The concept applies to most areas of life, but it carries a special message for small business. To feel certain that the product or service you’re offering is a “wow” experience is one of the most powerful goals a business can have. And the surest way to wow customers is by encouraging customer feedback through a thoughtful combo of skill and technology.

Getting customer feedback may sound straightforward: send out a nice email, pop up a 5-star rating box, and voila! you’ve got a review. But step into user shoes for a moment. Remember how often we take it for granted that a product intuitively grasps our needs or is stuffed to the brim with cool features. Or how many feedback requests we’ve ignored in the past month.

How do you avoid the trap of poorly optimized feedback, disinterested, or grumpy customers? What digital tools should you use, and which ones should you drop? We asked five global experts in small business to share insights accumulated through years of experience.

Let’s go!

1. Encourage customer feedback via different channels

Company info: OpsRamp | SaaS | California, USA

Any time when you struggle with a substantial amount of ignored customer feedback requests, it’s time to rethink your customer feedback strategy. The problem is most likely the communication approach, which is not convincing enough to your audience (even if it works for someone else).

Gerardo Rodriguez, Senior Technical Support Manager at OpsRamp, relates how a revamped feedback strategy impacted his company.  “Previously, our Customers had a very limited amount of ways they could deliver feedback to us. Once we started tracking how feedback was coming in, we noticed our engagement was quite low, so we decided to make changes to our processes.”

The changes implied a greater range of feedback channels and results were quick to show. “Since we’ve given our Customers multiple options for providing feedback and we follow up on it, it helps us make better decisions.”

“[Formerly], engagement on feedback inquiries was below 8% but is now at 34%,” Gerardo adds.

Tracking your active customer interaction channels is key to getting the most productive feedback. Channels to encourage customer feedback include: Customer Feedback Management (CFM) apps and services, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or Case Management System (CMS) services, Phone, E-mail, Social Media, Google Reviews, web reviews, Chat, Surveys, and more.

2. Don’t leave customers second-guessing (and don’t do so yourself)

Company info: Edge Marketing | Digital Services | Gold Coast, AUS

A lot of failures in life are a result of second-guessing. Instead of plainly asking, we lose hours ruminating over what other people think and want. In a business environment, second-guessing is even more ridiculous and will always lead to poor ROI. If we turn the tables, though, the same applies to your clients. You should never leave customers wondering about the credibility of your business.

After encouraging feedback from customers, Sean Clancy, SEO Director at Edge Marketing in Australia, became aware of a customer service problem. “As we are an online agency, people expected us to be on Facebook messenger or emails all day every day. [The most surprising feedback] was us not being available 24/7.”

Thanks to timely feedback, Sean implemented digital tools that help users in different geographies feel equally heard and cared about.

“We did implement auto-responses on our FB and email systems to let people know our working hours and when they are likely to receive a response if they contact us outside of those days and times.”

For an online business, where 30%-50% of sales go to the business that responds first, such a simple tweak in customer experience made a lot of impact.

Learn more: 5 Customer support tools that work while you sleep

3. AI is good; people are better

Company info: MightyCall | SaaS | California, USA

In marketing and sales, businesses use a lot of automation tools to facilitate processes. But like every digital tool, automation can become a wall between you and your clients when used as a replacement for human connection.

Anna Miranchuk, our own award-winning Product Manager at MightyCall, explains the importance of picking up the phone and finding a personal approach to every client. “We use several successful feedback channels. Some, like our live support, e-mail, and feedback forms, are always available. When launching new functionality, we always include a feedback request right in the new interface.”

If you’re a growing business, getting live feedback over the phone shouldn’t be taken lightly.

“It’s usually thoughtful, rather than spontaneous communication that gives the best results,” Anna underlined. 

Here are the essential components Anna mentions as critical to successful customer feedback over the phone:

• Select your target audience prior to the phone call
• Share the subject of your conversation in advance
• Allow the customer to schedule the date/time by themselves
• Map out the goal of the conversation, why you wish to talk to this person in particular, and jot down important questions
• Always be flexible and get a feel of the person you’re talking to, adapting your questions as you go. Often it’s the unexpected turns that lead to the deepest insights!

4. Get customer feedback  across to the right people

Company info: English Blinds | E-Commerce; Retail  | England, UK

Being in retail and online businesses at the same time is a tough double act. For such companies (or any growing business), gathering successful feedback from many channels is only half the deal. The critical part is getting information across to the right people. Unfortunately, that is precisely the stage where many businesses stumble.

John Moss, CEO of English Blinds, shares a story where feedback could’ve easily been overlooked. Instead, it became a game-changing impulse for his business.

“We manufacture and retail window blinds and dressings and our showrooms are divided up into specifically themed sets,” John says. “One [set] was carpeted, prompting a comment on the feelings and associations generated by that new carpet smell. [It] was something of a revelation for us was when a customer commented on the…impact that [smells] have on the shopper experience and buyer journey.”

Sensory marketing is a popular “trick of the trade” in food industries (e.g. that fantastic freshly-baked bread smell in your local supermarket makes you eager to shop). Nevertheless, it’s easy to see how feedback like that could have been ignored in the home improvement sector. Instead, John’s team gave it due attention and passed the right info to the right people.

The resulting changes, John adds, were considerable.

“We built on this feedback to… produce an immersive shopper experience, and targeting multiple senses, particularly one with such a strong association with memory as smell. [It] became something of a game-changer for us.”

5. Use uplifting feedback to boost company values

Company info: Hollingsworth | Logistics | Michigan, USA

Feedback comes in many shapes and sizes. There’s positive, sunny feedback that makes your day brighter. There are angry social media trolls who project negative vibes to ruin your day. And then, there’s feedback that will leave you thinking because it’s not about some cool feature or service to implement, but your deeper company values.

This is something that Pat Donovan, Director of Operations at Hollingsworth, a logistics company catering to the whole of North America, encountered. “One client asked us to provide a waiting room because truck drivers are often exhausted and want to be comfortable,” Pat shares. Many a company would overlook a concern that wasn’t “top priority”. However, Hollingsworth saw it as an opportunity to invest in values.

“We know their concern is valid and want our clients to feel like family. [As a result] we revamped our waiting rooms and made them more interactive and friendly with snacks and drinks.”

The fact that the company noted this feedback expressed by one client speaks tons about its customer service and core values.

Why is customer feedback important?

• Adapting to customer needs: Understanding and responding to customer feedback is crucial for meeting their evolving expectations and enhancing their satisfaction.
• Business growth and innovation: Gathering insights from various sources can lead to innovative ideas, helping businesses stay ahead of the competition.
• Quality improvement: Regular feedback helps in identifying and fixing issues, leading to continuous improvement in products and services.
• Brand loyalty: Engaging with customers and valuing their opinions fosters a sense of community, enhancing brand loyalty and advocacy.
• Market relevance: Feedback keeps businesses aligned with market trends, ensuring they remain relevant and successful in a dynamic environment.

Time to start collecting feedback!

The journey of a small business is filled with challenges and opportunities. By embracing diverse perspectives, focusing on customer feedback, and staying adaptable, small businesses can carve a unique path to success. Balancing strategic planning with a passion for innovation allows them to grow and thrive in a competitive landscape, turning obstacles into stepping stones for achievement. In the world of small businesses, the right approach and dedication can transform aspirations into realities.

The post 5 Ways to Encourage Customer Feedback Like a Pro first appeared on MightyCall.

Part of the mega-giant corporation’s platform of online service, it instills trust because of the almighty Google brand. But is Google Voice for Business really an entrepreneur-centered product? Is it really free, and is it a competitive and secure option for small businesses?

Below, we’ll explore the features, pricing, and value for users that the system brings, as well as its limitations and alternatives.

Navigate:

• What is Google Voice?
• How does Google Voice work?
• Google Voice pricing and plans for business
• Google Voice for business features
• Pros and cons of Google Voice for business needs
• Google phone system limitations
• Switch from Google Voice to MightyCall
• Google Voice for business use cases
• How to set up Google phone service for business
• Similar calling solutions for SMBs
• Google Voice – good starter VoIP for solopreneurs

What is Google Voice?

In 2009, Google entered the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) market with a VoIP phone solution that uses an internet connection or Wi-Fi to send and receive calls right from the cellphone. As a handy means that allowed anyone to get a second phone line, Google Voice initially turned many heads in the small business world. Eventually, the company developed a subscription-based phone system for business. Voice is now part of Google Workspace, the corporation’s metaverse of cloud tools.

How does Google Voice work?

The Google business phone service is available on any mobile device with internet or a Wi-Fi connection. Just like with any VoIP provider, you get a separate phone number that’s attached to your main mobile number. But instead of using a landline or buying another SIM card, the technology uses the internet to make and receive calls. Additionally, you have the option to manage calls over Wi-Fi or mobile data.

The benefits of Google phone service for business are primarily the flexibility to make and receive calls on any mobile device, low costs as compared to landlines or a separate SIM card, and the small business call features it provides. Teaming these up with Workspace provides more options for managing professional communications, such as sync with Calendar and Meet.

However, note that Voice isn’t included in a standard Workspace subscription. It comes as an add-on at a separate price.

Google Voice plans & pricing for business users

Google Voice for Business pricing varies based on the provided features. Regardless of the chosen plan, keep in mind that the service comes as a Google Voice for Google Workspace add-on. In other words, you can’t just buy a subscription to Voice without a Workspace subscription.

The service has 3 plans:

• Starter ($10/mo),
• Standard ($20/mo)
• Premier ($30/mo).

Workspace has 4 plans:

• Starter ($6/user/mo),
• Business Standard ($12/user/mo)
• Business Plus ($18/user/mo)
• Enterprise (custom).

This means that a minimal subscription package to Google Voice for Business for just one user starts at $16/month.

Feature	Starter plan	Standard plan	Premier plan
Number of users	Up to 10	Up to 50 + additional licenses	Up to 50+additional licenses
Domestic locations	Up to 10	Unlimited	Unlimited
International locations			Unlimited
Call forwarding	︎	︎	︎
Auto-attendant		︎	︎
Ring groups		︎	︎
Deskphone compatibility		︎	︎
Export voice activity to BigQuery (analytics)			︎

Note: all prices and conditions are valid at the time of publication of the article

Google Voice for Business: features

Features of the Google Business phone system include standard VoIP phone system functionality:

• Auto-attendant – When the caller dials the number, they access a voice menu that prompts them to press certain digits to access information, or reach a specific employee or department.
• Ring groups – This feature connects employees to a single number for better call management.  The call rings to a succession of employees until someone picks up.  This option is available only in the beta program.
• Call transfer – Users can connect multiple devices to their number. This way, if you miss a call on one device, you can always take it on another. You’ll also know that it’s your professional number calling since all connected devices ring at the same time.
• Integrations – Google Voice Business only connects with native apps like Calendar and Meet. For example, if you’re out of the office or on vacation, you can sync your calendar and phone so all calls go to voicemail for these dates.
• Voicemail transcription – Google Voice transcribes your voicemails to text and sends them to email. This standard telephony feature comes in handy when you have a lot of voicemails coming in and prefer to quickly read through them instead of listening to each message.
• Texting – Users can send SMS from their company number through the native Google app. This is useful for short professional communications like appointment notifications,  and promotions.
• Conferencing calls – Invites several people into an audio or video call. Useful when you need to hold team meetings, client interviews, or meetings with stakeholders.
• Spam identification – Screens caller ID and redirects suspicious calls to the spam folder.

MightyCall solution

MightyCall is a business phone system that builds on the standard set of features provided by services like Google Voice and provides many more opportunities for distributing calling tasks for teams of any size. In addition to regular VoIP provider features, you also receive unique professional features with MightyCall:

• Several business phone numbers – For one subscription price, you can get more than one number. This is useful when your company needs both a toll-free and local number for a single price.

MightyCall’s toll-free numbers selection

• Team communication platform – Connect your whole team to the company number(s). Our comprehensive dashboard includes call history, call recordings, voicemail to text, analytics, and more.
• Free number porting – If you already have a number that you want to take with you, Google charges you $20 to port a number. MightyCall does this for free.
• Call analytics – Monitor customer behavior patterns, improve call agent service, and grow your company.
• Customer support – Live support staff that is ready to solve any problem doesn’t compare to a self-help forum.

Try MightyCall
for free

with a 7-day trial

Free Trial

Google Voice pros and cons for business needs

Google Voice for Business has a standard set of features that make it an accessible small business phone system. However, the service also lacks calling functionality for growing companies To understand whether the service is right for your hustle,  let’s sum up the pros and cons.

Pros	Cons
Simplicity – Easy to connect an extra phone line if you already have a Workplace account	Limited functionality – Key features of business telephone services such as toll-free numbers, vanity numbers, extensions, and visual call flows are lacking.
Good for a starter hustle – SMBs with 2 or fewer employees can start out with the basic functions provided by the service	Few upgrades – Compared to constantly developing business phone services, the product isn’t upgraded as often to adapt to the growing market
Multi-device use – The web version and mobile app are available on all internet-powered devices.	Integrates only with Workplace apps – The lack of other integrations is a con for companies that need to integrate their contact base with customer relationship management platforms and other sales/team tools.
Good fit for remote workers and freelancers – Calls can be placed from any location with internet or Wi-Fi through the app	No analytics – Doesn’t provide advanced analytics, except the option for its premier users to export voice data to BigQuery
Fitting for teams with little tech knowledge – Using the system is as simple as using WhatsApp or Skype, so anyone who knows how to use a smartphone can use it.	Limited support – The mobile app is simple to use, but so are the mobile apps of most competitors. Administrators will still need to set up the system online, including tasks like routing, answering rules, call flows, etc. And in case you need help with that, the online Help Forum will be your only point of reference.
Part of the Workspace ecosystem – Convenient for users already subscribed to Workspace	Hidden fees – Since the service is an add-on, you’ll need a Workspace subscription on top of the VoIP call subscription.

Google Phone system: limitations

In addition to the capabilities mentioned above, the service also comes with certain limitations. Evaluate the following if your small business is actively growing, if you provide national online services such as e-com,  or use external management tools like CRM platforms.

• Available in select countries – Google’s phone service is available in the following countries: United States, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
• Number porting limits – If you’ll ever want to switch providers but keep your number, the address in the port request must match the primary location you entered in the Admin console.
• No toll-free and vanity numbers – No toll-free calling that allows callers to reach a company without extra fees, or vanity numbers that make a company number memorable.
• No external integrations – The Google phone system for business only integrates with other Workspace apps like Meet and Calendar, but doesn’t provide the integrations of a professional telephone system.
• No extensions and call flows – Lacks call flows and extensions which are useful if your company involves more than two people.
• Minimum user support – If you have trouble with the product, the company’s online help forum is the only help resource you’ll have access to. Aside from googling, of course.
• Insecure Caller ID – Calls and texts sent from your phone touchpad will use your personal ID. Only calls from the Voice app will show up as your Google Voice number.
• Lack of analytics – Call analytics provide insights into caller behavior, user patterns, and agent service. This tool essential for growing companies isn’t provided.
• Privacy flaws – Stores all your confidential communication information on the corporation’s servers, side by side with the rest of the info gathered about you by the corporate giant.
• Automation restrictions – The only automation provided is the standard auto attendant. Over that, there is no multi-level IVR and no automation tools like web calling widgets, click-to-call buttons, etc.

MightyCall solution

MightyCall is an SMB-focused phone system that ensures a professional company image with constantly upgraded features. Here are just a few GVoice limitations you can solve with MightyCall:

• International numbers – Expand your entrepreneurial vision with global local numbers in a growing list of countries.
• Extensions and call flows – Allows teams to stay together under the umbrella of a single number with multiple extensions.

