Archives: July 2010

And the Winner is…

By | 07.30.2010 |

Happy Friday, everyone — and congratulations to Lisa Richards, winner of the 2 tickets and VIP passes to Ruby Receptionists’ first ever Barn Bash! It’s sure to be a hoot and a holler, and we hope Lisa will also enjoy the fabulous gift basket pictured above!

We had quite a few entries on the Ruby Receptionists Facebook page, and we randomly selected Lisa’s name from a cowboy hat. Now this lucky cowgirl can enjoy some Southwestern swag along with the other Barn Bash activities we have planned for August 7th. As part of her prize, Lisa will be able to flash her Sheriff’s badge and go to the front of any line — drinks, bull-ridin’, the whole she-bang! So if you’re at the Barn Bash and run into Lisa, say “Howdy,” and maybe she’ll share some of her “Bull Snort Cowboy Cayenne” hot sauce with you!

Many thanks to all of you who entered our Barn Bash contest. We had a lot of fun hearing about your favorite cowboys and cowgirls on the Ruby Facebook page!

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Ruby Gems: Virtual Receptionist Lauren O. Celebrates 1 Year at Ruby!

By | 07.29.2010 |

Virtual Receptionist Lauren O.

Congratulations to Lauren O. on her one year anniversary at Ruby® Receptionists! Luckily, we get to interact with this outdoorsy, dog-loving, spunky gal on a daily basis, but in case you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her in her role as virtual receptionist, here’s a little more about Lauren O.!

What’s your favorite part about working at Ruby?

I get to work with amazing people every day! From co-workers to management, I have never felt so welcomed, supported and respected in any other company that I have worked for.

What’s your favorite part about living in Portland?

Aside from its beauty and colorful people, I love that Portland is SO close to everything! In just an hour or so, you can reach the mountains, coast, national parks, and so much more! There is an abundance of activities to do in Portland and its surrounding areas.

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not answering phones at Ruby?

I love taking adventures — whether it means planning something or simply taking off for the day or night and seeing where it takes me!

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Are You Getting the Most Out of your Ruby iPhone App?

By | 07.27.2010 |

Ruby Receptionists iPhone app "Account" tabNow that you know all about the perks of using the “Whereabouts” feature of the Ruby iPhone app, I’d like to take a minute to share what else this convenient little tool can do. Aside from the “Whereabouts” tab, there are 3 others: “Account,” “Activity,” and “Ruby.” These options allow Ruby® Receptionists clients to check on their accounts at the touch of a screen.

For starters, you won’t ever have to memorize the number you forward your line to; it’s right there under the “Account” tab on your iPhone.  This is also where you log in with your email address and password, although you should only have to do this once, and it’ll bring your account up every time. Your login information is the same as used to access the Member Services Area on the Ruby website (as you may know, this is where you can view a log of all the calls and messages our virtual receptionists have handled for you). But now with the Ruby iPhone app, there’s no computer needed, just your iPhone (which, if you’re anything like me, is pretty much with you 100% of the time).

Any time you’re curious as to how many Ruby virtual receptionist minutes you’ve used this month, just click on the “Activity” tab.  If you have more than one company sharing the pool of receptionist minutes, you can filter your usage results and see if they’re on track for the month. You can also filter by timeframe to determine whether that busy week was unusual for you or if this is now becoming a trend (maybe it’s time to upgrade…?).

Did you accidentally delete one of your message emails from Ruby and now desperately need the phone number from that message? Never fear! You can easily look up your message history on your iPhone. This includes hotlinks for phone numbers and email addresses, so you’ll be able to one-touch dial that important client! It can also be helpful to view your message history in one convenient batch; there aren’t other emails and spam competing for your attention, so you’ll be able to increase your productivity and better serve your clients.

Ruby Receptionists iPhone app

Have a question for Ruby? Our contact info is right there in the app. Click on the hotlink to email us, or if you’d like to hear one of our friendly voices, click on our toll-free number. I promise you no one’s as chipper in the morning or as happy to help as one of our virtual receptionists!

Have you been using the Ruby iPhone app? If so, we’d love to hear from you…. Please share your feedback with a comment below. If you have a favorite Ruby iPhone app feature, please let us know!

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Receptionist Tip: Relay a Caller’s Tone Tactfully

By | 07.22.2010 |
Telephone Operators

Photo from the Seattle Municipal Archives

We all know the impact tone of voice has on communication. The same sentence takes on very distinct meanings when uttered in different tones. Excitement, curiosity, sarcasm, fear, and hundreds of other feelings can be conveyed with a simple fluctuation of voice. The message conveyed by tone of voice is just as important as that conveyed in words, and sometimes more so.

