Business
What is the mark of a great service? Read on to find out…
Mr. Allen is planning a business trip to Los Angeles this weekend and has a very busy schedule, packed with back-to-back meetings with multiple clients located in different parts of the city. Included in his agenda is a dinner meeting with a client who selected the venue. This client sent him an email with the name of the restaurant where they would meet for dinner.My task was to include the appointment in his calendar so that he had the name and address of the restaurant. I did not stop there, however. As Mr. Allen’s schedule was pretty hectic, and I thought that it would help if he was familiar with the restaurant’s menu - one less thing to think about. So I called the restaurant and asked them to send me a copy of their menu.
As I was updating Mr. Allen on his agenda, I mentioned to him that I am sending him a copy of the restaurant’s menu so that he could get an idea of what he wanted to order. He was very pleased about it and mentioned that those are the types of things that he expects from our service.
This was an email from Bert Landa, one of our personal assistants. Bert was given kudos by the member who felt compelled to speak with one of Prialto’s managers to let him know how impressed he was with Bert.
We can’t say it too often: People are at the core of what we do here at Prialto. They are our most important resource. And when every single employee feels empowered, and when they care about what they do and the quality of work they produce, you get service that is, well, pretty great.
Prialto Voice – A Voice over IP Solution
You’ve probably heard buzzwords such as VoIP, IP PBX, and IP telephony, but what is it? How can you benefit from it? Doing all the necessary research to understand it all can be daunting. And after that, performing a cost-benefit analysis of going from a “Plain Old Telephone Service,” or POTS system, to a Voice over IP telephony system can be complicated. The inputs are so many, and some of them are not readily measurable in dollars. At Prialto, we’re using VoIP exclusively, and actually, our business wouldn’t be viable without VoIP - proof positive of its cost efficiency.
Now, how can VoIP save your organization money? Read on to find out more.
Reduce Your Phone Bill
Saving on phone bills is the most obvious benefit of using a VoIP phone system. Typically, the biggest savings can be realized if your organization has many branches or if you have people working from home or on the road. For companies who have employees traveling abroad, the cost savings can be substantial. Prialto can quickly help you analyze how VoIP could benefit your organization by simply looking at your monthly phone bill.
Less Infrastructure to Maintain, Simpler to Administer, and More Scalable
Because VoIP systems run on normal servers, it is typically less expensive to deploy VoIP than POTS equipment, and that’s even true when it comes to a small office of 1-5 people. And if additional offices need to be connected to the same “corporate” phone system, that can be done quickly and easily too, allowing companies to grow without incurring large expenses for infrastructure.
Another benefit is that because there are less specialized systems to maintain, there are fewer things that can go wrong and it reduces the need for system administrators at each site. Additionally, with fewer machines to maintain, the fewer maintenance contracts are needed.
Because VoIP phones run on the same type of network as regular computers, there’s no need for additional wiring for phones. Again, this means less infrastructure components to maintain and troubleshoot. Lastly, most things related to extensions or phones can be administered by the user, which reduces the need for IT staff.
Cut Costs Using Alternative Phones
A VoIP system allows users to make calls from their computers. These so-called “softphones” are cheaper and work just as well as a regular desk phone. However, if a person or organization prefers to use a standard desk phone, a nice VoIP phone is fairly inexpensive, starting around $100. The main difference from a user’s perspective between a VoIP phone and a POTS phone is that VoIP phones offer many more options and more flexibility. › Continue reading
It’s a chicken or an egg thing: How to keep your business going in this economy
In these dire economic times, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to sustain a business without continued injection of capital. Money begets money. But how does a company keep afloat without continued cash investment? With banks continuing their strict policies on lending (see the New York Times article here), businesses are turning to outsourcing as a solution.
Outsourcing can help a company not just stay in business but also help it grow without a large infusion of money. If you’re a small business owner who is unable to afford a full-time employee, and whose only option is to increase your hours to keep your company going, outsourcing is a way to help you manage your business without sacrificing your personal life.
