Let’s face it. To excel, your business needs the best VoIP headsets on the market. There’s simply no time for call drops, echoes, or poor audio quality. Those glitches are going to set you back with a low CSAT score. And you can’t keep spending money on replacing cheap VoIP headsets, either. So, why not help us help you review the top headsets available today? In this post, we narrow down the 10 best VoIP headsets based on the following features:
Headset
Best For
Plantronics CS540
Wireless Range
Jabra Biz 2400
Microphone Movement
Microsoft LifeChat LX-6000
Noise Cancellation
Plantronics Voyager Stereo 4220 UC
Sound Quality
Sennheiser SC 630
Charge Time
Sennheiser MB 660 UC MS
Talk Time
Logitech H600
Lightweight/Comfortable Design
Jabra Evolve 65 UC
Easy Setup
Logitech H390
Affordability
Plantronics Blackwire 720
Best Functionality/Features
Top 10 VoIP Headsets Available
1) Jabra Evolve 65 UC
The Jabra Evolve 65 UC is a professional stereo headset. It is wireless with dual connectivity and offers impressive audio for calls. Included is a high-end noise-canceling microphone and ear cushions to avoid background noise. And, it takes only 5-minutes or less to set up.
Why choose the Plantronics Voyager 4220 UC headset?
Headset Type: Wireless headset, Bluetooth and USB Connection
Price Range: $165 – $170
Foot Range: 100 Feet
Average Talk Time: Up to 10 Hours
Charging Time: Approx. 2 Hours
Final Verdict: Best Setup
2) Plantronics Voyager Stereo 4220 UC
The Plantronics Voyager Stereo 4220 UC headset has high-level voice clarity with an easy-to-use design. It’s solid boom mic offers exceptional speaking clarity as well. It meets the needs of office professionals and is easy to switch between softphones and mobile devices.
Why choose the Plantronics Voyager 4220 UC headset?
Headset Type: Bluetooth Headset with USB Type-C Adapter
Price Range: $139 – $199
Foot Range: 98 Feet
Average Talk Time: Up to 13 Hours
Charging Time: Approx 1.5 Hours
Final Verdict: Best Headset for Sound Quality
3) Plantronics Blackwire 720
The Plantronics Blackwire 720 offers great sound control. It has a remote that includes a variety of buttons — mute, volume, answer/end calls, etc. With its smart-sensor technology, professionals receive calls automatically as soon as they put on the headset and it delivers stellar stereo sound.
Why choose the Plantronics Blackwire 720 headset?
Headset Type: Wired, Bluetooth for smartphones, USB cable connector.
Price Range: $104 – $150
Foot Range: 30 Feet
Average Talk Time: 10-hour battery life
Charging Time: N/A
Final Verdict: Best Headset for Functionality/Features
4) Sennheiser MB 660 UC MS
The Sennheiser MB 660 UC MS is hands-free with built-in Adaptive Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) technology. The headset automatically adjusts your headphonesnoise reduction and gives you up to 30 hours of talk time, offering maximum productivity.
Why choose the Sennheiser MB 660 UC MS headset?
Headset Type: Wireless, Bluetooth, USB Cable with Micro USB Connector
Price Range: $285 – $400
Foot Range: 82 Feet
Average Talk Time: Up to 30 Hours
Charging Time: Approx. 3 Hours
Final Verdict: Best Talk Time
5) Jabra Biz 2400
The Jabra Biz 2400 offers intuitive controls, a 360 swiveling boom mic, andHD voice clarity. No more struggling to hear what the other person is saying. Its PeakStop™ technology instantly removes any loud sounds and keeps the sound level in the safe range. Why choose the Jabra Biz 2400 headset?
