Tagged with: live phone answering

Telephone Etiquette: 3 Roadblocks and How to Handle Them With Style

By | 08.25.2011 |

Photo by Brian M. Forbes

Every call our live virtual receptionists field is a treat, and although some are trickier than others, we view bumps in the road as a chance to impress. The telephone answering mavens at Ruby® know that an upbeat tone and polite, respectful words help any conversation flow flawlessly. Is phone answering part of your job? Our remote receptionists are here to help! Here are three common telephone roadblocks, and how to breeze by them with ease:

When you didn’t catch what a caller said, avoid blame. Stay away from aggressive statements like “I can’t hear you,” or “Your phone’s cutting out,” or “Slow down.” If you lay the blame on anyone, make it yourself, and be sure to keep your tone of voice in top form: “It seems we have a poor connection. I’m having trouble hearing you. Would you mind repeating that?”

When a caller mishears you, correct ‘em kindly. Correcting your caller might feel rude, but not doing so may make the caller feel foolish in the future. You’d feel silly if you found out the person you’ve been addressing as Terry for three months is named Kerry, right? Discerning between similar sounds can be tough, especially over the phone. If callers mishear you, politely correct them in your friendliest tone, then move on: “Actually it’s Kerry with a K, but I get that a lot. It’s a tricky name to hear over the phone! Let me try Dave’s line for you.” No biggie!

When a caller hesitates to give info, explain the “why.” If you give your caller a good reason for collecting information, hesitation typically melts away: “Would you mind if I take down your number, so she has it handy when she gets this message?” You can even head hesitation off at the pass by explaining the “why” in your initial query: “May I take down your account number, so we can access your information as quickly as possible?”

Got any tips for handling calls gracefully? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below!

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Meet Ruby, Your Real, Live Virtual Receptionist!

By | 08.12.2011 |

Ruby® Receptionists gets her close-up! There’s nothing quite like video to capture the essence of who we are, what we do, and why we do it. Take two minutes to learn a little more about Ruby, your real, live virtual receptionist! 

 

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to all of the imaginative minds at Sockeye for bringing Ruby to life, our wonderful clients with whom it’s a pleasure to work every day, and our talented Rubys for encompassing our Core Values in everything you do!

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4 Alternatives to Using Your Cell as Your Business Number

By | 12.16.2010 |
Telephone

Photo by Trace Meek

Every day, our bright team of live virtual receptionists is cheerfully answering phones for small businesses all over the country. Over time, we’ve developed a keen eye for what works and what doesn’t. If you’re thinking of publishing your cell as your business number because it seems like the easiest way to go, think again! We’ve put together a few alternatives to help small businesses like yours avoid future headaches and hassle:

1. A “remote call forwarding” line. This is a line that is not attached to any physical phone; it “lives” at the phone company and will simply forward to wherever you’d like. You can forward this number to your cell phone at first, so you will be able to have the benefits of availability to clients, but — and here’s the good part — when your business grows or you move into an office, you can install the number with a physical phone!

2. Grasshopper. Grasshopper provides a service much like that of a “remote call forwarding” line from your phone company; the difference is that it’s purely virtual. You can still choose from a pool of different numbers, but because it’s virtual, Grasshopper provides additional features!

3. Google Voice. This may be the most flexible of the options, and it’s free! Choose your number and have it forward to your cell, home, office, somewhere else, or all of the above simultaneously. Mashable published a helpful article detailing how this works and other ways you can use Google Voice for business. Pretty snazzy indeed!

4. A landline. Ok, so maybe this one’s not as “revolutionary” as the previous ideas, but it might be useful to have an actual landline installed in your home or office that you can manually forward to your cell. It will keep the numbers discrete, and you’ll be able to use this phone for outbound calling as well.

