Virtual offices are today’s solution for small businesses. Minimal overhead and 24 hour accessibility to office space are just two of the most attractive features of utilizing a virtual office. The demand for these services has created a market for virtual office companies. Business owners are now able to travel from state to state (and even outside of the country) with the security that comes with having their very own office, which travels with them. Services like mail forwarding, conference room usage, package notification, and payment processing combined with the convenience of wireless communication enables business owners to keep current with their companies no matter where they are.
One of the most invaluable services offered by virtual office companies though, is the Remote Receptionist (known at The Intelligent Office as the Intelligent Assistant). The Intelligent Assistants are a team of qualified individuals who are responsible for performing all of the duties associated with running your business. The Intelligent Assistants handle everything from accepting payments on behalf of your company to answering your phones. The Intelligent Assistants are the first line of communication for your business affiliates and clients alike. Therefore, it is important with any virtual office company that the remote receptionist is not only qualified in the field of administration, but also efficient, and personable.
Please watch as client Mindy Hitchcock talks about her experience with The Michigan Intelligent Office staff:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKwnSOak1Rw&feature=related
Thank You Attorney Mindy Hitchcock with Lady4Justice law firm for your video.
-Felicia McMeekins
Intelligent Office
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Business Asset: Effective Multi-tasking
What is Multitasking?
The term Multitasking refers to the ability to process several tasks simultaneously. The process of multitasking entails time-sharing and human context-switching, and requires sufficient attention to detail. Or in layman terms, you're sitting behind your desk answering e- mails and your phone while looking for that file you haven't been able to find all week and thinking about the best way to prepare your marketing presentation for the next day. In the workplace, multitasking has become a mandatory skill. With the fast pacing of today’s world, we are all subject to multitask on a daily basis or once in a while to get the projects and requests sent our way done.
Performing more than one task at a time can be advantageous for one, and a waste of time for others especially when switching repeatedly between two tasks of varying complexity and familiarity. It comes to the strategies of how effectively you manage different tasks.
Here are a few tricks of the trade:
Heather Villa, Business coach and consultant recommends these tips for multi-tasking:
• Start small. Don’t multi-task your rocket science work AND your brain surgery work right out of the gate. Instead, multi-task a few different less-essential things until you get good at multitasking.
• Group like projects together. The most effective kind of multitasking is when you group similar projects together. For example, if you manage half a dozen Twitter accounts, and you want to spend a focused amount of time on Twitter, you can multitask this easily.
• Prep for multitasking. Before you multitask, make sure you have everything ready to go. The purpose of multitasking is quickly lost if you have to get up from your desk or if you spend your time searching for a folder or opening programs. (That’s another reason why grouping like projects together is a good multitasking idea).
• Keep a list. A list of “multitaskable” tasks should be handy. This should be stuff that you can do whenever you have extra time. Email sorting, quick email responses, filing, Twitter-follower-list-adding, reviewing your schedule for the day. These are routine activities. Keep that list nearby. When you discover extra time, pull out the list.
• Set time limits on your work and focus on improving your multitasking skill. The purpose of multitasking is to get more work done in less time. So if you have two projects that each take an hour, and it takes you two hours to do them both, then it doesn’t matter if you do them at the same time or if you do them consecutively; there’s no time saved. Instead, focus on doing both of them well in 1 to 1.5 hours in total. This will take some time because multitasking is a skill.
• Have a goal. This is a good time management tip for anyone, because consciously knowing the goal can help you unconsciously work toward it. And, you won’t be half-heartedly working around the project without a clear purpose; you’ll be actively working toward the goal.
• Get into the zone. Multitasking isn’t something you do to avoid real effort. It’s something you do when you are focused and operating at your peak. If you find that you’re trying to multitask but you’re only doing one thing at a time, put something aside until you can focus.
Accountability coach and author Anne Bachrach suggests these five helpful tips for multitasking:
1. Give your full attention to the task in front of you.
2. Set specific time frames for task completion.
3. Become effective at switching gears within like/similar activities.
4. Prioritize high pay-off and low priority tasks.
5. Honor thy calendar.
Multitasking does help achieve more if you think before automatically assuming you will be more productive by doing everything at once. Some tasks require your full attention; by figuring out which ones do, will save you time and help you get more done.
