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PAST CONTESTS
Power of Voice Contest
We asked you when you prefer the power of voice over written communication
for doing business. Richard Cameron from Cameron Recruiting Group entered
the winning submission and will receive a new Polycom SoundStation2 conference
phone. Here’s Richard’s winning entry:
In our experience voice is the preferred venue for communication when
interactive communication and decisions are necessary. While opening our new office
the need for voice communication became very apparent as we attempted to coordinate
various contractors and companies in order to meet our deadlines. With multiple
decisions being made on the fly and each party only having a piece of the
information pie, voice really was the only alternative. In addition, as we
expanded our team and recruited new members, voice has proven to be a superior
tool for getting together and allowing us to express as well as detect
emotional context.
Contest Winner:
Richard Cameron
Cameron Recruiting Group
The Cameron Recruiting Group are specialists in finding the people that make
our world a better place to live. They help engineering, architectural and
scientific firms seeking entry into new markets with the high-caliber technical,
professional and executive talent they need for success. They have extensive
experience placing electrical, mechanical, and software engineers.
The Great TalkSwitch Holiday Contest
We wanted to know the 5 most important things you look for in a phone system. The lucky winner,
Kent Prentice, received a 244vs phone system, a TS-200 analog phone, and a TS-9133i IP phone!
Here's Kent's winning entry:
- Seamless appearance to the outside world. If the phone system has long pauses or doesn't let you know if you are on hold or were disconnected during a transfer that is not okay. People will stop calling you if, when you transfer between people, they believe they have been hung up on or forgotten about.
- Ability to really tailor profiles. Different users are, well... different. I want my phone to ring a few times and then go back to the main calling pool because I am probably in the office someplace. The boss wants people to call the office and then magically go to his cell.
- Comfort of use - nice-sized buttons and comfortable handsets are important for daily use. People are going to have this device glued to their ear for hours a day and if the digital print on the called ID/menu screens on the phone are too small, they may as well not even be there.
- Ease of use of features - when you go through the menus, do they make sense? I think it is important for a user of any technical know-how to be able to figure out how to turn call and ringer volumes up and down. I like voicemail systems that have menus that make sense. The first option on voicemail should not be "send a message" it should be "play unheard messages". This also ties into ease of training. New employees should not have to go to a half-day of training to be able to call people in the office, forward a call, send someone to voice mail or make an outside call.
- PRICE!!! An office that does most of its business online or out of the office should not be forced to have to rethink funding or payroll budgets for a phone system so that they can transfer calls to one another. We are a start up and not sure how long we are going to be in this office. We need a flexible, expandable system that the base layout isn't $15k and that we will not have to pay a large monthly maintenance agreement on as insurance on our original investment.
Contest Winner:
Kent Prentice
Nordic Windpower
Nordic Windpower was formed to commercialize ground-breaking technology for wind turbines. The company
is a merger of Swedish, US, and UK teams with decades of success in wind power and other renewable
resources. With its turbines, Nordic Windpower intends to spearhead the next major wave in
utility-scale wind power through cost-cutting technical and business innovations.
Tips & Tricks for Effective Business Travel
We wanted to know what we could find in your travel bag to ensure effective business travel. Here's the entry that won itself a stylish Heys SL33K computer case with leather organizer.
“Can't live without my laptop, cell phone, digital camera, pens, pocket-size notebook, handheld recorder for reminder notes to myself, a file with recent records about the client/vendor/person I'm about to meet, future plans I hope to negotiate against, product brochures, price lists, premiums (or other gifts), business cards, small umbrella, credit cards, cash, - and inspiration (photos of my daughter, son, our dog, 2 cats and my horse). With all this, I'm not only 'good to go' - I'm ready to close the deal - and ready for anything.”
Contest Winner:
Gloria deGeare
Grand Meadows
www.grandmeadows.com
Grand Meadows was founded in 1989 with the goal to provide superior quality products based on research and scientific evidence. By focusing on cutting edge manufacturing standards and ingredients we strive to improve the health, performance, and longevity of our equine and canine companions by providing well designed and effective animal health supplements.
Cost Savings Tips
We asked you for tips on how you save money while running your business. We received tons of great responses and the Jabra Wireless Headset was won by the person who submitted the most unique and innovative tip. See for yourself if this tip can benefit your business!
“Many cell phone providers will allow you to receive calls from a "favorite" caller at no cost. To curb my fees and to make it easier on my clients, I provide them with only my office number. When I'm not at my desk, the calls can be directed to my cell phone though my Talkswitch. When the call comes in it's a free call from no matter who is calling. This is an excellent way to drastically reduce cell phone expenses.”
Contest Winner:
Michelle Spalding
Transaction Management Consultants
www.protmc.com
Transaction Management Consultants proudly services realtors and developers nationwide with contract management. It's no secret that the real estate process is challenging and ever-changing. Our team provides administrative and management support to all parties during the contract phase of a transaction ensuring that everyone is on their “A” game and the closing is a smooth success.
Create the Demand
We asked you to tell us how TalkSwitch has helped you achieve your business goals. 20 people were the lucky winners of a copy of Joel A. Freeman's “If Nobody Loves You, Create the Demand”.
Read some great comments from our contest entries.
Contest Winners:
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