Freelancefolder

18 Comments

• 

  Natalia Maldonado

  September 24th, 2009 at 1:15 pm

  ---

  I use a land line dedicated just to my business for a number of reasons. First, cell reception isn’t always great, and there’s nothing worse than having a business call just drop.

  I like using my cell mostly for personal calls, and when I first started freelancing I was getting work calls at my cell on weekends, and I didn’t like feeling like I was always “on” even when I wasn’t in work mode. During the week, though, I do forward my business line to my cell if I’m going to be out of the office.

  One thing I find really helpful about the land line is the caller ID. Even if I don’t recognize the number, usually a business name pops up, so I already have an idea of what the call’s about. A cell phone can’t do that, and I’d rather avoid the awkward moment of having to ask, “I’m sorry, where are you calling from, in regards to?”

  One tip if you have a land line, make sure people know it’s a land line by distinguishing that it’s an office number, not a cell. I once had a client texting my phone to reschedule a meeting. I never got the text, obviously, and ended up at an empty building.

• 

  Marie

  September 24th, 2009 at 1:43 pm

  ---

  I use my cell phone currently, and have unlimited incoming calls.
  That way, I can contact a client by email, and if they wish to call me, then can.

  I do struggle sometimes because as a freelancer, people assume you are available 24/7, and sometimes call during very inconvenient hours. If I am not at my computer, and am not free to discuss a project, I will not answer the phone. They can always leave me a voicemail or an email.

  Usually I use project management software like Basecamp to do a lot of the back/forth comments and discussion, and avoid too much phone time.

• 

  Kristina

  September 24th, 2009 at 2:01 pm

  ---

  I use a Google Voice number for my business number. I have it forward into my cell phone on “business days” during “business hours” and Google Voice is displayed on my caller ID so I know to answer my phone in a professional manner…which really means I lock myself in the bathroom with my laptop so the client doesn’t hear my kids being crazy in the background.

  I usually try to follow up phone calls with an email just to make sure we’re all on the same page.

• 

  Natalie Hipp

  September 24th, 2009 at 2:23 pm

  ---

  I use RingCentral for my business line, which forwards to my cell. It’s great because it allows me the option as to whether or not I can take the call. Since my cell phone is for personal and business uses, I always answer, and it notifies me if it’s a business call and gives me the option to forward the call to my voice mail.

  On handling phone calls, I try to answer whenever I receive a call during normal business hours, but clients will undoubtedly call on nights or weekends. When they call, I let it go and check my voice mail to make sure there’s not an emergency going on.

  I will admit, however, that I sometimes let calls forward to voice mail if I am working but I’m in a bad mood or in the middle of something complicated. I’d rather not sound upset or distracted while on the phone.

• 

  Lexi Rodrigo

  September 24th, 2009 at 3:39 pm

  ---

  I don’t have a telephone number on my contacts page and, frankly, I’d rather not talk to clients on the phone. I have a small child at home and it’s almost impossible to have a decent phone conversation unless all the kids are already asleep.

  I did have a client request a call once. I did but got an answering machine. And then she seemed to be content with emailing back and forth, so it worked out in the end.

  I know some clients may prefer to talk to their service providers and I could be working at a disadvantage. But this is the reality of my life right now. I am unable to take phone calls until the toddler attends junior kindergarten next year.

• 

  lauren

  September 24th, 2009 at 5:04 pm

  ---

  I only have a cell phone… I find that a land line just isn’t necessary and with the iPhone (not a plug) they have visual voice mail… which is the best in the entire world, I am not kidding.

  If it is past office hours or on the weekend I let it go to voice mail and check to make sure it is not an emergency. I have even set photos of clients work to phone numbers so I know who is calling… their current logo works really well for that as well as a detailed contacts list. I love the email only clients… the less phone the better!

