Archive for September, 2009
In today’s world, internet is playing a vital role in changing people’s thinking and lifestyle. These changes came into existence with the innovation in technology and advancement. Well, credit for this revolution is given to internet. While talking about technology in communication industry, internet has come up with advanced communication that allows user to handle long distance and international calls at substantial rates. Thus, internet telephony is considered as a popular and widely used for accessing internet applications. The reason for its popularity that has made PSTN user to switch on to advanced VoIP telephony is increase in productivity and cost efficiency.
While calling through IP telephony, user can save his pounds as it is based on packet switching protocol that allows the user to share data, voice, video or images through single line. Thus, through advanced calling, user can communicate with other user irrespective of locality and mobility.
The latest VoIP telephony is a combination of conventional phone services and high speed internet. It allows user to make and receive all calls at cheaper rates without any hurdle in setup of VoIP services. For making calls through voice over ip telephony, user needs ATA (analog voice adaptor), internet connection and telephone for calling his friend or relative. VoIP phone service allows user to use his broadband connection to place telephone calls over the Internet. Though, this technology is rocking the telecom industry to the core.
The major advantage of VoIP telephony includes lower cost, greater flexibility, scalability, functionality, network efficiency and above all security. Apart from this, telephony satisfies the voice quality. On calling through VoIP, user enjoys unlimited incoming and long distance calls to anyone across the global village. User must opt for those VoIP providers who offers free voicemail, call forwarding, caller ID, call waiting, call waiting ID, 3 way calling and speed dialling. Considering these points, with the time, internet telephony is getting popular among varied groups like corporate and business houses and now even among residential users.
As cell phone use has become more widespread, a number of different studies have been done that deal with cell phone users. The following are a few of the statistics that have resulted from these studies.
A growing concern about cell phone use is the fact that many people accept calls while they are driving. According to a number of studies, 73% of all cell phone users talk while they are driving. This statistic means that at any given minute on United States’ highways, 10% of all drivers are using these devices.
One study examined how well these individuals drive when they are distracted by a cell phone call. It was discovered that these drivers are 21% less likely to change lanes in medium traffic. In heavy traffic, the percentage was 19%. A cell phone user was also more likely to remain behind a slower moving vehicle. In light traffic, these individuals spent 31% more time behind a slower car than a normal driver did. In medium traffic, the rate was 16%. In heavier traffic, the driver spent 12% more time behind the other driver. These drivers also drove 2 mph slower than a normal driver did.
Another area of cell phone use that has been studied deals with children and the use of cell phones. The number of children that have cell phones is astounding. In the United States, about two-thirds of all children have cell phones. In Japan, 80% of high schools students and 25% of junior high school kids are carrying these devices. Great Britain and Scandinavia also have high percentages of children with cell phones.
The question of child safety is also an issue that has been addressed. According to one study, 37% of Japanese teenage males and 30% of Japanese teenage female have used their cell phones to access dating sites, leading to some of these children having unwanted sexual relations.
As well as becoming prey for sexual predators, unwanted cell phone messages from other children are also a problem. In one British study, 16% of young cell phone users have received threatening text messages from their peers, while another 7% have admitted to being harassed in chat rooms. 4% of these youngsters have been “bullied” via their cell phone. All these studies point to the problems that can arise from children having cell phones.
Another study that has been conducted among cell phone users has to do cell phone addiction. Cell phone addition is defined as the inability of a person to live without their cell phone. While some individuals argue that this is not a true addiction, some of these studies show otherwise. For example, in Japan, children who had cell phones did not make friends with peers who did not have them. In Hungary, three quarters of all children have these devices. Adolescents in Italy have multiple cell phones while in Great Britain 36% of all college students admitted that they could not live without these devices. 7% of the British students also stated that they had lost jobs or relationships due to their cell phone use.
The one thing that you can conclude form all of these studies is the fact that cell phones are becoming a major part of almost everyone’s lives. Whether this phenomenon is for the better or worst still remains to be seen.
Don’t underestimate the talent that you get when you select a professional answering service. Many of the leading answering service companies in the industry are very particular about the employees they hire. They obviously make it a point to hire only articulate individuals who can think on their feet and can handle multiple calls while staying poised. They also clearly realize the importance of answering calls promptly and in a professional manner at all times. Answering Service owners and managers know about the importance of the voice and its tone, and how an operator’s voice can truly make a welcoming and helpful difference when answering calls. Of course, being able and determined to help a caller is equally as important.
Industry leading answering service companies like 1-800 We Answer ( http://www.efls.com ) are very selective about who they hire. Before any hiring takes place, operators are thoroughly screened and their communication and listening skills are put to the test. After skilled operators are hired, they receive training in the company’s policies and answering service procedures. They’re closely supervised so that their performance is consistent. Training doesn’t stop once an operator’s evaluation period is over. Answering service operators receive continual training on new accounts, and learn customer service skills throughout their careers.
Answering service companies attract a steady stream of excellent employees. Many companies are realizing the advantages of outsourcing inbound telephone call answering to an answering service. The growth of outsourced business support areas and the virtual service industries has spurred a growing need for skilled customer service representatives across all fields. Answering service businesses constantly need fresh talent. While many customer service experts work in the answering service industry full-time, some of these employees are part-time workers, including people working second jobs. These employees, who work full-time in other areas, often have useful professional experience to offer an answering service company. That broad experience is evident when they answer calls and provide exceptional customer service.
An answering service can be an appealing place to work. For those individuals who love to talk, be helpful and who know they have strong communications skills, are well suited to work for an answering service. A clear speaking voice, known as a “great phone voice” is a plus for answering service employees. Answering service companies provide fair pay, and the hours are often very flexible since an answering service can provide call coverage at all hours, 24/7, 365 days a year. Employees can usually choose to work a specific shift that accommodates their lifestyle and schedule: early morning, afternoon, late night, and overnight.
Working for an answering service can be a path to higher levels of customer service experience. Answering service companies attract quality employees who are drawn to the latest technology in the telecommunications industry. By working at a professional answering service, customer service employees sharpen their technical skills since messages are relayed to clients in a variety of ways via phone and also through new technology: mobile e-mail, fax or directly to a client’s PDA. Some answering service employees update databases and they get to work on a variety of telecommunications software applications, some of which were created by their own IT departments.
Answering service companies partner with their clients to provide seamless call coverage. Keeping this concept in mind, the employees of an answering service become quite important. When a company’s receptionist goes home, it’s the answering service live operator who takes the reins. The operator becomes an extension of that company whose calls they are covering. A valuable answering service worker realizes their voice and presence is just as important as the company’s daytime receptionist’s.
Employees are the key ingredient that distinguishes one company from another. Answering Service companies also realize this, and hire only the best communicators: good listeners who are ready at all times to consistently help and service callers. Answering service companies actively recruit online just like the Fortune 1000 companies, and utilize key job search sites such as Monster.com, Careerbuilders.com and Craig’s List. The job front for answering service employees looks bright, since there is a growing demand for qualified and skilled employees. Unlike many other US industries, many answering service companies are expanding and hiring rapidly.