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Learning Leadership Skills in the Workplace

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Are you interested in learning leadership? Considering leadership is a highly desirable skill, it’s a priority for those who want greater job opportunities, better work environments, and more. Granted, there are natural leaders who seem to know what to do and when, but the how is universal and can be learned by anyone.

That being said, there’s no better place to learn leadership skills than in the workplace. With the pressure to lead a team to success, learning leadership on the job can yield tangible results. In this article, we will cover the various aspects of learning leadership in the workplace, including:

  • Trial by Fire
  • Improvise | Adapt | Overcome
  • Practice Makes Perfect
  • Understanding Your Team’s Needs

Trial By Fire

Being able to perform under pressure, or a “trial by fire,” is one of the key ways of learning leadership. And no matter what workplace you manage, a certain amount of pressure is inevitable. The trick to managing it is to endure the discomfort to attain the goal. For instance, consider your team’s ability to reliably hit deadlines. Are you capable of dealing with conflict and complaints from your employees?

If you’re able to handle small problems, you gain the confidence to handle larger ones where the stakes are higher. After all, if you have problems correcting a worker on their performance, how can you resolve a company-wide issue that could dissolve the business overnight? Similarly, it’s evident why the phrase “putting out fires” is so prevalent in the workplace. Therefore, when leadership fails, it’s no wonder problems seem to constantly erupt without warning, causing damage spontaneously.

A Technological Example

Even still, would you be able to anticipate these problems beforehand because you’ve been “burned” before? For example, if you’re able to divert inbound calls made to your business during crunch time, you avoid overstressing your available staff. By using one of United World Telecom’s add-ons, such as “time of day routing,” you help your team focus while calls are routed elsewhere.

Learning Leadership Skills in the Workplace
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Improvise | Adapt | Overcome

One motto that the U.S. Marines live by is “Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.” Essentially, this means that leadership skills are never set in stone. The tasks of business leaders include:

  • Creating novel solutions to unforeseen circumstances
  • Modifying those methods as things progress and new issues occur
  • And ultimately bringing resolution to the issue

Therefore, having the ability to expect the unexpected requires the flexibility to devise solutions on the spot.

Using the Right Communication Tools for Precise Leadership

As an example, you may realize that your team is needed for an emergency meeting with a high-priority client. By using “whitelisting,” one of United World Telecom’s features for inbound calls, you can filter only VIPs through as needed. As the situation deescalates, you can modify which team members are needed for direct communication. This enables you to allocate non-critical staff to other needed areas. Once the meeting commences, your team can resume its work for maximum productivity without interruption.

Additionally, you can utilize tools that provide long-term solutions. For instance, you may notice that your team is constantly bombarded with common questions that could be addressed with stock answers. To alleviate the redundancy that can wear out your team, you may want to implement some automation. A directory system (known as a PBX, or Private Branch Exchange) can make this possible for inbound calls. By setting up a PBX, callers can answer their own questions and direct themselves to the appropriate staff as needed. This frees up valuable resources and keeps your employees focused.

Practice Makes Perfect

The only way to learn and retain leadership skills is by exercising them. Consequently, taking on new responsibilities expands your skill set and enables you to familiarize yourself with the unknown. Once you have common problems and scenarios under control, it becomes easier to anticipate the best solutions while learning leadership.

Considering that United World Telecom offers subscribers a wide variety of functions and add-ons, experiment with different usages. For instance, you may want to try out the “simultaneous ringing” feature during non-peak times to see its effect on your staff.

Understanding Your Team’s Needs

In conclusion, learning leadership in the workplace is more about learning the nuances of human nature. Above all, addressing your team’s needs will help make their work easier and more conducive to a productive work environment. Whether by observing or directly asking your team, pay attention to how their performance is affected throughout the workday.

SaaS Startup Solutions for Every Niche

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Are you looking for SaaS startup solutions for your business? It seems that Software as a Service is becoming the go-to for budding entrepreneurs across all industries and niches. Every day, new companies emerge, boasting a lean, agile business model built on delivering scalable services for every purpose. However, there are many commonalities across SaaS startups giving new companies a competitive edge right out the gate. Similarly, one of these common elements is virtual phone numbers offered by service providers like United World Telecom.