If you’re opening a business or considering publishing a new number, I hope this handy dandy reference guide will help you avoid the pitfalls of working off your cell. Whatever you decide, remember that Ruby’s live virtual receptionists are available to handle your calls with their signature charm and can-do attitude. If you’d like to have a little extra help around the office, here’s how to get started. In no time at all, you’ll have the assurance that your calls are being answered with care by a cheerful, live person every time.

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Answering the Phone: 3 Ways to Make Your Company’s Greeting Great

By | 12.09.2010 |
Answer the phone with a great greeting!

Photo by Michael Pujals

First impressions: you never get a second chance to make them, and at Ruby® Receptionists, we’re all about making them great. To our remote receptionists, every telephone answering experience is a chance to show our super-friendly stuff. A company’s greeting plays a key part in making an impeccable impression on a caller, and we love helping new clients craft greetings that wow. Here are three elements that an excellent greeting includes:

1. A greeting. (Duh.) Simply stating your company name isn’t enough. Begin your company’s greeting with “Hello,” or “Thank you for calling,” or, if most of your callers are in the same time zone, try “Good morning/afternoon.” Better yet, combine two or three of these friendly options in your greeting! Welcome your callers with a few friendly words before saying anything else. A little courtesy goes a long way!

2. Your company name. Now, “Hello” is a great way to begin a greeting, but it does not a greeting make. If you’re answering your phones with “Hello,” call a company meeting pronto and nix that nuttiness. A plain “Hello,” is plain confusing to callers, and it’s likely to make them question whether they’ve dialed the correct number. Always state your company name when answering calls. You’d hate to have a potential client hang up on you because they think they’ve misdialed, right?

3. An offer of assistance. “How may I help you?” Ah, what beautiful words. Let your callers know you’re raring to make their day by ending your greeting with a helpful question. “How may I help you today?” and “How may I assist you?” are rock solid. Are you routing calls rather than answering questions? Try “How may I direct your call?” Is there a question you need to ask every caller? Ask it! (“May I have your account number please?”) A helpful question is the ideal end to a great greeting.

Here’s what the finished product looks like: “Good morning! Thank you for calling ABC Company. How may I help you today?” I feel good just reading it. Sure beats the heck out of “Hello”!

How do you greet your callers? What works for you, and what doesn’t? We’d love your feedback!

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Ruby Gems: December Anniversaries

By | 12.01.2010 |

We are celebrating three Ruby® anniversaries this month! Outgoing Client Services Associate Sara Briggs and gregarious virtual receptionist Sara-Lee B. are both rocking their third year at Ruby Receptionists. Congrats go out as well to thoughtful virtual receptionist Hilary P. who is celebrating her first year at Ruby! In honor of their anniversaries, here’s a little more about each of these talented gals:

What’s your favorite part about working at Ruby?

Sara Briggs: The sense of family and the friends that I have made. The women that work here are solid, forward-thinking, extremely strong ladies.

Hilary P.: At Ruby, we’re never treated as just another face in the office crowd — it’s a family. We laugh together, help each other through hard times, everything.

Sara-Lee B.: It would have to be the insanely cool people I work with. These people are funny, whip-smart, loyal and kind. Not only do I have great co-workers but I’ve also made life long friends. It just doesn’t get any better than this!

What’s your favorite part about living in Portland?

Sara Briggs: I definitely like the music scene here.

Hilary P.: There’s always something amazing going on! Whether it’s a street fair, a crazy film festival, or a theme night at a club, Portland definitely always keeps it interesting.

Sara-Lee B.: Waking up to the sunrise over Mt. Hood…. You just can’t get that anywhere else.

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

Sara Briggs: I enjoy cooking with my boyfriend and hunkering down to watch some horror movies. I’m a bit of a horror fanatic. I also enjoy creating elaborate costumes for various occasions [see above for my getup from the Ruby Barn Bash], submersing myself in music, and heading out for nights of dancing with the ladies.

Hilary P.: Crafting! I love to make things from felt, like wallets or soft toys. I’m working on a line of cell phone cases that are shaped like monsters and robots!

