News and Events
Winter 2012 vol 1 Newsletter:
Move ahead...
As we look forward to the upcoming year we expect the up tick in the economy to continue. That being said, we have seen and will continually see a movement in the telecom world towards IP solutions, SIP trunking, VoIP, with Asterisk based solutions increasing their market share. This driving force of great open source software has increased availability of better phone systems at lower pricing with increased capabilities. Not a bad scenario for a consumer, especially one that might be thinking of a new phone system or an expansion of their current business. So, as we move forward into '2012 consider transition periods as a time to better efficiencies and increase your business. And keeping with this idea, we have assembled a few of our tips that we presented in previous monthly newsletters.
Voicemail:
Business owners and employees, who depend on their voicemail, should take this
time as an opportunity to record a fresh message. Take the time to record a
fresh version of your voicemail greeting, especially if you have had the same
message for longer than 6-8 months. It tells your customers that not only do you
listen to your messages regularly, but you don't allow your greetings to become
stale. Believe us, they will take notice.
Reminders in Outlook: Set a reminder to reply
to a message with Outlook: To set a reminder to reply to a message in Outlook
Right-click the message you want to set the reminder for, point to Follow Up,
and then click Add Reminder. In the Due By list, click the date when you need to
complete the reply. In the second list, click a time. In the Flag color list,
click the flag color you want, and then click OK.
Desktop alerts in Outlook: A Desktop Alert is
the blue rectangle that appears on your screen every time a new e-mail arrives
with a small amount of information in it. Some people find it very helpful while
others think it’s distracting. You can control how it’s displayed, how long it
remains on the screen and how transparent the message is. You can even adjust
where it appears on the screen by simply dragging the alert to another position.
Or you can turn it off entirely. To change how the Desktop Alert is displayed:
Go to Tools and then Options, under the Preferences tab, click E-mail Options,
then the Advanced E-mail Options button. Next click on the Desktop Alert
Settings button and adjust the settings to suit your preferences. To stop
receiving the Desktop Alert: Go to Advanced E-mail Options and uncheck the box
next to Display a New Mail Desktop Alert.
Compatibility with Office 2007 files: Not
everyone is using the latest Office, but, as time goes on the likelihood of
receiving a later versions of MS Office documents will
increase and trying to open these documents might become a problem. Take
the time now to visit Microsoft's Office Updates page and install any
recommended updates.
Best practices in Voicemail: Leaving messages
are part of a daily routine, but not everyone does this simple chore in the best
way. All too often, the message ends with a phone number spoken so quickly that
you have to listen 3 or 4 times to be able to decipher it. Using the following
four suggestions as part of your message will result in better responses, easier
business and a more professional presentation. First, always speak slowly and
distinctly. Second, begin your thought out message by introducing yourself,
including a brief statement for the call. Third, when ending your message repeat
your name and your phone number speaking slowly and distinctly. And lastly, if
you have missed a call and are responding back with another message leave a time
that would be best for the other party to reach you.
Printing only a portion of an email: Sometimes
it is desirable to print an email or other document where you actually only need
a portion of the document. In some cases, especially, when correspondence with
emails has gone back and forth over several episodes they can be pretty long. I
think we all have clicked on print only to find several more pages are printed
after we actually have the information we wanted. To remedy this highlight the
portion of the document or email you want printed. Then click on File, Print,
and Under Page Range, choose Selection, then Print. Now only the information
that you actually wanted will be printed, making for a cleaner document and
saving paper waste at the same time.
Using the correct power supply: Throughout the
year and especially around the holidays new equipment will be added to or
replacing your existing supply of electronics. This will be happening at both at
the office and home. It is important to always use the power supply that came
with the actual piece of equipment. Never assume that an old power supply or one
from the same company will work correctly. To keep them straight we suggest that
you write on a small piece of paper the make and model of the equipment that the
power supply is matched for (i.e. Linksys BEFSR41). Tape this information on the
power supply’s cord close to where you plug it into the piece of equipment. This
way if you ever disconnect the power you will know which power supply belongs to
what device without having to search.
Best practices for Auto-Attendants: One feature
that can save resources and make efficiencies for both the customer and the
business is the Auto-Attendant. But an attendant works best when a few simple
"best practice" rules are applied. The main menu should greet callers and to
help expedite navigating might include "You may choose from the following
options at any time, or press the star key to repeat your choices." Try to use
short menus to streamline the caller's experience. And be clear and concise
about what the callers should expect when they select an option.
Efficiencies today, growth tomorrow:
We
here at Zeracom are looking forward to 2009, moving forward as your trusted
telecom partner. Whether you need telecom service, cabling, a phone
system or a solution to a particular need, we can offer you our expertise. Feel
free to give us a call at 864.676.2170 for any of your telecom and/or data
needs. Or contact us at
service@zeracom.com .
So as we move forward into 2012 take a look at what efficiencies at your
organization can improved upon, from the way information passes among employees,
to the way that you communicate and interact with your customers. Any
improvements in the ways that we do business are an improvement in our future.
It can't get better than that.
It never has been easier, it never has been better.
A business phone system you truly need to experience to believe.
voice | data | networking | video
