virtual assistant
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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Se habla Español
Mastering another language is a goal that many people have (it usually makes its appearance in quite a few lists of New Year’s resolutions); Unfortunately, only a few even get past the first lesson. The intent is there, but the task can be daunting, and when frustration sets in, the handy instruction manual ends up neglected and ignored.
For some, wanting to learn a new language is more than just a personal goal. There are those who whose aim is to penetrate a market to broaden their reach. One such market is the Hispanic community. They make up a large segment of the population here in California and in other states, and if you’re not targeting this market, you are limiting your client base and potentially losing out on much-needed revenue.
Outsourcing companies like Prialto can offer a solution to help expand your reach to the Hispanic community. We have bilingual remote assistants who are fluent in both English and Spanish. You can utilize our assistants in a number of ways: as front-office assistants answering phones and taking messages, or as translators, helping to communicate to potential clients to better understand their needs.
Even in a sunny economic climate, it is a smart business practice to never limit your options, and this becomes especially true in these rather gloomy days of late.
If you are, however, still intent on learning another language, check out Tim Ferriss’s blog post (author of The 4-Hour Workweek), “How to Learn Any Language in 3 Months.” It might be the key to unlocking your inner polyglot.
When hard work and diligence pays off
From one of our members…
“As a new user of Prialto, my wife and I were eager to put the service to good use. My wife works for an international economic development agency, which promotes poverty reduction through economic growth in third world countries. Accordingly, we put forward a rather unique request for our Prialto agent, Bert: research and compile a set of websites outlining best practices for creating a voucher system for agricultural development programs in Africa. The nature of the request was time sensitive and within a day of the initial request, we received a neatly organized list of websites which succinctly and clearly addressed each of our questions, saving my wife hours of research and enabling her to leverage the results for immediate review and synthesis into a report that was distributed to her organization’s Board the next morning. Kudos to Bert and Prialto for providing such a cost-effective, and incredibly versatile, personal remote assistant solution.”
Rob, Washington D.C.
“You rock!”
Here’s just one of the ways we make life easier for our members:
After trying unsuccessfully to book three nights at the Yosemite Lodge where he is planning to take a vacation with his wife, James, one of our members, sought my help. He gave me the dates and asked me to call the Lodge every now and then to see if any rooms become available - he was aware that the dates fell in the middle of the high season.
I called the Lodge consistently for two weeks when finally, a room freed up. Although it was only for two nights, not three, I asked the Lodge to hold the room and notified James immediately. I was hoping to add an extra night later on. I suggested to James that he take the room. He said yes, and the reservation was made.
Today I called the Lodge to see if we could extend the reservation to three days. They answered in the affirmative. I booked the extra night right away.
James was thrilled to know that he can plan his vacation the way he wanted without spending a lot of his valuable time making it happen, and I was glad to do it for him.
He sent me a succinct email that said it all:
“You rock, thank you.”
James
Convivio Navideño: A Heartfelt Thank You
Following is a thank you letter the management at Prialto and BPO Innovations received from its employees in Guatemala.
To the management team at Prialto and BPO Innovations:
Last Saturday we celebrated our “Convivio Navideño” in our own Guatemalan way. The gathering has evolved through the years. It was originally a more meaningful time; a time to gather workmates for a moment and think about the true meaning of Christmas and enjoy a tamal and some fruit punch (a bit different from what you have in the States). Now, it has turned into loud parties, or just a BBQ, brews, and gift exchanges.
Our “Convivio Navideño” this year, however, was different. The party was still loud (and fun!), tamal and fruit punch were quite good. The difference is that Alexis* sent a message of the true meaning of Christmas - that it is a time for appreciation and gratitude.
I want to thank you, not only for the gift that you’ve given us but for remembering that there’s a person behind the phone, for making this call center unique from the others in this country. All of us have worked at call centers before, and yet this is the first time we don’t feel like a number, and that means a lot to us.
Have a very Merry Christmas!!
Eddie
*Alexis Rivas is the CEO of BPO Innovations in Guatemala