Do You Need to Hire a Receptionist?

August 3rd, 2010

Why You Should Seriously Consider a Virtual Receptionist Services

Whether you’re a lone dentist who works in a clinic or the owner of a big corporation, one of the most important employees that you need to hire is a receptionist. He or she is someone who performs office-related and administrative tasks, while typically sitting in a lobby, front desk or reception area of an office. Part of the task of the receptionist is to receive and greet visitors, as well as answer telephone calls which come in. Depending on the nature of the business that the receptionist works for, the daily administrative tasks may extend to handing out letters, filing records, keyboarding, data entry, setting up appointments or manning the switchboard.

Numerous Benefits from Hiring a Virtual Receptionist

Now that you already have an idea about the basic responsibilities around the office of a receptionist, let us now delve a bit deeper into what a virtual receptionist is all about. In a typical office setting, receptionists are actual employees who are skilled at performing several tasks at once – especially during the busy hours in a workday.

However, there is such a thing as a virtual receptionist – which is a more cost-effective substitute to auto attendant systems. Let’s say that your company occupies a couple of floors in a tall building, where there are several departments and offices. Just imagine the chaos that will ensue if you only have a couple of office numbers, and there is no one to direct the call to the proper department.

For this, an ideal solution would be to hire virtual receptionist services. It works in such a way that once the call comes in, it will be first answered by the auto attendant. The caller is greeted by a recorded voice message, after which directions on what to dial to get to the proper department will be given.

So what are the additional benefits of hiring virtual receptionist services? Read on to find out:

  • It makes small and medium companies sound ‘big’.

When you make use of a virtual receptionist services, the mere fact that you have an automated phone answering system will already make your small or medium business sound like a big company.

  1. A virtual receptionist service provider can give your company a system to automatically play product or service information – depending on what the customer’s inquiries are all about.

When you have a live receptionist, he or she would have to flip through general information about your company, the product or the service that you are offering. With the help of a virtual receptionist, pre-recorded messages can be played if a caller simply needs to get more information about the price, features and other basic information regarding your business.

  • A virtual receptionist service is a cheaper alternative to hiring a traditional receptionist, or purchasing a sophisticated auto attendant system.

Big companies usually maintain a sophisticated auto attendant system, but this would set you back a huge amount of money. Instead of this, you can opt to hire virtual receptionist service which is not just cost-effective but also efficient. You don’t have to worry about your receptionist getting sick, or not receiving enough benefits – a virtual receptionist eliminates the need for all that.

  • You can have your business running on a round-the-clock basis, without actually having to hire employees to work on a 24/7 basis for you.

Finally, you can make it sound as if your client or business partner is calling your physical office when the virtual receptionist system can be located somewhere else, even offshore. You can have the system running 24/7, directing and answering your customer’s calls without the need for you to hire several receptionists working in shifts.

As you can see, there are plenty of benefits that you will get to enjoy by hiring a virtual receptionist. It’s a nifty business solution that is efficient and cost-effective, so it definitely pays to seriously consider this as part of your office’s day-to-day operations.

How to Deal with Customers Coming from Mexico

May 28th, 2010

Having a business can be stressful especially if dealing with customers is not really your forte. It is nice to talk about a business, like a boutique or a shop, but dealing with products and inventory can be quite taxing and it is absolutely imperative that customer service should be part of your expertise. Life with customers can be difficult if you don’t understand each other because of a language barrier, like the Spanish language.

With Hispanics, like those coming directly from Spain or Mexico, how to deal with customers coming from Mexico will be less of a stress if you spoke Spanish. A good way to go about approaching this small dilemma is to look at the methods of learning Spanish the fast, easy and guaranteed way. Try looking into what the Rocket Spanish program can offer you. They are one of the most trusted in teaching people with little or no skill in the Spanish language and turn them into Spanish chatterboxes.

For a very reasonable price, learning how to deal with customers coming from Mexico would no longer be dealing with them, but it will be communicating with them. The ease of learning is really fantastic, I saw that with my own niece and I was astounded that someone who didn’t speak a word of Spanish could only be equipped with the Rocket Spanish program and get off for an interview and land a job in Spain.

If and when this is the effect of that Rocket Spanish, then I am willing to bet that it will no longer be a question of how to deal with customers coming from Mexico, it will turn to be an experience with relating to people at their level of communication while improving your business savvy and customer relations to a better degree.

Managing Business Processes at Offshore Locations

May 22nd, 2010

There is one thing that I have noticed successful business have in common amongst themselves. These businesses are staffed to the max with people who can communicate in other languages other than the English language. The ability to communicate with people in their native language makes for better business practice and this has made a lot of successful businessmen and businesses more successful.

These people are not just hiring people to learn other languages as fast as they could like those from Fluenz and Rocket languages. It helps, but not for managing business processes at offshore locations. With these types of businesses, a quick trip with the Rocket Spanish program may help, but not for long term. You really have to be super fluent and quick to the wit of the Spanish language when dealing with business.

Rocket Spanish programs or software helps a lot of people get a jumpstart on their Spanish language skills, but only to a certain extent. When having made sure that the language is really part of your system, the next step would have to be a more extensive course and practice of the Spanish language. It would also help greatly if you immerse yourself into the language so that when the crucial time arrives, the quick thinking that fluency gives you would be nano seconds and not filled with ‘ahhhhs’ after every single phrase or world.

