Ruby Launches a Paid Sabbatical Program for Our Virtual Receptionists!

By Katie Wilson | 02.01.2012 |

Ruby Receptionists at the 2011 "Best Companies to Work For" event

Ruby at the 2011 "Best Companies to Work For" event

To further support our unique Core Values, we are incredibly excited to launch a new sabbatical program at Ruby Receptionists: the “Five at Five!”

In this paid sabbatical program, for every five years at Ruby, our virtual receptionists and supporting staff members will receive five weeks paid time off! During their Five at Five, Rubys are encouraged to explore our Core Values — “Foster Happiness,” “Create Community,” “Innovate,” and “Practice WOWism” – and apply them to a dream that they might not otherwise have had the opportunity to realize.

We really want our employees to succeed, so Ruby will also provide grants and coaching so that they may thrive in their Five at Five. Ruby will fund a $1,000 grant to help each employee accomplish their goal, whether that means traveling around Europe, taking a class, volunteering with a nonprofit, or anything else that would make them deeply happy. Each employee will also meet with positive psychology experts Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener and Positive Acorn in an individual coaching session to discuss his or her aspirations and strategies for making them a reality through the Five at Five program.

Traditionally, sabbaticals have been reserved for global organizations and academic institutions, and as a small business, we are thrilled to be able to offer them to our staff. In fact, when CEO Jill Nelson announced her sabbatical brainchild at our January staff meeting, many Rubys were so surprised that she had to repeat the idea. Once it sunk in, everyone got very excited and a few got a little misty. Virtual receptionist Eve T. explained, “The way Ruby genuinely cares about us and our happiness never ceases to amaze me and warm my heart. This program only furthers my love for working here, and I am already looking forward to sharing my story when I hit my fifth year!” Star Service and Receptionist Cultivator Janel Hodge will be celebrating her five year anniversary with Ruby in November, and she expressed how much this means to her, saying, “A burst of ideas came to mind immediately, and I got especially emotional when Jill announced the coaching session. I love working for Ruby, so I wouldn’t want to leave to accomplish one of my other lifelong dreams — and now I won’t have to!”

The Five at Five joins other beneficial programs at Ruby, such as our paid maternity/paternity leave, employer-matched 401k, and Alternative Transportation program. This year alone, 15% of Ruby employees will be eligible to take advantage of this new, unique paid sabbatical.

Fostering happiness is a big part of our business: when our virtual receptionists are happy, callers are happy, and our clients are happy! And when we invest in our staff’s happiness, they stay with us longer and are in turn invested in making Ruby successful; in fact, the average receptionist has been with us almost a year and a half (exceptional in a field where high turnover is the norm), and all but five of our 70 employees started out as virtual receptionists.

We are committed to living our Core Values, and we can’t wait to see what each bright, talented Ruby will do with their Five at Five!

Customer (DIS)Service: What’s Lacking and How to Get It Back

By Katie Wilson | 01.17.2012 |

CNBC recently aired a special entitled “Customer (DIS)Service: A Maddening Look at the State of Customer Service” where they shined a spotlight on the customer service provided by outsourced call centers, waiters, retailers, recorded menu options, and a host of other industries. Not surprisingly, most of what they found left much to be desired. Man-on-the-street interviews showed an overwhelming frustration with regards to customer service, or as CNBC puts it, “customer disservice.” For all the advancements in technology — computers, databases chock-full of information, sophisticated phone systems — it seems that customer service has actually declined over the years. But why? And why is customer service so important for businesses, anyway?

To answer the first question, we think interviewee Shaun Belding, author and CEO of The Belding Group, put it best: “All the technology was designed to connect us to each other. And that’s what we did. But we lost the beauty of connecting with each other.” Since our interactions these days are often over the phone, it’s easy to become disassociated – they’re just a name and a disembodied voice, right? However, missing that opportunity to connect is missing an opportunity to make a person’s day better, maybe even your own, and certainly make a good impression for your business. You never know who that voice may be attached to: the next evangelist for your company, someone who’s having a rough day that you could cheer up, your neighbor?