MightyCall Call Routing

• Inbound and Outbound Caller ID – With a service called CNAM, you have the option to display your company name as the outbound caller ID.
• CRM integrations – A constantly growing number of integrations, such as MightyCall for HubSpot, and many more integration options via Zapier.
• Privacy and security – Infrastructure is distributed in different data centers. All connections are secured using SSL Certificates with 256-bit encryption.

MightyCall features are designed for organizations of all sizes. Check our 3 versatile pricing plans to get started with a new professional number or port your existing number for free. Our live support team will answer any questions you have.

​Switch from Google Voice to MightyCall

The great thing about a professional VoIP platform like MightyCall is that however much your company expands, you’ll never grow out of its features. If you already own a number with any other VoIP service and want to switch over, MightyCall offers free number porting. This allows you to keep your existing number that clients know, but gain all the advantages of a more competitive business phone.

How to port your number to MightyCall:

1. Submit your porting request – Provide the authorized person’s name as stated in the account with the carrier you’re switching from, your email under the MightyCall account, and the LOA – Letter of Authorization.
2. Wait for the port to go through – We contact your current provider as soon as we receive your filled-out porting form. MightyCall receives a date from your current provider for when they will allow for your number to be ported. This usually takes around a week, but depends on your provider and may take up to 15 days.
3. Start using MightyCall –mVoila! Everything’s ready for you to use your existing number with all the extra features of MightyCall.

MightyCall Call Center Call Log

Google Voice for Business: Use cases

Just like with any tech solution, the perks of choosing one service or another depend on your use case. Let’s explore what type of companies will benefit from Google Voice and for whom it’s better to find another alternative. And when you’re done, be sure to check out this real customer use case.

When the Google Business phone service is a good choice

If you match at least two of these points, using Google Voice for Business looks like a good fit:

• Freelancers and solopreneurs –If you’re riding solo or have a few private clients and are in need of a second phone line to avoid mingling these calls with personal ones.
• Remote workers and frequent travelers – Just like other
• Local businesses – the service provides only numbers with local area codes, which makes it unacceptable for national companies.
• Active Workspace subscribers – If you’re already using the platform and have an active subscription, integrating your phone system into it will demand only a small extra fee compared to new Workspace users.
• “Lite” phone users – If your SMB doesn’t plan to manage a lot of calls through the service, the company can provide a useful extra phone line
• Very small businesses with no CRM management – since Google phone service for business doesn’t integrate with CRM platforms, it will be best for entrepreneurs that keep it small and don’t use external contact management tools.

When it is better to consider other solutions than Google phone service for your business

• Teams of 2+ people or 2+ departments – Teams need a comprehensive dashboard, extensions, analytics, call flows, and other telephone features that the company doesn’t provide
• National businesses – Since no toll-free numbers are provided, a national company with only a local phone number will miss out on many clients
• Entrepreneurs exploring growth potential – The Google phone system doesn’t offer call insights and professional features with integrations. This doesn’t make it a good fit for growing companies in need of communications analytics.
• Companies using several different platforms – If you’re using different tools outside of Workspace, you’ll be happier with an alternative that integrates with CRM platforms and other apps
• “Trial” users – If you just plan to “try out” in your company Google Voice and switch to another provider if you don’t like it later, you may need to leave your existing number since the service often has trouble with number porting.

How to set up Google Phone service for your business

If a Google Voice number sounds like the optimal solution to your communication needs, here’s how to use a new business number with the service or port your existing number over.

1. Buy a Workspace subscription. If you already have a subscription, skip this step. Otherwise, buy a Workspace account. Voice is only available as an add-on for Workspace subscribers (from $6-$18 per user/mo).
2. Go to Google Voice and click “Get started”. You’ll need to log in to Workspace at this point, and then you’ll be prompted to “Add or upgrade a subscription”.
3. Choose a Google Voice plan (from $10-$30).
4. Set up your locations.
5. Assign licenses to team members.
6. At this point, you can choose local numbers for yourself and your team (national numbers and extensions aren’t available).
7. If you prefer to port the current number you’re using for professional purposes, the company charges a $20 port fee.
8. Set up features such as voicemail, auto-attendant, and ring groups (if available on your plan).

You’re ready to go!

Other solutions like Google Voice for business

If you’re still hesitant about whether Google Voice is a good fit for your team or you prefer to keep your data away from the internet giant, there are a lot of small business VoIP services that provide the same calling functionality and simplicity, but are more customer-centric and protect your privacy better. As smart people say, “different strokes for different folks” – so scroll down for business phone number solutions that can make more sense for your particular needs.

MightyCall

MightyCall is leading the way in VoIP technology by combining high-quality calls, security, rapid customer service, and a litany of features. They are a solid choice for lots of different companies. A solopreneur flower shop or a small-sized pizza chain restaurant would both find homes with MightyCall.

Pros & cons:

Pros	Cons
Dozens of useful and critical features	Lowest price plan has 1000 minutes and 1000 texts
Multiple price tiers available
All plans have a 7-day-trial

Price per month:

• Core: $15 per user
• Pro: $20 per user
• Enterprise: custom

Best for: Small- and mid-sized businesses

Try MightyCall
for free

with a 7-day trial

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RingCentral

RingCentral

As a cloud-based VoIP provider, RingCentral has 20 years of experience. They have as of late focused particularly on video communications and video conferencing. This would be a solid choice for a company which helps universities to organize travel abroad groups. Video in a case like this is key, but you’re also probably spread out – which is where the internet phone number comes in.

Pros & cons:

Pros	Cons
Texting can be used on the lowest price point	Linux is not supported
Video calling available from highest price points	Users have reported assigned tasks getting lost
Built around having a team- the lowest tier offers up to 20 users

Price (all per month annually):

• Core: $20
• Advanced: $25
• Ultra: $35

Best for: Team-based work from home offices

Ooma

Ooma

Ooma is available for both SMBs and residential settings, and has ample plans and settings for both. They’d fit the profile both for a family of four living in a normal suburban house and a business which is spread out throughout a small town.

Pros & cons:

Pros	Cons
They offer a lot of different options for folks in different financial positions	By offering a lot, they specialize in a little
Offer internet service	Fees complicate pricing

Price (All Ooma Office and month/per user):

• Ooma Office Essentials: $19.95
• Ooma Office Pro: $24.95
• Ooma Office Pro Plus: $29.95

Best for: People who work from home

Google Voice – Good Starter VoIP for Solopreneurs

Coming as part of the internet giant’s wider ecosystem, Google Voice has both its pros and cons. All things said, Google Voice for small business is convenient lite software that’s a good fit for freelancers and solopreneurs. As to teams and growing businesses, since porting a number to/from the Google phone system for business is a costly and not always available option, these types of small businesses may want to go with a more scalable solution without the tie to extra subscription costs.

If your hustle is on the growing side of small, be sure to explore and compare the leading VoIP solutions before sticking with a subscription. You can also get a 7-day trial of MightyCall’s cost-effective business phone solution with powerful CRM integrations and dozens of features  developed for growing companies. All starting at lower than the Google Workspace bundle – at just $12 per user/mo.

The post Google Voice for Business Overview: Pricing, Features, Pros & Cons first appeared on MightyCall.

Slack’s Future Forum survey recently found that 72% of Americans want to continue with the hybrid work setup after lockdowns end and 68% consider the hybrid working environment as the ideal workplace. In contrast, only 8% of workers are considering the return to in-office work post-pandemic, preferring to resign instead.

As employers strive to keep ahead of the Great Resignation and accommodate the demands of a new workforce, here’s how to support your hybrid employees long-term and ensure that your company makes the best of hybrid work.

Contents:

• What is a hybrid work model?
• Benefits of a hybrid working model
• 5 insights to improve your hybrid work model
• Make any place your workplace

What is a hybrid work model?

A hybrid working model is a flexible working arrangement where employees can work both in the office and remotely. This arrangement may be either full-time or part-time – e.g. employees may work remotely on specific days or on a special arrangement. Alternatively, some employees may always work from home, while others employ office or hybrid models of working.

“A hybrid work environment is a mix of traditional and remote working. It’s an environment where employees can choose to work from home or a co-working space, or they can choose to come into the office for meetings or other social events. It’s obvious that a hybrid work environment gives employees more flexibility and autonomy over how they want to do their job.“ – Anastasia Avgerinou, Digital Marketing Specialist at Comidor

Benefits of a hybrid working model

• Flexible working environment – Some folks don’t like the isolation of remote work. Others hate the noise of the office. But what if you are both those people at the same time? Many of us would prefer the flexibility to work in the office some days and stay at home on others, depending on personal and family circumstances, and this is exactly what makes the hybrid job environment so attractive.
• Lower costs – Hybrid remote work models save a business about $11,000 per worker per year. They dramatically lower costs on technology, including hardware, office spaces (demanding less office space), and the ability to adjust remote worker wages or hire freelance workers on hybrid teams.
• Less burnout and low turnover – According to Forbes (citing HR specialists), burnout accounts for up to 50% of employee turnover. For a small or medium-sized business, that can amount to a huge problem. Giving your employees the flexibility to choose their preferred model will solve the issue for 71% of your workers, says a Gallup survey.
• Business growth  –  63% of high-growth companies use hybrid work models. On the other end of the spectrum, 69% of businesses with “negative no growth” are the ones rejecting the hybrid workforce. Company growth is linked directly to the flexibility of its working arrangements and willingness to meet staffing demands.
• Attracting talent – When you’re no longer limited to hiring talent within a car ride from your office, you’re open to diversifying your talent pool. You may find fantastic candidates from outside your zip code, state, or even country who, with a traditional working model, you wouldn’t even have considered. This, in turn, accelerates business growth.

How to improve your hybrid work model and support employees

1. Help employees feel acknowledged in a remote environment

With work-from-home models and hybrid setups, professional motivation and growth can get hindered as employees don’t come. Moreover, managers have a harder time seeing individual achievements and fostering career growth. James Angel, Co-Founder of DYL, a business growth tool for Email Campaigns, Lead Generation, and Telemarketing advises that special tools for employee recognition can help.

“One typical complaint is that remote workers have a tougher time getting promoted since they are less visible to the managers and leaders. This is not a problem with remote work. It’s a basic fact that some people are more adept—or perhaps simply more willing—at self-promotion and drawing attention to their accomplishments than others.

“Digital ‘thank you’ tools can have a significant impact on both visibility and the development of a more supportive culture. These enable individuals to express their gratitude for coworkers with the click of a button and a few well-chosen words. Managers can have a better understanding of who deserves a promotion by examining who consistently earns appreciation from peers for going above and beyond for their coworkers.”

Employee recognition tools like Bonusly, Guusto, etc. encourage employee recognition regardless of the chosen work model and help managers in hybrid workplaces identify employee accomplishments that may otherwise have gone unnoticed.

2. Unify the technology stack and prioritize privacy

As mentioned above, “productivity anywhere” hybrid models are the choice of 63% of businesses with the highest growth indicators.

But what does the “productivity anywhere” model imply, exactly? First of all, it’s giving your team the means to do their work through a unified tech approach that gets rid of excesses in digital culture. The concern between privacy and work-life demands is especially strong in flexible working models like hybrid office work and WFH models. Many employees want companies to respect their private digital space as earnestly as their private physical space, says entrepreneur Harriet Chan.

“[In our hybrid model] what we’ve found to be unsuccessful is frequent meetings and using a more personal communication medium like WhatsApp for work. Our employees frown on that and it is understandable because in certain instances it may seem like an intrusion of privacy.”

A unified digital strategy doesn’t intrude on privacy to enable productivity. Our own example of a unified tech stack that’s cost-effective and simple to use:

• Only necessary hardware – A phone and a laptop with a stable internet connection/Wi-FI are usually all the hardware an efficient hybrid work model needs. While printers and scanners may be essential to some work models, mobile scanning apps (including free built-in ones) are very good at replacing scanners in many circumstances. Meanwhile, occasional printing tasks can be delegated to a nearby print shop.
• Virtual phone system for business– A cloud-based business phone system like MightyCall routes calls from your business phone to the mobile devices of your team. Use it to make and pick up business calls from any connected device (mobile phone, laptop, tablet, desk phone), and any global location with internet/WI-FI access. Plus, VoIP comes with free teamwork and customer service features you’ll definitely want to explore.

Learn more: reasons to stop using your personal mobile line for business

• Project management tools:  SaaS companies like ours often use Jira for project management and love its Kanban boards. For non-tech teams, platforms like Monday.com, Basecamp, or Trello boards are simpler co-op options. Here are more freemium cloud tools for you.
• Internal communication: Use whatever app works best for your work model (Slack, Microsoft Teams, etc.) but stick to one that all of you are comfortable with. It’s best to avoid personal chats like WhatsApp and Skype. Since the pandemic, MightyCall’s team switched to Discord for all work chats, daily stand-ups, 1-1 meetings, and urgent communication.
• Cybersecurity: supply your hybrid team with anti-virus software and VPN protection, especially for those in hybrid work from home environments and co-working spaces.

3. Recognize scheduling flexibility

As we adapt to post-pandemic realities and understand that it’s quality of communication that matters over quantity, keeping a flexible scheduling strategy remains key in light of the volatility of modern realities. If you want an optimal hybrid work environment, discuss the level of flexibility your team will have, says Taylor Murchison, SEO Growth Director of marketing agency On The Map.

“Some organizations can run smoothly without having a clear timetable for who comes in on what days. If this is the case, inform your personnel as soon as possible. Also, let them know if they just need to show up or if they should schedule their visits ahead of time.  [Others] may require employees to report on specific days. This could assist them in confirming that particular individuals will be able to collaborate or ensuring that the office will never be overcrowded.”

Over here at MightyCall, hybrid employees in various departments know the hours and days when they have more flexibility, so they can adjust their work-life balance accordingly. Even though we ship our product on time, we know that trust builds way better achievements than rigid regulations. Want more trust in your team? Adopt a flexible approach and discuss scheduling as a team.

4. Connect employees with mentors

Up to 50% of new employees in organizations leave within two years—that’s a pretty frantic turnover rate. But the good news is that when onboarding processes are curated by mentors, that number drops to just around 8%. In a hybrid model, mentorship is often missed out on. However, virtual mentorship should be part of both onboarding and employee development in any growing business, says Emir Bacic, Co-founder at Pricelisto.

“People need to know what is going on and how they fit in the whole process. Employees working from home cannot see other team members, so it’s essential to ensure that everything is available over the phone or video conference.  People working remotely usually need advice from more experienced colleagues in their area of expertise. As long as the mentor is available over video conference, this shouldn’t be a problem. There are other options [companies may consider] like mentorship by email or phone.”

For other employees, biweekly 1-1 meetings where not only ongoing job issues but hybrid work, remote work, and even personal challenges are openly shared are just as important for empathetically motivating your team, advises Andrew Lokenauth, Finance Executive & Career Coach.

“A great hybrid work environment strategy is to hold 15 minute weekly one-on-ones to discuss the prior, current and upcoming week, and how things are going. [Employee] coaching is important, so hold periodic meetings to discuss the goals of each member, provide feedback, and answer questions. This will also help to build a great rapport among your reports, as well as learn their skills. Because we are missing out on many small conversations that come with working in an office, this will help to build relationships.

