Loading...
Answers
MenuIs there a safe way to outsource customer email enquiries in gmail? Responses are copy paste and I'll continue using account as well. Thanks
I posted a job on odesk but I am concerned over safety. Also agent must work in my gmail account so as to add the enquirer to a certain g+ circle.
Also account is connected to Youtube, which means another risk.
Answers
I use an awesome young internet marketer. I would be happy to connect you with him. He has had access to all of my personal info for over 4 years and I trust him completely.
Any reputable person on Odesk, or in the real world should be able to provide multiple strong references.
WHY ARE YOU OUTSOURCING YOUR MOST IMPORTANT BUSINESS TASK?
I don't understand why you want to have someone else respond to people who want to do business with you. Why wouldn't you want to do that yourself?
Seems like their is a lot that you could gain by talking with prospects and buyers yourself. What am I missing?
If you are trying to filter out prospects from real leads, then create a new email address for those and when they are real opportunities, that is when you get engaged. Also get off Gmail and to at least some type of hosted exchange. This way you can create shared mailboxes.
If what you're trying to do is add a filter between yourself and the inbound emails to better manage your time... Great job! You're taking a big step forward into making yourself a more efficient part of your business.
That said, it's important to remember that all of the people writing you are important not just the ones that can turn into business today. They all have friends, family, and social networks who can all turn into business some day and if they took the time to email you, you should make sure they feel like you're taking the time to write them back.
I've had amazing experiences working with virtual assistants in both full and part time capacities for this purpose. They're more than just a filter, they understand you, they understand your business and they can give non-prospects a valuable and worthwhile answer that will leave them satisfied without you having to invest your valuable time in it.
You can outsource the role for as little as a few hundred dollars a month and it can be a huge asset to your growing business
I believe it is safe, because numerous businesses now rely on outsourced email services for many good reasons:
1. Reduced and controlled expenses: Maintaining an internal email platform and a team to handle it can cost a pretty penny. Consider outsourcing your email services to lessen your expenditures. You will spend less on hardware, software, applications, storage assets, and data centre infrastructure because third-party email service providers already have them. At most, you will only need to pay service fees based on the number of accounts you need. This ‘pay as you grow’ model not only saves you money, but it also allows efficient control and use of resources.
2. Easy and fast deployment of services: An in-house email service takes considerable money and time before you can launch it to full operations. Before deployment, you will need to install and test the infrastructure as well as hire or train specialized staff. By turning to outsourcing, the service commencement phase can become faster. Plus, all the necessary equipment and people needed for the system will already be provided.
3. Optimum uptime and availability: Greater availability can only benefit your business when it comes to customer service. Having 24/7 email services increases customer satisfaction and retention. In contrast, if your emails services are constantly unavailable, it could lead to delayed responses to inquiries and other customer concerns. As we all know, people dislike waiting, and more so if their message is urgent. This can result in your clients becoming displeased with your business. However, building an email infrastructure that has failover capabilities is challenging. It is time-consuming, pricey, and often requires professional expertise. For higher uptime and convenience, you can opt to partner with email service providers. They have platforms that offer protection against failure and operate in fault-tolerant networks to ensure that your business can continue operating. They may also have programs and applications that can protect your accounts from viruses and other malware to prevent sudden downtime. Email data backup options and offsite storage are also often available for extra security.
4. More time to focus on your core competencies: While email services are important, they are unlikely to be the focus of your business. When you handle such services internally, you will need a hardworking staff to keep the system running like clockwork. However, hiring and training new workers to manage your growing email needs requires time and resources. Conversely, assigning customer service-related email tasks to your regular employees can keep them from performing their primary job functions. You can solve this challenge by outsourcing your email services. With this burden off your shoulders, you and your staff will then have more time to focus on the core aspects of your business. If losing control over your company’s email accounts concerns you, check first if your prospective provider offers a web-based management console. With this tool, you can have shared control you are your user accounts.
5. Access to the latest email management technologies: Business communication trends and technologies are always evolving. Nowadays, it is no longer enough to just have basic email services. To remain competitive, many outsourced email services providers offer the best and latest software in the market. Aim for providers that offer useful capabilities like mobile device support and full-featured email with synchronized access options (Outlook and webmail). Other collaboration tools are also available, such as shared calendars, address books, and archiving. Employing the services of third-party providers can let you tap into these features without having to spend a big.