In thinking about personal connections, it reminded me of a call I took when I first started at Ruby as a virtual receptionist. We take calls from businesses across North America, and this particular business happened to be on the East Coast. In the course of taking a message for the client, I learned that the caller was from my hometown of Huntington Beach, California, and not only that, he lived at the same intersection as my childhood home! What are the odds? We had a lovely chat about the area and the lively Main Street, and we both ended the call smiling. It could’ve been a very rudimentary call; I could’ve simply taken a message, and we could’ve gone our separate ways. But I wouldn’t have remembered it nearly three years later, and my caller wouldn’t have been nearly as happy.

When people make a personal connection or have an extraordinary experience with a business, they not only become loyal to that company, they’re going to want to talk about it. They’ll tell their friends, colleagues, and family about how someone went above and beyond for them or invested in them or just plain listened to them. Word of mouth – whether it’s positive or negative – can spread like wildfire.

Making meaningful connections with callers and clients isn’t something extra, a nicety; it’s something to cultivate, and it’s imperative to the success of our business. In fact, we put it at the very top of our Ruby Hierarchy of Service Pyramid. Making meaningful connections is at the crux of truly outstanding service, and as ING Direct CEO Peter Aceto said at the end of the CNBC special, “Customer service is the new marketing. It’s the only differentiator businesses have left.”

Confessions of a Virtual Receptionist: On Being Ruby

By Marie R. | 01.11.2012 |

Ruby Marie R.

On a blustery day last January I was commuting by bus for my third day of work as a virtual receptionist at Ruby_® Receptionists. About half way through my trip I noticed another young lady board, whom I thought I recognized from the office. I was unsure of her name so I called out, “Hey Ruby!” and she turned around just as if I had called her by her own name!

How did I know she would respond? Well, we have a unique feature at our virtual receptionist service, where clients may have us address ourselves as “Ruby” when answering their calls so that they appear to have one ever-cheerful receptionist. For example, “Thank you for calling the Law Office of John Smith. This is Ruby. How may I help you?”

Originally, our founder and CEO Jill Nelson had called her company Worksource Inc. However, she quickly realized that the real core of our service is our cheerful demeanor and personable attitude on calls. In 2005, Jill and our branding company Sockeye chose the new name, Ruby Receptionists, to convey the attitude that we are really more of an off-site employee. “Ruby” has evolved into a real person just like me. We’re not “an answering service”; we are all your receptionist – even though we answer from Portland and get to talk to clients on the phone rather than by the watercooler.

Sometimes clients refer to me as Ruby when we’re on a call and then apologize, knowing that I have my own name. But I actually take it as a compliment! To me, the Ruby branding is much more than just a marketing tool. She is our mascot! As you can see from our Fashion Friday posts on the Ruby Facebook page, each virtual receptionist is a unique individual. And it is thanks to Ruby that we can all unite to become one super receptionist! Her brightly shining smile inspires a special vitality in me when I’m taking calls as I imagine how Ruby would handle the situation. And I know my fellow Rubys feel the same!

The Ruby Service Pyramid

By Jill Nelson | 01.10.2012 |

If there’s one thing Ruby_® Receptionists is passionate about, it’s our knock-your-socks-off service, for our clients and their customers alike. “Good customer service” is table stakes for us. At Ruby, if we aren’t hearing “WOW!” every day from our clients, we’re not hitting the mark.

The Ruby Hierarchy of Service Pyramid, modeled after Maslow’s famous Needs Pyramid, a fundamental of Psych 101 classes everywhere, is our roadmap to that WOW experience.

ABOUT THE RUBY SERVICE PYRAMID

Like Maslow’s pyramid, the Ruby pyramid lists fundamentals at the bottom, and introduces the finer practices of Ruby service at the top. Receiving a card congratulating you on your son’s college graduation isn’t going to win any points if we aren’t consistently answering your phones — that’s why Be Prepared with the Right Infrastructure is our foundation, and Make Meaningful Connections is our peak.
While the higher levels are dependent on the lower levels, they are all equally important, and improvement at all levels is a constant endeavor.
Mastering each level is a balancing act of empowering people and adhering to consistent processes. When we’re looking for new ideas, we rely on the creativity of our staff. When something is broken, we look to our process to see where we can improve.

THE LEVELS OF THE RUBY SERVICE PYRAMID:

Be Prepared With the Right Infrastructure. At the base are the systems and technology that enable us to provide our service: our ININ communications platform and our proprietary software and databases. But it also includes our staffing models and metrics to deliver an average answer time of four seconds.

