Tag Archive for: Saving time

Make Conference Calls More Productive!

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I use conference calls all the time – whether it’s for interviews, chatting with fellow co-workers, or with my interns to brainstorm ideas for this blog. Having a way to contact your clients is important to any business. There are a lot of companies that offer internet and phone services (view online) for businesses that are looking for phone solutions to help them keep in contact with their clients. Group calls always seem like a good idea until you get on them. It’s easy to lose track of who is talking or what the topic is at hand with so many people trying to talk at once. It can get overwhelming and unproductive fast! Freelance business relay conference calls to keep in touch with clients and potential customers so having a business phone could be very helpful – see more at https://www.megapath.com/voice/.

So for this week’s “Fab Find” I want to share a website and app called Speek which makes conference calls super easy and simple! You can sign up for a unique URL for free and share it with people when you want to conduct a call. I have been testing it out this week and have come up with a list:

Pros:

1. Multiple ways to join the call: You can do it the old fashioned way by dialing the number and pin provided on the URL. Or you can have Speek call you. All you have to do is type in your number and in seconds your phone is ringing. Similar services are offered by a VoIP Provider. My favorite way to connect through is through your computer. The site will connect to your speakers and microphone and you can chat right through the computer. I love this option because you can be hands-free and are able to take notes or pull up files while on the call.

Read more

5 Ways To Think About Time

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It was my goal when I started this blog that I would be able to help others become more organized and productive. I hope that if you’re using the tips and tricks on this blog, you’ve started saving a lot of time!

It can be so easy to use that extra time to get a jump start on the next day, start a new project, or shorten your to-do list, but I’ve realized recently that that “extra” time isn’t really extra at all. I’m going through some pretty exciting changes (we just closed on an apartment – yay!) and as I prepare to leave some old things behind to make way for the new, I’ve noticed a few important things about time:

1. Time is ephemeral – once it’s gone, it’s gone for good and you can’t save a single second for later use. When you decide to put your goals, your dreams, or the things that make you happy on hold for later, unfortunately time won’t save up until you’re ready. Read more

5 Ways to be a Better Complainer and Get What You Want

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United Breaks Guitars

United Breaks Guitars (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A few weeks ago, I told you about an app that helps you skip the wait-time when calling customer service. However, just because you get to talk to a person faster doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to get what you want. I’ve had amazing customer service, but I’ve also had really horrendous help that leaves me so frustrated. You know what I mean – it can be really hard to keep your cool when the stranger on the other end of the phone is being difficult about their company shipping you the wrong pair of pants.

A few years ago Dave Carroll was flying United Airlines when he noticed that the people loading the plane were throwing his guitar around, resulting in a broken guitar when he landed. He spent months dealing with United’s customer service, only to discover that they weren’t going to do a thing about his smashed guitar. Dave took matters into his own hands, writing the song “United Breaks Guitars” and exposing the airline’s bad behavior in a viral video that resulted in United reaching out to David and offering to replace his unusual guitar. Now, when the rest of us have to get a new guitar, we can’t quite get United Airlines to send one for us. Instead, we can compare a range of small bodied guitars on a site like thesoundjunky until we find the guitar that is right for us.
I know that we don’t all have the luxury (or the musical ability) to handle bad customer service the way Dave did, but here are a few ways anyone can complain smarter and get better customer service: Read more

Fab Find: Stop Waiting On Hold With Fast Customer

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As far as annoying things go — waiting on hold is right at the top of the list. It can literally take hours out of your life that you will never get back. Talk about being unproductive — well, luckily there is another way and it’s my Fab Find.

I recently had to call customer service to report a duplicate charge on my credit card. Instead of being aggravated and waiting on hold, I tried out a new app called FastCustomer. It does the waiting for you! Skip the menus and bad hold music – with a few taps you can choose what business you need to speak to and then sip coffee, check email, whatever – a representative will call you when the wait time is over!

It works for major companies like American Express, Bank of America, 1800 Flowers, insurance companies and even airlines. It is really a great way to outsource a necessary but irritating task. When I used it — the app called me back and I waited an additional three minutes for a representative. I think that’s time well spent.

Think about all the things you can do while someone else is waiting on hold for you!

1. Read a few articles on ListProducer.com for a more productive day

2. Clean out your email inbox Read more

Tips For Pumping Up Your Productivity

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I love The Daily Muse – they always feature amazing career and productivity advice. Recently, the site posted an infographic featuring the “6 Best Things You Can Do Every Morning and Night.”

The 6 Smartest Things You Can Do Every Night and Morning

See It Here.

I Ioved this graphic (first and foremost because it’s a list!) but I couldn’t help but wonder if we can improve a few of their tips…”List Producer style.”

Night
1. Make a “night before” list – I’m a big supporter of any list that gets you organized but I have to say, this list is a little too specific. As an alternative, I’d say keep a small notebook next to your bed for any last minute reminders or thoughts that keep you up at night. Read more