• 

  David Billings

  September 24th, 2009 at 5:41 pm

  ---

  Like Lauren, I use the iPhone exclusively for my business. I don’t have a landline at all and after a couple years I’m convinced it’s unnecessary.

  I make myself generally available by phone Mon-Fri, 9 AM – 5 PM (PST). That means that I’ll take any calls that come in during those times. I work from home, but I treat my iPhone as if it were an office landline.

  That said, most of the time I don’t get phone calls from prospective clients, I get e-mails and DMs on Twitter. Also a good reason to use my iPhone – it’s all right there when I have to step out for a bit.

  I’ll make special arrangements with clients if they need to get in touch “after hours” or on weekends for a project. Otherwise, calls go to voicemail and I don’t leap to answer them (although my kids freak out because I just let it ring).

  That’s important to me. Due to the fact that my studio is in my home, there’s a temptation to blur the line between family and work (which still happens at times, I admit). At the very least I can set this rule about the phone so the only calls I’m jumping to answer are the ones where we’ve made prior arrangements.

  Virtually none of my clients assume that I work late or on weekends and so far none have taken advantage when we’ve I’ve made myself available.

• 

  Neil Brown

  September 24th, 2009 at 9:11 pm

  ---

  I tried Skype and signed up for a number with my local area code, but just wasn’t happy with the call quality (overall). My cell service is spotty at best and I’ve tried a couple of different carriers over the last couple of years. So I ended up settling on a land line for my business.

  I try to schedule calls when I can and do most communication over email. I think calls are great for initial conversations about a project or getting feedback. But for the majority of the “change this, or please send that” type messages, email is so much more efficient.

  If I’m not expecting a call and one comes during a time where it would break my concentration or disrupt my workflow, I’ll let it go to voicemail and then check it and follow up when I’m to a good stopping point.

• 

  Dean at Pro Copy Tips

  September 24th, 2009 at 10:11 pm

  ---

  I’ve been freelancing successfully for years. And the most important thing I’ve learned is to NOT answer the phone unless you know who it is.

  Why? In my case, I’m fairly well known in my industry. So I get a lot of sales calls and a lot of calls from poor quality prospects. I get writers calling me to ask how to “copyright” their book, students wanting me to be their “mentor,” out-of-work agency people wanting a job, service providers wanting to sell me services I don’t need, etc.

  So when the phone rings, I look at the ID. If I know who it is, I answer. If I don’t, I don’t. I let voice mail pick up calls and I spend 5 minutes at some point in the day checking all the messages. Only 1 out of 10 is worth my attention.

  It’s a great time saver. And it helps me avoid having to find ways to dump calls that won’t lead to new business.

• 

  Gaurav

  September 25th, 2009 at 1:54 am

  ---

  I actually hate to receive phone calls when I am in the ZONE (working on some project) because it tends to distract me and I loose my chain of thoughts. So, I switchover to voicemail or if it is very important or the situation is dire, they can send me an SMS and I get back to them on phone.

• 

  James

  September 25th, 2009 at 6:40 am

  ---

  I prefer to use emails whenever possible as that way I have everything in writing incase I ever need it.

  The vast majority of my clients are within about 30 minutes of me so I normally find if they want to talk they would rather do it in person.

  At the minute I have my normal mobile number on my business cards which isn’t ideal as I use the same number as my personal phone which has resulted in getting calls when I’m on holiday etc. so I’m looking into using Google Voice or Skype to forward to my mobile phone.

• 

  dani

  September 25th, 2009 at 8:20 am

  ---

  I don’t have landline phone for almost 4 yrs and don’t plan to have one in future. Strictly “addicted” to cell phone. My mobile has two sim cards, one business only and one private. Usually tend to check voicemail messages instantly.
  From my modest experience I’ve learned to be persuasive and that clients don’t want to busy designer

• 

  Karen Swim

  September 25th, 2009 at 8:42 am

  ---

  Like Natalie, I use and love RingCentral. It is a business hosted phone service that operates a pbx in the cloud. I have a toll free number and fax. I have a call controller on my computer and use a follow me feature to have the business calls routed wherever I am. I have the phones automatically roll to voice mail after business hours (but I still get notified that there is a call). I love that I can take calls and faxes wherever I am while remaining professional. I can also forward to voice mail or other extensions on the go. I’ve used RingCentral for 6 years. Several years ago I eliminated my home phone as with RingCentral and my cell it was unnecessary.