5. Encourage team-building but respect each other’s boundaries

A long-term hybrid work model means that the whole employment process, from hiring to onboarding to daily communication, is done remotely. This work model also means that it’s particularly important to find the balance between virtual team-building activities and respect for boundaries that many employees felt violated in the first waves of COVID-induced remote work. David Ciccarelli, technology entrepreneur and CEO at Voices shares an approach that worked for his company:

“Our social committee continues to amaze by recreating events that were once in person and now done virtually. [However] we’ve shied away from mandatory attendance or volun-telling people to participate. Our approach has been to create the opportunity for engagement and those would like to attend, do so. Others have family commitments, pressing deadlines or rarely the activity simply doesn’t appeal. We make a point of mixing up social committee activities so there’s eventually something for everyone.”

Make any place your workplace

Hybrid work is no longer a lockdown survival measure. It’s our permanent workplace reality. With the Great Resignation in full swing and employees leaning into hybrid environments and digital nomad jobs, businesses that will see rapid growth are those that combine digital stability with human empathy.

Understand how to combine both with a communications system that’s “productivity-anywhere”-centered and will provide your team with both privacy and digital freedom.

Learn more about MightyCall’s virtual phone system ideal for hybrid work, starting at just $15/month!

The post How to Improve Your Hybrid Work Model first appeared on MightyCall.

However, these apps keep getting better, as does customer support.

According to a 2022 mobile application survey by Top Design Firms, mobile apps are expected to earn a massive $935 billion in revenue by 2023, with 48% of small businesses currently owning a mobile app, and 27% planning to build one to support future business growth.

Below, we asked small businesses nationwide to share their favorite mobile customer service apps.

What is customer service software?

Customer service software is a digital solution that helps businesses manage, organize, and streamline their customer support processes. It can be a fully developed customer support call center, or have some or all of the following features: IVR, live chat, help desk tools, knowledge bases, and social media integrations. By providing organized channels for communication, customer service software enables companies to handle customer inquiries and issues more effectively, ultimately improving customer satisfaction and fostering loyalty.

Mobile apps for phone communications

In contrast to quick questions that can be answered via chat or email, according to a study fielded by American Express, 45% of U.S. customers prefer settling more complicated issues via phone.

When choosing a voice communication provider, go for a service that’s mobile, cost-effective, and integrates well with other tools. Today, Cloud Telephony (or VoIP) offers some of the most reliable features for a business to stay connected both in and beyond the office.

MightyCall

MightyCall is a multi-platform Cloud Telephony solution for small business that offers local, toll-free, and vanity numbers plus over three dozen features like auto-attendant, call flows, IVR, spam protection, integrations,  and more.

The MightyCall mobile app offers functionality such as calls, SMS, voicemail, call recordings, missed activities from all connected devices and mobile/web platforms, task delegation, and a built-in mobile CRM app for managing client information.

MightyCall has mobile customer service features to help entrepreneurs keep their precious work/life balance. Sandra Balzola of Red Sand Studios, LLC, says of MightyCall, “I love that I can set up my business hours and receive calls only during those hours. I like that I’ve been able to keep business and personal [communication] separate.”

Pricing: The MightyCall mobile app with mobile CRM is free for MightyCall users ( iOS/Android).  MightyCall plans start at $20 per month for unlimited users. You can also get a free trial on all plans.

Mobile apps for efficiency

According to a study by Software Advice, 81% of business owners access their customer service software from multiple devices. This echoes mobile application productivity research showing that 65% of sales representatives who adopted mobile customer service apps successfully achieved their sales quotas last year. In contrast, only 22% of reps using non-mobile CRM apps nailed the same targets.

CRM tools with wide mobile functionality are sure winners for all kinds of business goals. They will support your team’s work in any environment and circumstances.

Stripe

Stripe is a solution for managing online transactions and online payments. Second only to PayPal in popularity, the newer service challenges PayPal with a focus on data portability, transparent pricing, and a wider-than-ever range of accepted payment types. Stripe can be used both with online customers and for out-of-office employee payouts.

“We use Stripe to distribute payments to our tow truck drivers without them having to come into the office,” Sean Pour, co-founder of SellMax says. “[It’s] very easy to send payments, and easy to set up.” Though Pour adds that “transactions can get expensive with the 2.9% process fee,” Stripe fees are in fact the same as PayPal’s and in some cases, lower.

Pricing: Stripe Dashboard for iOS/Android is free for Stripe users. Stripe pricing is commission-based, per-transaction.

DropBox

Everyone knows that DropBox is great for storing and sharing documents in the Cloud. But did you know it’s got some time-saving mobile app features bundled? “We use the Dropbox mobile app to keep and scan relevant documents that we may need later,” Pour says. “This allows everyone at the company to easily search through it and find the documents they need.”

The ability to scan documents with a phone is a very powerful feature for small business. Pour notes, “[DropBox is] easy to set up on all computers, [and we] can scan documents with the app instead of using a printer.” As with all Cloud storage, Pour recommends to “focus on organizing the stored data from the start” to avoid storage “become cluttered”.

Pricing: DropBox and the DropBox app for iOS/Android are free.

Gist

If you’re using lots of channels to connect to your team, customers, and manage your business, Gist is a solution not to be missed. Gist offers over 25 integrations with apps you’re using every day. It offers similar functionality to Intercom, but with attractive pricing for small business.

“As social networks become larger and businesses need to operate in more places,” says Bret Carmichael of LEAP WORKS, “it will take more work to manage communication channels independently… We use Gist to centralize all our customer communications…Onsite chats go through Gist, Facebook Messenger chats are routed to Gist, as are Twitter direct messages. [It] saves us from [the task of] monitoring independent channels.”

Pricing: The Gist mobile app for iOS/Android is free for Gist users. Gist has a free starter plan; business pricing starts at $9/user per month with a free 21-day trial.

Mobile apps for social outreach

Bigger doesn’t always mean better. To run and manage successful marketing campaigns from the office and outside of it, you don’t have to opt for expensive services. Mobile social platforms can provide deep insights and analytics into your audience, especially with the current development of analytics features.

The ancient wisdom of “quality over quantity” works equally well with modern social media. To get to the heart of your market, understand the outlets that work for your industry and take steps to serve that unique audience.

Google My Business

For brick-and-mortar stores, Google My Business is a must. Not only does it display the main information about your business in a single window on Google search, but it allows customers to call and message you instantly.

Learn more: No storefront? Here’s why you still need Google My Business.

“You can communicate with your company using Google’s My Business app. This is awesome for small businesses,” Carmichael says. Though the app is “still relatively new” and you “need to post regularly”, Carmichael adds, “that’s just fine, because the results are featured prominently in [Google] search.” And as all business owners know, there’s no such thing as ‘too much’ Google presence.

Pricing: Google My Business mobile app for iOS/Android is free

Twitter DM

Twitter is no secret to marketers, especially online businesses and stores that want to reach out to bigger audiences online. However, the platform does have its intricacies.

“Companies who can answer customer outreach on the channels customers prefer are best positioned to succeed,” says Carmichael. “If you count your customers among your Twitter followers … there’s no sense sending them somewhere else.”

Carmichael also advises business owners to be extra cautious when handling unfair complaints: “More than any other social network, mistakes made on Twitter can go viral with devastating results…Your comments can be misinterpreted by an audience. Always take the high road…If you don’t have the temperament to respectfully manage sometimes unfair sentiment, do not use Twitter.”

Pricing: The Twitter mobile app for iOS/Android is free

LinkedIn

If you’re in the B2B industry and haven’t been active on LinkedIn, consider these facts: 51% of companies acquired a B2B customer through LinkedIn and 93% of B2B marketers consider LinkedIn the most effective platform for lead generation. Surprising? Not to B2B marketers!

Shakun Bansal, Head of Marketing at Mercer | Mettl says, “For us, surveys through email and posts on LinkedIn are the best sources to get customer feedback…The more insightful and in-depth information that these platforms are able to give with accelerated AI and ML use, the more exact targeting could become which will drastically increase the marketing RoI.

Don’t count yourself among the crowd of B2B marketers on LinkedIn? Why not join right now!

Pricing: The LinkedIn mobile app for iOS/Android is free

Mobile apps for marketing, sales, and more

If you think all-inclusive customer relationship management systems are for big business, think again! Small business owners reap tons of benefits from insights and growth provided by dedicated CRM platforms.

When choosing mobile apps for your small business, keep in mind that even the most user-friendly customer relationship management tool will involve a learning curve. To avoid unnecessary frustration, understand just how much time and effort you’re willing to invest in a specific product.

HubSpot

Hubspot works equally well as a free customer relationship management solution for small business and as a CRM suite for enterprise-level sales, marketing, and customer support tasks. Business owners particularly note HubSpot as a brilliant marketing tool for lead management.

Explaining his company’s choice of HubSpot over other mobile CRM apps, Bansal says: “HubSpot offers a step-by-step guide to track and get an in-depth analytical progression of leads throughout the buyer journey. It helps in analyzing which marketing efforts seem to be working and which are not in churning a greater number of customers in the sales funnel.”

As a lead nurturing tool, Bansal notes that HubSpot “helps push each lead a little further in the buyer journey through high-quality content – be it emails, blogs, articles, reports, and so on.”

HubSpot integrates with services like Salesforce, SurveyMonkey, Zapier, WordPress, EventBrite, Shopify, and others. If you’re new to mobile CRM apps and want an understandable tool that’s possible to upgrade as you grow into it, HubSpot is a natural choice.

Pricing: The HubSpot mobile CRM app for iOS/Android is free for HubSpot users. HubSpot business plans start at $50/month, but you can get a starter package of HubSpot CRM tools absolutely free.

Salesforce

In the world of mobile CRM apps, Salesforce is a titan. This all-inclusive solution for business tasks of all shapes and sizes offers solutions for every need a growing business may have. Salesforce products are divided into several suites and include sales, service, marketing, commerce, engagement, analytics solutions, and so much more.

“Our public adjusters are always on the go, moving from one client to another,” explains Aaron Singer, CEO at Bulldog Adjusters. “It’s important to us that they be able to get and stay in touch with the clients as well as with the office team. We use Salesforce… to manage and monitor customer service… view customer feedback, keep track of appointments for home inspections, and get in contact with customers while on the road.”

The Salesforce mobile app is a pro-level solution for managing various CRM channels when out of the office. It integrates with products like Hubspot, Slack, Google Cloud, LinkedIn, and DocuSign. Salesforce works best for rapidly growing businesses with some prior experience in using digital CRMs.

Pricing: The Salesforce mobile CRM app for iOS/Android is free for Salesforce users. Salesforce Small Business Essentials plans start at $25/user per month.

By implementing a customer service software solution, companies can manage customer inquiries, address issues promptly, and foster meaningful relationships with their clients. The right customer service software empowers businesses to streamline their support processes, improve response times, and ensure customer satisfaction, ultimately driving brand loyalty and long-term success. As businesses continue to grow and adapt to ever-changing customer needs, investing in robust customer service software becomes increasingly crucial to staying competitive in the market.

Next steps after reviewing the customer service software

The next steps involve narrowing down the choices among customer service software solutions, evaluating customer support software alternatives, and examining different customer service applications. Testing potential customer service management software through free trials or demos, as well as considering scalability and integration capabilities, is also crucial. By carefully assessing each option, small businesses can make well-informed decisions that lead to increased productivity and long-term success.

The post Best Customer Service Software for Better Management & Support first appeared on MightyCall.

MightyCall’s first major news of 2023 is the rollout of new and improved functionality: Role Management and User Permissions, anticipated by many of our customers.

Already available in your MightyCall profile, this important update makes teamwork more efficient, fast, and secure. Extending the former role-based user functionality, it now has more levels of access and custom permissions for your team members.

Want to learn more? Let’s take a look inside!

What’s This Feature About?

Roles and Permissions are an important part of account management and teamwork. It is an advanced privacy setting that controls what sections of the MightyCall profile are visible to specific users. With this setting, you can control access to business numbers, messaging, voicemails, call flows, and account management for individual team members. This makes it easier to decide which employees handle which calling tasks and the level of account access that each team member has.

New Benefits in a Flash:

• 3 user roles (Agent, Manager, Administrator) instead of 2 – An updated user hierarchy for more flexibility and custom privacy settings
• A whole new “Manager” role – To grant wider communications permissions but limit access to sensitive account information
• 3 brand-new access levels – These will help you set custom permissions to access calls, SMS, and voicemail
• Permissions based on business numbers – Limit or extend business number availability for team members.
• New layout for the Team Section – To quickly and effortlessly modify settings

Then vs. Now

Former version

User roles in MightyCall used to be limited to just two options: Users and Administrators. As a result, many teams faced a kind of “all-or-nothing” privacy scenario. Team members assigned with the User role had limited communications and management permissions, while Administrators had total control over the account.

This version, while providing standard utility, wasn’t flexible enough for many of our customers and their team members who wanted more options for customization. For example, when you need to onboard new employees and then effortlessly expand their access; or have contractors and in-house workers, and need to distribute privacy settings, two options aren’t enough. That’s why we set off to create permissions that you can edit at any time, depending on the changes within your team.

New version

The major difference is the new distribution of roles which has now extended to three, and the absolutely new permissions within these roles. The settings allow for maximum flexibility and are easy to change.

Agent – Agents have basic access to calls within permissions set by their Administrators. There are 3 permission tiers for Agents:

• Personal – access only to calls this specific person has made or received; 
• Calling group – access to calls made by the Calling Group that this user is part of. This level includes the Personal level.
• Call Flow – access to calls in the Call Flow the user is part of. Admins can also select the business number(s) with which the Agent can make/receive calls and messages. This level includes access to the previous two levels.

Manager — A new and most flexible setting. Based on how you set the permissions, a Manager can have a bit more access than an Agent, or nearly all the privileges of an Administrator. A Manager may be given access to the following profile sections: Team, Call Flow, Numbers & Widgets, Account. Admins can also select the business numbers the Manager has access to.

Administrator – Admins have full access to the profile settings and account. They can freely add, manage, and delete Admins, Managers, and Agents.

Compare and Contrast New Privacy Controls

Let’s take a quick look and compare the workflow and privacy options you can expect from each role.

⋆ depends on access provided by the Administrator
⋆⋆ depends on access provided by the Administrator or Manager

Updated Design and Functionality

With the new functionality in mind, we’ve also reworked the Team section. All users will have access to the new Team section where they can view both individual users (teammates) and groups, and see their Availability Status and other information.

However, the visibility of this section will vary for each user, based on the set permissions. For example, Agents can not have access to sections with Account information, while Managers may have access to Agents’ Accounts, depending on permissions set by the Admins.

Ready to Start Working Better?

MightyCall’s new role-based access levels are available on all plans for 3 users and above.

If you’re currently an Admin, and are ready to try the new capabilities, just go to the Team section of your MightyCall profile. Under “Users”, you’ll see a list of all your current teammates. Click on their name to see the user card. Below their personal information, you’ll find a section called Roles&Access. Right there you’ll see checkboxes for the permissions we talked about above, and will be able to change them anytime.

Important: If you don’t want to use the new Roles and prefer to keep the former setting, you don’t need to make any changes in your profile. New roles won’t be applied automatically.

If you have any questions, read more here [link to support] or reach out to our Support team at +1 (888) 256-8312 ext.2 or support@mightycall.com.

The post Manage Your Team Easily With Improved User Roles and Permissions first appeared on MightyCall.

Psychologically, all small businesses approach online networking in various ways. But the benefits are non-disputable. As of 2020, 80% of hires are made through networking; LinkedIn messages have opened up new career opportunities for 35% of networkers, and people who spent about 6 hours/week networking say it played a critical role in their success. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg (in a good way!)

