| It's possible to look and sound professional while | | | | What you really need is a local phone number from a |
| working from a home office. It's also necessary that | | | | third-party company specializing in virtual office |
| you pay attention to the details to take care of | | | | setups. If you want a toll-free number, you can add |
| business in a way that gives you credibility and leaves | | | | this and point the toll-free to your new local number |
| your clients with a feeling of confidence in you, your | | | | that is assigned by your voicemail/virtual office |
| products and services, and your company. | | | | company. That's what I do - I have a local Myrtle |
| Your phone setup is a key component to your home | | | | Beach phone number, and I have a toll-free number |
| office success. You cannot afford to ignore this | | | | directed to the number. I don't give out the toll-free |
| important advice: | | | | number unless I'm in the sales cycle for folks out of |
| - You must not depend on your home phone number | | | | town. Local people can call the local number, and |
| OR your cell phone as a main point of contact. It | | | | people needing customer service can dial long |
| should be clear why your home phone is not a good | | | | distance. After all, long distance is free on so many |
| idea - even with caller ID, someone in your house | | | | packages now these days that toll-free is becoming |
| may forget and answer it in a less-than-professional | | | | a thing of the past. But, it still has a nice professional |
| manner and if Murphy's Law has any merit, it will | | | | look to it, so it's probably still a good idea. |
| happen when your potentially largest new client calls | | | | With this virtual office phone number, you can then |
| you. | | | | do anything you want. You can set up a menu that |
| - You might think that using your cell phone is the | | | | will make your company look larger. For instance, |
| next best idea, but it's not. The reason? Well, for one | | | | Press 1 for Sales, 2 for Customer Service and 3 for |
| thing, you don't want to be married to your cell | | | | Accounting. Each of these selections can then route |
| phone, becoming a literal slave to it every time it | | | | the call to a cell phone or your home phone (as long |
| rings. | | | | as you answer accordingly) and when those numbers |
| If you choose to use your cell phone as a main point | | | | aren't answered, the system can bring the call back |
| of contact with the outside world as a business | | | | and take a message before it rolls into cell phone or |
| owner, you'll soon want to throw it in the nearest | | | | home phone voicemail. Or, you can send all calls into |
| deep body of water. Another point about cell phones | | | | voicemail, and have the messages transcribed and |
| is that the voicemail is clumsy and annoying on most | | | | emailed to you. You can even give people a choice: |
| large carriers. At the end, it gives enough options to | | | | "If you would simply like to leave a message, press |
| make the most patient person let out with a big | | | | 1...if you would like to be connected to Joe's current |
| scream of "Enough already! Just let me leave the | | | | location, press 2 and hold." Then, music would play |
| doggone message." | | | | while the system tries to find you and patch the call |
| Another issue I've run into here is that some cell | | | | through. |
| phone carriers are notoriously late delivering | | | | Without overloading you with details, let me just end |
| messages, some arriving as long as 24-48 hours after | | | | by saying that the possibilities are endless and the |
| having been left. That's bad for business. | | | | service can also include eFax services. |
| So, what's the answer? For starters, I don't | | | | For information on all the custom phone products, |
| recommend having another land-line from the local | | | | I've described in this article, please email me at and |
| phone company installed. It's a waste of money and | | | | let me know how to contact you.. If we don't have |
| it's a dead-end form of communication. Even with | | | | what you need, we'll help you find it. We can provide |
| phone company voicemail, your options are | | | | local service anywhere in the continental United |
| extremely limited. | | | | States. |
| Here's Your Answer: | | | | |