Sara-Lee B.: I also love to craft in my “off” time from Ruby. I am a profitable Macaroni artist. Yes, I said Macaroni artist, however, I am thinking of branching out into the wonderful wide world of buttons….

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Answering the Phone: 3 Ways to Make Any Caller Happy

By | 11.30.2010 |
Virtual receptionist Brooke R.

Virtual receptionist Brooke R.

If you’ve heard them, you already know that our remote receptionists are cheer experts. How do the Rubys do it?  Well, our live virtual receptionists have a simple goal: to make a positive impact on every caller’s day. A less-than-happy caller is just an opportunity to go the extra mile and prove that we’re more than an answering service! Turning every call into a positive experience is easier than you might think. Here are three simple ways to make every call an upbeat one:

 

1. Focus on the positive. You may not be able to do exactly what the caller wants, but you can always help in some way. When asked a tricky question, frame your response around what you’re able to do. Rather than saying “I can’t do that,” try beginning your response with a positive comment, such as “As the receptionist, I can…” or “I’d be happy to…” There are tons of things you can’t do (fly? read minds? name all the state capitals in 10 seconds?).  What matters is your willingness to help in whatever way you can.

2. Don’t boss. Always ask for information from your caller — never demand it. If your caller’s not in a good mood to begin with, they definitely won’t appreciate being told what to do. When gathering a caller’s name, for example, use a polite question like “May I have your name?” Avoid statements like “I need your name.”

3. Be polite! Not sure how to come across as gracious? Stick with the old standbys your parents taught you: please and thank you.  Use these magic words, and use ‘em liberally — they work, and they’re increasingly rare these days.  Any time a caller answers your question, reply with a “thank you.” When asking a question of your caller, try peppering it with a “please.” And don’t forget the cherry on top! When a caller says “thank you,” always respond with “you’re welcome!”

How do you wow your callers? Share the wow wealth and let us know!

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Ruby’s Remote Receptionists Volunteer at the Food Bank!

By | 11.24.2010 |

We at Ruby strive to actively foster happiness, create community, and generally make people’s day just a little brighter. It only makes sense that we extend that same commitment to community service when we’re not answering phones. Last week, a team of Ruby’s helpful remote receptionists embarked on our third annual volunteer night at the Oregon Food Bank.

We brought the usual Ruby enthusiasm to the task of packaging rice and grains. It was hard work, but we gave it our all with smiling gusto. We kept ourselves entertained with jokes and stories, and we may have even had a few group sing-alongs! Visiting the Food Bank each year is a really great opportunity for us to connect as a team, get our hands dirty, and feel proud of our commitment to our Portland community. Fifteen of our remote receptionists and administrative employees worked with several other teams to pack a total of 10,760 pounds of food! That is 57,280 servings of rice and oatmeal that will help ease hunger in thousands of families.

Interested in volunteering with the Oregon Food Bank? You can set up a time to package food, donate, or discover other ways to give. If you’re not in Oregon, try Feeding America‘s Food Bank Locator to find local ways to get involved!

Here are a few pictures of the Rubys volunteering up a storm:

 

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Ruby Receptionists: Making Our Mark by Practicing WOWism

By | 11.23.2010 |

Practicing Wowism

I know y’all have been waiting with bated breath for this fourth and final installment of our Core Values in Action series. Our Core Values define who we are and what we believe; these are the values that drive us. So far we’ve talked about Innovation, Creating Community, and Fostering Happiness. When all three of those values come together and maybe with a little bit of Ruby magic, you get something really good. Something so good we had to invent a word for it: WOWism.

There are a lot of times when we could sit back on our heels and wash our hands of a situation. Phone trouble? Talk to your phone company. Stuck in traffic and need to tell a client you’re late? Call him yourself. Left your cell phone at home? Guess you don’t have anyone’s contact information today! But that’s not Ruby. We’ll help you talk to your phone company, our live virtual receptionists will make outbound calls for you, and we can help dig up old messages. And if we can think of anything else that might be helpful, well then, we’ll do that, too!