While we’re all waiting for normal business and social life to spring back, right now is a special time to lay that foundation for online connections or update it as needed. When else will you get a chance to connect with so many people and businesses who’re also in need of fast help and looking for someone like you to meet their needs?

To walk you through online networking at this super important time, we’ve asked nearly three dozen entrepreneurs to break down their wisdom into bite-sized insights. Without further comments and interruptions, here is everything you need to know about online networking  — from first steps to smart tips and new platforms to explore!

1. Start off right

Favorite networking platform: LinkedIn

Biron Clark is the founder of CareerSidekick.com, a job search advice website read by more than one million people per month and mentioned in Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC, and more.

“The biggest challenge to overcome when networking online is getting a response to the first message you send each person. I recommend keeping the message short and well-spaced to avoid overwhelming them at first glance [and] asking for something small to start. For example, if you’re looking for a new job…you could say, ‘I was thinking of applying to… How have you enjoyed the work environment since joining? I read some positive reviews online but I always like to ask about this type of thing first-hand.’ That will get you more replies and open the door to a longer conversation where you can build a relationship, which is what networking is really about.”

2. Target industry experts

Favorite networking platform: Clarity

In November 2019 Diana Ross launched her second tech startup, GetEmails. Just four months later it hit $100K in monthly revenue. Diana says this success was due partly to networking, which she used to get expert advice, industry insights, and sales contacts.

“My favourite platform for online networking is Clarity. You can browse the expert community to find industry leaders who are willing to help, and then schedule a call with them. It’s a great way to find other entrepreneurs who have done it before and can offer valuable advice and insights based on personal experiences. Don’t be afraid to use it as a sales tool. Don’t look only for experts who can guide you, look for people who could be potential buyers. In our experience, we found many entrepreneurs with big networks who were often happy to make intros or join our affiliate program.”

3. Sow well to harvest richly

Favorite networking platform: Linkedin

Kent Lewis, President & Founder, Anvil, is one of Linkedin’s first million users. When he first moved to Portland, OR in 1995, he knew 1 person, his cousin. Now he knows hundreds of area professionals, founded his own networking group in 1999 (pdxMindShare) with over 11,000 LinkedIn Group members, and has over 18,900 connections on LinkedIn.

“There is no personal and professional growth without a supporting network, regardless of your age, experience or industry. Treat your network like a garden. It requires constant care in order to grow and harvest. Regularly reach out to your network with updates …phone calls for tier 2 and web/video conference meetings for tier 1 contacts. Don’t assume people DON’T want to hear from you. Reach out, ask a question, provide valuable insights, etc. and your response rate will be much higher.”

4. Polish up your brand image

Favorite networking platform:  LinkedIn

Shelley Grieshop is an award-winning AP journalist who switched careers in 2016 to become a creative writer for a private company, Totally Promotional. Her tasks include blogging, public relations and communications, and website page content.

“Networking is all about getting and keeping your company name in front of your target audience [and] it’s best to give them something they can physically hold. We suggest customizing affordable and usable items with your business logo and mailing them to those important clients and loyal customers. Even something as small as a magnetic chip clip or bottle opener will make an impression. Another way to network remotely is to wear logo apparel or have personalized items on your desk when video conferencing clients. It can be a big boost to your business and give you an overall professional appearance.”

5. Go where your audience is

Favorite networking platform: Instagram

Brian Robben is the CEO of the international digital marketing agency Robben Media, who helps businesses scale via SEO, paid ads, and website conversions.

“There’s a fine line between being assertive and overly aggressive in pitching your services when online networking… Before you send a message, do some quick research on their bio, pictures, and captions. Find an interesting post, then mention that in your introduction message. Networking, especially online, is a numbers game. Keep at it until you have a thriving base of people you can go to for advice and new business. Instagram is my favorite platform to network because many entrepreneurs are on the platform and my marketing services are for them specifically.”

6. Be a resource to the community

Favorite networking platform: Twitter Chats

Deborah Sweeney is CEO of MyCorporation.com, a document filing service that helps entrepreneurs start and run a small business.

“I have a slightly unusual approach to online networking — I enjoy networking via Twitter chats. I participate in Twitter chats that are relevant to my industry and get to meet a lot of like-minded users through these chats while answering questions and sharing expertise on business topics. [To get started] find the chat that is relevant to you and your industry. Attend it regularly and join in the conversation. You don’t have to respond to every question, but you should be able to reply to a few questions that are asked and engage with responses made by other users.”

7. Show up on a daily basis

Favorite networking platform: LinkedIn

Malte Scholz is a passionate product manager and technology enthusiast with deep knowledge in launching cross-platform SaaS and e-commerce products who co-founded Airfocus  – a software solution that enables smarter roadmap prioritization for teams and solopreneurs.

“The biggest challenge is setting your foot through the door. You should start making your first connections, posting some content and building your presence, one post at a time. Also, it can be challenging to do cold outreach but it’s necessary to send a message or a connection request to strangers sometimes to create new opportunities. My biggest tip for first-timers on LinkedIn is to be present for at least 15 minutes per day. Even if you don’t create any new posts, you can like and comment on others’ content, which will show up in your connections’ news feeds and you will get new profile views and connection requests.”

8. Engage directly with brands

Favorite networking platform: Twitter

Elna Cain is a freelance writer and freelance writing coach.

“As a freelance writer, I rely on networking to help me land content projects. For example, I do Pinterest marketing for my blog writing and an editor found one of my pins in a parenting group board and reached out to me for a writing project. Twitter is the best platform for networking online because you can share content easily, tag leads, and engage in Twitter chats. To get started with online networking, start following brands you want to collaborate with, feature them in your blog content or client pieces, and engage with them on Twitter.”

9. Avoid automation

Favorite networking platform: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok

Sri Gaddam is the founder of Bansuri Media, a global digital advertising and marketing agency that helps grow some of the biggest brands from Fortune 500s to well-funded startups.

“People get bombarded by automated tools that send messages that aren’t personalized, so your goal is to stand out by being authentic and personal. Everyone’s competing for time, so being genuine really needs to come through if you’re going to get a positive reaction. It helps to follow up immediately and set up a phone/video call immediately so you aren’t just another virtual connection. That’s a proactive approach that helped me get to know other people in my industry.”

10. Be interesting and direct

Favorite networking platform: LinkedIn

Sean Nguyen runs Internet Advisor because he believes everyone should be aware of every service provider option in their area. He is an avid gamer and takes internet speed a little too seriously.

“You have to understand that 90% of the mail people receive is spam and people trying to scam them, so getting people to answer and take you seriously can be difficult. No matter if you’re emailing or sending a message on LinkedIn, you have to get their attention from the first couple of lines, but without spammy subject lines and cheap tricks like that. Be confident, be persuasive, and be concise. Never apologize for contacting [someone], and don’t ‘ask’ for things. Instead of saying ‘Would it be ok if we had a Zoom call so we can discuss this opportunity?’, say ‘I would like to have a Zoom call to discuss this opportunity’.”

11. Pioneer new platforms

Favorite networking platform: Shapr

Stacy Caprio is Founder at Her.CEO, a hub of resources for women entrepreneurs.

“One online networking app that has helped me gain more connections and brand awareness in the form of online swipe networking is the professional networking app Shapr. It’s a great app that uses your location and professional interests to match you with other professionals in your area. It’s also great to get visibility for a specific product, service or launch you have, since people will be able to view your profile and details when swiping by you.”

12. Build trust through video networking

Favorite Networking platform: LinkedIn

Tal Paperin has over 15 years of diverse professional experience in International Sales and Marketing. As CEO for KSW Solutions, Tal works to help other companies succeed in strategic planning, reaching new markets, and sales worldwide.

“The biggest challenge to overcome is building trust with someone you’ve never met. I do this by posting videos. At first, I would do them almost every day. I didn’t think anyone was really paying attention, but if I skipped a few days [of posting videos] I’d get DMs saying they missed seeing me! [Soon] I started engaging with everyone who liked my videos on LinkedIn. I’d send relevant people invitations to connect, and when they did I would send a short note thanking them for their connection. One of our most lucrative contracts came from someone liking one of my videos.”

13. Research your network

Favorite networking platform: Business Network International

Scot J. Chrisman — founder and CEO at THE MEDIA HOUSE, is a professional skier turned influencer and entrepreneur who is building a media, and marketing empire.

“My experience with online networking comes from Business Network International or BNI, which used to
be an in-person marketing group that shifted to online networking when the pandemic hit. […] My tip for first-time online networkers is to have an idea of who you’d like to talk to and build a prior connection through private messages before the meeting. With BNI [Business network Intenrational] this is possible because you’re gonna have an idea of who’s gonna be there, so you can actually reach out to them prior to meeting them for the first time.”

14. Don’t be afraid to ask

Favorite networking platform: Zoom

Nettie Owens is a nationally recognized and award-winning expert and speaker in the field of organizing, accountability, and productivity. She has been included in such media outlets as TLC, ABC, Parents, Fox, CNN, eHow and Entrepreneur, and the Pittsburgh Gazette for her expertise. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and the Institute for Challenging Disorganization.

“It’s not uncommon during networking to have an ‘ask’ that you can share [like] feedback on a blog, podcast, video post [or] connections, especially very specific ones, that could help you in what you are trying to accomplish. I once asked for a connection to Robert Downey, Jr. because I wanted to collaborate on his Footprint Collation Project. Although I didn’t reach RDJ, I did find a connection within one degree of separation and that was extremely helpful!”

15. Help, don’t sell

Favorite networking platform: Facebook Groups

Steve Morgan is a Freelance SEO Consultant based in the UK. He’s also written a book – Anti-Sell – the award-winning sales guide for freelancers who struggle with sales and networking.

“It’s unlikely that you’ll get a great client with little effort and straight away (unless you’re incredibly lucky). Give it time and appreciate that you’ll have to sow some seeds first… If the very first thing you do is to jump in with an ad for your services, it’s going to be a massive turn-off and people are going to struggle to trust you. Instead, just help people. If people have a query or need a recommendation for something and you’re able to help, then get onto their radar that way. Facebook groups…have a strict ‘no self-promotion’ policy but even so, I’ve built up such a rapport with the community that people will often refer me if they know someone who needs SEO help.”

16. Don’t ghost established contacts

Favorite networking platform: Facebook Groups

Meg Marrs is Founder and Marketing Manager at K9 of Mine, dedicated to helping owners take the very best care of their four-legged friends.

“Make sure to maintain your connections! While digital networking makes it easy to make new connections, maintaining them requires a bit more effort. When you meet folks you like and want to keep working with, make sure to shoot them an email periodically, reply to their tweets, etc. There are tons of unique ways you can give a little nod or wave to people online – commenting on an article, sharing one of their Facebook posts, tagging them on Instagram, etc. Use social media to stay in the peripheral and slowly build your connection!”

17. Use networking to learn

Favorite networking platform: LinkedIn

Murad Musakaev works for Full HP Ltd as a developer of mobile games. He’s a Project and Business Development Manager in charge of external connections.

“When I’ve started the self-education process in order to improve my skills, I’ve decided to reach out to many professionals in the industry just to know how they became who they are. What they studied, how they feel about their job. If you are only getting started with online networking, be sincere and open-minded – that’s all it takes! Reach out to anyone without hesitation… If you are trying to reach some big and busy person, let them know your point and the exact time you are going to borrow from the start. Introduce yourself and ask your questions.”

18. Grow your roots

Favorite networking platform: LinkedIn

Aly Brine is a Career Alignment Coach and Consultant at Aly Brine Coaching, LLC with a background in Human Resources and recruiting. She’s been networking both virtually and in-person since undergrad and throughout her career.

“Networking is still driven by human connection, no matter the platform. So while we may be moving to a virtual platform, connection through relationship building is still going to be driving the force in successful networking. If you attended a college or university, one of my go-to recommendations … is to start with the alumni tool found on the college’s LinkedIn page. Depending on your networking goals, you can utilize filters to connect with alumni that are in the same geographical area, are in the same professional field as you or that work for a company you’d love to be a part of in the future. Be sure to check out their profile and when you send them a connection request include that you’re a fellow alumni.

19. Join niche groups

Favorite networking platform: LinkedIn Groups

Jacob Edwards-Bytom is the Director of E-commerce at Made4Fighters, an online retailer that sells training gear and equipment for martial artists.

“I’m using LinkedIn now to connect with vendors or potential business partners… LinkedIn has groups where you can connect with professionals who work in the same industry. I like to use LinkedIn groups to share content from our website, ask questions, and network with other executives. I’ve found the key is to not use it as an opportunity to promote your company’s products or services, but instead as a chance to engage with other professionals.”

20. Prepare for video networking in advance

Favorite networking platform: icebreaker.video

Stephanie Thoma is a networking strategy coach, event host, and founder of Confident Introvert. She has facilitated over 1,000 events and established a fulfilling career helping people generate meaningful connections at online and in-person events.

“I have enjoyed hosting and attending events on icebreaker.video. I host at least monthly, and love the 1:1 connections that are made! Unique challenges [of video networking] include the time it takes to set up tech. I like to think of tech set up as the commute. Aim to get into a virtual space at least 15-minutes early in case an unforeseeable tech glitch occurs. Another is background noise. A great rule of thumb is to enter virtual spaces on mute, and consider getting a dynamic (not a condensed) usb mic which helps block out additional noise that would otherwise be picked up from your keyboard.”

21. Look the part

Favorite networking platform: LinkedIn

Angelo Sorbello, MSc, is the Founder of Astrogrowth, a fast-growing business software reviews site that helps every day thousands of entrepreneurs to select the best software for their needs. He has been a consultant for Techstars-backed and Appsumo featured companies, and the first company that he started at just 13 years old was acquired in 2013.

“Networking online can start from one single post and can lead to just about anything in the online world. Maybe you find a new business partner; maybe you find a new job; and maybe you get yourself a new client. [In order for this to happen] portray yourself as professional as you would in person. This may be obvious, but many people fail to use proper photos, don’t take the time to build their profile, and are too impersonal when chatting. This can turn someone off from collaborating even if it is far from the truth in real life. Make sure you appear as you should: professional and organized.”

22. Get your tech straight

Favorite networking platform: Slack Groups

Cynthia Orduña is a Career Coach with a background in HR and recruiting.

“Because it requires less effort..more people are open to hopping on a call or scheduling a video chat. However, it definitely comes with its own set of challenges. When I worked in recruiting, a potential client couldn’t hop on Zoom, and there ended up being so much miscommunication we missed our entire meeting time. My tips for first-timers would be to always prepare for the worst and make sure to fix the situation as quickly as possible! No matter how safe you think you are or how fast your wifi is, your sound, video, or connection can cut off any time. You may only have 20 minutes scheduled and you can’t waste 5-10 of them trying to fix the tech.”

23. Choose quality over quantity

Favorite networking platform: Remo

Michelle Symonds is a technical SEO specialist who devises and implements digital marketing campaigns for businesses in the UK and USA. She established Ditto Digital in 2010 to grow the organic search presence of SMEs by providing tailored digital marketing expertise.

“Online networking for me during the COVID-19 crisis has been more about the mutual support from other people running small businesses. By far my favourite platform is Remo. The reason is that you can choose to “sit at a table” of no more than 6 people and you can see which people are at which virtual table before joining a group. […] It’s better to get to know a few people than speak briefly with everyone. Also, when asking a question specifically direct it to one person by name – online it’s less easy for people to realise the question is directed at them, and asking an open question means either everyone tries to answer or no-one does!”

24. Focus on giving back

Favorite networking platform: Twitter

Nikola Roza blogs about SEO and affiliate marketing, and how to combine the two to become successful online.