Solutions for a Multitude of Businesses

It’s important to remember that SaaS is a very broad term that encompasses nearly every conceivable niche. Therefore, in this article, we will take a look at how United World Telecom can enhance your startup’s efforts with:

  • Virtual Offices/Locations
  • Social Media-Based Sales Conversions
  • Providing Customer Support

Virtual Offices/Locations for a SaaS Startup Business

One of the advantages of SaaS businesses is that they are predominantly operated over the Internet to deliver their services, as well as offer customer support. This is where virtual phone numbers bridge the digital divide, offering a humanizing element that doesn’t necessarily need face-to-face communication. Instead of using traditional methods of expansion via branch offices, “virtual offices” and “virtual locations” manage this for SaaS startups. Customers can reach your company by way of virtual phone numbers, which reroute calls instantly anywhere around the world. Consequently, with this functionality, you can customize your virtual office/location to fit your startup’s unique niche and business model.

SaaS Startup
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Using the Right Software

Similarly, online collaboration tools like Teamwork, Slack, and Trello have made it easier to execute tasks in remote locations for you SaaS business as needed. For instance, you can hire a subcontractor to provide in-house services to implement your software. So, at the same time, they can act as an agent of your startup. This is perfect for companies that regularly outsource this type of labor or those with agents scattered across the globe. Keeping in touch by phone ensures that everyone can manage and perform the details of each project with constant communication.

Social Media-Based Sales Conversions

Social media is a part of every business type imaginable. And Saas-based startups are using social media more and more to demonstrate how their software can revolutionize their customer’s lives. By including media on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, you appeal to a wide base of interested customers that can jumpstart your SaaS startup in no time.

Of course, you need to convert these potential leads into actual customers. Virtual phone numbers fulfill this role perfectly, particularly with United World Telecom’s add-on known as “CallMe Click.” As the name implies, when a user clicks on a link for phone number or contact info, a call is instantly initiated to your virtual phone number. This instant connection helps move things along quickly, taking advantage of the moment customers demonstrate interest. After all, in the distraction-heavy world of social media, creating an instantaneous connection to your SaaS company is ideal.

Providing Customer Support for your SaaS Startup

While running a startup often requires juggling many day-to-day tasks, its very easy to lose track of keeping the human element in your SaaS startup. This is why it’s important to have virtual phone numbers for each target market you’re looking to connect with. Building long-term relationships with customers is essential to the longevity of your company. No wants a business treating them as just another number.

For example, by using nationwide toll free numbers, your SaaS startup can circumvent problems with intra-regional and international calls. These problems typically manifest as:

  • Long-distance fees,
  • Service blockages,
  • Or simply the preferences of your customer base to deal with a startup that they perceive as a domestic entity.

Virtual Numbers for Your SaaS Business

Luckily, United World Telecom offers countless phone numbers to add to your arsenal. With an inventory of over 140+ countries and countless cities/regions, you can accommodate your customers’ needs impeccably. This, in turn, leads to more sales conversions for your SaaS startup – no matter which industry you specialize in.

How To Get a Toll Free Number

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A toll free number is an 800 number typically used for business. These numbers allow for a convenient way to call long distance. Additionally, they provide businesses with a way to offer a completely free option for customers to reach out to them. Regardless of your reasons for needing one, you’ll need to know how to get a toll free number to begin using one. So, to help, we’ve come up with step-by-step instructions on getting your very own 800 number.

1. Determine Your Needs for a Toll Free Number

You can use toll free numbers for a number of things. However, a toll number is typically used as a business phone line. These numbers can help to make business better by:

  • Eliminating long distance fees. Customers can call businesses from anywhere in the country and world, as calls from these types of numbers are always considered local.
  • Can work for remote offices: Since they can be added to internet phone systems and even to mobile phones, they’re a great choice for businesses with remote employees.They’re recognizable and memorable: Toll free numbers are typically 1-800 numbers that can be used to help with branding efforts, as they’re easier to recognize and remember. Plus, you can choose your own vanity number to give your number a personalized, professional touch.

2. Figure out Which Features You’ll Need

Are you going to want your toll number to be able to take voicemail recordings? Do you want to offer customers the chance to hear a pre-recorded greeting before reaching their representative? Do you want voice messages to be sent in written form as text messages or directly to your email inbox? Depending on what you want your toll free number to do, you’ll need to determine the features you need before choosing your toll free number and selecting your provider.

3. Selecting Your Toll Free Number Provider

Choosing your toll number provider will depend on your financial budget and the features you’ll need. Global phone service providers like United World Telecom can set you up with mobile toll free business numbers that come with any and all the advanced features you’ll need. And, offer them at a great, affordable price.