Our Client Services Department is a big part of Practicing WOWism. Their top priority is making sure we answer calls in a way that works for the client. If our “default settings,” as it were, aren’t exactly what you need, no worries! We’ll keep working with you to find what works best for your company and your callers.

In fact, Missy Malone, a current Ruby client who owns a mobile spa service, Spataneity, said just the other day that, “Ruby® Receptionists goes above and beyond anything more than I could ever ask for in customer service…You Rock!!” And not to toot our own horn, but we frequently get these kinds of responses; people are amazed — WOWed even! — at what we’ll do to make our clients, callers, and fellow virtual receptionists‘ lives easier.

We’re not just about answering phones. We’re about making your day. We don’t do fine — we hit it out of the park. We’re about finding that special something that will knock your socks off, and giving it to you before you even know you want it. Nothing gives us a bigger kick than impressing our clients and team members. More than impressing, really — surprising, delighting, WOWing. Simply doing a good job isn’t enough for us. We make our mark by practicing WOWism.

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Tales from the State Bar of Arizona Solo and Small Firm Conference

By | 11.19.2010 |
The State Bar of Arizona's lending library

A selection of the State Bar of Arizona's robust lending library

I’m here in Arizona as a sponsor of the State Bar of Arizona Solo and Small Firm Conference, and yesterday I had the extreme pleasure to spend some time with a few Ruby clients in person. Ruby-client Gil Shuga (Law Office of Gil Shuga) was attending the conference and stopped by to say hello. Thanks again Gil; as you said, it’s always nice to put faces to names and voices!

In the evening, I had dinner with Nate Stone (Donison Law Firm) and Andrew Lahser (Law Office of Andrew Lahser); neither of them attended the conference, but both were kind enough to drive over to meet me for dinner. They were excited to meet “a real live Ruby,” and I was excited to meet real live Ruby-clients!

It’s so fabulous to get to hear stories about how Ruby has been able to affect even the crankiest of callers. There was one story about a particularly gruff, querulous caller who took the time to mention how marvelous she thought the receptionist was. Apparently, if we could impress her, we could impress anyone!

It’s also thrilling to hear how having our live virtual receptionists answer the phone can make such a difference in new client acquisition for a solo firm. But best of all, it’s wonderful to fly 1,000 miles, connect with people in the Ruby community, and feel so welcome!

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3 Secrets to Party Planning Success

By | 11.11.2010 |
Ruby Holiday Party 2009

The Ruby Holiday Party 2009

I love the holidays, don’t you? Something kind of magical happens that creates a grand sense of togetherness…or maybe it’s the eggnog – who knows? The point is, this is a great time of year to get your team together, reflect on a year of hard work and celebrate the New Year with a holiday party! Our virtual receptionists look forward to this shindig all year, and over time, we’ve developed a few key takeaways. Here are 3 quick tips to make your party a smashing success without the stress! 

1. Mind Map Software. This is a handy tool to help you visualize your brainstorming process. And after creating a mind map you can import it into Microsoft Excel. Once there, you can easily create a task list and assign responsibilities and due dates and even organize your shopping lists so that you stay on track!

2. Pick a Theme. Don’t feel limited to season-based themes like “Winter Wonderland” — it can be anything that inspires you! This year, peacock feathers sparked my imagination with their unique shape and vibrant color tones. For our holiday party invitations we used an image of a feather, and our table settings and centerpieces will be centered around a beautiful jewel tone color scheme.

3. Write a “Request for Proposal” (RFP). Send an email with all the details of your event to your potential locations and vendors. See this adaptable list of what you should include. The RFP will help you get the most clear and accurate quote by establishing clear expectations with your event space and vendors.

Organization is key to throwing a wow-worthy party, and with these tools, your get-together is sure to be epic. Happy holidays and happy party planning!

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