Put Down Your Phone and Get Some Work Done

On November 19, 2019
4:08 pm
Filed under Tips and Tricks

We’re all distracted. I’m distracted even writing this. With Slack messages and email, baby pictures, Instagram, laundry, and the unending news cycle. Plus a whole lot more. A CareerBuilder survey back in 2016 found that after questioning just over 3,000 employees, 66% said they check or use their phone several times a day at work and 65% said they spend at work time for non-work personal messaging. The point is: it’s hard to carve out productivity on some days as opposed to others, especially for those of us who primarily work on our phones or absolutely need to

Voicemails can feel a bit archaic. We hardly spend time on the phone as is these days, but there’s something especially clunky and old fashioned about listening from start to finish to a voice message. Without voicemail transcription, you’re stuck in a certain format and unable to scan through the message like you would a text or Slack message, or even email. Sometimes, even, your caller’s connection isn’t so great, so you’re stuck listening to a garbled indecipherable message. That leads to you listening over and over to a voice message with a pen and paper like you’re

Work is busy. And as a small business owner, work is everything. But is your business phone system working for you? Your work phone may not be something you stop to think about often. But if you’re using a voice-only legacy phone system, chances are you’re not only losing money, you’re losing out on a slew of features that could make your life, and the life of your employees, a whole lot easier. You’ve probably heard of VoIP—voice over internet protocol (phone service over the internet)—but you may not be familiar with what it is and how it

For a small business, figuring out your marketing strategy early on is imperative to success. While it’s can be great visibility to get your ads into print magazines or on the subway, not everyone has that kind of budget. In this mobile day and age, it’s an easy and generally low cost option to widen your reach with video marketing. It’s become almost an inexplicably essential tool for mobile-oriented businesses, or any businesses for that matter, to use video. So here are five reasons why you should be using video in your marketing strategy. Reach far and wide Just

Maybe it’s the awkward acronym. Maybe it’s because it sounds super technical and people aren’t exactly sure what it means. Whatever it is, VoIP has been around for decades, yet, like your neighbor’s sweet dog that barks wildly every time you walk by (OMG), is misunderstood. We thought we’d take a few minutes to pull back the curtain and debunk some common VoIP myths. Because a myth shouldn’t hold you back from one of the best, easiest, most affordable things you can do to boost your small business, right? Right! Before we get started, what’s VoIP anyway?

Some days are just plain harder to get up the gusto for work. It’s like every day is a Monday and you’re sloshing through the mud trying to get any sort of momentum. This happens to sales people too, whether you’re a veteran or newbie. But, after all, you have to pick up the phone. So here are some tips to get over your Monday (or any day) sales call blues. Don’t be “Sales Voice-y”, be natural Here’s an easy one. Just be yourself. If you feel like you’re putting it on, other people are going to pick

two people looking at collaboration tools in the office

In a startup or small business, people sometimes have to wear many hats. That means an increase in responsibilities and bigger workloads and, a lot of times, more stress. The work day can seem to go by at break-neck pace week in and week out. Emails fly around like mosquitoes, vendors and employees are spread out throughout the country and the world, and you need an answer on something now. How do you keep everything together? Easy! A collaboration tool, like Slack, Hive, Google Hangouts, and a whole bunch more. These tools, a mixture of free and paid software,

So you’re finally ready for VoIP because its mind-blowing features are going to supercharge your small business. (Not to mention let you say goodbye to fax machines forever. And, if you so choose, never actually listen to another voicemail again.) When you’re this excited, it’s easy to get hasty and opt for whatever’s cheapest, especially when you’re on a tight budget. But before you choose a service provider, you need to make sure it’s the best fit for you and your business. We know it’s not always easy to ask the right questions when you’re new to

