Customer Service Etiquette

Proper and efficient etiquette of customer service has its share of do’s and don’ts, or right and wrong ways of portraying service skills or lack thereof. Don’t insult people, regardless of how ignorant or stupid they may act. This doesn’t make them feel good – and who wants to go back to a place that made them feel bad or uncomfortable or unwanted? I wouldn’t. No matter what the situation is, no matter how mad it makes you, do not say anything derogatory and do not let your body show the negative way you are feeling. Just remember, whether facing a customer in person, on the phone or via email, wait until dealing with that person... Continue Reading

How to Specialize as a Virtual Assistant and Why You Should

The virtual assistant business is booming. Businesses have realized the advantages of hiring someone to help them with their business tasks. As a virtual assistant you can work to meet the needs of any and every client or you can change your tack and specialize in one or two areas of business. Have you heard the phrase, “Less is more”? It’s true when you are talking about virtual assistants. A general virtual assisting business lets you take in clients from all walks of life. That’s good if you like that, but sometimes the learning curve can be quite big with certain projects. When you specialize, the client gets the benefit of your accumulated... Continue Reading

Manage Client Data

As your business grows so too does the volume of clients, subscribers, and contacts. Keeping track of all that information can be a real challenge. Losing client information can be costly as is sending marketing messages to inaccurate addresses. Not to worry, there are many tools and systems to manage your client data effectively and efficiently. Step One. Forget doing it by hand. Even if you’re just starting out in business, managing your client data by hand, entering information into a database isn’t the best idea. It’s time consuming and once your business really takes off, you simply won’t have time to keep up with it. Step Two. Choose... Continue Reading

Set up & Keep Track of Your Hours

How much time do you spend on email every day Billing, invoicing, and accounting tasks How much time do you spend each day on your core business tasks Marketing. Working from home requires careful analysis of how much time and attention certain tasks require. How else will you know how to allocate time, prioritize your day, or schedule If you’re a service based business how will you know how much to charge. Fortunately, there are myriad time tracking software programs ranging in price from free to several hundred dollars. Each comes with their own unique set of features and benefits. The key to getting the most from any software package is to... Continue Reading

Write a Business Proposal

When approaching a new business partner or a potential client your business proposal is your first opportunity to make an impression Step One. Do your research. Learn everything you can about your potential partner or client. How long have they been in business? What is their specialty? Who is their target audience? Who have they partnered with or done business with in the past? What do they care about? This information is important because it will help you create a business proposal that appeals to them specifically. For example, if your potential client is seeking web design services from you and you’ve created web design for a charity they... Continue Reading