Managing business processes at offshore locations includes with it a good grasp of not just the Spanish language, but other languages as well. So if you have to rely on someone to speak for you, make sure they are trustworthy. However, it is still best that you learn the language yourself and be fluent at it so that there would be nothing missed in terms of innuendos and whatever else is involved in businesses. This way, your personal touch would be greatly appreciated by the receiving end of the conversation.

Sponsor

March 5th, 2010

Sponsors

NPCC
dbm
SIL
sbm
dcdm
EXECOM
Sun microsystems
INFOMIL KPMG
ORACLE EMTEL
HSBC
TELEFORMA

EUCIS.

Contact

March 5th, 2010

Organising Chair
Dr. Nawaz Mohamudally
Ag. Head, School of Business Informatics and Software Engineering

Organising Secretary
Mrs Sapna Bonomally

University of Technology, Mauritius
La Tour Koenig

Travel

March 5th, 2010

Under Contruction ….

BPOM 2006

March 5th, 2010
BPOM 2006
A case Study on the LRIC Program Outsourcing in Korean Reg Sector
Sun Me Choi, Tchanghee Hyun Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
PKI solution for e commerce
Avinash Ramtohul
A successful BPO is a well managed operation
Henri Sallé Président du groupe & Vincent Duval Latreille Directeur de l’entité Mauricienne
BPMSR Call Centres
M. Razvi Doomun Dept. of CSE, University of Mauritius
Nevin Vunka Jungum Dept. of CSE, University of Mauritius
BPO Spreading its wings
M. Razvi Doomun Dept. of CSE, University of Mauritius
Nevin Vunka Jungum Dept. of CSE, University of Mauritius
Business Process Management
M. Razvi Doomun Dept. of CSE, University of Mauritius
Nevin Vunka Jungum Dept. of CSE, University of Mauritius
BPMSR Call Centres
Dr J. C. AUTREY, Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute, Mauritius
Day-2, Friday, 25 February 2005
Keynote Address “Accenture, a successful BPO operations in Mauritius”
Mr Y. BERNAER, Accenture
Paper presentation “Outsourcing in HPCL – A Cautious Approach
Ms V. MITTAL, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, India
Keynote Address “Sociodynamics And Management Of Business Process  Outsourcing” (in French)
Mr G. BALANTZIAN, l’Institut du Management de l’Information- Paris, France
Paper presentation “Transaction Cost Economics – a review of its applications  to outsourcing of IS”
Mr R. FOOGOOA, University of Technology, Mauritius
Paper presentation “Product And Process Innovation Outsourcing”
Dr N. GOOROOCHURN, Nottingham University Business School, UK
Paper presentation “Business Process Outsourcing Opportunities And  Challenges”
Mr B. SHARMA, School of Advanced Computing, Mauritius

2005 CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

March 5th, 2010

Day-1, Thursday, 24 February 2005
Paper Presentation “Managing Outsourcing”
Dr. R. AGARWAL, University of Technology, Mauritius
Keynote Address “Challenges and Changes in BPO industry”
Mr D. SWAMINATHAN, Progeon, Infosys, India
Case Study Presentation
Mr V. MOONEEGAN, Cendris
Paper presentation “Outsourcing Research and Development in Sugar Cane  Production to Mauritius”
Dr J. C. AUTREY, Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute, Mauritius
Keynote Address “BPO: IBM Capabilities and Case Studies”
Mr. Thierry Wattel, IBM Mauritius
Case Study Presentation – “understanding the successful principles of business  process outsourcing in Mauritius”
Mr. Hamish Horton, Valldata
Case Study Presentation “Convergence and BPO”
Dr Didier Samfat, Mauritius Computing Services
Day-2, Friday, 25 February 2005
Keynote Address “Accenture, a successful BPO operations in Mauritius”
Mr Y. BERNAER, Accenture
Paper presentation “Outsourcing in HPCL – A Cautious Approach”
Ms V. MITTAL, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, India
Keynote Address “Sociodynamics And Management Of Business Process  Outsourcing” (in French)
Mr G. BALANTZIAN, l’Institut du Management de l’Information- Paris, France
Paper presentation “Transaction Cost Economics – a review of its applications  to outsourcing of IS”
Mr R. FOOGOOA, University of Technology, Mauritius
Paper presentation “Product And Process Innovation Outsourcing”
Dr N. GOOROOCHURN, Nottingham University Business School, UK
Paper presentation “Business Process Outsourcing Opportunities And  Challenges”
Mr B. SHARMA, School of Advanced Computing, Mauritius

Venue

March 5th, 2010

University of Technology,
La Tour Koenig,
Republic of Mauritius.

Registration

March 5th, 2010

Please download the Registration Form registration form and return it together with payment to the BPOM2006 Conference Secretary.

Conference fees include conference participation, access to workshops, tea breaks, lunches and conference proceedings.

The fees are as follows:

§     International        US$ 200

§     Local                     Rs 4,000

§     Student                 Rs 900

A copy of a valid student ID card must be enclosed together with the registration form for the student fee to be applicable.

Payment should be made by cheque or international bank draft to the order of the University of Technology , Mauritius .

Registration Form for Download