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When a prospect or customer calls, who answers your phone? If you are like many small business owners, you are probably answering the calls yourself. While delegating the task of answering your calls to someone else requires a certain level of trust, using a phone answering service, such Intelligent Office of Alexandria's live phone answering service, will give you more time to focus on your most important business tasks. Our Intelligent Assistants will take care of your customers the way that you do. You will be able to spend less time answering the phones and more time taking care of business. 

You may have questions about how phone answering works. That's okay! We are here to answer those questions. Here is a list of the top questions we regularly receive and our answers:

1. How do you know it’s my business that’s calling? We have a phone answering system that’s designed specifically for IO. We provide you with a specific 10 digit number. When You forward your calls to that number, your business comes up and we have all your info right there on our computer screens.

2. How do I forward my business line to you? You contact your provider and let them know that you want your calls forwarded indefinitely to the 10 digits number that we provide for you.

3. Right now I’m using my cell phone. Do you provide business phone numbers? We have a bank of over 300 numbers including 800 numbers and now you can use it as your business phone number. If you ever leave, you have the option of purchasing the number. You want to get people out of the habit calling your cell. it looks more professional to have a phone reception answering your calls and forwarding over it to you. You will look like a more prestigious business owner

4.  Do you just answer and transfer the call? We can do that or we can provide customized, full-service reception. We can do calendar scheduling and handle customer services calls if we have access to your backend system. For example, our association clients receive a lot of calls from members who need to renew their membership or reset their username/password. We handle the calls from beginning to end for our clients. Basically, you train us on how you want us to answer, if you want us to announce the call to you or if you want us to take a message and send it to you.

5. What time do you answer? We answer live Mon-Fri from 9am-5pm. After 5p and on the weekends, we have 3 options. First, we can forward calls to your cell and you can answer. Second, we can set you up with a voicemail and transfer it to a .WAV file, which it then sends to your email. Third, we do have a company whom we partner with after 5pm and on the weekends for an additional fee.

6. How will the staff know how to answer my calls? You will sit down with us for a training. We have a call orientation questionnaire with all the basic question for what we need to know. We ask how you prefer your greeting, what to say if you are out of the office, basic company info like the address, fax numbers, and FAQs that we can answer when people call, so that we don’t have to bother you, which will save you time.

7. What if I already have a full=time receptionist in the office? Well, you have options. We can be the receptionist’s backup if they are sick or if they go to lunch or vacation. Also, if you have heavy foot traffic in the office, it can ring to both places; so if they aren’t able to answer, it will role over to us so that you never miss a phone call.

8. I’m nervous to have someone else answer. Is there a way for me to try it out? We are confident in our staff. We are happy to offer you a Free 30 day trial. We know you are going to love it!

9. What do the costs look like? The higher the plan is, the price per minute goes down. The costs depend on whether we are just doing a simple transfer or whether we are doing much more, such as calendar scheduling or customer service. That will dictate the price of the plan as well. Packages and plans vary because every business need is different. For example, the basic package is 100 minutes for $299/month or $2.99/min, but the next level is 200 minutes for $499/month or $2.50/min. We can add customized services such as outbound calling, custom intake and scheduling, Toll-free numbers, etc. 

10. How will I know which plan to go with? That is part of the free 30 day trial. That’s our opportunity to pull the reports to see If the plan that we decided on works. We've been doing this for years and can determine which is best for you based on the number of calls you get. We have over 10 years of experience talking with business owners and picking a plan. If we need to change a plan, that’s what we will do. You don’t get any overage charges during the first 30 days. 

For additional questions or to sign up for your free 30 day trial, contact Chanel at 703-224-8800 or email clewis@intelligentoffice.com. 

If you have a phone answering service with Intelligent Office of Alexandria or if you have ever thought about hiring a virtual assistant, you are probably wondering about the people behind the phones. While we offer everything from live phone answering to virtual administrative support, we couldn't do it without our virtual assistants who operate locally, right here in our Alexandria, VA office. Let's to get to know our virtual assistants, Michelle Wheatley and Sasha Lowell:

MEET MICHELLE WHEATLEY

"As the Lead Receptionist at Intelligent Office of Alexandria, I am responsible for client satisfaction. Intelligent Office’s mission is to help businesses run more intelligently, efficiently, and profitably and I support this by assisting clients in any and all ways possible. Prior to Intelligent Office, I was a preschool teacher and volunteer office administrator at Riverside Elementary School.

