Managing You 1-800 Toll-Free Service
Aside from cost, or the fact that having an outside answer you business calls, there are some smart rules regarding 800-lines and how you should handle them.
Keep 800 lines in-house when the product is technical or when consumers are likely to ask a lot of questions.
Only a hire a service bureau when the volume of calls in moderate, less, or comes in cyclical pattern. Personnel and space needs for an in-house operation may be greater than what your business can currently afford. One advantage of using an independent service bureau to handle your calls is that it is a fixed cost tied in to the call itself. Unlike having an operator sit in the office 8 hours a day, the amount you pay a service bureau is limited only to the number of calls they handle for you.
If you were to establish an in-house operation, your phone clerks should use a video-terminal that displays information about the product as well as the customer.
Your 800-lines should be staffed until 5pm Pacific Time, three hours later than many companies in the East Coast have closed. Also, think of offering promotional call days to help boost sales and direct sales during certain hours or certain days of the week.
Related Articles
DOL Small Business Handbook
This Handbook on the basic regulations and related services administered by the Department of Labor (DOL) is designed primarily for small businesses in general industry. It begins with a general overview of DOL requirements.
Starting and Managing a Business from Your Home
The cottage industry, an old-fashioned enterprise, is enjoying a revival so strong that it's difficult to find out just how many Americans are now working at home. Estimates range from two to five million and the numbers may double by 1990.
The ABC's of Borrowing
Some small business persons cannot understand why a lending institution refused to lend them money. Others have no trouble getting funds, but they are surprised to find strings attached to their loans.
21 Steps to Home Business Success
Twenty million home-based businesses will be in operation by 1999, according to Link Resource's 1995 National Work-at Home Survey. All around the country, people who want more control over their lives are starting home businesses
How to Prepare a Business Plan that Guarantees Big Profits
Success in business comes as a result of planning. You have to have a detailed, written plan that shows you what the ultimate goal is, the reason for the goal, and each milestone that must be passed in order to reach your goal.
Home-Based Businesses for Fun and Profit
Your Guide to Setting Up Your Own Business at Home
How to Get Free Medical (and Dental) Care
Once you have formed your own non-profit organization, you merely place in your corporate charter the provision that medical care be paid by the organization of which you are a member.
Own Your Own Million Dollar Corporation in as Little as 4 Weeks
Here again, it is helpful to form your corporation in Delaware. In this state the law allows you to assign any "par-value" to your stock as you like - even though there are no assets to back up your valuation.
How to Start a Profitable Home-Based Business
In these days, it's becoming increasingly difficult to make ends meet with just one source of income. Thus, more and more people are investigating the possibilities of starting their own extra-income business.
A Basic Guide on Trademarks
A trademark may be a word, symbol, design or combination word and design, a slogan or even a distinctive sound which identifies and distinguishes the goods or services of one party from those of another.