Sophia's not in right now…

Season 3, "Larceny and Old Lace"

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More on The Golden Girls - Sophia's Answering Service

Looking for 1-800 internet answering service that delivers messages to email. Don't want phone, just business answering machine that would record messages and send them to my email (or notify me to pick it up). Do you know an inexpensive service like that ?

It is easy to do with pay-as-you-go VoIP services like CallCentric or InPhonex. Just create an online account. Purchase a Toll-Free phone number (called DID - direct inbound dialing). Then, set your account to have all incoming calls go directly to VoiceMail. Set the email address you want copies of your VoiceMail to be forwarded to.
There is no VoIP equipment to buy when just using the services as a call frowarding, or VoiceMail forwarding service. Self administer your account and only pay-as-you-go. No term commitments.

Is there a need for this type of business?
What kind of revenue could I expect?

The enclosed site goes through all the steps. I hope that you find it helpful!

http://www.howtoadvice.com/AnsweringBusiness

Since 1928, Answering Service, Inc., in Southfield, Michigan, has been taking your calls — after hours, when you're in a meeting or out to lunch, all day and every day. They offer corporate voicemail systems, employee call-off reports, phone traffic tracking and more. They also offer pager systems, for lease or purchase. For more information about their tele-messaging services, visit their informative website.
Visit us http://www.yellowpages.com/info-SA30994760/Answering-Service-Inc

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Are you tired of traveling to the office and driving home late at night after work? Are you a mom who's already tied up with a handful of kids? Or are you simply tired of putting up with your boss' irritating attitude? Then the best place for you would be to stay at home. And yes, you can still earn-here are a few ideas on home-based businesses that have worked for other people:

1.If you are fond of kids, a daycare service would be the best form of business for you. This is also best for stay home moms.

2.Make use of whatever talents you have. If you are a born-writer, then go ahead and scout for writing gigs online. There are plenty that would even pay you well. There are also online surveys that pay you decently. Just make sure to steer clear of those online scams. If you are the 'baking mom' type, then go ahead and bake some cakes or cookies and sell them at a good price. Do you dance? Then do the groove and teach other people how to do so. If you dream bigger and believe that you have the 'artistic flair', why not invest in a wedding consultation business?

3.Look for products that you can sell in eBay. Auctioning could rake in money for you.

4.If you like dogs or cats more than kids, then why don't you set up a pet grooming service center? This business is best for those who have at least some knowledge on animal anatomy and their needs. Make sure that there is sufficient space for all your animal guests.

5.Medical transcription services are continuously booming. You can jump into the bandwagon and start earning at home.

6.If you are a teacher at heart, then go ahead and do some tutorial services. You can do online tutorials if you want.

7.A lot of people want scrapbooking but only a few are really gifted to actually do it. If you are artistic enough, go ahead and set up a scrapbooking service business.

8.Do you want to help other people land jobs? Then you can go on and write their resumes for them. They would even pay you for doing it for them.

9.There are some people who sell their artworks online (examples are wood carvings, paintings and other artworks). It wouldn't hurt to try to sell your works, too.

10.You also have the option to make web designs for other people while at home.

11.Write eBooks, throw all caution to the wind, and submit it online.

12.You can also do the numbers for other people. Set up an accounting business right in your own home.

13.Be somebody's secretary. Set up an answering service business. Instead of working on call centers, why don't you try to have one at home?

14.Are you fond of yoga? Then why not share that passion to others and start earning in the process?

15.Desktop publishing still ranks well on the top home-based businesses. Other small businesses can profit from your service and are willing to pay you for it.

These are but some of the home-based business ideas that you can start thinking about. Just choose which one you feel great about, then go ahead and do the first step on your planned big leap.

If you have a website for your real estate business, then learning how to manage it shouldn't be difficult at all. But if you have a problem focusing on one area of your real estate business at a time, then you're in for a serious challenge. What most online entrepreneurs' lack, especially the newbie, is the ability to focus on one thing at a time.

If this is the case then, double check your website's content. Try to see it as if you're an online consumer. See what it lacks or what else it needs to have and then list them all down. Do something about to help organize your thoughts and your customers as well.

To give you an idea about the things that your website needs to have, we'll start with your home page. On every marketing homepage, you need to have an auto responder that can function 24/7. This makes it convenient for you even when you're away.

The second thing that you need to check on is your contact page section. Customers need accurate information about the help they can get in case something goes wrong with your site. They need someone (or at least just a contact page) they can reach if they have questions about any of your offers. This is how a solid credibility is built with customers. You as the entrepreneur should realize that you have to cater to whatever inquiries they have about your business. And answering them won't be much of a task for you.

The last should be all about your site's content. You need to have good material in there, 2 to 3 articles that can feed the customer's hungry minds should be enough to convince them that your site and service is trustworthy.

You know you've always want to. Now, here's how you can get the help you need.

Learn more at http://www.Remote-Virtual-Assistant.com

Duration : 0:1:11

More on How to Hire a Sexy Secretary from an Answering Service

A successful website is one that encourages interaction with the visitor and becomes the first choice for the customer when shopping online. In order to do this, a website needs to be memorable and create a "stickiness" that makes visitors want to come back again and again.