Here are some of the benefits of outsourcing:
- It can save you time - delegate time-consuming administrative tasks to an assistant so you can focus on the critical aspects of your business
- You don’t have to worry about employee sick time or vacation leave - with outsourcing, there is redundancy, so there is always coverage even when your primary assistant is unavailable
- Your clients never have to deal with voice mail - you can have an assistant handle all your calls, take messages, and relay them to you
- You can be more efficient with your time - your assistant can help you manage your calendar so you can stay on top of your schedule
- It can save you money - outsourcing an assistant is less than half the cost of a full-time employee
Companies like Prialto offer business process outsourcing (BPO) services that help businesses create operational efficiencies that keep costs low, boost customer service, and improve customer loyalty. Outsourcing helps companies focus on their core business by freeing up valuable resources to concentrate on expanding their business. All in all, outsourcing is a way for a company to survive these tough economic times, and maybe even grow its business, without draining its bank account.
To read more about the benefits of outsourcing, see article on AllBusiness.com.
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The art of appointment scheduling: Even making a dental appointment can create a Wow! moment
Finding a dentist in a specific location that uses nitrous oxide and accepts a member’s insurance seemed like an ordinary request, which it was, until one finds out the amount of work that went into it.
A Prialto member put it this way: “I gave Eddie (a Prialto personal assistant) an easy first task that I thought he could over deliver on, just as I would a new employee, but he found a way to artfully over deliver!
What was so impressive with how Eddie executed the task? After he narrowed down the search to a dental office that met all three requirements (location, nitrous, insurance) based on reviews he found on Yelp and other review sites, he did not stop there; he did not just pass on the information to the member and called it a day. Instead, he went further by checking the member’s calendar and picked a date and time when the member would be free. He then called the doctor’s office to make the appointment. He was told that new patients could only be scheduled after certain information has been submitted. Eddie then asked the receptionist what they needed, called the member and wrote down the information, and confirmed with the date and time of the appointment with the member. Eddie proceeded to call the receptionist, gave her the requested information, and firmed up the appointment.
Pretty thorough, huh? Well, not for Eddie. After confirming the appointment, he also took it upon himself to research parking garages in the area, their rates, and the availability of metered parking. He sent this information to the member’s email and iPhone, along with directions (with a link to a map) to the clinic.
All this was done while the member was going through his day at work, which enabled him to focus on his business instead of spending an hour or so performing the task.
Wow moment? Our member thought so.
My Startup Story
A few years ago, I started thinking about owning a business and began envisioning what an ideal company should be. I knew it had to be in-line with my goal of establishing a business locally while doing business internationally. Defining an ideal company turned out to be a process, a concept that evolved during my journey through my early career after college, and through MBA school.
Work life began in Guatemala’s city hall, where I started as a systems technician and quickly worked my way up to higher and more demanding positions. After city hall, I found a position in the call center industry. I liked the idea of a business that had both local and international exposure and after some time, decided that this was the business I wanted to be in. However, there was an aspect of the industry that I was not enthused about and knew I would not adopt - the highly structured and rigid environment where employees perform the same job day in and day out. I continued to work in the industry learning the business, and after receiving my MBA, made the move to start my company, BPO Innovations.
BPO Innovations is the realization of what I consider to be my ideal company. It is a company where only the best people are hired; where everyone is treated with respect and empowered to think independently but urged to work as a team; where each person is encouraged to voice out their opinion on all aspects of the company, from better business practices to improved ways to service our clients. It is a company where trust, camaraderie, and humility are fostered and where personal and professional growth is part of everyone’s goal. My employees receive on-going training to enhance their skills and to enable them to perform work that is varied and stimulating.
BPO Innovations is also a fulfillment of my intention of providing jobs to Guatemalans, as well as working with companies internationally. We are continuing to grow and are now in partnership with Prialto, who shares my vision of an ideal company and who works collaboratively to provide quality personal assistance and business process outsourcing to professionals and companies in the United States.
Alexis Rivas is the CEO of BPO Innovations, Guatemala (A Prialto Strategic Partner)