What to look for in a phone answering service

An increasing number of businesses are choosing phone answering services to field some or even all of their calls, before clients are passed on to the appropriate agent.

There are some significant advantages to this if you find the right service, so here is what you should look out for:

24/7 phone answering service

Making your company accessible 24 hours a day could increase sales and enquiries hugely and there are firms offering this as a service for you.

Calls directed properly

Make sure calls get put through to the correct people as part of a great customer service experience and to increase the efficiency of your business.

Never miss a call

With an answering service you can ensure that your firm never misses a call – ever.

Excellent customer service

A phone answering service can help improve your customer service standards and this in turn should bring in more clients.

If you are interested in a call handling and phone answering service follow this link for more information on the benefits.

Individual Voluntary Arrangement – Reading The Warning Signs

In terms of keeping on top of finances, many experts suggest we are ‘financially illiterate’ and that there needs to money management lessons. Many people in debt will use an individual voluntary arrangement to tackle money woes.

Many who find that their debt problems have gone too far and have become unmanageable will rely upon an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) to help tackle their debts. A report by the British Bankers’ Association (BBA), however, is calling for a drive to tackle what they term as ‘financial illiteracy’ in the UK. They hope that by addressing this issue, the numbers who face bankruptcy through poor debt management will fall.

Individual Voluntary Arrangement – Staying debt free as easy as ‘A, B, C’?

Debt in the UK results from a number of facts but the BBA believe that by educating consumers on money management matters will have a profound effect on preventing more from falling into debt. The report conducted by the BBA found that a substantial proportion of the UK population were incapable of handling their finances in an effective manner and that action must be taken to remedy this fact. Experts in the finance industry often suggest that an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) is a good way to tackle debt problems if they have gone too far and need to be addressed right away. The BBA are hoping that through re-education, they can intervene before things reach this stage.

Individual Voluntary Arrangement – Making A Debt Management Plan

For those who are serious about breaking free from the shackles of debt, one of the key steps that needs to be taken is to start living within one’s own means. There are an ever increasing number of cases where people are spending more on credit card payments and expenditures than they are earning each month. When it gets to this stage, it may well be advisable to seek a financial resolution such as an individual voluntary arrangement which is a legally binding agreement between an individual’s creditors and themselves and presents a pre-determined timeframe to pay back debts at a level that is financially achievable to them.

Commercial and business signs: What they say about you

If you are thinking about getting a new commercial or business sign, make sure you choose carefully

As a businessman, have you ever stopped to consider what your business sign says about your company? Commercial and business signs have a lot more impact on people’s impression of your company than you may think. If you think about it, we make judgements subconsciously or consciously about names all the time; we are probably all guilty of making prejudging a person simply because of what their name is; there may even be situations when we actively choose certain people over others because we think they have a better-sounding name.

When it comes to commercial and business signs and health & safety signs, we are no different. That’s why it’s important if you are a business owner to look objectively at your sign and graphics to see whether they convey the image you want. Commercial and business signs are one of the main ways that passers by become aware of a business. In fact, small, independent businesses will pretty much rely on this as a way of getting noticed, so it’s vital that the business sign reflects not only what sort of company you are, but also the type of work culture you have.

It goes without saying that you whatever type of commercial or business sign you have, you should always keep it well maintained and looking smart. Your business sign is the first thing that customers see, even before the front door, so it should be kept clean and cared for at all times. Having a shabby, unkempt sign in front of your building will tell customers or clients that you don’t care about your business, making a good impression or paying attention to detail.

Commercial and business signs – what you should consider

Whether you are starting a new business and you need a business sign or you are assessing the efficacy of your current commercial sign, here are some general points to consider:

• Target audience - A sign with a business name only is designed to create awareness of the company and to identify its location, whereas an “On Sale Now” banner outside a retail location is designed to attract shoppers.
• Purpose – What is the sign for? Is it to direct people to the business’ offices or is to raise brand awareness?
• Image - a law firm typically wants to project a conservative, stable image, while an advertising agency will want a more creative, even whacky, image.
• Restrictions – Check any restrictions that the local authority may have put on sign sizes and colours etc. You can get information on sign ordinances by calling the building or permitting department of the local authority.