Do What We Say We’re Going to Do. This concept speaks for itself, but we’ve found it takes an amazing amount of attention to ensure consistent delivery. Our training programs, feedback systems, and performance monitoring help us know if we’re on track.

Foster Happiness. Again, a pretty straightforward concept: be nice and make others happy. But when you can do this with every phone call, you find you stand out. Ruby’s strategy? Hire the nicest people on the planet and do everything we can to make sure they’re happy and stay happy.

Create Experiences. Have you ever ended a conversation with someone and found yourself in a better mood than before you called? That’s Ruby’s aim with every interaction. Our receptionists strive to engage each caller with friendliness and professionalism. Grammar, tone, word choice, and confidence all come together to create that mood-changing experience.

Fulfill Unexpressed Needs. This concept is also known around Ruby as “Practicing WOWism.” A hesitation in your voice when we ask you if you want to speak with “Joe from Warehouse Unlimited” is a cue for us to offer to handle the call for you. A whereabouts update mentioning an unexpected trip to school to pick up a sick child might prompt our receptionists to offer to call and cancel your afternoon appointments.

Create Meaningful Connections. Getting to know our clients isn’t just a fun, rewarding part of the job — it’s integral to our success. We train on it, measure it, create incentive campaigns around it, and develop technology to support it. We know we’ve succeeded when we are no longer viewed as a service, but an integral team member in your growing business.

How can the pyramid work in your business? In the coming months we’ll be digging deeper into the pyramid and how Ruby practices each of the levels.

The Ruby Team Shares New Year’s Resolutions!

By Katie Wilson | 12.27.2011 |

Happy Employees

2012 is fast approaching, so I asked the virtual receptionist team here at Ruby_® what the new year might hold for them! Here’s a smattering of our team’s resolutions:

Virtual Receptionist Stephanie S.: Read one new book on each of the American Presidents in order (I’m giving myself two years for this one, but I got excited and started early; almost done with George Washington!)

Virtual Receptionist Jessica M.: I just bought a gym membership, so I’m planning to go 3 times a week. I’m also going to read more books and go camping at least twice this summer!

Sales Associate Ashley Fisher: I’m getting a puppy!!

Scheduling Ninja Bri Popson: I signed up for a 5k run in August that I’m set on completing to some degree of grace!

Virtual Receptionist Annie M.: I’m going to take a vacation! (In addition to cheerfully answering phones at Ruby for the past four years, Annie is a small business owner herself, managing a local clothing store — she’s earned it!)

Virtual Receptionist Melissa W.: I hope to finally take a sewing class, and let’s see, eat lots and lots of pizza!

Star Service and Receptionist Cultivator Ang Gray: I like to make my resolution more of a theme, for example one year it was: Live my values. This year I’d like to focus on self-care. As a parent and staff manager, I love being able to take care of others, but this year, I’d also like to get to know myself better.

Director of Culture Sarah Sackett: I’m looking forward to getting married to the love of my life!

Virtual Receptionist Jill H.: I have this book called 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Portland. I am going to do all of those hikes in 2012!

Sales and Marketing Associate Katie Wilson (aka yours truly): In 2012, I’ll have known my best friend for 12 years, so I hope to squirrel aways some funds and take a celebratory trip to Ireland together!

Do you have any special resolutions for the new year? Share away in the comment section below!

Around the Ruby Office: A Secret Snowflake Gift Exchange!

By Sarah Sackett | 12.22.2011 |

Our virtual receptionists celebrated the holidays this week with a secret snowflake gift exchange. Not only was it a great chance to Foster Happiness and Create Community (two of our Core Values) but it was lovely to see some Ruby talents shine through! Rachel S. made a beautifully knit hat for Pennie, Clarice baked some fruit loop cupcakes for Kendra (to honor her love of all things cereal), Kendra and Holly both made some dazzling earrings for their giftees, and there were lots of homemade sugary treats flowing in the office! Others handpicked some amazing and thoughtful gifts that definitely made their coworker’s days a little brighter.

Here are a few photos from the festivities:

Ruby's pink tree with a bounty of gifts!

Desi was so excited that Pat was her secret snowflake!

Ang was almost moved to tears by her scrapbook kit!

Katie was delighted by her restaurant gift cards from around the globe!

Ruby Celebrates 2011 with Our Annual Holiday Party!