“For every tweet I send out promoting my blog posts, I send 20 tweets promoting my friends and other bloggers in the same space. That way I get to promote myself while being generous with others. And then I get to experience the awesome effect of other people generously sharing my work with their audiences. It’s a give-and-get system and it works because other people can promote me on their own much more than I can promote myself.”

25. Keep it simple

Favorite networking platform: Facebook Groups

Katie Ziskind, is a licensed marriage and family therapist and the owner of Wisdom Within Counseling. Based in Niantic, Connecticut, it’s a Holistic Marriage and Family Therapy with Child and Teen Speciality.

“Online networking doesn’t have to be scary and you can do it from your pajamas! If someone posts something that you enjoy, comment and see if you can message them if you have further questions. [For example] if someone posts about working with a counseling client with an eating disorder (a speciality of mine) and has a question, I’ll comment and say ‘I’m happy to help you, feel free to personal message me,’ and connection becomes a personal message conversation that eventually turns into a phone call and a referral work.”

26. Draw up a networking schedule

Favorite networking platform: Zoom, Facebook Groups

Tobe Brockner is the founder of Re:purpose Initiative, an online peer-to-peer training, coaching, and accountability platform. He has a deep, first-hand experience of the benefits of online networking.

“Build networking and relationship development into your daily schedule. Whether that is more formal, such as scheduling weekly Zoom meetings, or simply hopping into your favorite Facebook Group and making a contribution, it needs to be a habit you cultivate. [For] people who pay, pay attention. Seek out paid networking groups such as accountability or mastermind groups. When we have skin in the game, we are much likely to show up and participate fully.”

27. Find your tribe

Favorite networking platform: Facebook

Cynthia Harder has been an online entrepreneur for over two years and has effectively sold out her Virtual Assistant and Consulting services by networking on social media.

“The main challenge to overcome is feeling like you have to be everywhere, all of the time. This will lead to burn out or just losing interest altogether in your online networking efforts. For this reason, I recommend choosing one main social media platform to focus your energy and time on. Along with that, don’t go too Join-happy and join dozens of networking groups. Once you find 2-5 groups that are valuable to you, stick with those. Set a daily alarm to pop into your groups for 15-30 minutes each day and make posts (many groups have theme days to guide you in posting), read new posts from other people, and of course, respond or engage with anything you find interesting.”

Key Networking Tips: Next Steps

Now that you have gained valuable insights into effective networking strategies for small business owners and entrepreneurs, it’s time to take action. Start by implementing the small business networking tips shared by successful entrepreneurs, such as attending virtual events, leveraging social media, and reaching out to potential partners and collaborators.

Networking tips for entrepreneurs, such as being authentic and genuine, taking the time to research potential contacts, and following up with contacts after networking events, can help you establish long-lasting relationships with other professionals in your industry.

As a small business owner or entrepreneur, networking is a crucial component of success. By taking action, you can expand your business network, gain new clients or customers, and stay ahead of the competition.

The post 27 Online Networking Tips for Small Business Owners first appeared on MightyCall.

Today’s consumer-oriented economy lives in a state of heightened expectations and allows no “twilight zone”. You’re either on board the trend or are thrown offboard by a competitor. Companies vie with each other to provide omnichannel customer support.

Meanwhile, on the consumer side, it’s not just variety as much as speed, accessibility, and personalization that seal the deal:

• 66% of clients define time as the decisive factor in customer experience
• 90% of customers want an “immediate” response to their challenges– i.e. one that takes 10 minutes or less
• 65% of clients expect real-time help regardless of the customer channel used

As a result, only a unified and structured core of support channels can set the foundation of deep customer loyalty.

What’s the Optimal Number of Contact Channels for a Business?

With the plethora of service options available, you may be wondering – how many customer channels does my business really need?

Three factors are decisive when choosing contact channels:

• They are where your audience is – taking into account your TA’s age, demographics, and business growth strategy
• They don’t exhaust your team’s capabilities  – e.g. if you’re a solopreneur, managing many service points will result in poor service across all of them
• You plan to consistently keep, update, and develop the chosen channels

If you’re on the small business side, an optimal number of contact channels is about 3-4 well-serviced options. Larger businesses can opt for 5+ main contact points.

15 Customer Channels to Propel Customer Service

1. Phone support

There’s a reason the phone tops this list. At a customer satisfaction rate of 91%, it’s the customer contact channel that consumers naturally reach out for. Not only is the phone the most “humanized” and quickest to solve customer issues, but it’s also the first point of contact for multiple businesses.

However, phone support isn’t limited to a phone number and a customer service representative on the other end. A company phone that is a highly-rated service channel (not just a first point of contact) needs to have:

1. A business phone number that’s either local, toll-free, or vanity
2. Informative and professional voicemail and on-hold greetings
3. A simple call flow that reduces waiting time to the minimum

The last point is particularly poignant: 33% of customers admit they’re downright “frustrated” with on-hold waiting and having to repeat their issues to agents from various departments, so make sure your business phone system supports IVR and visual call flows (you can read more on that here). On the business side, phone support grows your customer base, makes remote support incredibly easy (your support agents can work from home), and fits virtually any industry.

Best for: Local businesses, e-commerce, technology services/product companies, non-profit organizations

2.AI Chatbot

Chatbots are now so advanced, they’re able to handle 69% of chats from start to finish, providing satisfactory CX without taking up any time on behalf of the business.

Think of a chatbot as an automated FAQ section on your website. It’s a neat and handy solution for industries like online businesses where most of the questions your site visitors have (e.g. pricing, particular offers, availability, etc.) are non-technical and repetitive in nature.

Really smart chatbots aren’t “out of the box” solutions. They must be trained to know your business inquiries and needs, so make sure you understand the specifics of setting up a chatbot or hire a professional to do the job.

Best for: Online service businesses, travel & hospitality, e-commerce

3. Multilingual chatbot

Chatbots are indispensable for answering FAQs without constant input on the business side. This saves a business tons of time and resources on employees. But for an international business, chatbots are also smart translation assistants that can secure otherwise lost leads.

Multilingual chatbots are indispensable for handling customer requests in the international market. Go for multilingual chatbots that offer AI-powered real-time translation and can automatically translate input from a variety of languages to the bot’s “native” tongue.

Best for: International e-commerce, international services, international travel & hospitality, etc.

4. Live chat

As runner-up to phone support, live chat wins the heart of 85% of customers in terms of customer satisfaction and functionality.

Our product managers constantly mention the importance of live chat  – it’s our favorite customer service channel. If AI chat/chatbots can solve the frequently asked questions of online business clients in the non-tech sector,  companies selling and servicing SaaS products cannot underestimate the importance of live chat.

Train your specialists to solve frequent tasks in live chat, but in the case of more serious issues, instruct them on quickly delegating the problem over to phone agents. (By the way, this is simple with a feature like Conference Calling/ Consultative Call)
Best for: Digital/technology companies, e-commerce, online businesses

5. Social media platforms

For Millenial and GenZ audiences as well as e-commerce businesses that primarily market their products through social media, develop social media as one of your primary points of contact.

According to Microsoft, 74% of millennials report that their perception of a brand improves when it is clear the company responds to customers’ social media inquiries (and nowadays, that’s clearly visible on the profile page).

But social media isn’t just about answering messages from potential clients. It’s a useful practice to incorporate customer support into your wider social media strategy and answer frequently asked questions in your stories or posts on a regular basis, in this way turning your profile into a customer reference channel in itself.

Best for: E-commerce businesses, online services, hospitality, digital businesses

6. Business messengers

With over 2 billion active monthly users, WhatsApp is where the world (or at least a quarter of it) chats. WhatsApp Business is a newer business offspring, but many new businesses already choose it as their two-in-one virtual storefront + contact point.

E-com businesses, in particular, can showcase their online storefront and communicate with customers directly through business messengers like WhatsApp. Moreover, you can integrate WhatsApp Business with your business phone number so customers have a single contact point for your business but many possibilities!

Best for: E-commerce, online services, bookings, digital businesses

7. Business SMS

Reports show that one-third of customers attempted to seek assistance via SMS sent to the company number. Easier than finding the company’s profile on social media etc. this is a fast option for anyone who already knows your business number – and that’s a lot of people!

For a business that hasn’t included business SMS into their customer strategy, customer satisfaction may be lost (not to mention opportunities for SMS marketing). If you aren’t sure how to start with business SMS, this business texting etiquette guide will help you get started.

Best for: Local businesses, online businesses, bookings, hospitality

8. Google my Business

​​When searching for a local business online, a Google My Business listing will be the first thing a prospective customer sees. If you don’t have a Google My Business listing yet, are a local business without a storefront,  or don’t know if your business needs one, check out this handy post.

If you already have a basic listing, be sure to add key information like a complete profile, reviews, and even blog posts. For example, Google My Business now offers live messaging so people can contact you right from the listing, turning it from a reference point into a customer interaction (and satisfaction) tool.

Best for: Local businesses

9. Video chat

Think back to the last time when a support technician attempted to explain to you over the phone how to troubleshoot an issue (e,g, connect those pesky TV or PC cables). Wouldn’t it have been so much faster and more satisfying to have them show, not tell?

If over the course of that conversation you felt completely stuck, you’re certainly not alone. Reports show that 23% of consumers seek out a face to face interaction when troubleshooting more complicated issues like tech ones.

If you’re a tech company, just imagine how many customers will leave positive reviews after a quick visual solution instead of a lengthy lecture. This option may not be highlighted on your web page, but be technically capable of and ready to provide it on demand.

Best for: Technology companies; digital/SaaS products

10. Email

In the age of social media, email may seem almost old-school, but it’s still a classic channel for servicing clients. In fact, 57% of customers say they prefer email, along with social media, as a communication channel.

Email is a particularly useful service tool for clients checking up on less urgent requests, bookings, and appointment scheduling as well as foreign/international customers who are most comfortable contacting the business via writing.

Best for: Local businesses, travel & hospitality, professional practices (e.g. medical, law, etc.), international businesses, e-commerce, non-profit organizations

11. Online groups and communities

People turn to internet communities  – from Reddit and Quora to business and tech groups, to solve the widest variety of problems. Often when deciding on a product or service, they’ll voice their concerns in an independent online group or community, rather than ask a company’s “subjective” opinion.

That’s why it makes particular sense to have your support agents invisibly present in the online world. For example, set up Google Alerts for free so that when your company is mentioned anywhere across the web, you are first to know and offer help in a timely fashion.

Best for: Online businesses

12. Web contact form

Why have a “Contact Us” form on your business website when you have e-mail? While the difference is truly slight, Contact Us buttons and forms may be placed on different pages of the website and are simple to spot.

That said, contact forms do have a much lower conversion rate than other channels discussed above. This means that contact forms can definitely be an auxiliary help means for your customers (and if you have one, don’t forget to check it regularly – these do tend to get abandoned), but feel free to not focus on them as a primary service channel.

Best for: Online service businesses

13. Site forum

If you’re in a membership-based industry where there’s communication going on between different members, a forum is a useful form of community support. Although the conversation is going on between members of a club and sometimes they will feel more comfortable asking each other for help, these interactions are still a part of the “customer experience” and should be monitored. Ensure that any important questions members have are addressed and resolved by your team members.

Best for: Membership-type businesses and online clubs

14. FAQ

According to Forester, the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of a business website is the most frequently used self-service option for customers. As a quick reference point, most customers check this section out as a first option when they have a question to address.

Businesses should ensure that the FAQ page is clearly visible to website visitors. It should answer the most frequent inquiries from previous customers and be constantly updated to match changes in products/services.

Best for: online service businesses, digital/tech businesses, e-commerce, travel& hospitality, international businesses

15. Support pages

Why create these if you already have FAQ and other multi-channel support options set up across your website? With 77% of customers using self-service portals and the DIY trend augmented by Millenials and GenZ, the more of these your business has, the better.

While Support pages are not necessary for many types of businesses, they are essential for digital and technology product businesses. For example, our company has detailed instructions on setting up various features of our business phone system. Whatever your product, create a knowledge base on using it and regularly update it.

Best for: Tech/digital businesses

Tips on Choosing Customer Service Channels

Now that you have a shortlist of options fitting your industry (based on the above recommendations) let’s eliminate the unnecessary options. To do so, we’ll paraphrase the ancient Delphic oracle and follow two commandments:

1. Know thyself

Discuss the following questions with your team. They will help evaluate and brainstorm your customer strategy.

• How many customer representatives are on your team?
• How many customer support channels can they comfortably attend to and develop?
• What technology or tools from the shortlist are they comfortable with? What’s new?
• What new means are you willing to integrate into your help strategy?

2. Know thy customer

Your target audience (TA) determines your customer strategy across many points. To understand more about how your customers (prospective and existing) wish to reach you, answer the following questions.

• What’s the primary first point of contact for your business (website, social media, local listings, ads, etc.)?
• How many support requests do you handle per day?
• The demographics of your audience (age, geography)
• Is your audience tech-savvy? (low, average, professional)

If you’re hesitant about your audience’s needs, including the customer platforms your TA needs you to be present on, always ask. Ask customers how they want to talk to you, what matters for them, and listen to why it’s important. Feedback is what keeps the world of business rotating.

3. Prioritize channels that align with your brand image and values.

• Which customer support channels align with your brand image and values, such as email, phone, or chat?
• How do your brand values and image impact the choice of customer support channels?
• Which customer contact channels, such as social media or local listings, are most effective for reaching your target audience?
• How can you integrate these channels into your customer support strategy?

4. Assess the cost of each channel.

• What are the costs associated with each customer support channel, including technology, staffing, and training?
• Which channels are most cost-effective for your business?
• How much resource allocation is required for different customer support channels and customer contact channels?
• What is the cost-benefit analysis of investing in each channel?

5. Provide multilingual support.

• Do your customers speak different languages, and how does this affect your customer support strategy?
• What are the language requirements of your target audience, and how can you provide support in multiple languages?
• Which channels are most effective for providing multilingual support, such as phone, chat, or email?
• What tools or resources are needed to provide multilingual support across different channels?
• Can you partner with a translation service provider to assist with customer support interactions?

How to Improve Existing Customer Service Channels

If you want to additionally (or entirely) focus on existing points of contact with your customers, here’s what you can do to improve communication.

1. Revamp existing customer service channels

Reinventing is often better than reinvesting. Most probably, you already have several channels for contacting customers. The reason you’re here is that you are looking to expand on that. But before you do that, see how you can improve what you’ve got.

Here are a few questions to ponder:

• What channels are my customers actively using?
• What channels have been “ghosted” by my customers?
• Am I still investing time/effort/money into rarely used support channels?
• What are some actionable points to improve the top 3 service points that I will prioritize? (e.g. what business features does my phone support lack; how well do I use social media as a help point; what’s the success rate for my chatbot and how can I improve it?

2. Evaluate the quality of service you provide

Omnichannel support is terrific. But it’s not just the quality as much as the quality that your audience is after.

If you have a team of several people or are a digital/tech or e-com company with several departments, the easiest means to evaluate the level of support is to actively monitor it. In this respect, we suggest call recording.

Call recording is a perfectly legal and safe way to up your game in terms of service. It can be used as a tool to evaluate your support team’s performance, make adjustments, and take note of customer questions and concerns to improve other channels.

Customer Service Quality Isn’t Expensive – It’s Priceless

With modern, cost-cutting technology like a business phone system, AI or Live Chat systems, and online communication platforms, even the smallest business can roll out a strong support strategy. No big investments needed.

Add to that a strong feedback loop and the goal of turning business interactions into a personalized, caring, human-to-human experience, and 5-star reviews from loyal customers will be merely a natural side-effect of your enviable support strategy.