Headset Type: Wired headset, smartphone Bluetooth pairing
Price Range: $152 – $200
Foot Range: N/A
Average Talk Time: Up to 15 Hours
Charging Time: N/A
Final Verdict: Best Microphone Movement
6) Plantronics CS540
The Plantronics CS540 offersVoice-Dedicated DECT™ technology that provides better audio and eliminates interference from WiFi networks. Even when you are 350 feet away from the system, it still offers high-definition voice quality. Why choose the Plantronics CS540 headset?
Headset Type: Wireless, Convertible
Price Range: $150
Foot Range: 350 Feet
Average Talk Time: Up to 9 Hours
Charging Time: Approx. 1 to 1.5 Hours
Final Verdict: Best Wireless Range
7) Logitech H600
The Logitech H600 headset is light-weight with comfortable headphones/earpieces. It provides clear audio and is designed for prolonged use. Why choose the Logitech H600 headset?
Headset Type: Leave-In Portable, Wireless, USB A Port Available
The Logitech H390 headset provides a digitally enhanced USB audio and superior sound clarity. With its price starting around only $22.00, it is an affordable choice that does not compromise on quality. Why choose the Logitech H390 headset?
Headset Type: Wired, USB A Port
Price Range: $22 – $40
Foot Range: 8 Feet Cable Length
Average Talk Time: Up to 5 Hours
Charging Time: N/A
Final Verdict: Best Price – Affordability
9) Sennheiser SC 630
The Sennheiser SC 630 headset provides crystal-clear sound and noise-canceling microphone. It is an over-the-head, single-ear headset that charges in approximately one hour or less. Why choose the Sennheiser SC 630 headset?
Headset Type: Wired
Price Range: $131
Foot Range: Cable Length 9.51 Feet
Average Talk Time: Up to 12 Hours
Charging Time: Approx. 1 Hour
Final Verdict: Best Charge Time
10) Microsoft LifeChat LX-6000
The Microsoft LifeChat LX-6000 has a noise-canceling microphone with superior call controls. You will be more productive as voices cut through even noisy surroundings. Why choose the LifeChat LX-6000 headset?
Headset Type: Wired, High-speed USB compatible with the USB 2.0
Price Range: $41
Foot Range: Cable Length 7.1 Fee
Average Talk Time: Up to 8 Hour
Charging Time: N/A
Final Verdict: Best Noise Cancellation
What is a VoIP Headset?
VoIP headsets are headphones with a built-in microphone. They offer a hands-free way to make or receive phone calls while using aVoIP phone service. The two main types of connections for VoIP headsets are, wired and wireless. The wireless type uses Bluetooth to connect in the same way many cell phones do. Another version of the VoIP headset uses a USB.
What is a USB VoIP Headset?
A USB VoIP headset is a combination of a microphone and headphones. It also requires a USB connector to connect to computers or other devices, which is different from a VoIP headset. With an impressive array of VoIP and USB headsets on the market today, narrowing down the list to just one can be challenging. If you are on the fence about using a VoIP headset, here are four reasons why they make sense for your call center.
VoIP Headset Benefits
1) Stay Connected At All Times Employees no longer need to pick up handsets to answer phone calls. Since you don’t need a physical receiver, calls come directly through the phone line. With a VoIP headset, you have the choice to go wireless. 2) Comfortable Even With Prolonged Usage VoIP headsets may prevent a sore head and neck. It helps with posture, especially when you’re on long calls. Remember holding that traditional desk phone at an awkward angle while you type? Yeah, none of that anymore. 3) Go Hands-free Have the freedom and choice to work on other tasks while accepting calls. When your headband gives you the ability to be hands-free, taking notes on calls is easy! 4) Improve Call Quality Don’t let background noise get in the way of high-quality service! Noise-canceling headsets let you zone in and block out all external noise.
Ready to Plug and Play?
