8 mins read
Freelancing is the perfect way to do what you love and get paid for it. You get to work on your own terms—decide who you work with, define your working hours, choose your projects, and so forth without having to go through common work troubles like office politics or long commute hours.
Many freelancers work alongside full-time jobs to supplement their income. But there’s no reason that even those freelancing as a side hustle can’t go pro.
Whether you’re freelancing as a full-time business or for an extra source of income, you can gain more clients and increase your professionalism with the help of a virtual phone system.
Many freelance agencies lose out on customers and lucrative opportunities when they come across as unorganised or unprofessional. With a virtual phone system, you can ensure that your freelance business, however big or small, stands out for the right reasons.
This article will explore how freelancers and freelance agencies can go pro with the help of a virtual phone system.
Keep track of all calls and messages
As a freelancer, you are often working on the move or you could be working full time and thus, you may end up missing a client’s call.
Moreover, if you use your mobile phone for your client calls, you may even lose track of business calls in your personal call log.
This is one of the worst things that can happen to a freelancer.
If a potential client is calling you, it is crucial that you have a fruitful conversation with them, informing them in detail of your services—even if that means spending a little extra on the call.
If you don’t answer, the client may move on to another freelance agency, possibly leaving for good.
With a virtual phone system, you can have a process in place to ensure that even if you do miss a call, you don’t miss a lead.
A cloud-backed phone system offers users the ability to have their voicemail messages forwarded to their email addresses. This way, you always have easy access to your missed calls and messages, no matter where you are. You’re then free to return the calls at your earliest convenience.
Another option is to have a virtual assistant answering and taking your messages. This goes one step further in creating a more professional appearance for your freelancing business.
Virtual assistants can take and direct calls when you aren’t available, ensuring that all calls are answered and dealt with professionally even when you are not there. The tool is great for freelancers who work solo and don’t have a support staff.
If you do have co-workers in your business, you can set up call forwarding to redirect calls to whoever is free. Or calls can be routed to various groups to ensure they’re answered.
All of these amazing features can be accessed from any Internet-enabled device so you don’t need to invest in additional hardware or software. They will help you track enquiries effectively, ensuring uninterrupted client communication and generating more leads for you.
Provide callers with a professional IVR menu
Once you’ve figured out which way is best for your freelance business to receive and deal with calls, you can consider offering a professional menu to your callers. Call menus give callers the opportunity to tell you exactly what they need before they’re even connected to a human agent.
With a virtual phone system, you can give callers the option to choose the department they want to be connected to.
Even if you work alone, having a call menu will mean that that you will have some context of the caller’s enquiry, giving you a chance to prepare for an effective conversation.
Not just that, you can even add an FAQ section to make sure easy queries are resolved without any human intervention, giving you the chance to impress prospects from the first contact.
You can even add an IVR in the call menu and play promotional messages while callers are waiting on hold. Moreover, you can even add custom music or message on hold to keep leads entertained or to inform them of more useful products.
Whatever you choose, you can show how professional your freelancing business is by having a professional answering system.
Collaborate easily with clients and colleagues
As a freelancer, you may sometimes find the need to collaborate with clients and colleagues. Collaboration is key to ensuring projects are completed on time and all the relevant information is shared with the stakeholders.
With a virtual phone system, you can collaborate in a number of ways. The first is through call transfer and flipping. The former allows you to redirect calls to different colleagues who are best placed to respond without having to end the interaction.
Call flipping allows you to move between devices without terminating the call.
A call, for example, may start at your desk but the client needs more detailed information. You can flip the call to your laptop and bring in other colleagues to help if needed or can transfer it to a relevant person without interrupting the flow of conversation.
These two elements keep up the flow of communication while you collaborate with others.
Additionally, you can use instant messaging within your hosted phone system to work together with others or stay up-to-date with collaborators. The instant messaging feature is an easy and quick route to communicate with people.
Your cloud phone system also has a shared space where you can store important files and information on clients. This space can also link up seamlessly with your CRM. You can make the data accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world—so there are no limits on the location of your client base or your work partners.
Further to this, you can schedule and host conference calls from within your hosted phone system.
All of these features give you the opportunity to work collaboratively and professionally with internal colleagues and external clients, and the chance to deliver outstanding service in your freelance business.
Break down barriers with a free phone number
Finally, virtual phone systems give you the opportunity to change your phone number to suit your business needs. Freelancers may use personal mobile numbers for their business, and while this is okay, to look really professional you need to consider using a business number.
The choice is yours when it comes to phone numbers attached to your virtual phone system.
You could have a local number to increase trust, a custom number to help clients remember your details or a free phone number to break down any barriers.
A toll free number is not only more professional compared to a personal number, but it is also free to call for the customer. By removing the cost implications of calling you, you are breaking down the barriers between your business and your potential clients.
These numbers offer freelance agencies increased opportunities to speak to and convert leads into profitable clients. And giving them the impression that your business is larger and well established may be the deciding factor between you and a competitor.
Many multinational businesses use free phone numbers, and so a freelancer doing the same is sure to impress prospects.
Take your freelance business to the next level
Cloud phone systems give freelancers and agencies of all sizes the opportunity to go pro.
Whether you are a sole proprietor working from your personal mobile phone or have several employees in an office space, you can harness the benefits of virtual phone systems and take your business to the next level.
A virtual phone system provides a cost-effective and simple solution that helps you turn your device into a business communications suite. You can simply and effectively collaborate with clients and colleagues around the world.
To find out more about virtual phone systems, call us on 1888-859-0450 or drop an email at [email protected] today for a free consultation.