The post 15 Customer Channels to Propel Your Customer Service first appeared on MightyCall.

Who Are Fitpreneurs?

Fitpreneurs are the fit and energetic entrepreneurs who manage to keep up a six-pack while managing a seven to eight-figure business. These are the leaders who shrug shoulders at the mention of their already packed schedule and say, “If Mark Zuckerberg can fit in a workout, so can I”.

Indeed, it’s no secret that the owner of Facebook is super punctual about his workout sessions and even openly shares them with the world. But outside the framework of Silicon Valley, is fitpreneurship more than a fashionable high-end trend?

What does it take to be a ‘fitpreneur” when you’re running a small business? How does a healthy lifestyle inspire productivity? What does it take to get started and exactly how much time should you be prepared to give your most important business asset — your health?

We asked five small business CEOs who also happen to be fitpreneurs, why exactly fitness makes all the difference in their lives — and how it can change yours.

Meet Our Fitpreneurs

“We spend about 120 hours a week awake. Dedicating 3 of them to fitness isn’t asking a lot.
— Dmitry Lepikhov, CEO,  MightyCall“

In the world of IT, innovation sparks a perpetual race to exceed not only your competitors but your own achievements. Nowhere do things change on such momentary notice as in software development where a sharp mind is more vital than ever.

Dmitry Lepikhov, our very own CEO at MightyCall, knows how to stay ahead of the competition and inspire the whole team by bringing his most productive self to work.

“Sports is what makes my working hours incredibly more productive,” says Dmitry. “When I go for a run after work, it’s a great way to shift gears so I can easily fit another 2-3 hours of work in the evening. Even if I’m not working later on, my body is incredibly refreshed and grateful for that exercise.”

Dmitry likes to keep his fitness training diverse, that’s why he’s particularly enthusiastic about triathlon. “I do triathlon training for one hour, three times a week,” Dmitry shares. “Triathlon is a multisport race made up of running, cycling, and swimming, so you’re doing something different during each workout. I’m not in it for the Ironman race, but for the satisfaction that comes from endurance sport and the fantastic competition drive.”

“Don’t think about what you have to give up, think about what you’ll gain.
— Lauren McManus, co-founder, Create an Go“

For many, the ability to manage a business while traveling the world seems like a dream job. However, when you’re the co-founder of a million-dollar-per year business blog, traveling is also part of the job. In fact, it’s as simple to get glued to a plane seat and laptop as it is for the regular CEO to get glued to their office.

For co-founder of Create and Go Lauren McManus, a healthy lifestyle coincided with becoming an entrepreneur. Or perhaps, that was no accident?

“When I was still in a 9 to 5 work environment, I used to watch people coming back from lunch completely exhausted and unable to do anything for the rest of the day because they ate garbage on their break,” says Lauren. “That’s why when I finally took the leap to start my own business, health and wellness was always at the forefront of my mind…The days I was eating the most healthy foods were the days I got the most work done.”

In addition to healthy nutrition, Lauren prefers exercise that can be flawlessly integrated into her workday. “A few times a week I’ll take a walk through the town or a hike in the wilderness,” Lauren shares. “When that’s not an option though, I’m doing yoga and other similar strength-building exercises.”

“The hour it takes for me to go to the gym saves 2 hours in work time.
— Kean Graham, CEO, Monetize More“

Running an ad tech company with 100+ team members plus traveling for 12 months of the year may seem enough of a workout for a healthy, young leader.

Kean Graham, CEO of Monetize More, thinks differently. Without waiting for tomorrow, he’s making an investment into his future health and feeling the benefits of a fit lifestyle.

“I’ve played sports all my life, so staying active has always been a habit,” Kean shares. “[However], it’s not till later in my life [that I] really started to value the health benefits. I am so much more physically and mentally capable than people my age…because I eat well and stay active.”

Kean’s fitness method combines regular sports activities including squash, tennis, soccer, basketball, beach volleyball and golf. However, he says it’s the simple but intense activity between work that affects his productivity most. “I fit in intense activity 1 – 2 times per day intertwined with my work schedule,” Kean shares. “I only work in 3-hour stints max and take breaks with physical or social activities.”

“Work-out time is non-negotiable.
— Kristin Marquet, owner,  FemFounder”

As the owner of a business consultancy for femalepreneurs, a boutique PR company, and a fashion/lifestyle magazine to boot, NYC-based CEO Kristin Marquet has a lot on her hands at any given moment.

If founding and running three different businesses isn’t enough of a multi-tasking feat, wait till you hear how Kristin gracefully balances her business schedule with en pointe classes.

“I always led an active life from childhood and wanted to maintain those habits as I’ve gotten older,” Kristin explains. “I love working out…[it helps me] think more clearly and be more productive at work.”

Kristin’s favorite activities include running five days per week and en pointe practice twice per week. These ballet classes go back to her childhood immersion in dance. “If I miss workouts for a week or more, then my mind gets foggy and I feel sluggish,” Kristin says, adding that she spends “anywhere from four to ten hours per week” staying active and fit.

“An open attitude towards a healthy lifestyle is contagious.
— Michael Landsberg, CEO, Landsberg Bennett Private Wealth Management”

His name isn’t Elon Musk and he’s not the Tesla CEO and father of five who works up to 100 hours per week, but he’s a father of three and CEO of his own private wealth management company.

Michael Landsberg may well embarrass all business-parents out there who sigh, “You’re kidding, right?” at the mention of sports.

“To fit workouts in, you sometimes need to be creative,” Michael explains. “Like a lot of children, my children play sports, and there are a lot of practices. After dropping [them] off, I see most parents will either be on their phones or talking…I make sure to bring my running clothes and shoes. While my soccer-playing son is practicing on one field, I can run 6-8 miles circling all the soccer fields. It makes complete sense to use the time wisely for something productive.”

Michael also takes care to inspire a healthy lifestyle among his team. “I’m in business to help people,” Michael says, “and to help them, you must be able to work at a high level. [In] the office, we converted one of the storage rooms into a fitness center complete with a treadmill, an elliptical, and a peloton bike. … It dramatically increases morale and workplace satisfaction.”

Become a Fitpreneur

Exercise is beneficial not only for your health but also for your business’s success. Daily physical activity, such as active walking, increases brain cell connections, enhances memory capacity, and cultivates crucial leadership qualities like resilience, courage, and inspiration.

Incorporating regular exercise into your routine is simple and can include activities such as gym workouts, yoga classes, or running with your pet. Prioritizing your physical fitness can help you thrive in the business world by fostering valuable characteristics that are essential for successful leadership.

For on-the-go communication with your clients, you can always use MightyCall’s virtual phone system for small businesses. Stay connected from anywhere and take advantage of our limited-time offer to equip yourself with the tools to tackle any business challenge and become a successful fitpreneur.

The post 5 Fitpreneurs on How a Healthy Lifestyle Fuels Productivity first appeared on MightyCall.

Discover 15 SaaS tools that will enhance your operations while keeping finances in check.

Navigate:

• What are SaaS tools?
• Freemium and cost-effective SaaS tools for small business

What are SaaS tools?

SaaS stands for ‘Software as a Service’. It is a model of providing various services, apps, and tools in the Cloud, without the need to download software to your computer. For example, whenever you register to a service and start using it right away in the web browser, you’re using SaaS technology.

The most populous market for SaaS tools is engineering, marketing, and business operations, but the SaaS development model is seeing rocketing growth across all industries. According to Blissfully’s 2019 SaaS Trends Report, in 2018 U.S. small businesses (0-50 employees) spent over $20k on paid SaaS subscriptions. That’s double the spending amount from 2016.

Freemium and cost-effective SaaS tools for small business

The above expenses may seem overwhelming if you’re just starting out, own a home business, or are a solopreneur. If you don’t want to be swallowed up by competitors, though, you’ll need to learn not to cut down, but save up: in other words, find the right technology that will both do the job and save you money. Finding the right balance is key – and completely possible with these fresh and classic, freemium and low-cost tools for small business and startups.

1. MightyCall: on-the-go communication across all devices and platforms

Screenshot via  MightyCall

As of 2018, three out of four U.S. adults live in wireless-only households.  Come to think of it, that’s no surprise in an age when life itself is mobile-first. Mobile devices have also transformed business communication: Voice over IP (VoIP) technologies are fast replacing landlines in offices, hospitals, call centers, etc.

MightyCall is a small business-first VoIP phone system that offers local, toll-free, and vanity numbers, the ability to port in your existing virtual number for a better deal, plus over 35 features like these:

• Business caller ID for a professional image wherever you go
• Unlimited extensions to keep customers connected with your team
• Call flows and call menus for organizing incoming calls by user, working hours, availability status, etc.
• Custom voicemail greetings and voice prompts
• Activity queues that display all activities that need action (e.g. missed calls, SMS, voicemail, messages from integrated social media and web widgets)
• Call history and analytics to help your business gain leads
• Call recording to gather important customer feedback
• Call back and click-to-call widgets that engage callers via your website
• Integration with softphones and IP desk phones so you can keep talking the way you’re used to
• The Mighty Call mobile app so you can have the most useful MightyCall features on the go
• And more

Although MightyCall doesn’t offer a free lifetime plan, using a VoIP phone system is proven to save up to 60% on phone bill costs – so it’s still a terrific deal for your team. Moreover, you get to test-drive the full-feature product with a free trial and get special deals on both MightyCall plans.

2. Wave—accounting for all occasions

Even amongst tight SaaS competition, Wave Financial is a classic that makes nearly every free SaaS tools list – and for good reason. The product really stands out thanks to its unlimited service model.

While freemium accounting tools like Zoho Invoicing and Freshbooks may have advanced business features (on their paid plans) that Wave lacks, the latter is still a beloved choice for small businesses.

That said, Wave’s Cloud financial service isn’t exactly freemium: it’s completely free. The financial tool offers free accounting, invoicing, payroll, receipts, tax calculations, deductions, and more. In short, it’s the no strings attached SaaS accounting tool every small business should start out with.

3. Sumo—superb customer engagement

Cart abandonment during online shopping is one of the greatest challenges online store owners experience. With a rocketing 76% of online carts being abandoned, this invisible culprit is responsible for $4.6 trillion in lost e-commerce sales annually.

Sumo is a freemium ecommerce tool created to fight such issues: business owners can set up the Sumo tools on their website to start reducing cart abandonment rates in real time. Sumo shows you ROI from every single sale or subscriber, to make sure you see what they’re doing for you.

Sumo’s WordPress plugin is very popular, but it integrates just as well with other web and ecommerce services. The free plan promises to drive up to $500 in extra monthly revenue for your online store.

If you like the free version, you can switch anytime to the $39/month PRO plan to go for unlimited benefits.

4. SendinBlue e-mail automation

Newsletters are a huge thing. According to WBR Digital, 80% of retail professionals say it’s their number one customer retention tool. Further, email marketing statistics show that for each $1 spent on email campaigns, business owners get a ROI of $44.

For the same reasons however, email campaigns can swallow up a ton of time – from crafting the right content to making the design modern and attractive enough to encourage click- through rates, email marketing seems like an art in itself.

SendinBlue relates to those struggles and offers business owners simple SaaS marketing. With designer newsletter templates for all business occasions, automation workflow (campaigns based on clicks, purchase data, open rates, website visits, etc.), a landing page editor, SMS marketing (a tool that’s not readily available with competitors), and detailed reports, SendinBlue is the fresh alternative to MailChimp (which is still a classic thanks to its countless integrations).

5. SurveySparrow—the new word in customer feedback

SurveyMonkey, move over! Founded just over two years ago, SurveySparrow makes sending surveys to customers and employees nothing short of a joy.

The SurveySparrow startup story reflects a personal mission to revolutionize boring old surveys with an interactive/chat-like experience plus develop mobile-first surveys, prioritize mailing scheduling options and add simple social sharing. SurveySparrow’s great UI allows users with no tech knowledge to craft awesomely-designed surveys that customers actually love to engage with, helping you nail that sought-after feedback and gain real interaction with your audience.

You can try the free Basic plan (includes 100 responses per month, 10 questions per survey, advanced reports filters, and more) to get the hang of the process and upgrade when necessary.

6. Cyfe—business data organization

Wouldn’t it be terrific to monitor all your business data from various tools and apps on one or two dashboards? We’re talking all kinds of marketing, sales, SEO, CRM, and organizational channels you might be already using made visible in one Cloud service, with the ability to share the dashboards anytime with your team!

The Cyfe free plan gifts you with two fully functional dashboards that you can use to organize all your business data. The service integrates lots of services and is a great deal even with the free plan. If you need more dashboards (for example, your business grows, and you feel the need to organize data by departments) you can update your plan accordingly.

9. SEO Review Tools—optimized search engine ranking

Another important thing to consider is search engine optimization or SEO. If you plan to drive traffic via a blog or written content, you’ll appreciate the free Keyword Research Tool, Content Idea Generator, and SEO Writing Assistant from SEO Review Tools.

A step beyond that, SEO Review Tools Service also helps you analyze backlinks, domain authority, and the Google Rankings of your website. And those are just some of the things you can do to improve ranking through this freemium SEO tool. The whole list numbers 37 real-time SEO tools for your business, both free and paid.

10. Canva—everyone’s favorite design tool

Every business owner who’s got a website, online store, or business social media accounts has once racked their brains over design. Just how do you match all those stunning banners, promo posts, branding materials, etc. that competitors seem to be flashing at you, without crazy investment in time or money?

That’s how it was before Canva jumped onboard the freemium tools arena. Nowadays, Canva is the most user-friendly design tool imaginable. With its help, anyone can design their own social media posts, web banners, and you name it promotional materials without leaving the web browser.

Canva is one of the great freemium Cloud tools out there – a small catch to the free version is the smaller (but still impressive) library of stock images at your disposal.

11. Buffer—social media made simple

If you have a business social media account, you’ve no doubt noticed that engagement times vary by hour and day. Such observations are baked by stats: for example, the best time for B2B tweets is around 3 p.m. on weekdays while B2C posts do well during commute hours (especially Monday mornings).

Now that’s great, but you have your own workday to worry about, right? In this case, using SaaS tools to schedule social media posts for the entire day (or week) ahead sounds like a life-saver.

Buffer is a freemium social media tool that lets you publish to different social platforms without the hassle of doing it manually at different times throughout the day. You can let this free social media scheduling app automatically select the peak engagement times of day for you or choose your own.

12. HubSpot Suite CRM

Customer Relationship Management or CRM is an abbreviation seen all over the internet these days. On a basic level, Cloud CRM solutions let you organize your business contacts into one place and from there manage all interaction and communication, providing you with analytics on that communication process. On a deeper level, CRM stands for a very wide infrastructure of tools that encompass sales, analytics, customer service and marketing.

HubSpot CRM like other free CRM tools, provides a basic set of features in its free version. All of these features are centered around organizing, sorting through, and quickly communicating with your business contacts imported from various sources. This also includes analytics.

To get core benefits though, you will eventually want to look into the paid HubSpot tools – such as the Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, and Service Hub services (individually or included in the Growth Suite). These are growth-centered services specifically for growing businesses.

HubSpot CRM is free, while Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, and Service Hub are available starting at $50/month.

13. Trello—the fun part of productivity

Inspired by the legendary Kanban productivity boards developed by Toyota, Trello takes the idea and brings it into the Cloud and mobile apps, making it easy to share project boards with everyone on your team, wherever they are.

With Trello, you have an online project board with visually appealing lists that you can add up on the board. Each list can be a category, a step in a workflow, a to-do list, a bucket list, etc.  – it’s up to you. To these lists, you then add any number of cards where you write down the specific tasks needed to get the job done.

