magazine
34
Communications
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What does it take tobe successful
inbusiness?Hardwork, dedication,
determination, imagination,
perseverance, patience, support,
good luck (perhaps) andgood
communications.
Even in an age of email and social
media, the ability tomake and take calls
is critical.This is particularly true for
start-ups thatwill spendmuchof their
early days on the telephone,making
introductions and building the networks
onwhich their future prosperity depends.
The telephone provides an essential
link to the outsideworld and is the
next best thing to face-to-face contact
formaking a personal connectionwith
prospects and business associates.
A telephone number raises your
profile and gives customers and
suppliers a voice.Today,with somany
communication channels to choose
from, the phone remains people’s first
choicewhen they have a complaint or
need a quick answer.
The flip side is the damage that can
be done if calls are not handled properly;
phones aren’t answered; callers are left
onholdor passed from person to person;
andmessages are ignored and calls not
returned.
Theprofessional choice
When they start out,many
entrepreneurs use amobile phone for
their communicationneeds on the basis
that they always carry their phonewith
them. In practice, relying solely on a
mobile – andmobile number – is limiting
andmay not convey the appropriate
level of professionalism.
If the only number given for your
company is amobile one,what does that
say about your organisation? Inmany
people’s eyes, itwould suggest that you
are small, under-resourced and poorly
staffed. Is that the impression youwant
to give?
A phone systemwith a familiar
phone number ismore reassuring and
Why theSamsungOfficeServ communications system is
perfect for growingbusinesses
Your office in a box
more flexible.A freephone, national or
geographic number gives no clues about
your company size and can give you
a ‘local’ presence in distantmarkets.
Even if you are based in a beachhut
in Poole, you canhave geographic
numbers for, say, London,Manchester
andBirmingham linked to your system.
And,withDDI numbers, each employee
or department can still have their own
personal number.
Staying in touch
That said, there are good reasonswhy
start-ups and small businesses rely on
theirmobile phones.Managers and
employees tend tohavemultiple roles
and diverse responsibilities.They are
frequently out of the office,winning
business, closing deals and visiting
customers, suppliers and associates.
Evenwhen atwork, they are rarely in
one place and are often inmeetings and
can’t be contacted.
Themobileworking habits ofmodern
entrepreneurs canmake themhard
to track down, frustrating callers and
adding to theworkloadof colleagues
