How To Start a Telephone Answering BusinessWritten by Jose Valdez
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Telephone switchboards can handle more than 100 incoming calls. You only need to activate actual number of lines that you will be using. The number of phone lines allows you more control and flexibility over your home based business. The number of lines lets you have another operator take incoming as well. Most, if not all phone companies that lease switchboards offer classes on how to use them. Obtaining Clients for your Telephone Answering Service Business Any business or professional that uses phone for business purposes might have a need for an answering service and is a potential client. These businesses and/or professionals can include salespeople, repair services such as electricians and plumbers, on call businesses such as towing services, home based businesses, small businesses such as a doctors office, businesses and organizations that want and/or need surveys taken. You can find these businesses in your local yellow pages, your local newspaper and classifieds to name a few places. Once you obtain your first client, obtaining more becomes a lot easier. Positive word of mouth may be form of advertising once you become established. You can ask your current client for referrals to others who may have a need for an answering service. You can offer incentives such as paying a referral fee for prospects that become clients. Pricing your Service When you are determining price you will charge for your services of your home based business, you will need to factor in your business expenses. Determine what your total business expenses for twelve months would be. Divide this number by twelve. The revenue that your home business earns you will have to exceed this number in order to make a profit. The rates that you will charge should be no less than $20 a month. For example, this price may include a standard number of phone calls that you business will receive. The standard number may be 20, 30, 50 incoming phone calls. You may charge your client .25, .50 or .75 for every phone call received after that. Find out what is being charged by similar businesses in your area by calling and asking rates. Putting together a Contract You can have an attorney work with you to put together a contract or use a standard contract form. Using a standard contract form works just fine in most cases. However, I recommend working with an attorney to put together different forms depending on services that you will be providing for various companies. You will want to have your contract to have a minimum time requirement such as 6 months, with an option to renew at end of expiration of contract. Have enough Supplies to Conduct Business Have enough supplies to do business. Supplies such as pencils, pens, paper, index cards, etc. Buy these items in bulk when possible to save money. You will also need a ledger notebook to record revenue and expenses and at least one calendar to write down dates and to schedule your time. You are free to reprint this article if you include following following text and link about author Jose Valdez is owner/webmaster of www.AGuideToStartingABusiness.com www.FindBusinessArticles.com and www.AllHomeBasedBusinessIdeas.com
Jose Valdez is the owner/webmaster of www.AGuideToStartingABusiness.com www.FindBusinessArticles.com and www.AllHomeBasedBusinessIdeas.com
| | 7 Benefits Of Working At Home Written by Barry Redfearn
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When you work at home you determine financial reward you receive in relation to effort you put in. As an employee you make money for your employer. When you work for some else money you make goes into someone else’s pocket. You can change this when working at home. 5. Hours Are Flexible. The traditional 9-5 daily routine restricts what you would really like to do. Many employers stand quite firm over working hours and often if working hours are breached, can often end in disciplinary action. Working at home lifts this constraint and gives you option of living life you want to live, way you want to live it. 6. Tax Benefits. Working at home turns your normal family home into an office. This means that you can deduct normal house expenses. You can also deduct travel and local transportation expenses. Other deductions include software, books, subscriptions, telephone services, insurance and retirement plans. You can even deduct against depreciation of your home. 7. Less Stress. 25% of employees view their jobs as number one stressor in their lives and 75% of employees believe worker has more on-the-job stress than a generation ago. Working at home reduces amount of stress that is normally associated with working for someone else. Stress can make you feel physically sick, that is why so many working days are lost to stress in today’s environment.
Barry Redfearn is the author of the “2005 Work At Home Jobs Directory “ which contains 1000 companies that pay people to work at home. The directory is available at: http://www.work-at-home-jobs-directory.com/
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