The most convenient part is that these lists and cards are visible to your whole team, and everyone can see who’s working on what! Result: less time spent on email, fewer meetings and increased individual productivity.

Trello has a great free plan that will suit most small business owners.

14. Zapier—automate tasks for peace of mind

All of the above freemium SaaS tools are designed for one purpose: making your life as a startup or small business easier. But sometimes, integrating all the technologies and having to manually do repetitive tasks with different tools is enough to kill hours on end.

That’s where Zapier steps in (ta-da)! Zapier is a SaaS automation tool that automates a chain of actions that you usually do manually in different apps. Instead of doing actions A+B manually, you can set up what’s called a “Zap” to automatically perform action B for every trigger A.

Let’s say you want to automate content sharing. Instead of manually copying and pasting post URLs into your Buffer queue or social media pages, set up a Zap to automatically share posts to any (or all) of your social media accounts via RSS feed.

Here are just a few other Zaps to mention: add transactions in Wave for new Stripe or Square sales; move MightyCall call history and client info to your CRM platform, Google Sheets or Slack; create SendinBlue/MailChimp subscribers from new Google Contacts; send automatic welcome letters to new subscribers; share new Shopify products with image tweets; add new Shopify orders to Salesforce as leads; and much more.

Check it out: MightyCall now integrates with Zapier

The free plan lets you automate up to 5 two-step Zaps (multi-step zaps are a premium feature) which for a small business is already a great time-saver.

15. eyezon—revolutionize your online live shopping experience

eyezon is a cutting-edge SaaS platform designed to transform your online shopping experience by connecting users with sales representatives and providing a live outlook into your business.

eyezon offers a suite of features, including customizable live shopping, live showrooms, live insights, ads, and streamerce with custom widgets tailored to various brands across all industries. By facilitating real-time interactions between customers and sales representatives, eyezon allows businesses to deliver personalized, interactive experiences that cater to individual needs and preferences.

Seamlessly integrating with popular content management systems and video hosting platforms, eyezon caters to businesses of all sizes. The platform offers a free plan that provides essential tools for enhancing your online shopping experience.

For businesses looking to maximize their online live shopping capabilities and unlock additional features, eyezon offers custom pricing plans. This comprehensive solution empowers businesses to revolutionize their customer engagement by providing an unparalleled online shopping experience tailored to the modern consumer.

Unlocking Potential with SaaS Products: Tailored Solutions for Small Business Success

SaaS products, specifically designed as small business SaaS, demonstrate that innovation need not be expensive, and ‘affordable’ doesn’t mean ‘inferior quality’. To choose the best SaaS for small business, collaborate with your business partners and team to identify your technology needs and priorities, and address the gaps in marketing, sales, and other areas.

The post 15 Best SaaS Tools Guaranteed to Rock Your Business first appeared on MightyCall.

How Business Tools Can Help Your Organization?

• Streamline operations: Tools for business, such as project management software and customer relationship management (CRM) systems, help organize and automate various processes, reducing manual effort and improving overall efficiency.
• Enhance collaboration: Small business tools like team messaging apps and document sharing platforms facilitate better communication and collaboration among team members, enabling seamless sharing of information and ideas.
• Improve decision-making: The best business tools in the realm of data analytics and reporting software enable businesses to collect, analyze, and visualize data, which aids in making more informed decisions and uncovering valuable insights.
• Boost customer satisfaction: Online business tools, including customer service software and feedback management systems, help organizations address customer concerns, gather feedback, and enhance the overall customer experience, fostering loyalty and repeat business.
• Support scalability: As a business grows, adopting the right tools can simplify tasks, automate processes, and enable seamless integration with other systems, ensuring your organization is well-equipped to handle increased demands.

In the SMB market, the best advisors are those who know small business challenges inside and out.

That’s why we asked solopreneurs, small business owners, and marketing managers from around the world to share and review their favorite cloud tools, so you can hand-pick the ones perfect for your team.

Asana: “Communicating with my team, wherever they are”

Overview: Asana is a project management and collaboration business tool best suited for remote or mid-sized teams. This tool allows business owners and managers to assign tasks to team members and effortlessly check on the status/progress without the need to email back and forth for information. Asana ought to be on the PC and mobile device of every smart entrepreneur managing distributed teams and freelancers/contractors.

Recommended by: David Miles, Co-Founder & CMO, WiseMee

Pricing: Free basic account for teams up to 15 people
Mobile app: Yes
Difficulty: Simple-Medium depending on specific needs

BigCommerce: “[A platform] ready to step up when we are”

Overview: One of the top e-commerce platforms, BigCommerce is a great way to launch an online store or sell a product/service. With targeted solutions for wholesale, B2B, multi-channel and international commerce, it’s a flexible, modern platform. Features include storefront design, conversion, and multi-marketplace support (sell on Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, eBay).

Recommended by: Max Dirnfeld, owner and CEO, Toner Buzz

Pricing: from $29.95/month
Mobile app: Yes
Difficulty: Medium

ClickFunnels: “The seamless sales funnel tool”

Overview: Any business website is designed to sell a product, a service, ar an idea. A service like ClickFunnels allows you to market via an optimized sales funnel. What is a sales funnel? On a basic scale, it is an organized series of automated marketing messages and landing pages that cater to individual client needs and contain a targeted call to action. A simple sales funnel can optimize conversion by 300%.

Recommended by: James Canzanella, Owner, Isolated Marketing Nights

Pricing: from $97/month
Mobile app: Yes
Difficulty: Simple

Dubsado: “This tool tackled my imposter syndrome”

Overview: Dubsado is a real find for a small business owner. In the CRM arena populated by enterprise giants such as SalesForce, Dubsado was created to answer small business needs.  This Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform is well-known among entrepreneurs for its 24/7 support and all-in-one CRM functionality. It features client portals, invoicing, contracts, proposals, automated emails, and handy templates for all your marketing needs.

Recommended by: Sarah Ashlock, Content Writer, Solopreneur

Pricing: from $35/month for 1-3 users
Mobile app: No
Difficulty: Simple-Medium depending on specific needs

Freshbooks: “I can’t imagine my life without it”

Overview: Freshbooks is invoicing and accounting software for business. Among its great features are integrations with many platforms any business owner/manager is already using. If you’re new to business but have to manage the accounting yourself, Freshbooks has good customer support and videos to get you started. The mobile app will be handy for checking sent and received payments on the go.

Recommended by: Colin Ma, Founder, OC Tech Alliance 

Pricing: from $15/month
Mobile app: Yes
Difficulty: Simple-Medium depending on specific needs

G Suite Business: “One cannot beat the Google Apps Platform”

Overview: G Suite, also known as Google Apps for Business, is a budget-friendly Cloud alternative to solutions like Microsoft Office. It features all the tools needed to manage projects with the team, instantly share and edit documents, slides, presentations, and complete to-do lists in real-time. G Suite also features corporate G Mail, team chat, and even a web builder of its own. Best of all, all G Suite apps are mobile, allowing your team to collaborate on projects on the go.

Learn more about G Suite Pros, Cons, and Alternatives.

Recommended by: Jonathan Faccone, Founder, Halo Homebuyers LLC, Halo Redevelopment

Pricing: from $6/month per user
Mobile app? Yes
Difficulty: Piece of cake

Invision: “The best way to collaborate on design projects together”

Overview: Invision is a tool built specifically for designers and design-oriented businesses. It is created for prototyping, design management, and collaboration. Team collaboration is a standout feature of Invision that lets designers keep the conversation going through sharing and comments. Invision also has great design education resources including design chats, podcasts, webinars, and design community support & inspiration.

Recommended by: Malte Scholz, CEO and Co-Founder of Airfocus

Pricing: Free to try out with 1 prototype. Business plans start from $15/month
Mobile app? Yes
Difficulty: Medium

MightyCall: “Keep business and personal calls separate”

Overview: A cloud-based VoIP phone system for small business, MightyCall takes care of small business communication like no other — from choosing/porting in a toll-free, local, or vanity number to setting up professional calling features. These include call forwarding to multiple devices, privacy settings, team collaboration, customer experience tools, and mini CRM included. MightyCall will also help your business get rid of annoying spam and robocalls. Learn more about the fantastic benefits of Cloud telephony for small business.

Recommended by: Sandra Balzola, Red Sand Studios, LLC

Pricing: from $19.99/month for unlimited users
Mobile app: Yes
Difficulty: Simple

Mailshake: “Quite easy to learn and use”

Overview: Mailshake is a tool for automating cold email marketing. If the term “cold email” sounds uninviting, that’s because emails sent to users who had no prior contact with your product/service (so-called “cold” emails) are often taken for Spam. For this reason, attracting clients with cold marketing is a headache (but a necessity) for any startup. A designated cold marketing tool like Mailshake automates outreach, sets tasks to complete, and provides you with necessary analytics, giving “cold emails” the warm, human touch.

Recommended by: Kevin Rodrigues, Founder, Gardening Mentor

Pricing: starting at $39/month per user
Mobile app? No
Difficulty: Simple

MASV: “No worries and no commitments”

Overview: MASV solves the IT problem most businesses run into at one time or another: sharing and collaborating on massive files (up to 5 TB). While this challenge can be more or less frequent depending on your industry, MASV is the cloud tool that will have your back in case of need. Since massive file sharing is a vital but not everyday kind of problem for most businesses, it’s good to know that MASV works without a subscription.

Recommended by: Amanda Murray, Digital Marketing Manager, seoplus+

Pricing: Pay as you go, $0.25/GB
Mobile app? No
Difficulty: Piece of cake

Mio: “Keep chatting on your tool of choice”

Overview: Mio helps distributed teams bring corporate chats into a single place. Instead of optimizing time by heaping all your business chats onto a single dashboard, Mio offers a different kind of experience. Running in the background, it lets Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Webex users find and message each other from their preferred app. Even if you’re on Slack and your colleague is on Teams, you’ll see their message and reply without leaving Slack. It is especially handy for business owners managing distributed/remote teams and freelancers.

Recommended by: Dominic Kent, Director of Content Marketing & Communications, Mio

Pricing: $3/month per user with special conditions
Mobile app? N/A
Difficulty: Simple

Orderhive: “Helps in streamlining the ordering process”

Overview: Orderhive is a multi-channel inventory management tool for e-commerce and retail. Oderhive takes care of all the aspects of commerce like purchasing, ordering, shipping, inventory management, warehousing, returns, etc. Importantly, it lets both physical store retailers and online store owners fully automate order fulfillment, shipping, purchase & return management, putting a lot of productive time back where it belongs.

Recommended by: Krishna Jani, Marketing Executive, Orderhive

Pricing: from $44.99/month
Mobile app: Yes
Difficulty: Medium

QuickBooks: “Great value and dependable”

Overview: QuickBooks is cloud accounting software for small to mid-sized businesses. Features include expense tracking, invoicing, accounting reports, cash flow management, automatic backups, bank-level data security, and unlimited support. Small business owners will also appreciate the mobile app which lets you create and issue invoices from your phone, among other key features.

Recommended by: Alex Williams, Owner, Hosting Data UK

Pricing: from $15/month
Mobile app: Yes
Difficulty: Simple

QuickFMS: “Space management in a better way and less time”

Overview: Effective facilities management or space management is something large offices and teams struggle with as they juggle between peace of mind, productivity, and space economy. QuickFMS is a cloud tool that lets managers distribute and allocate space in real-time (to employees, specific departments, or project needs) so everyone is at their most productive. It will be useful for large teams in busy sectors like PR, advertising, digital marketing, and sales.

Recommended by: Ajay Prasad, CEO, GMR Web Team

Pricing: Schedule demo
Mobile app: N/A
Difficulty: Simple

Trello: “A really easy way to manage and plan multiple projects”

Overview: The favorite cloud tool of project managers worldwide, Trello brings Kanban-style visual boards inside your PC and phone. Create a visual board for your project and keep all tasks up to date with to-do lists and cards shared with your team. Trello makes it fun and simple to collaborate on projects and keep procrastination down to a minimum. Its free plan and fantastic mobile app make Trello a must-have tool for every business.

Recommended by: Ben Taylor, Founder, HomeWorkingClub

Pricing: Free plan available
Mobile app: Yes
Difficulty: Piece of cake

Vacation Tracker: “Employees need only a few seconds to request leave” 

Overview: VacationTracker is a Slack integration that makes managing employee leaves, vacations, and days off a breeze. Instead of filling out applications that have managers manually double-checking vacation overlap for each team member, Vacation Tracker simplifies the tasks for everyone. Employees can request leave by answering a few short questions in the app, and managers will instantly see how this time-frame compares to other team members’ vacations. Vacation Tracker is currently available only for Slack but integrations with G Suite and Microsoft Teams are coming soon.

Recommended by: Luka Arezina, Co-Founder, DataProt.net

Pricing: $25/month for up to 50 users
Mobile app: No
Difficulty: Piece of cake

Tools for Business Your Way

After reviewing various tools for business that other companies enjoy, it’s crucial for businesses to carefully assess their unique needs and goals. Identifying the right set of tools that align with your organization’s objectives is essential for enhancing productivity, streamlining operations, and facilitating growth. By taking a strategic approach to selecting and implementing these tools for business, you can unlock new opportunities, optimize efficiency, and ensure long-term success for your organization.

The post Best Business Tools That Boost Your Productivity first appeared on MightyCall.

In reality, all you need is to know the strengths and priorities of your business. Depending on your needs, we’ve selected the 5 best website builders for small business and 1 great customer service to make sure you’re always a phone call away from the clients who need you most.

Highlights for Your Small Business Website

A question that every small business owner should ask themselves before setting out to build their perfect site is:

“What does my business need most, today?”

Here are the 7 main options to consider:

1. An SEO-oriented, all-in-one platform that will grow with me;
2. An out-of-the-box, no-fuss solution to get the business up and running;
3. Sophisticated design and creative carte blanche;
4. A professional online store;
5. An impressive but easy way to present multimedia and visual content;
6. Seamless integration with third-party tools and applications;
7. Mobile optimization for an exceptional user experience on all devices.

Now, once you’ve set your priorities, let’s take a look at some of the best platforms for different business needs. Doing things the right way from the start is your simplest path to peace of mind in the future.

1.  WordPress.org – an SEO-oriented, all-in-one platform that grows with the business

Keep in mind that WordPress has two platforms: the full-featured WordPress.org and its sibling WordPress.com. It’s the former that you’ll want as your website builder for small business. Did you know WordPress.org is the platform global giants such as The New Yorker, Sony, Bloomberg, and Facebook Newsroom use to host their sites? You’ll be in good company with WordPress.

Main Features:

SEO-oriented

With all your competition, you can’t underrate the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). If you still have trouble figuring out how to apply SEO in practice, we suggest WordPress do it for you.  Highly optimized for search engines, WordPress also supports great plugins like Yoast SEO which ensures that your content never stays shut off from the wider world.

Total flexibility

WordPress offers countless e-commerce opportunities for beginners and advanced users alike. The number of plugins alone–over 50k – is amazing. What’s more – a great deal of them are free.

WordPress gives you total control over your site. You can switch templates as well as download and export your content anytime. If you plan on expanding your business and are looking for a platform that you won’t outgrow with time– look no further.

Pros & Cons

Take into consideration: manual updates required

Being an open-source, free software (you only pay for domain +hosting), WordPress.org doesn’t give you control over its latest developments and functionality.  That means you’ll have to update your site regularly to have all the latest security features and backup your data manually.

