveness and connectivity are just some of the advantages of using small business phone systems.
Nortel phones represent one possible solution for your communication needs. This multinational manufacturer of telecommunications equipment is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, but this location does not prevent its products from being available worldwide. You can purchase Nortel phones or any other Nortel products from exclusive partners, such as Applinet Direct.
Norstar phones are yet another telephony solution for branch offices and small to medium businesses. Norstar phones represent a fully digital platform that unites all communications in a small or medium sized company, i.e. telephony, fax, voicemail, email and computer. You can also opt for Norstar phones with advanced integrated applications, such as computer telephony integration and enhanced call centers.
Meridian phones represent another product from the Nortel series, also available from Nortel’s exclusive partner, Applinet Direct. You can opt for digital Meridian phones, which come with the following features: auto dial, call forward, call hold, call transfer, call pickup, speed call, last number redial, retrieve voice messages, and voice mail notification. The options of placing long distance personal calls and business calls are also included, as well as those of placing local calls or internal calls.
Applinet Direct also provides you with Nortel BCM (Business Communication Manager), a portfolio that delivers converged voice and data solution to small and medium businesses. The Nortel BCM solution offers a choice of pure-IP or IP-enabled strategy. Regardless of the size of a business, there are certain features, such as telephony, multimedia call center, unified messaging, IP routing and data services, and interactive voice response that all businesses require. These features, and many more, are included in the Nortel BCM portfolio.
The features and benefits of Nortel BCM include simplified network infrastructure, cost-effective scalability, browser-based management, and redundancy options, as well as unparalleled telephony features and a full suite of applications, all designed to assist your business in serving customers better and being more productive.
If your small or medium-sized business needs a competitive telephony solution, the extensive range of Nortel products is what you should consider. You can purchase any of these products online from a Nortel exclusive partner.
For more resources about
Small business phone systems or especially about
Nortel phones please review this website
http://www.applinetdirect.co.ukArticle author: Fabiola Groshan
It's tough out there, particularly because of layoffs and our sluggish economy. So what's a small business entrepreneur trying to make a living to do? Try these low-cost pricing strategies to keep sales moving.
TACTIC #1 -- Never simply slash your prices, unless you're trying to empty obsolete inventory. Instead, try repackaging your prices so they're more affordable in the short-run so more prospects can afford them. For example, rather than pricing your service for the year, "Our monthly newsletter is only $39 for the year." Instead, try "Our monthly newsletter is only $3.25 per month." If you accept credit cards, it's very easy to set up reoccurring monthly charges that are billed to your subscribers without having to intervene every month beyond the initial account set up. The upside to offering your subscription on a monthly basis is that you can now market a $3.25 headline versus a more expensive $39 headline, i.e. you're able to offer services at a more affordable rate without slashing prices.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE
Here's another example. Just last night I was on the phone with a potential marketing client. As a small business owner she's trying to get some marketing help and is on a tight budget. My standard hourly consulting fee is $225, which is not always appealing to some businesses. However, in trying to work within her budget I suggested that my services could be more affordable for her if she allowed me to help her through email instead of face-to-face or on the phone. Let's face it, when you're on the phone with a client it takes longer to accomplish what you're doing since you're not only answering their questions, but you're building a relationship and talking about unrelated topics. It's difficult not to. In fact, you should! No matter what type of consultant you are, building a successful business is not about the initial sale, it's about establishing a long-term relationship with customers. One-off sales don't lend themselves to growing a profitable business; rather, deep customer relationships do! However, since I was able to establish a trustworthy and comfortable relationship with my prospect on the phone, she thought my marketing services through email would be a win-win. Did I slash my prices? No, instead I found a more efficient way to offer my services, whereby I could offer them in less time and therefore, my client will pay less money. This strategy could work for business coaches, fitness experts or personal chefs, when the latter prepares meals in her home rather than in a client's home.
TACTIC #2 -- Create tightly inched product or service offerings. For example, if you're operating a personal concierge service, rather than just offer errand services at $25 an hour, try prepackaging specific errands with associated lower pricing. Why? Because you can offer a more aggressive price when isolating your fee to one particular service. If your customer challenges your reduced price as compared to your higher hourly fee, your response is simply, "I'm able to offer this lower packaged price because of economies of scale. While I'm out delivering your bundles to the Post Office, I'm also delivering packages for five other customers." Ultimately, your customers will never know how many other customers you're delivering for that day; however, the key is not to simply slash your pricing because you believe that reducing your prices will bring you more business. The key is to provide consistent and professional pricing practices.
P.S...Yes, business is slow for many entrepreneurs right now; however, be cautious with your pricing methods. Don't simply slash prices; instead incorporate long-term and short-term strategies that are always complementary to each other. If you offer a product for $15 today, then again at $35 six months from now, you must have your reasons in place, otherwise you'll aggravate your customers.
Article author: Sudhir Sharma