How to get a toll free number
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4. Choosing Your Toll Free Number

Because they are customizable, you can choose your own number. This gives you an edge, as you can select a number that associates with your business, services, branding, and goods. So, rather than offering your consumers a random phone number, give them one to remember by using the letters associated with each telephone keypad number. For example, if you repair cars for a living, choose a number like 800-AUT-OFIX.

5. Checking Toll Free Number Availability

Even though you may already have a toll free number in mind that makes it memorable for your consumers, you have to first see if it’s available. Your toll number service provider will be able to tell you if the number you want is already taken or not. But, remember, there are more options for toll numbers other than 800, as you can also choose the variations 855, 866, 877, and 888 as well. So, even if your number isn’t available with 800, you can still keep the last 7 digits and choose from the other options instead.

6. Designating the Phone Number to a Business Phone Line

When you’ve determined the number you want and its availability, you can finally decide which phone to route the number to. Certainly, this can be any mobile device. They can route to other business phone systems as well, like cloud systems, VoIP systems, and multiple line systems. After you’ve selected the line your toll number is routed to, you can start to dial out and receive calls from this number. And, provide your customers with a free way to reach you.

Getting Your Toll Free Number Today

Now you know how to get a toll free number for your business. So, if you’re certain that they can help to provide a professional touch to your business, find out more about all of the features to choose from on United World Telecom’s website. And, contact us today to get started on the process of selecting your own business phone number today.

Designing Business Cards? Use a Virtual Phone Number

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As the world goes more and more virtual, one thing is still consistent: business cards. If you do not have a business card that you can bring with you to networking events, you are missing out on a lot of opportunities and new contacts. So if everyone has a business card, how are yours supposed to stand out among the masses? Whether you are designing business cards for the first time or looking to revamp your old business cards, check out these eight tips to creating a better business card.

Tips for Designing Business Cards

Adhere to basic design standards

The standards for designing business cards as follows:

    • 300dpi has the best image reproduction
    • Typography should be minimal but not so small that it is illegible
    • Use CMYK to design your cards
    • Make sure that your copy is 5mm or more away from the edge
    • When it comes to choosing a font, be sure to find one that is easy to read and stand out. Stay away from script type, unless you’re a calligraphy business showing off your original work. (However, even then it should be very legible.)

Start with the most important information

Different standard business card sizes vary depending on the country that you are in. This is probably because wallet sizes differ from place to place. Either way, a business card will be easy to hold onto and store. You will be working with a small canvas for creativity, but you must make sure that you include your most relevant contact information. After all of the crucial information is stated on the card then you can begin to get creative with your design around the type.

Avoid simple mistakes

Before printing your business card, be sure that you provide a bleed that is stated on your printer. Also, level borders around the card should be avoided in case the card isn’t cut perfectly. Misaligned borders are glaringly obvious to anyone you will be giving your card out to. It is like having a stain on your t-shirt on a first date; it’s all the other person will notice.

Designing Business Cards Woman on Phone
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Use a virtual phone number

Highlight your virtual phone number on your business card. Business cards provide an easy way to exchange contact information with prospective clients and collaborators. Business cards are a great way to get people to call your business.

Think outside of the box

Most business cards are printed on the same type of material. This is usually because it is the most affordable option, but if you’re willing to spend a little more, you can take a bold design stance with your business cards using more creative options. Formats like wood, plastics, metals, and slate are all options for printing your cards. The business card still needs to be compact and portable, but as long as you keep that in mind when choosing an alternative material, you can’t go wrong with a card that stands out from other business cards.

Opt for a special finish

There are places to cut costs, but when choosing business cards, you shouldn’t be cutting costs on the finish. You can choose from metallic inks, foil blocking, and more specialized finishes. These finishes make your business cards look more expensive and visually appealing. Because of this, people will be more likely to remember your business card.

Create a business card with multiple uses

You can get creative here. When your business card doubles as something like a seed bag you can plant, a treat for a dog, or a phone holder, then your business card is less likely to end up in the recycling bin.

Recycle old Business Card designs

If you have a stack of old business cards that you don’t want to use anymore (most people do!), you don’t have to throw them out. You can recycle them. And this applies not just to old business cards either, you can reuse old birthday cards or destination postcards. If you want an easy way to recycle, merely print out some stickers to stick over the old cards. Or if you’re artistic, then you can take your old cards and illustrate something by hand over the top.

Whether you decide to go to someone to have your cards created professionally or if you choose to create your own, remember to double and triple-check your work before printing. The worst outcome could be that you end up with thousands of useless cards that display the wrong phone number on them, or some other mishap! A keen eye for detail is a must; business cards are one of the key points of marketing and business communication, so the little things matter a whole lot.