Let’s make money. Over the next few weeks I’ve decided to write a series of articles how we can tweak technology we may already own to maximize profits. Hopefully I’ll give you some ideas to help you work smarter, not harder.
A decade and a half ago when I opened the Gardner location I shopped for price and ended up with a Voice Over IP (VOIP) phone provider. At that time I really didn’t care about the included features, all I really cared about was minimizing my startup expenses. Years later, when I was looking for ways to cut costs I discovered a host of features built into my telephone service.
Simultaneous ring turned out to be a big flop for my business model. Basically it rang multiple phones at the same time which confused both the caller and employee. I used this for about two months before disabling the feature. I still question how much business I lost while this was enabled.
After turning off simultaneous ring I received consensus among the stores that rollover calls would work. Basically a rollover rings the first store five or six times and if the store is busy or not available it calls another location until the phone is answered. If none of the stores pick up eventually my cell rings. My goal is to limit customers receiving voicemail.
Caller ID is underutilized in my opinion. I didn’t realize the full potential of caller ID until I worked for a large pizza chain many years ago. Their software would automatically display details about the customer’s history. Small businesses can afford to do the same with inexpensive software and add-ons to titles like QuickBooks.
One of my store locations that failed miserably was Leominster. Although the location was disastrous, we still have loyalty from patrons who were able to find us. When I closed the doors I kept the number and forwarded it to my cell. VOIP services easily allow phone numbers for one town to be ported to another.
Web based interfaces significantly streamline managing VOIP phone systems. With a few clicks, features can be enabled and disabled and the changes take effect immediately. Call history is searchable on some systems and many online portals will allow the addition or removal of phone lines which saves hours of time with customer service.
One of the businesses I work with used a plug-in device that took advantage of the computer’s internet connection. The business owner brought me their computer complaining of dropped calls only to find out the jack was just a bad decision. Don’t be so cheap that you run your business from USB jacks or you will lose more money than you save.
After opening and closing locations and other ventures I’ve probably used a half dozen phone providers. Surprisingly, most carriers have similar features which allows me to mirror from location to location. Like many companies with multiple locations I rely on the tried and true formula I originally developed in Gardner.
Retooling your phone system and how you use it can greatly increase your return on investment. In my business we spend almost a third of our day talking to customers both on the phone and in person. Maximizing the return on phone expenses not only lowers employee burdens but increases the amount of time a customer talks to an actual human. Take a peek at your phone system and I can guarantee you’re not using it to its money making potential.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can call him at (978) 919-8059 or visit www.LocalComputerWiz.com.)