2. Wix – an out-of-the-box, no-fuss solution to get your site up and running

Main Features:

Intuitive Web Builder

It doesn’t get easier than this. Wix has made creating a website as simple as having a short chat about your business with its Artificial Intelligence assistant. For those more in the know and prepared to do the job themselves, Wix Editor (for intermediate users) and Wix Code (for developers) provide all the necessary tools to build a site. If you need an e-commerce option, you will have to buy a special Store Plan.

Automatic updates

With Wix, you can relax and forget about manual updates. Both security issues and updates are handled by the site.

Pros & Cons

Take into consideration: data inflexibility

Once you’ve chosen a template on Wix, you’re pretty much stuck with it. Wix doesn’t allow you to export content to a different template, or, for that matter, a different platform. This means that if you decide to download and move your site to a different web builder later on, or even switch templates, you’ll have to manually rebuild all your content.

3. Squarespace –sophisticated design and creative carte blanche

Main Features:

Design-oriented

For everyone who’s strong with design skills and has lots of impressive, high-resolution images of their business to showcase, Squarespace is definitely a great pick. It may take longer to adapt to all the possibilities and customize the templates to your wishes, but if your priorities are to stun clients with incredible, professional images that are going to magnetically attract them to your business, Squarespace may be the match for you.

Speed and security

Providing its own hosting, Squarespace takes care of issues such as data export, security and speed.  With all those high-resolution images interfering with load time on many platforms, you’ll be extra thankful for the speed boost.

Pros & Cons

Take into consideration: no support for 3rd party apps

Squarespace only supports its own apps (which come as part of the package). If you plan on using special extensions and apps for your business, it will not be a convenient choice. Effective SEO will also require additional knowledge and work.

4. Shopify – a professional online store

Main Features:

Everything for e-commerce

Shopify is about giving online stores all the convenience they need. As a website builder for small business that’s 100% e-commerce oriented, it’s the best tool of its kind. Choose from Shopify’s 100+ online store themes and then supplement your site with the right client apps (over 1,200 available). Plus, keep in mind that Shopify’s 24/7 support is always ready to save your (and your customers’) day.

Mobile online store + global opportunities

Shopify will make it easy for your customers to shop right from their mobile phones with their free, built-in mobile shopping cart features. Also, as Shopify lets you accept payments from 70 different payment processors in different currencies, it will easily take your business to the next level as soon as you’re ready to.

Pros & Cons

Take into consideration: transaction fees

Unless you use Shopify Payment, Shopify will charge a small percentage (0.5 – 2%) for transactions. These fees are additional to the monthly costs, but with all the features available to empower your sales, it may not be a lot to ask in return.

5. Tilda–an impressive but easy way to present multimedia and visual content

Main Features:

Simple but powerful blocks

An innovative new platform which made waves in the website building industry after its launch in 2014, Tilda is the perfect web builder in a literal sense: it makes breathtaking design as easy as stacking blocks. That’s because the Tilda Editor includes over 400+ text, image, multimedia, infographic, interactive, and other content “blocks” for you to drag and drop, stack, and fill with content. Take some time to play around with these blocks on your page and you might never return to ordinary site builders again.

Hidden treasures

One of Tilda’s greatest features is called Zero Block. This awesome, one of a kind custom tool will let you manage typography, draw shapes, and even design animations. Tilda also offers good SEO, data management, and analytics possibilities, and as your site is stored in the cloud, there’s no need to pay for hosting. Plus, e-commerce is very well supported on this platform.

Pros & Cons

Take into consideration: fewer possibilities for text-rich blogs

Tilda uses the same “block-building” approach throughout. While this makes putting up visual and multimedia content super easy, it’s not so great for pages that are heavy on text. So if words are your greatest strength and you need a website or business blog with lots of written information, you should stick to more conservative options.

How Much Does Website Builder for Small Business Cost?

When choosing the best website builder for your small business, pricing options should somewhat factor into your choice. However, there is no single right plan for everyone. It all depends on what stage your business is at now and where you plan to go.

• If price is your priority, we recommend going with WordPress or Wix. With WordPress.org you can pay as little as a few dollars a month for hosting, plus a small annual fee for a domain name.
• On Tilda, which is more of a middle ground in terms of user ability, you’ll get a custom domain and full access to its library of blocks for as little as $10/month (with an annual payment).
• Squarespace and Shopify are geared toward more advanced users. Following free 14-day trial periods, Squarespace Business plans start at $26/month while Shopify will let you open an online store starting at $29/month + transaction fees.

VoIP to Enhance Your Business Website

When selecting that one perfect platform and loading it with amazing content, your goal is to make customers interact with your business. But to do that, you need more than a great site. You must give clients a fast, modern communication tool to connect with you directly.

At MightyCall, we love powerful simplicity. Unlike Virtual Phone System apps, which integrate with certain website builders but not others, our widgets are incredibly simple to use across all platforms. Just copy and paste the html code on your website and voila! – new customers will be just a phone call away.

What we offer:

• Click-to-call widget –
  Watch your client list grow as customers contact you for free, directly from your site, with a single click.

In a world where time is our greatest value and a few seconds may be the difference between gaining and losing a client, taking an extra step always pays back. By creating an attractive, convenient website with just the right features needed for your business, you spark interest. To hold that interest and transform site visitors into returning clients, you must show exactly how customer-friendly and trustworthy your business is. And there’s no better tool for that than live communication.

So What is the Best Small Business Website Builder?

The five website builders featured in this article—Wix, Weebly, Squarespace, SiteBuilder, and WordPress—offer unique benefits, features, and pricing structures that cater to a diverse range of business needs.

While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, by taking the time to understand your business goals and evaluating the offerings of these top website builders, you can make an informed decision that leads to a visually appealing, functional, and user-friendly website. This, in turn, will not only effectively showcase your products or services but also enhance brand visibility and foster customer engagement, ultimately driving your small business towards growth and success.

The post 5 Best Website Builders for Small Business that Put You First first appeared on MightyCall.

At the close of the most challenging year in recent history, we asked over 100 small business owners to name top business skills that helped them survive 2020 and the ones they’re embracing for the years ahead. Their answers are a heap of wisdom and practical insight. But it’s their question that may as well change your life:

How many of these skills (interpersonal and business) do you already own?

What are Business Skills?

Business skills refer to the abilities and knowledge necessary for successfully operating a business or working effectively within an organization. These skills can be learned and developed over time and encompass a broad range of capabilities, including communication, leadership, decision-making, problem-solving, and financial management. Mastering basic business skills can help entrepreneurs, managers, and employees achieve their professional goals and contribute to the overall success of their organizations.

#10 OBJECTIVITY

Emotions are a natural answer to stress. Under their influence, we’re more prone to becoming either reckless or paralyzed in our actions. Mark Webster, Co-Founder of Authority Hacker points out the importance of not jumping to conclusions, even “when the world feels like it’s falling down around you”. Instead, start with a good look at data and facts.

“Instead of assuming your sales are going to grind to a halt, actually look at the numbers for yourself. What does the data say? What are your customers saying? What is the real, objective picture. Instead of deciding, “We need to cut back on everything. ASAP.”, think about the long-term implications of everything you do, how much things cost and how you can sensibly cut costs without sacrificing your product or service.”

Domantas Gudeliauskas, Marketing Manager of Zyro, adds that a large part of being objective is being level-headed and honest. In times of storm, never keep yourself and and your team in the dark.

“We understand that we’re working through a global crisis, but find ways to set aside anxieties and focus on work during work hours. For this, we try and make sure employees have everything they need for a comfortable office, from office equipment to furniture, while also openly communicating about the company’s financial situation to avoid rumors and misinformation.”

#9 OPTIMISM

Everyone loves a “glass-half-full” kinda fellow, as opposed to their opposite. But in a business environment, happiness is more than a psychological hack. It’s the “cherry on the cake” that will motivate you to learn and cultivate all the other skills below. Trust that a positive mindset will pay off a thousandfold, says Chris Kaiser, Founder & CEO of Click A Tree, and you won’t be disappointed. Just like Chris wasn’t, in one of the toughest years.

“Positivity was key this year. Despite the crisis I managed to find new business opportunities, and because I’m optimistic I didn’t hesitate to reach out and discuss the potential for a cooperation. Instead of seeing all the negatives in Covid-19, I tried to see the positives. And yes, that positivity paid off: We found dozens of new partners, and my entire team still works full-time. No layoffs, no reduced hours.”

#8 COMMUNICATION & NETWORKING

If you want the business to thrive, you’ve got to be ready to talk. Talk to clients, talk to partners, talk to strangers who might be your future sponsors. We just can’t stress the importance of networking enough and neither can Career and Communication Coach Madeline Schwarz.

“Because I invested a lot of time in building a network before the pandemic, I had a network to lean on this year. It was easy to transition to online networking because I was already involved in a number of communities and accustomed to introducing myself to a room full of strangers. When you take a genuine interest in other people and focus on building relationships first, you attract people that want to help you, will tell people about your business and will hire you when they have a need.”

Inside the business itself, communication is a must-have skill needed for business. For a leader, clear communication steers the whole business ship clear of icebergs, says Jacob J. Sapochnick, Founder of Law Offices of Jacob J. Sapochnick. 

“Through communication, I was able to help my employees to navigate during these times of uncertainty. That’s why I can say that communication is the most important thing in every organization.”

#7 CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

Whatever a business is struggling with, its customers usually share in the struggle. When the COVID pandemic hit in 2020, many customers lost their grounding with the closure of businesses while the needs of others were greatly overlooked, as entrepreneurs struggled to make it. Bill Joseph, CEO of Frontier Blades talks about the importance of actually building your trust with clients during years like this, as opposed to just focusing on your own problems.

“Our e-commerce business faced massive delays in shipment causing many customers to need to receive their orders on time. Hence, we decided to approach our customers and give them an update on the status of their product and try to give them a status on where their product is located at the given time…and ask them if they would like a refund or not. The building of customer relations helped our business significantly in 2020 as we increased in sales compared to last year even during a pandemic crisis.”

#6 BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

In business, going into sailing without a business management plan or a financial model is considered a recipe for disaster. But 2020 has shown us the importance of not just having a financial model, but coming back to it again and again, to reassess and modify expectations. Yoann Bierling, founder of International Business Consulting explains why.

“Budgeting is what allowed my business to survive this tumultuous year, which saw an overall business drop of 70% from March to November. As in any situation that has to deal with finances, budgeting properly is the best way to survive any issue that arises, as it ensures that what you spend is not affected by external influences, such as revenues drop, as you already planned not to go over what you have. I even expect to be 5% below budget by the end of the year, and I am now preparing the budget for next year.”

Another aspect of business management is self-organization. Many businesses are short on time and staff, which means you have to hire employees whose top assets are good organization skills. As Brandon Monaghan, Co-Founder of Miracle Brand points out:

“I like to break up my schedule by category. I time batch all of my meetings back to back to eliminate unnecessary distractions and breaks. Once I’m finished with my meetings, I move onto my tasks for the day. It’s vital to keep pushing each project along instead of getting caught up on just one.”

#5 PATIENCE

Business is basically thought of as action. That’s why being patient with ourselves is probably the toughest part of business  — patience is not exactly an act, it’s a state of being. Jordan Smyth, CEO & Founder of Gleamin talks about the importance of patience and mindfulness in order to avoid the icebergs of entrepreneurship.

“Throughout my career I’ve made a few little mistakes which have caused large problems. I have learned the importance of slowing down, making decisions wisely and thinking about the long-term. Additionally, my ability to say no to opportunities that aren’t serving me or are taking away from my immediate focus has also been largely beneficial this year. It has allowed for me to stay structured, focused, and organized.”

#4 EMPATHY AND EQ

Over recent years, EQ or emotional intelligence has become a business skill as important, if not more important, than IQ. It’s no longer about being smart, but about being attentive. As Laura Fuentes of Infinity Dish explains, that’s because only a leader who is sensitive to the needs of others can make decisions that will make long-term business impact.

“When I was younger […] I was a reliable and consistent employee, and I would have little patience for people who called out or didn’t work at my level. As I grew older, became a mother, and started listening to other people’s stories, I developed a deep level of empathy for others. […] Those feelings carried through into my becoming a business owner, and being able to access that empathy this year really helped as I made accommodations to schedules, pay, locations, etc.”

Beyond your team, empathy is the superpower that will resonate with everyone you communicate with. As Lynn Power, Co-Founder & CEO of MASAMI adds:

“It’s so critical to understand what your consumers, your partners, your peers are going through. And really listening and relating to them on a human level. [Empathy is] the skill that has been most useful this year to not just survive but thrive.”

#3 PERSEVERANCE

Winston Churchill once said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going”. In the long run, it’s perseverance that makes a difference between someone “successful” and everyone else. In any field of life whatsoever, but especially in entrepreneurship, the sooner you adopt perseverance as your motto, the sooner you’ll rethink your idea of “fear”, says Casey Halloran Co-Founder & CEO of Costa Rican Vacations Travel Agency.

“Because I wasn’t allowed to quit or weasel out of hard moments growing up, I’ve never shied away from hard work or difficult moments. While I complained plenty about my parents’ unique style as a kid, it has served me well in business, particularly in the past year of unprecedented challenge and stress. Some people can find this level of stress unbearable…I certainly have had moments of fear & loathing. But in general, I find these moments in business and life to be THRILLING.”

#2 DIGITAL SKILLS

If it weren’t for digital innovation, most of us wouldn’t be able to make it through 2020. Digital has made it possible for us to work from home, attend school from home, keep in touch with relatives and friends thousands of miles away. It’s also what kept small businesses alive.

Yet in addition to embracing evolving technologies as a whole, entrepreneurs like Brian Robben, CEO of Robben Media, suggest taking a look at particular digital skills. For example, digital marketing and SEO became a turning point for many small business owners this year.

“Search engine optimization, the art of showing up when prospects are looking for our exact offer, helped us achieve a record year. We’re a digital marketing company, so ranking first on Google for keywords like website design, SEO agency, Facebook Ads agency, etc. has driven insane ROI. Organic traffic is super profitable because prospects are actively looking for what we’re selling, and then finding our website to schedule a sales call. No wonder we close so many deals from this.”

#1 ADAPTABILITY

Flexibility, adaptability, being ready to pivot: every successful entrepreneur has their own synonym for the world’s most important business skill. And that’s because this superpower is one older than business and older than human civilization itself. As Mike Falahee, Owner of Marygrove Awnings points out, adaptability is a force of nature. That’s why it’s also the force of business.

“Possessing this trait is exactly how humanity has evolved to where we are now. Being able to embrace changes, and roll with the punches creates a person that is impossible to knock down. Bruce Lee says to be like water. I’d take his word for it. Rigid things shatter. Sharpen this skill, learn how to see opportunity in adversity, and you can overcome anything. As for adapting my company, we have had to implement no contact curbside quotes, let office employees work remotely, help them draw the line between work and home, and implement new strategies for keeping our manufacturing facility safe.”

Skills Needed for Business: Review

Mastering the skills needed for business is essential for individuals aiming to thrive in today’s competitive market. As highlighted through the business skills examples, success in the business world is often determined by a combination of effective communication & networking, objectivity, optimism, customer relationship building, business management, patience, empathy and emotional intelligence, perseverance, digital skills, and adaptability

By focusing on developing and refining these essential business skills, you will be better equipped to overcome challenges, seize opportunities, and achieve professional success. As you progress in your career, continually assess and improve your skillset to stay ahead of the curve and become a valuable asset to any organization or venture you are involved in.

The post Top Business Skills Needed for Successful Entrepreneurs first appeared on MightyCall.