Janice Glatthorn, a financial services provider with ten years of independent practice, is on the leading edge of her profession. Outsourcing office services was only recently highlighted as a best-practice for financial professionals with high-margin businesses by a national magazine, but Janice has been so for the past six years.

When asked why, Janice was quick to point out the benefits. “There were two reasons, really,” she said.  “I am a working mother myself and I found it was almost impossible to meet with other professionals during my free time. I started offering evening appointments one night a week, and the response was overwhelming. Now, I offer evening appointments three nights a week.”

After hours, Janice was without the help of her usual office staff. “The first thing I did was contract with an answering service. It was simply a necessity. I didn’t feel it was professional to leave the phone ringing while I had clients in my office and then have the answering machine pick up while we were working.”

“I loved the service,” said Janice. “Not only did I get fewer hang ups – and more appointments – but I also enjoyed getting my messages, along with relevant information about the call, emailed to me. My receptionist simply imported the data into our office software. It was terrific. That’s how we started on the path to a virtual office.”

According to a recent study, high-margin financial service practices share four important characteristics. They are virtually paperless, with information being input directly into a software system that is instantly accessible. Second, they rely on outsourcing of many office services, from accounting to telephone reception. Third, they employ mobile technologies, allowing them to work at the clients’ convenience rather than tying them to their own offices. Finally, they use web-enabled services to provide a single point-of-entry for information and data retrieval about client services.

“I don’t feel like a pioneer,” said Janice. “Using a telephone answering service for my evening calls is what started it all. I started with a practical problem and their solution changed the way I do business! In addition to having well-trained professionals greeting every caller, I now have our web-page linked to our client software which is hosted through another firm. Anyone in my office or the answering service can securely login and access the information needed to service our clients, such as verifying balances and scheduling appointments.”

“Today, we serve other busy professionals three evenings per week. I can access anything I need to know or input anything from my office, a busy restaurant, or even a client’s home or office right on my laptop. No matter where I am, I have exactly the tools I need to provide the high-quality service my clients expect,” said Janice. “What a difference a few years has made!”

Learn more about telephone answering services and discover how the might be able to help you.