Different VoIP headsets meet different requirements, and you must choose the one that fits your business needs. Take a moment to think about your goals and budget before picking a quality headset. It is more than a leatheretteearpiece; it is an investment. Let your business be heard loud and clear. Choose the top of the line VoIP headsets and hardware, today.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gaetano DiNardi
Gaetano DiNardi led demand generation at Nextiva and has a track record of success working with brands like Major League Baseball, Pipedrive, Sales Hacker, and Outreach.io. Outside of marketing, Gaetano is an accomplished music producer and songwriter. He’s worked with major artists like Fat Joe, Shaggy, and loves making music to stay turbocharged.
These days, retaining customers is not about witty marketing or clever sales tactics. To be successful, you have to take a step back and design an amazing customer service experience. You have to be able to delight the customer from the very first touchpoint with your brand. And, it all starts with customer insight.
What is Customer Insight?
Customer insight or consumer insight, is the discovery of patterns in customer data. These discoveries let you understand customer intent, sentiment, and challenges. The resulting information can serve as a reference when making strategic decisions, planning marketing and sales initiatives, prioritizing product updates, etc.
Why is Customer Insight Important?
If you want to deliver a remarkable customer experience, you need customer insights. Customer service experts recommend that you understand your customers to create the best possible experience for them. Consumer insights help you take your CX to the next level in several ways:
Reach out to customers at the moment they need you most
OK, enough theory. Let’s dive right in!
How to Get and Use Customer Insights in 21 (Actionable) Steps
We’ve handpicked 21 tactics you can use to gather customer insights. Use these tips to keep a finger on the pulse of your customer base and enhance their experience.
Use keyword research to understand how your customers search the web. This allows you to find the most relevant search terms in your industry. In turn, you can create SEO-optimized content for your target audience and PPC ads with a positive ROAS. Some of the tools you can use for this task include Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and SEMrush. Let’s use Ahrefs as an example. Navigate to the Keyword Explorer and type in a topic of interest. Let’s use “paleo diet” as an example. Typing this in will show you this keyword is a very competitive term. You will also get a list of related terms. Going through this list, you can see that “paleo diet recipes” has a much lower Keyword Difficulty. This keyword is also a bit more specific and clues you in on user intent, potentially making it a better match. So if you create content around this keyword, you should be able to:
Still reach a fair amount of potential customers and
Have an easier time ranking on the first page of Google
This form of customer insight is relatively easy to come by and can translate into money savings for you.
2. Conduct Empathy Interviews
Empathy interviews show you what your ideal buyer feels across touchpoints. This knowledge can enhance your market research efforts and messaging. Unlike the standard Q&A format, empathy interviews are less structured. The goal is to focus the conversation on the customer and allow her to you her story. Here are a few rules of thumb:
Ask neutral, open-ended questions
Set aside 30 to 45 minutes for each conversation
Aim for 5 to 10 customers per each target market you’re researching
Facebook, in particular, has enormous amounts of personal data about each one of us. Whether you’re doing customer research or running paid advertising, this gives you insight into your target customers. Interests of people who like specific pages, use a particular type of software, etc. are examples of what you can see. Here’s how this looks in real life: (For our example, we entered “United States” in Location and “Tony Robbins” in Interests). Besides the demographics, we can also see related pages this audience likes by switching to the Page Likes section. This report tells us that people based in the U.S. who follow Tony Robbins are 87x more likely to follow Tim Ferriss.
Now, you can build a realistic customer persona and content with higher engagement.
4. Speak to Your Support Agents for Call Center Data
Your customer support agents interact with customers daily. This puts them in the perfect position to have a deep understanding of your customer relationships. Couple that with the data from your CRM call center, and you have jet fuel for business decisions. A few things you can learn:
Recurring issues. Are you getting the same complaints over and over again? If so, this can be a sign of things like a defective product or a poor onboarding experience/unclear instructions.
Customer sentiment. Are you receiving a lot of negative feedback (or positive feedback)? Your ability (or lack thereof) to handle customer issues directly impacts customer experience.