An online business is more than selling products or services; it's an opportunity to engage customers in a positive experience. Most people who shop online are looking for information as well as products. A website that is filled with information is more likely to make a sale than a website that simply lists a product.

For instance, if your company sells nutritional products, visitors might be interested in reading about the latest information on using homeopathic medicines to treat the common cold or flu. They might also want to read articles on how to prepare more healthy meals.

Articles Database

So, a first step in creating stickiness might be to set up an area on your website for articles of interest to your target audience. If you don't feel up to writing the articles, go to an article directory like ezinearticles.com and use the articles written by other authors. The use of the articles is free as long as you keep the author's box intact. (Please don't plagiarize and put your name in the author's box.)

Keep adding to your articles database as often as possible. You want people to come to your website to find the latest information rather than searching all over the Internet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Another successful technique is to have an area of your website set up with frequently asked questions. Help people to build up their knowledge about your products or service. For instance, a bail bonds site might include information about how the bail bonds process works: what to expect, how much it costs, how to choose a bail bonds agent.

As visitors' questions are answered, they become more comfortable with your business and a relationship is starting to develop. Because you are answering their questions, they are starting to rely on your business as the knowledge expert. This in turn, builds their confidence in wanting to do business with you.

But sometimes people can't find the answers they need in the FAQ section of a website. They have a complicated question or a unique situation that might require a personalized answer. Then you need to consider having someone available to answer questions either through e-mail or phone.

Customer Service Support

How many times have you visited a website and wished you could pick up the phone to talk to someone from that company? Too often, online businesses like to stay invisible and don't offer immediate customer support through the phone. That's a big mistake.

When someone is shopping on the Internet they want immediate solutions. If they had the time to spend, they'd be casually walking through a store, fingering items along the way. Instead, they are online, pressed for time and wanting to get the answers they need right now. If they can't get them at your site, they'll move on to a site that will answer their questions.

Make sure you have a plan in place to handle immediate customer service questions. Even e-mail can be too slow when customers need answers.

One idea is to use a service like LivePerson.com. This software platform is the ideal solution for even small and midsize businesses who want to create a more positive online experience for its customers. The Live Chat feature of LivePerson.com allows visitors to immediately begin a dialog with an online customer service representative and get the help them need with their buying decisions. Customer service representatives can help visitors navigate the site, complete applications, explain product options, and answer support related questions while customers are still on your site.

LivePerson.com works well for a retail site, but it can also be used for a service provider site. Ari Galper's UnlockTheGame.com is a great example of a service provider who is cleverly using this software to increase his sales.

Building Relationships

Think of an online business as another opportunity to build a relationship with your customers and not just a way to make quick sales. A website that features information and customer service is always going to outsell and outperform the competition. Start today to make the changes you need to have a more engaging website.

I run a small business and need a way for my clients to have 24/7 support. How much would it cost (ballpark) to route calls to a company on nights and weekends. They would need to then email me the info (if it's not an emergency) or call my cell if it is an emergency. I don't expect but a handful of calls a month.

it cost between $ 100 to $500 per week or higher based on calls received.

Google Inc. doesn't have all the answers—a fact underscored by the Internet search leader's decision to abandon a 4-year-old service that hired researchers to field questions on everything from school homework to sports trivia. The retreat, announced in a notice posted on Google's Web site late Tuesday night, represents a rare victory for rival Yahoo Inc.

It also may signal Google's intention to refocus on its core search engine, a moneymaking machine that generates virtually all its profits. Google executives have recently expressed worries about having too many disjointed products scattered across its Web site.

Despite those distractions, Google still holds a large lead over Yahoo in basic Internet search. Google has parlayed that advantage into more rapid profit growth that has lifted its stock price to new heights while Yahoo shares have slumped badly for most of the year.

But Yahoo appears to have outsmarted Google with a free online answer service that has grown rapidly since its introduction less than a year ago. Unlike Google's offering, Yahoo's service doesn't charge money. Instead, Yahoo appeals to the vanity of smart people to ferret out the answers to esoteric questions like "What has Alexander Graham Bell invented other than the telephone?"

Microsoft Corp. and several specialty Web sites like Keen.com, Answers.com and Answerbag.com also compete against Yahoo and Google in this highly specialized niche of Internet search.

Google's service required its users to pay a researcher anywhere from $2 to $200 to chase down the answers to minutiae like "How many tyrannosaurs are in a gallon of gasoline?"

The Mountain View-based company collected a 50-cent commission on each question, with the remainder going to one of the roughly 800 researchers who have responded to questions since Google co-founder Larry Page conceived the service in 2002.
Although it started later, Yahoo's answer service quickly eclipsed Google's. By October, the market share of Yahoo Answers was about 24 times greater than Google's service, estimated Hitwise, a research company that tracks Internet traffic patterns.

Yahoo's users are becoming so adept at answering questions that their responses sometimes even appear on the first results page of Google's own search engine. In its first 11 months, Yahoo's service has accumulated about 160 million answers, according to the Sunnyvale-based company. Google didn't elaborate on the reasons for dropping its service, which will stop accepting questions later this week. The answers to previously asked questions will remain available.

"Google Answers was a great experiment which provided us with a lot of material for developing future products to serve our users," software engineers Andrew Fikes and Lexi Baugher wrote in the closure notice. "We'll continue to look for new ways to improve the search experience and to connect people to the information they want.