As a receptionist, it’s important to convey both your caller’s message and tone of voice, especially if a caller’s tone seems negative. But it’s best to do so without using terms that could be construed as judgmental. At Ruby, our virtual receptionists are skilled in the art of relaying tone tactfully. Here are three key tips from our telephone answering experts:

Share what you hear. If you perceive that a caller is angry or upset, you’re probably correct. It’s always best to relay a caller’s heightened emotions when you pick up on them. Describe your perception of a caller’s mood when it stands out, but…

Skip negative descriptors. We hope you never field calls from unhappy folks, but if you do, describe their tone carefully. Stick with phrases like “he seems frustrated” or “she seems upset.” Sure, your caller may be persnickety, grumpy, or downright rude, but using judgmental terms can get you into trouble. After all, the person on the other end of the line could be your boss’s mother, and we’d hate to call her a grouch, right?

When the going gets tough, quote.  Euphemisms are great when the occasion is right, but if a caller conveys something dire, don’t pare it down. This is especially important when taking messages. If a caller says “I need to hear from him tomorrow,” that information should be relayed. Don’t worry about paraphrasing — instead, quote the caller directly. This message does the job:

     Jim seemed frustrated, and said he “needs to hear from you tomorrow.”

This message misses the mark:

     Jim seemed frustrated.

Do you have any tips for relaying a caller’s tone tactfully? We’d love to hear from you!

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3 Easy Tips on How to Be Polite When Answering the Phone

By | 07.20.2010 |
It's important to sound polite on the phone no matter where you are
Photo by malias

“Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others.” –Emily Post  

With the amount of information and number of calls and emails being lobbed at us each day, it’s sometimes easy to forget those little “P’s and Q’s” Emily Post talked about so long ago. Though she wrote her famous book on etiquette nearly ninety years ago, her common sense attitude toward manners makes her name synonymous with politeness even today.  

Here at Ruby® Receptionists, we incorporate this “sensitive awareness” into every call, and with our team of virtual receptionists answering thousands of calls a day, we’ve gotten it down to a science! Here are a 3 easy ways to maintain politeness while making sure to move the call along:  

Inquire rather than insist. A capable receptionist is able to steer the conversation confidently even while deferring to the caller. Rather than “Please hold” or “What is your name?” try “May I place you on hold for just a moment?” or “May I have your name?”  

Say, “Please.” It may be cliché, but there’s a reason they call it “the magic word.” “Please” is one word that, no matter how many times it’s uttered, never loses its meaning or appeal. With one little word, you can express your respect for a caller while asking him or her to do something that needs to be done.  

Don’t leave a “thank you” hanging. When a caller thanks you, follow up with a sincere “You’re welcome” or “It was my pleasure.” Even though it takes just a split-second, acknowledging a caller’s thank you can make a caller feel heard and that you value his or her feedback. If the thank you comes at the end of the call, a kind “You’re welcome” makes for a nice, balanced conclusion to the whole interaction.  

Of course, these tips are certainly applicable off the phone as well. Do you remember a time where you felt especially cared for when speaking with someone over the phone or in person? Please share your experience by posting a comment below!

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Ruby’s First Ever Barn Bash!

By | 07.15.2010 |

Ruby Barn Bash

Howdy, Pard-ner! Ruby® Receptionists is throwing a good old-fashioned Barn Bash! Get ready for a night of knee-slappin’, foot-stompin’ entertainment! There’s going to be live music, including Town Mountain, fresh off the Pickathon line-up, and local favorite The SlimJims. There’s also going to be a mechanical bull—you heard me right, a mechanical bull! For those brave cowboys and cowgirls who ride the bull, there are commemorative t-shirts designed by the wily Sockeye crew—and remember, you don’t have to stay on, you just have to get on! There will be some good finger-lickin’ eats as well as a few more surprises. You’ll have to wait till August 7th to find out what else we got cookin’!

Our VIP list includes all current Ruby clients, local vendors and employees, so if you ever wanted to put a face to a name, now’s your chance to come and meet our virtual receptionists in person. And, yes, we are just as friendly and fun as we sound answering your phone!

What if you’re not on the exclusive guest list or want to bring a few more folks? You’re in luck! You can go to the Ruby Facebook page for your chance to win 2 tickets and VIP passes! These VIP passes will let you get to the front of any line as well as earn you a priceless Barn Bash gift basket. Remember to dress Western and bring your best John Wayne swagger!

Questions? Give us a holler at barnbash@callruby.com or post your question below!

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Ruby Gems: Virtual Receptionist Holly T. Celebrates 1 Year at Ruby!

By | 07.14.2010 |
The first yarn virtual receptionist Holly T. spun on her antique wheel

The first yarn Holly T. spun on her antique wheel

We’d like to congratulate Holly T. on her one year anniversary at Ruby! You may recognize her soothing voice from speaking with her on the phone, but did you know that she’s quite the artisan outside of telephone answering?  Here are a few tidbits about this creative, accomplished Ruby, and why we’re so thrilled to have her on our team.