Customer expectations. Do customers expect your product to work in a particular way? Do they have a preference with what communication channels your business operates on? Find out what customers want, and you’ll be able to create better marketing and sales campaigns.
Sales and marketing trends. Are people calling to ask about specific promos? Are your agents fielding a lot of questions regarding a new product update or release? Your agents and call center data can give you a better idea of when and why customers are making purchases. Paying attention to these trends should allow you to increase sales.
You can use Nextiva’s virtual call center as a central customer intelligence source.
5. Look Up Statistics
When you’re doing consumer research, you might refer to statistics databases such as Statista or official government reports. This is one of the ways to estimate potential market size in a given niche. Statista, in particular, aggregates its data from a variety of sources and contains customer insights on thousands of topics. For example, if you’re interested in creating a product for iPhone users, you might want to look up how iPhone sales are trending.
6. Use Google Trends
Google Trends can be an essential customer research tool in your arsenal as you can measure interest in a specific topic worldwide. You can use this information to guide your SEO efforts or even as a way to find new market segments. Suppose that you have an e-commerce store for healthy low-fat snacks. A quick Google Trends search shows you that more people are searching for “weight loss snacks” than “low fat snacks.” Knowing this, you might try to optimize your product descriptions for “weight loss snacks.”
7. Understand the Customer’s Primary Motivation
Figuring out what drives customers to choose your products or services enables you to segment them and tailor the experience accordingly. That’s why one of the most important questions to ask is, “Why did you buy/sign up?” This can be as simple as sending an email as soon as someone becomes a subscriber or a customer. Paper Style, a wedding stationery website did just that and had a remarkable ROI.
Based on prior customer research and their first-hand experience, they decided to ask the question, “What are you planning for?” There were only two possible answers: your wedding or a friend or relative’s wedding. The company created a series of tailored emails for each group of subscribers. As an example, brides-to-be received emails about wedding invitations and favors. Their friends and relatives received information about bachelorette invites and bridal shower tableware. As a result, Paper Style saw a 300% lift in revenue per email.
Once you’ve found the patterns, you can ask your customers to segment themselves as Paper Style did.
8. Track Customer Behavior
Insights about customer behavior can help you optimize your entire buying journey. Here are a few examples:
Lead generation. Tools like Google Analytics reveal what visitors tend to do after seeing a specific landing page which helps you estimate the performance of this page and adjust your strategy.
Customer engagement. Suppose that a website visitor downloaded a free ebook. As soon as you know this, you can start sending them personalized emails and offer related products or services.
Customer retention. You can track customers who visit your FAQ page and trigger an email to ask if they need more help.
Let’s see how you can put this into action. Airbnb is an excellent example. If you don’t book a place to stay, they send you the following email on the next day.
Source
By the way, such emails have 152% higher open rates than regular email campaigns, so it’s worth sending them. (If you use Nextiva for your CRM, you can send out emails to customers at the right time with the right message).
9. Measure Ad Engagement
Gone are the days when you could run annoying ads as long as you paid for them. There is so much competition for online ad space that search engines, social media sites, and other platforms have gotten quite picky about who gets a spot. The reason for this is simple. These companies don’t want to annoy users with irrelevant ads. That’s why both Google and Facebook have algorithms to measure the quality of your ads. Ad quality is a valuable source of customer insight because it can help you understand what type of content a specific audience is most likely to interact with. Besides, if you track your quality score, you will be able to create more compelling advertising which can lead to more customers and lower ad costs. To see your Quality Score in Google AdWords, go to Keywords, click Modify Columns, and then scroll to Quality Score. You’re typically looking to get a minimum quality score of 7, though it depends on keyword intent. You can find a similar report in Facebook Business Manager. When you log in, switch to the ads tab, click Performance, and then Customize columns. Type “ranking” in the search bar, and you will see the three engagement metrics that Facebook uses to determine how relevant your ad is. Here is a handy table that tells you exactly what to do. Of course, it depends on the values you get for each of these metrics.
