This is really more of a business question, but I am looking for an application. I’m just starting out, but I had no idea how much play my business would get in these opening stages. I’ve already had to hire two more employees to pick up the slack from my original team, and I’m looking into some serious business management software. I may have to hire a receptionist and buy a switchboard or something to answer and re-rout the multiple calls we get every day, the single phone-line I’ve got in my office just isn’t cutting it anymore. Can anyone recommend some good management systems? How is Microsoft Live Office?
Well, that's really two questions in one. Microsoft Live Office won't help your phone problem, it's more for business operations (file-sharing, communication between team members, streamlined calendars, etc). You should download a demo if you're interested, I'd say. The phone thing...there are a number of options out there. I work in a really small company (ten people). We do fine without a receptionist. My boss thinks of them as “dollar intensive” so we use GotVMail’s phone system instead. Basically, it routes calls automatically to all employees’ numbers by assigning them extensions. So it's kind of a virtual switchboard. The automated greeting sounds more professional than some receptionists I've heard, too...HA!