With a knack for organization and quickness, I’m passionate about finding innovative ways to save time while completing tasks to achieve the best result possible for all parties involved.

I am currently attending James Madison University for general law and paralegal studies. When I’m not keeping busy with work and school, I enjoy spending time with my fiancé or my golden retriever, Sailor."

MEET SASHA LOWELL

"I recently joined Intelligence Office of Alexandria as Executive Receptionist and Business Developer. As an Executive Receptionist, I am responsible for client satisfaction. As Business Developer, I help bring in more clients for the office.

Prior to Intelligence Office of Alexandria, I was the Operations Manager at Gold’s Gym. During my tenure at Gold’s Gym, I helped the company with member experience and the operations of all the employees to ensure everyone completes their tasks.

I am a graduate of George Mason University with a degree in Psychology which I would like to use to become a Behavioral Therapist. In my free time, I enjoy exploring Arlington, taking my Golden Retriever puppy, Pretzel, on hikes and going to the gym. I am looking forward to growing with Intelligence Office of Alexandria."


Our virtual assistants offer live phone answering and call forwarding, client screening, scheduling appointments, confirmation calls, FAQ’s, email management, typing services, data entry, and more. If you have questions or would like to learn more, click here.  

This month, Intelligent Office of Alexandria is pleased to introduced our returning client, Amir Ali, who is an insurance consulting executive and owner of The Insurance Samurai. With decades of experience in insurance consulting, we are excited to share Amir’s story of how he got started in the insurance industry, what he enjoys most about what he does, our client relationship, and how he uses his expertise to serve the community.

As an insurance consultant, Amir specializes in corporate insurance, commercial property, and casualty insurance, and employee benefits. He got his start in the health insurance division of New Your Life in 1995. He then went on to work for an insurance brokerage firm; and January 2002, Amir started his own firm.

One of the things Amir enjoys most about insurance is the ability to help small business owners protect their businesses and their financial stability. Without insurance, many companies would not be able to provide their services, especially if they are doing business with municipalities. “Being able to provide that level of assistance is a great feeling,” says Amir.

At Intelligent Office of Alexandria, we also feel good when our clients are successful. According to Amir, the ease of doing business with us is what he enjoys most about being a client. As a former virtual address client, Amir left the area back in 2013. When he returned and started a new firm, Amir reached out to us; and we immediately got him set up again with our virtual address service. Amir chose to use our services again because he prefers talking to and knowing the people with whom he does business. “Having someone local to talk to and deal with is much easier!”

As a way of giving back to his local community, Amir speaks at financial seminars and sits on local panels for the DC Mayor’s Office of African American Affairs, conveying the power of life insurance and how detrimental it can be if you do not have it.

For insurance-related questions, email Amir Ali, Amir@aicpinc.com. To learn more about how Intelligent Office of Alexandria can help your business, contact clewis@intelligentoffice.com.

Corey Tisdale is the owner of Tisdale Law Firm, a boutique family law and criminal practice based here in our Intelligent Office Alexandria office space. We sat down with Corey to learn more about his law firm, his approach to the practice of the law, and how Intelligent Office Alexandria has supported the growth and operations of his business.

The Tisdale Law Firm focuses primarily on family law, including divorce, abuse, child custody, and support disputes; while also handling abuse and neglect and guardianship cases for the City of Alexandria. Additionally, Corey has a passion for adoption and surrogacy. He views it as a special area of law in which he can help create positive outcomes by building families and placing children in loving homes.

In his family law practice, Corey thinks of himself as the person to bring focus back to the reasons why his clients are going to court. His goal is to help his clients make sense of what is best for them in the long term, especially when children are involved. He provides guidance and perspective to the situation, relieving stress along the way. Ultimately, Corey is focused on a holistic and mindful practice of the law. Given the nature of family law, the Tisdale Law Firm seeks to provide comfort and help to clients during a very difficult time.  