By Katie Wilson | 12.12.2011 |

On Saturday, our virtual receptionist team gathered together at our annual holiday gala to celebrate 2011 and Create Community with each other outside of the office. 2011 was a big year for Ruby_®, and as our Founder/CEO Jill Nelson put it: We found out what we’re made of. In the first half of the year, we launched a brand new, completely customized communications platform, adding several new features and making our virtual receptionist service even better. We also were named one of Oregon’s Fastest Growing Companies and moved into larger quarters in the LEED-certified Lovejoy Building. And then there was our crowning achievement: nabbing the title of #2 Best Medium-Sized Company to Work For in Oregon.

We are incredibly grateful for all of our employees, clients, and vendors for your support during this epic year and for making Ruby such a wonderful place to come to work! We can’t wait to see what 2012 brings!

Here are a few photos from the night, with even more to come on the Ruby Facebook and Google + pages!

: And then we danced the night away!

Special thanks to the folks at Holocene — everyone was so nice and helpful and the space was perfect! Also, a huge shout out to our Director of Culture, Sarah Sackett for organizing this faulous bash!

Our Virtual Receptionist Team Gets into the Holiday Spirit with a Cube Decorating Contest!

By Katie Wilson | 12.09.2011 |

Santa-saurus Rex and a clowder of kitten-reindeer!

The holidays are fast approaching, and a few of our virtual receptionists started to decorate their cubes with twinkling lights and green and red trinkets to get into the spirit. It got us thinking…Why not have a cube decorating contest?! Soon, the whole virtual receptionist crew got in on the fun, and trees, garlands, and reindeer popped up all over the Ruby_® office! Who wouldn’t be cheerful sitting across from a veritable Winter Wonderland?

Congratulations to our cube decorating winner: Monica D.! Below are a few snaps of the winning decorations and our runners up — check out a full album of photos on the Ruby Facebook page!

The winning cube: Monica D. and her holiday creations!

Monica D. even made little santa hats for her little deskmates!

A close second: Kristen C.'s bow-nanza!

: Kristen’s bow-tiful tree

Ruby Mentioned in Psychology Today!

By Katie Wilson | 12.05.2011 |

The “Indiana Jones of Positive Psychology,” Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener wrote an intriguing article on risk-taking in this month’s optimism-focused issue of Psychology Today — and he mentions Ruby_®Receptionists! Dr. Robert and his team have been helping us Foster Happiness with our virtual receptionists for a little over a year, and we’re thrilled that he mentioned us in his column!

Feel free to check out his article here, and if you’d like to learn more about Dr. Robert and his merry band of happiness-makers, visit his website: Positive Acorn.

3 Easy Ways to Welcome a New Employee

By Phoebe Osborn | 11.08.2011 |

A welcome gift can also set the stage for a great first day!

We’re all about great first impressions at Ruby_®, and making every new member of our virtual receptionist team feel welcome on day one is especially important to us. If you work one-on-one with a new hire, you have a great opportunity to establish a connection from the get-go. But you don’t have to be a new employee’s trainer or manager to connect — in fact, it takes just a minute or two to make a positive impression. Here are three easy ways to welcome the latest addition to your office:

Say more than “Hello.” When you’re introduced to a new employee, don’t stop at “It’s nice to meet you!” Try asking a get-to-know-you question or two when you meet. Anything that sparks a bit of dialogue will do — it can be as simple as asking “How is your first day going?” or “What do you think of the office?” You may be having a busy morning, but take a moment to learn a little about your new teammate. A quick conversation will establish rapport and help the new employee remember your name.

Offer to help. Being the new kid on the block isn’t easy, but you can help put a new employee at ease by letting your teammate know you’re happy to lend a hand. You don’t have to offer anything grand to show you care. Here are some examples:

“If you have any trouble with the copy machine, I’d be happy to help you!”

“Let me know if you’re looking for good restaurants nearby for lunch!”

“If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to let me know!”

Check in. After you’ve met, make a follow-up visit to your new teammate. It’s as easy as swinging by your newbie’s desk to say hello and chat a bit. This is a great opportunity to offer help, if you haven’t had a chance yet. A quick conversation will mean a lot to your teammate, and ease new-hire jitters. You might just get a new friend out of the deal, to boot!

How do you and your teammates welcome new employees? Comment below with your suggestions!

The Watercooler.

Keeping it personal in a virtual world.

Category: Happy Employees