• 

  Mark Pridham

  September 25th, 2009 at 1:01 pm

  ---

  I use my iPhone both for business and personal calls. It has caller display, so I know immediately if it is someone I know. If I don’t recognize the name/number, or if I know it is a client, I answer in my “professional voice”.

  I have a toll free number via Ring Central which is automatically forwarded to my iPhone. I also use the Call Controller software on my Mac.

  I don’t have any “tricks” for using the phone other than sounding professional and friendly. If the call is “after hours”, and is not a name/number I don’t recognize, I will normally let it go to voice mail. Of course, I check it right away and then decide on what further action to take.

• 

  Stephanie Nealson

  September 26th, 2009 at 6:02 pm

  ---

  Does anyone have any tips about answering the phone? Do you answer the phone saying, “Nealson Writing Services” or do you just say hello? Also, I’ve never spoken to a client on the phone so I am very nervous. How do you keep your cool and take charge of the conversation?

• 

  Kimberly

  September 29th, 2009 at 1:38 pm

  ---

  Interesting that this should come up now as I have just restructured the way we utilize the phone in conducting business. I run Act!vated Storytellers, a national touring theater company for students and their families. We have been traveling 24/7/365 for the past 17 years. So, I am running a business on the road full time – no home base.
  Finding a quite place to make business calls has proven difficult in our situation. Especially, since I also need electricity and free WiFi to access my files. So the phone was always my last choice for conducting business.
  Recently, I pulled a page out of Tim Ferris’ book “The Four Hour Work Week”. I recruited a team of “Act!vators” to initiate contact with potential clients in areas where we will are already scheduled to perform. They are mostly stay-at-home moms and teens with free unlimited long distance calling or access to Skype. Their task is to gather contact information so I can do follow-ups via email. They are mostly volunteers, though we are offering a commission on sales generated.
  We also have an 800# through Kall8 for incoming voice mail. All messages are sent directly to my email and I make a point of returning calls within 10 minutes. People are far more likely to call a toll free number than a number from out of the area. I have been happy with their service and rates. But since so many have mentioned RingCentral I am going to look into them.
  I am also on the wait list for a Google Voice number (invites are welcome and would be appreciated).
  I have been using FaxZero to send faxes but have not found it reliable. Any tips for sending outgoing faxes, preferably for free? Incoming faxes are tied to our 800#.

• 

  ZXT

  September 30th, 2009 at 5:17 am

  ---

  I use Onesuite.com services. It’s pretty much an all in one tool and good enough to my needs. I use it for making long distance calls (prepaid calling card and voip) and I receive calls through it’s VoIP service. Like Ring Central, it does have fax to email service which comes handy from time to time and at a cheap price too.

  I don’t have landline because I find mobile phone more than enough when I go out and again I can use VoIP too.

  Sometimes I use Skype or Yahoo Messenger for conference calls and Google Voice for free SMS (even to some foreign countries)

  For call forwarding, Onesuite also has this service and you can buy a DID (phone number) where anyone can call you and it will automatically forward to the number of your choice so you don’t miss any important calls when you travel.

  For everything else, I use email because I can write down what I need to say in a precise manner and I can take my time answering it at the same time.

• 

  Business Services Virtual Office

  October 15th, 2009 at 3:20 am

  ---

  The growing number of businesses choosing to use the expertise of telephone answering and virtual office service companies is increasing on a daily basis. The reason we see this is due to the effective and economical advantages you experience when working with the right service provider.