Formerly a Judge Advocacy General attorney for the U.S. Army, Corey decided he wanted to create his own business. Starting a business can be an overwhelming venture. However, working with Intelligent Office Alexandria has allowed him to grow his legal practice at his own pace. At first, all he needed was an address and hourly office space; but as his business grew, Corey realized that it would be more cost effective to have his own office.  This allowed him to grow into his space because he did not have to take on any debt and his expenses were not higher than what he could afford. Most recently, Corey added on our phone services. He can be on a call with another client or in court and his calls will be answered. Hearing a human voice and having a receptionist to alleviate stress for his clients is invaluable. Plus, having his own office space and someone to answer his calls allows him to mimic that of a large firm.

During COVID and this time of social distancing, Corey has enjoyed coming to his office, seeing the smiling faces of our staff, and interacting with others on a daily basis. Being in the office has also allowed Corey to find new business opportunities, grow his personal wealth, and talk with other professionals whom he would not have met otherwise. On a personal note, Corey is addicted to Peloton and enjoys riding every morning before he starts his day.

For questions about our services and to learn how we can help support your business, call 703-224-8800 or email Chanel Lewis, clewis@intelligentoffice.com.       

Throughout the pandemic, Intelligent Office Alexandria has remained steadfast in our services and commitment to our clients. Now more than ever, we stand by our clients and their business needs. A good example of our commitment to providing stellar client-focused virtual services is our recent relationship with Next Move|Nation’s Capital. We met with Jared Lilly, a licensed Real Estate professional and a partner at Next Move|Nation’s Capital, to learn more about the company, how he got started with them, and what he enjoys most about working with Intelligent Office Alexandria. Here’s what we learned:

Licensed in 2011, Jared Lilly is a native to Northern Virginia who moved to Keller Williams Capital Properties as an independent agent. After three years with a small team, he decided to partner with Jordan Stuart, owner of The Next Move Network, a network of real estate professionals catering to the sports and entertainment industry, to create a local footprint for clients here in the Metro DC area. They formed Next Move|Nation’s Capital, which serves as a blueprint for several new franchises, including locations in Denver, CO – Next Move Mile High, and the beginnings of Next Move Peachtree in Atlanta, GA. Next Move|Nation’s Capital’s mission is to assist people in buying and selling real estate. Serving all clients across the board, they sold a listing for $5.6 Million and just this month, they closed on a piece of land in Stafford for $85,000.

Although these two listings were on opposite ends of the spectrum, Jared and the Next Move|Nation’s Capital team are always focused on taking care of people and their real estate needs. They have two agents who are licensed in VA, MD, and DC, and two agents licensed in VA and MD, respectively. They operate across the entire residential real estate spectrum, helping with all types of transactions. In 2019, the company did over $40 million in sales, which accounts for just under 100 properties and rentals. This year, Next Move|Nation’s Capital is expected to surpass $50 million in sales.

When Jared came to us, we knew we could help Next Move|Nation’s Capital build their identity and provide the type of customer care that they needed for their clients.  As a former tenant in a different office space, Jared valued our phone system as the biggest catalyst in his decision to switch to Intelligent Office Alexandria. Next Move|Nation’s Capital operates at all hours of the day and it was important for clients to be able to reach them or to leave a message. Our receptionist services have become invaluable to the nature of their business.

As a team, Next Move|Nation’s Capital is focused on giving back to the community, hosting toy drives to benefit Children’s Hospital, and visits with Santa at Mount Vernon RECenter during the holidays! On a personal level, Jared and his family spend their free time attending NATS baseball games, sponsoring local Little League, and remaining active together. Intelligent Office Alexandria is happy to support Next Move Nation’s Capital’s commitment to their clients and to their local community. Who do you know that is thinking of selling this year? Give them a call!

For questions about our services and to learn how we can help support your business, call 703-224-8800 or email Chanel Lewis, clewis@intelligentoffice.com.