July 9, 2012 1:25 PM CDT
However, as construction professionals get back to work, the industry still faces challenges, including increased competition and rising costs. eVoice®, a virtual phone service offered by j2 Global, Inc. (JCOM) understands that business communications with customers, vendors and employees is vital to success and that every missed call is a missed opportunity. Having the right business phone system will give a construction owner a competitive edge and increase the chances of gaining more customers by providing a more professional face to callers and ensuring that every phone call is answered and managed correctly.
"In the construction industry, missing one call may mean missing a contract," says Bill Pepoon, founder of Construction Science, a construction consulting firm launched in 2010. "With eVoice, I can have one phone number that's routed to my cell phone, home and work so I have peace of mind that I'll never miss a call, regardless of whether I'm on a job site, at my office or at home."
To maintain efficient customer communications and appear more professional, here are several tips and features from eVoice:
5 tips for efficiently running a small construction business
eVoice helps construction professionals build a foundation for success
By eVoice Team
The must-have power tool: your smartphone.
Things are looking up for the construction industry. New construction stats have been strong in recent months, construction spending rose throughout much of 2011 and the production of construction materials has been up for six months in a row. In addition, according to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, new entrepreneurs entering construction accounted for 24 percent of all U.S. entrepreneurial activity in 2011, impressive when overall business creation dropped by 6 percent in 2011.However, as construction professionals get back to work, the industry still faces challenges, including increased competition and rising costs. eVoice®, a virtual phone service offered by j2 Global, Inc. (JCOM) understands that business communications with customers, vendors and employees is vital to success and that every missed call is a missed opportunity. Having the right business phone system will give a construction owner a competitive edge and increase the chances of gaining more customers by providing a more professional face to callers and ensuring that every phone call is answered and managed correctly.
"In the construction industry, missing one call may mean missing a contract," says Bill Pepoon, founder of Construction Science, a construction consulting firm launched in 2010. "With eVoice, I can have one phone number that's routed to my cell phone, home and work so I have peace of mind that I'll never miss a call, regardless of whether I'm on a job site, at my office or at home."
To maintain efficient customer communications and appear more professional, here are several tips and features from eVoice:
1) Build your reputation with a solid first impression.
Reputation means a lot in the construction industry where clients are making decisions to spend thousands, or even millions, of dollars on a project. Customize your professional greetings and voicemail message for clients, vendors and partners so the right messaging goes to the right person every time.2) Rewire your landline phone to the cloud.
Cloud-based phone systems, also known as virtual phone systems, provide professionals with a phone number that routes to wherever you are -- cell phone, home or office -- making it easier than ever for clients to reach you 24/7. Set up "voice to text" so voicemails are transcribed to a text message or email. Messages can then be read discreetly while in a meeting or when on a noisy job site where it may be hard to hear.3) Cut down on mobile bill shock.
Using the power of VoIP helps construction professionals stay connected in service dead zones and more importantly, to cut down on mobile phone bills. A virtual phone system with a VoIP app automatically transfers calls from your network carrier to the Internet whenever WiFi is available -- and that means free minutes and better coverage.4) Hit the nail on the head every time with call recording.
Multitasking is a construction professional's lifestyle and answering calls while on the job or moving between sites can make it hard to track important details from a client. Recording calls to catch the specifics of a new room addition project or a counter design is critical to keeping clients happy and remaining within budget. With the push of a button, virtual phone systems record calls to get the details right the first time, avoiding what can often times turn into costly miscommunication with clients.5) The must-have power tool: your smartphone.
Managing your calls can be a full-time job and construction professionals don't have the time, especially now during the busy summer months. Taking advantage of all of the features a virtual phone system can offer like call routing, call screening, multiple extensions, personalized greetings, voice to text, and more, turns a smartphone into a 24/7 virtual assistant.About the Author
eVoice is a brand service and trademark of j2 Global (JCOM) eVoice, one of the industry's leading virtual phone services, offers a wide selection of local or toll-free numbers and is the only phone service of its type to offer personalized U.S.-based VIP setup and support for new accounts. eVoice is online at www.evoice.com.