There are also alternative options available. For example, if multitasking just isn’t an option for you, hire an Intelligent Assistant to handle your business multitasking needs for you! The Virtual Assistants here at The Intelligent Office are equipped with the multitasking expertise necessary to execute the many requests of your business’s services. Your Intelligent Assistants will handle your incoming calls, schedule your appointments, meetings, and conference room usage, accept and process payments for your business, greet your clients, and perform a multitude of other business services. These skills combined with follow-me communications ensure the efficiency of your business’s productivity. Please contact The Intelligent Office today to discuss how our virtual office solutions can provide the answers your business needs.
Thank you,
Tanya Markos-Vanno
Business Consultant
The term Multitasking refers to the ability to process several tasks simultaneously. The process of multitasking entails time-sharing and human context-switching, and requires sufficient attention to detail. Or in layman terms, you're sitting behind your desk answering e- mails and your phone while looking for that file you haven't been able to find all week and thinking about the best way to prepare your marketing presentation for the next day. In the workplace, multitasking has become a mandatory skill. With the fast pacing of today’s world, we are all subject to multitask on a daily basis or once in a while to get the projects and requests sent our way done.
Performing more than one task at a time can be advantageous for one, and a waste of time for others especially when switching repeatedly between two tasks of varying complexity and familiarity. It comes to the strategies of how effectively you manage different tasks.
Here are a few tricks of the trade:
Heather Villa, Business coach and consultant recommends these tips for multi-tasking:
• Start small. Don’t multi-task your rocket science work AND your brain surgery work right out of the gate. Instead, multi-task a few different less-essential things until you get good at multitasking.
• Group like projects together. The most effective kind of multitasking is when you group similar projects together. For example, if you manage half a dozen Twitter accounts, and you want to spend a focused amount of time on Twitter, you can multitask this easily.
• Prep for multitasking. Before you multitask, make sure you have everything ready to go. The purpose of multitasking is quickly lost if you have to get up from your desk or if you spend your time searching for a folder or opening programs. (That’s another reason why grouping like projects together is a good multitasking idea).
• Keep a list. A list of “multitaskable” tasks should be handy. This should be stuff that you can do whenever you have extra time. Email sorting, quick email responses, filing, Twitter-follower-list-adding, reviewing your schedule for the day. These are routine activities. Keep that list nearby. When you discover extra time, pull out the list.
• Set time limits on your work and focus on improving your multitasking skill. The purpose of multitasking is to get more work done in less time. So if you have two projects that each take an hour, and it takes you two hours to do them both, then it doesn’t matter if you do them at the same time or if you do them consecutively; there’s no time saved. Instead, focus on doing both of them well in 1 to 1.5 hours in total. This will take some time because multitasking is a skill.
• Have a goal. This is a good time management tip for anyone, because consciously knowing the goal can help you unconsciously work toward it. And, you won’t be half-heartedly working around the project without a clear purpose; you’ll be actively working toward the goal.
• Get into the zone. Multitasking isn’t something you do to avoid real effort. It’s something you do when you are focused and operating at your peak. If you find that you’re trying to multitask but you’re only doing one thing at a time, put something aside until you can focus.
Accountability coach and author Anne Bachrach suggests these five helpful tips for multitasking:
1. Give your full attention to the task in front of you.
2. Set specific time frames for task completion.
3. Become effective at switching gears within like/similar activities.
4. Prioritize high pay-off and low priority tasks.
5. Honor thy calendar.
Multitasking does help achieve more if you think before automatically assuming you will be more productive by doing everything at once. Some tasks require your full attention; by figuring out which ones do, will save you time and help you get more done.
There are also alternative options available. For example, if multitasking just isn’t an option for you, hire an Intelligent Assistant to handle your business multitasking needs for you! The Virtual Assistants here at The Intelligent Office are equipped with the multitasking expertise necessary to execute the many requests of your business’s services. Your Intelligent Assistants will handle your incoming calls, schedule your appointments, meetings, and conference room usage, accept and process payments for your business, greet your clients, and perform a multitude of other business services. These skills combined with follow-me communications ensure the efficiency of your business’s productivity. Please contact The Intelligent Office today to discuss how our virtual office solutions can provide the answers your business needs.
Thank you,
Tanya Markos-Vanno
Business Consultant
Friday, June 11, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
training in Atlanta
My first visit to Atlanta was for a sales training seminar....It was a great refresher on Intelligent Office and the culture we keep. I have been a sales coordinator with IO since 2007, and trained then, so this was needed. It reminded me that we...IO are not a commodity. We offer value to our clients and we allow them to function efficient.
Besides that Atlanta is a dynamic city. I would love to visit on personal time.
Besides that Atlanta is a dynamic city. I would love to visit on personal time.
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