If you work in the medical field—or your clients are in the medical field—you already know the importance of HIPAA compliance. But do you know your VoIP provider needs to be HIPAA compliant as well? Business phone systems don’t always come to mind when it comes to safeguarding Protected Health Information (commonly known as PHI). But if you’re using a VoIP communication system, or planning to, the digital technology that powers it also puts electronic PHI (ePHI) at risk. That’s why it’s absolutely essential your VoIP provider is HIPAA compliant. What’s at risk with a non-HIPAA compliant VoIP provider? When

small business owner using smartphone for work

So you’re an entrepreneur. Maybe you own a small business. And your smartphone’s become…your work phone. The line between your personal life and career is so blurred you can barely even see it. But how do you know when it’s too much? And what can you do about it? The answer is surprisingly simple. (And doesn’t require sending your phone to the International Space Station. Or, you know, running it over with your car.) It’s a little something called VoIP: voice over internet protocol, or, in layman’s terms, phone service over the internet. We’re here to identify common problems

Employees are the bread and butter of your small business. They keep things moving and they keep things under control. Without them, you’re, well, you’re toast—minus the butter. You appreciate them every day, but do they know it? If you think a twice-monthly paycheck and the occasional happy hour and/or annual holiday party gives them the warm and fuzzies, think again. It’s time to step up your game and show your employees just how much you value them. But how? We’ve gathered 10 easy ways you can make your employees feel appreciated. It’s

You’re a business owner and you’ve got work to do. Business proposals to write, marketing material to draft, brainstorming, strategizing, the list goes on. To get anything done at all, you need to be creative, but you feel like your brain’s on vacation. You’re tapped out, you’re tired, and, as they say, you’ve got nothing. It might be because you’re running on empty. You might just be feeling uninspired. Whatever the reason, you need to dig deep and get ‘er done. But how do you get your creative juices flowing when there’s no juice and definitely no

No one who’s just launched a business wants to look like they just launched a business. But how do you seem like you’ve been around a while? And that you’re successful? And that it’s not just, you know, you and two other employees? (Or, uh, just you?) The answer may surprise you, as it revolves around your business phone, which probably isn’t something you stop to think about often. Just the term “business phone” may feel a bit dated—especially since it’s likely the cell phone you’re holding in your hand right now—but hear us

It sounds like something only a techie could love: VoIP. You hear the acronym and think, “No way. Not for me.” Not so fast! VoIP—which just means phone service over the internet—is insanely easy to use and, thanks to a slew of cool features, can take your small or midsize business to new heights. Ideal for entrepreneurs and growing businesses, once you try it, we guarantee you’ll love it. And you don’t need to be the least bit technical to figure it out. Here are 10 reasons even you, a self-declared non-techie, will love VoIP.

VoIP (voice over IP) is packed with high-tech perks. Many of them are designed to make your life easier. But just as many were created specifically to serve your customers. And one them is a magical little feature called Click-to-Call. It works like this: your VoIP provider gives you a bit of code to embed on your website and voilà, a button appears that quickly connects customers to your business. The catch is that they enter their number and your business calls them. It’s kind of amazing. From preventing callers getting stuck in a phone maze to just making their

Being an entrepreneur is tough. That’s why so few of us do it. It can be lonely, exhausting, and intimidating. On days when it’s particularly trying—when you’re down in the dumps and feeling discouraged—a pep talk can really help. We know a thing or two about innovation and entrepreneurship. And we’d love to boost your spirit with some wisdom we’ve gleaned over the years. We’ve all been there. You’re not alone. Here’s our very best advice to make you feel better even on your very worst days. You’re doing this for a reason. Yes, branching out on your own

We don’t know how it happened, or why, but the 90s are apparently back in style. But just because teenagers are sporting, ahem, mom jeans again (*sob*) doesn’t mean you and your employees have to work like it’s 1999. Today’s business is mobile. If there’s anything that defines business today it’s mobility. We’re all working on the go, taking calls, making calls, and writing emails. Even with the best grunge playlist on earth, there’s absolutely nothing nostalgic about being chained to your desk simply because your work phone is there. But how can you and your employees cut the cord?

If you feel like you’re getting more scam calls than ever, you’re right. And it’s not just you. Americans received an astounding 26.3 billion robocalls in 2018, up a whopping 46% from 2017. It’s hard to fathom, but nearly 50% of all mobile calls are spam. It’s no wonder only half of all cell phone calls are answered at all. Why answer if it’s just a scammer—live or recorded—on the other end of the line? From why robocalls are so prevalent to what you can do to stop them, we’ve put together a quick primer so you can face the