6. Offers great reliability and improves brand image: There are many professional and reliable outsourced email service providers that you and your customers can rely on. It is only a matter of searching for them. To maximize the benefits you will get, go for companies that have well-trained personnel and top-notch technologies. If your outsourced email services are reliable and always available, this can boost your brand image. By making sure that your responses to customer questions and complaints are fast and accurate, you can earn the respect of these people. They are also much more likely to talk positively about your brand. Of course, a respectable reputation can also result in increased customer retention and higher chances of attracting more people who will want to do business with your company.
But if you do feel unsafe do install a virtual assistant. Ideally, a virtual assistant who provides email management services can:
1. Send and respond to messages on your behalf
2. Get rid of spam messages
3. Organize a chaotic and cluttered inbox
4. Unsubscribe you from unwanted email lists
5. File important messages in specific email folders so they can be easily recovered when you need them
6. Provide you with a daily (or regular) report of important messages that are timely and need your attention
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath
Related Questions
-
What is the best crowdsourcing platform to find a website developer & designer?
Depending on what you need, you'll probably want to look at actual agencies. A single freelancer is unlikely to have the complete spectrum of skills you'll need, and unless you're looking to hire someone full-time, you'll probably have trouble retaining a single freelancer for a long period of time without conflicts. A mid-sized agency like the one I started (and later sold) specializes in designing and building sites. Their specialty is marketing and client acquisition, so they wouldn't be much help for the custom stuff later down the road — but that may not be an issue now. Another option may be to use a high-end development talent agency like http://www.10xmanagement.com/ — this company hires out very good developers, but you'll pay a premium. Like anything, you'll get what you pay for. Sometimes you'll get lucky on Elance, but you take on a lot of risk for the lower price. A mid-range agency has lower risk, but may lack full-stack capabilities. A high-range agency can solve all your problems, but you'll pay top dollar for it. I have a lot of experience screening and recruiting talent for projects in the mid-to-high range, so if you'd like to discuss strategies, let me know. Good luck!JL
-
Which country offers the best outsourcing value for tech entrepreneurs?
I've used outsourced services several times successfully. I don't think using geographic location is necessary a good indicator for outsourcing value. In my experience it depends on the type of service you are seeking. For example, I've used crowdsourcing services for logo and web designs and discovered creativity has no geographic boundaries. Neither is the skill level necessarily the only indicator for the best creative. Some designs have been submissions from design student or freelancers with no formal training. As for technical work, I seek service based on the following criteria: - technical competency and skills - communication skills - Process skills (to manage overall risk of project) - references from existing clients. Country is secondary to the above list.ID
-
How to find custom business application development projects (CRM, ERP, accounting software) etc?
You are facing a classic chicken and egg problem. You want premium projects but cannot get them because you haven't done any yet. To solve this, you need to think from your target customers standpoint. Why would a customer buy from you? What do you offer that others don't have? Once you define that, the second thing you need to understand is how companies acquire their services. The buying process in a company is different from consumer buying cycle. So you need to figure out how you will play this dance. Lastly, to acquire customers, you will need to do some marketing and network. LinkedIn would be a good starting point. Another option would be to start out small and bid for projects on oDesk, Guru or other similar sites All the best.... Happy to talk if you have more questions.DD
-
Should I hire full time designers, or should I freelance design talent to save overheard? What are the pros and cons to each?
I agree it really depends on what you are trying to achieve. It can take sometime to source the right person to do the job. I disagree that you should only outsource to a freelancer if you have a one off project. My designer is a freelancer and I have been using her for several years because I like her style and she is very fast and efficient so I end up paying a lot less for the work and there is usually very few edits. I think that for any business it is worthwhile investing in creating a good relationship with any member of your team. If the work you required isn't a full time role, then hiring a freelancer makes a lot of sense because you can build a loyal and trusting relationship with them and therefore depend on them to deliver.LP
-
How can a small offshore development company find companies/software sales people to sell their service in the US/UK?
My company does a lot of consulting with offshore firms who are looking for a way to generate new business, so I hear this question a lot. My first reaction is that you need to totally reverse your mindset when you talk about your own company. You mentioned that you have: a great software developers team, proven track record, passion, real value But, everyone says that. There a 10,000 companies that have those things, so a customer isn't going to notice it. You need to figure out what your company is best at (doesn't have to be technical) and present it as a solution to a specific problem that clients have. Maybe a speciality, or really good project management, really good communications, a special expertise or experience, a personality, experience with a certain type of client.. really anything.. But, there must be some thing that makes your company 'special' otherwise you will be lost in the mix. Don't worry about things like rates, or the fact that you have 'great' developers. Those are generic. Think about why a client would really choose you, and try to build on that! After you understand your company identity, it gets much easier to identify and engage marketing channels because you understand your target.DH
the startups.com platform
Copyright © 2025 Startups.com. All rights reserved.