What’s your favorite part about working at Ruby?

Working with such an awesome group of people. It’s wonderful to be a part of a team that really does support its members.

What’s your favorite part about living in Portland?

The colors up here are so vivid. I moved from Texas a little over a year ago, and I’m used to everything being rather brownish. The sky here is so blue, plants are actually green, and even the buildings and bridges have quite a bit of color to them.

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not answering phones at Ruby?

Crafts! My mom taught me to crochet and sew when I was little, and it just snowballed from there. My craft room is a somewhat scary mess of wips (works in progress) and my overflowing stash of yarn, fabric, and crafty doodads. My pet rabbit lives in there somewhere, too, and likes to help by nibbling on everything.

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There’s an App for That: Ruby Edition

By | 07.13.2010 |

Ruby Receptionists iPhone App

Our Ruby® Receptionists iPhone app has been out for a few months, and we’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback about it so far.

Clients especially like using the “Whereabouts” section of the app. This feature enables current clients to update their “Whereabouts” so Ruby’s remote receptionists can provide more personalized — and helpful — service. For example, if a client knows he will be at a conference all day, our receptionists don’t need to try his line for an answer. This saves time, which keeps client costs down and caller satisfaction high. The Ruby client doesn’t pay for the time it would have taken for the receptionist to try his line for an answer, and the caller likes the fact that they weren’t kept waiting. In addition, this enables Ruby’s live virtual receptionists to provide a more personalized level of service — it’s as if they saw you walk out the door on your way to the conference!

With the Ruby for iPhone app, clients can update their “Whereabouts” (examples: in court, at a conference, in a client meeting) to change how their calls will be handled for “The Rest of the Day,” “Until Further Notice” or by setting a “Specific Date and Time” at the touch of a screen.

Ruby’s live virtual receptionists are already known for sounding like they are sitting right there in the office, and this handy feature allows them to stay in the loop just like an in-house receptionist.

Are you a current client using the Ruby for iPhone app? If so, please post a comment and let us know how it’s working out for you. We’d love to hear from you!

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Five Quick Receptionist Training Tips

By | 07.07.2010 |

At Ruby Receptionists, our crackerjack staff of virtual receptionists fields hundreds of calls each day, and we’ve learned a lot in the process.  If you’re new to telephone answering, or just want to brush up on your skills, these five tips will help you shine like a Ruby:

1. Never say “I don’t know.” Chances are very good that you’ll be asked questions that you don’t know how to answer, especially if you’re new to a job.  But saying “I don’t know” is a dead end.  Instead, opt for “Let me find out for you,” or “I’d be happy to look into that,” or even, “Great question!  Let me put you in touch with the best person to answer it.”  Phrases beginning in “Let me” and “I’d be happy to” are great ways to beat the “I don’t know” blues.

2. Paraphrase, or read back message content word-for-word.  Callers love to know that their messages will be relayed accurately.  What better way to assure them of this than repeating their messages back to them? 

3. Confirm. Always read back telephone numbers, and spell out any tricky names or words to ensure that you’ve taken them down correctly.  Here are some tips for confirming information.

4. Take a breath.  You’ve got a lot going on — email piling up, documents to be filed, reports to write.  But when the phone rings, it’s best to put other office hubbub out of your mind and focus on the incoming call.  Take a breath, answer the call, and greet the caller with a calm, friendly tone of voice.  Never let ‘em see you sweat!  Oh, and while you’re speaking with your caller, be sure to follow the next step…

5. Smile. Seems silly, right?  It works.  If you want to sound friendly and inviting, smiling is the easiest way to ensure the perfect tone of voice.  A smile will also help you feel calm and, well, happy.  Who says work can’t be fun?

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Ruby Gems: Keith Nelson Celebrates 3 Years at Ruby!

By | 07.02.2010 |

Director of Information Technology Keith NelsonKeith Nelson, our Director of Information Technology, is also celebrating an anniversary at Ruby this week!  Although being the husband of Ruby President Jill Nelson means he’s been involved since the beginning, Keith has officially been the go-to guy for our virtual receptionists for the past 3 years.  I swung by the “Nerd Cave” (aka where he and our New Client Programmer share an office with a disco ball) and asked him about a few of his favorite things.

What’s your favorite part about working at Ruby?

“After two decades working in corporate America, it is so nice to focus on the family business.  I also can’t over-emphasize how appreciative I am to be working with such amazing and authentic people.”

What’s your favorite part about living in Portland?

“This city has a unique vibe…kind of laid-back, but very creative – and mindful of the natural surroundings.”

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not at Ruby?

“Walking all over the city, hiking, playing with technology.”

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