One of the most lucrative and easiest home based businesses ideas is the telephone answering service! It is relatively inexpensive to set up and can allow you to earn thousands of dollars each year without having to leave the comfort of your home. A one-office operation can generate gross revenues of as much as $150,000 upwards in a year, depending on the number of telephones or switchboards in operation and the number of calls taken.
The integral role played by the telephone as a businesses communication tool accounts for the growing importance of answering service home based businesses ideas es. All home based businesses ideas es, whether a physician's private practice, a small construction company, or a conglomerate, rely on the telephone as one of the fastest and most reliable communication tool in their home based businesses ideas es.
This home based businesses ideas can, therefore, have a wide range of potential customers. Anyone with a telephone and a busy schedule can become your client, although small home based businesses ideas are emerging to be a very good target market.
An in-home telephone answering service can be a real lifesaver to a small business. Many small home based businesses have neither the time nor the means to take incoming calls during business hours when they are out on jobs -- yet those calls represent the very lifeblood of their home based businesses. They cannot afford an office; much less a secretary, but they certainly need those phone calls. Unless they can find a reliable and affordable answering service, they will probably have to do without (or ask people to call them only after 7 PM) or use an answering machine (more disadvantages).
The best prospects for an answering service are those businesses and professionals that are "on call" 24 hours a day, such as doctors, repair service home based businesses owners like electricians and plumbers, among others.
Ironically, hi-tech advancement is what pushes this exciting opportunity. Fancy, complex phone?answering systems have left customers talking to computer generated voices, leaving messages on ?voice mail? and pressing numerous telephone numbers to work their way through to talking with an actual person. While these systems ?free? people up from the phones enabling them to develop their home based businesses ideas , they frequently frustrate clients and potential customers. There is no guarantee that a client will leave an important message on the answering machine, and this could be a missed business opportunity.
A lot of people simply do not like to talk to a machine. Unable to easily reach a human voice, many individuals simply go elsewhere for the services they need. There is also the possibility of a mechanical breakdown. More importantly, however, the answering machine cannot rely a message, sound interested in the caller's problem, or estimate when the call can be returned.
Fortunately, employers are recognizing this problem and solving it by contracting people to answer the phones when they cannot do it themselves. That personal touch you can offer can mean the difference in obtaining or keeping a client. As professional answering service businesses you can take messages, deliver specific messages to callers, provide basic information, clarify the intent of calls and even arrange meetings with customers. This is a great home based business idea.
Getting Started
The needs to operate a home based business idea for an answering service can vary considerably. The basic answering service takes incoming calls on behalf of business people who are temporarily or routinely not available during normal businesses hours. A company may need a phone to be answered all day, part of the day, after hours only, or 24 hours a day. You can enter this profession at any level you choose. The amount of equipment you will need to get going will also vary depending on how much time you want to devote to your home?based answering service business idea.
The basic answering service takes incoming calls on behalf of business people who are temporarily or routinely not available during normal business hours. Most often, businesses need their phones covered during an ?extended? work day, say 8:00 A.M. ? 8:00 P.M., with an answering machine taking over the other, less likely, 12 hour call period. Twelve hours can be a long day if you are going it alone, so you may wish to solicit businesses that generally are looking for the phones to be answered from 9 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m. This makes it more likely for you to do the job yourself and work it easily into your family?s schedule, too.
Once you identify your work hours, you can put your home based business idea into play. Before embarking on this important effort, you should establish a goal of how many companies you want to represent. You can certainly take on more than one company if all you are doing is answering the phone. Next, find businesses to contract with you.
The number of clients you take on will dictate how you will set up your service. The client can either use a phone company service to have their number ring at your location, or they can advertise your number during certain hours.
The easiest and most inexpensive way to begin is to have a separate phone line and phone for each of your clients. You would then mark each individual phone with the company name as an identifier for you when the phones begin to ring. Installing separate phone lines should run less than $200 each. You will also pay basic monthly charges for each phone. This should average about $35-50 per month. If you are buying actual telephones, these can be acquired inexpensively at local stores. This is the best route if you are going to work with ten or fewer businesses.
However, if you intend to take on more than ten firms, leasing a switchboard from your local telephone company will make your operation more cost and space effective. A switchboard can handle a substantial amount of businesses activity for you.
The amount and type of equipment you get will be dictated by your ambition and your budget. It can be as simple as individual phone lines or as complex as computer screens that flash messages or record instructions for you to convey. The more sophisticated the equipment, the more money you will have to spend. For $25,000, you can purchase one switchboard with 25 lines and the trunk line cable from the telephone company. Of course, the more businesses you can handle the greater the financial reward. This is something you will have to decide for yourself. If this is low?volume, extra money kind of work, spend as little as possible and take on only one or two clients. If this is to be your new home based business idea , then consider the larger investment to handle a high volume of calls.
Before setting up all the equipment, it is necessary to consider expansion options even at the start-up phase. If possible, choose a permanent location as moving equipment and offices can be very costly. Utility companies normally charge penalty fees when answering services relocate. The key to your success does not rely solely on the equipment. Your answering service business idea is providing important customer care for a company. As such, your voice and congenial manner provide a greater value. If you are working with small to medium sized businesses , you probably will not need the latest and greatest phone system to handle the work. The option to installing numerous phones is to lease a switchboard from your local phone company. Find a suitable space in your home to set up your work area, and clear a space for the switchboard. Once set up, it is costly to move, so make your home ?office? choice wisely when a switchboard is involved.
The switchboard can handle up to 100 incoming lines, but you need only activate the actual number of lines you intend to use. This large number of lines gives you great flexibility in the service you can provide. Switchboards offer a variety of extras, including room for another operator if your services demand the work of two people, and a secrecy switch to secure the phone lines for your clients. Read the operating manual thoroughly. Better yet, attend training sessions provided by the local phone company, if available?.more to this idea on next post.
Tags: business, Home Based Business, home based business idea