10. Run a Quiz
Quizzes are a form of interactive content, and statistics show that interactive content is 80% more likely to engage your customers. Plus, the average quiz gets shared 1,900 times. This is a very effective way to gain insights into each individual’s preferences and interests.
Source
You can capitalize on this customer insight in a variety of ways, e.g. filter out the emails of a specific group of customers, upload these emails to Facebook, and run retargeting ads.
11. Find Your Most Popular Landing Pages
Here is another low-hanging fruit that doesn’t require any special skills or knowledge. Your top landing pages help you understand what types of content your customers are most likely to engage with and where to direct your marketing efforts. Open Google Analytics and head over to Behavior > Site Content > All Pages. Here, you’ll be able to see the content your users visit and how they respond to it. What can you learn from such a report? First, filter the pages with average pageviews. Then, to improve time on page, it’s worth creating content upgrades and free resources for download.
12. Understand the Stage of the Buying Journey
Modern customers hop between devices, social sites, review sites, and many other online or even offline locations before making a buying decision. That’s why you might not be able to optimize your entire customer journey, but you can optimize for the micro-moments that matter. The first step you can take in this direction is to find out what people are searching for on your website. If you have a search bar, and Google Analytics installed, this is quite straightforward. Head over to Google Analytics and open Behavior > Site Search > Search Terms.
What can you do with this information? Your top search results can help you identify content gaps on your website. You might decide to create articles around these search terms based on how many searches you get. Likewise, if two or more similar topics get a lot of traffic, you could redirect the lower-performing pages to it so you don’t compete with yourself.
If you see pages that aren’t on your site, it’s likely traffic from a third-party landing page platform. As a best practice, create a different Google Analytics property to track these pages separately.
13. View Heatmaps
A heatmap shows you how people engage with your content — where they click, how much they scroll, and what distracts them. This type of customer insight is especially helpful when determining how and why a landing page is not converting or when trying to pinpoint usability problems.
Source: Nextiva
The “hottest” areas get the most clicks. Coupled with website analytics, heatmaps can give you better insight into what’s working and help you decide what changes are worth testing. Are there buttons they’re supposed to click but aren’t? Are there non-clickable items that they are trying to interact with? Some popular heatmap tools include CrazyEgg, Optimizely, and Hotjar.
14. Create a Customer Feedback Form
A customer feedback form helps you measure the level of customer satisfaction while also uncovering potential issues and selling points. An effective, easy-to-implement feedback form is the Net Promoter Survey (NPS). The idea is to ask customers to rate your product from 1 to 10 and, potentially, follow up with a “What is the reason for your score?” question. An NPS survey is a small effort for the customer, which means that you are likely to get a lot of responses.
Digging into the responses to the follow-up question, you will be able to figure out what your customers liked or disliked in particular. How to use this data? You can feed it back to your CRM to use it for marketing, sales, and customer service. Related: 60+ Customer Satisfaction Survey Questions You Can Borrow
15. Conduct a Customer Onboarding Survey
The customer onboarding process is where customers first experience your product or service. It’s the perfect time to make the product more “sticky.” Using customer onboarding surveys can help you learn more about a customer’s pain points and how they want to use your product. Armed with such insight, you can improve your entire customer experience — from personalizing your marketing to increasing retention. MailChimp does this very well. When you create a new account, they serve you with relevant tips based on a small survey you answer. At signup, MailChimp asks several questions. One of them is, “Do you sell things online?” If you answer with a Yes, the app will nudge you to connect your e-commerce store when you first log in. Instead of waiting for a customer to email and ask how to connect their online store to MailChimp, the platform tries to understand the customer and offer help proactively. Next, MailChimp sends you a Welcome email with tips and tricks related to e-commerce. To run an onboarding survey, you can use software such a TourMyApp and Appcues.
16. Conduct a Cohort Analysis
A cohort is a group of people that share similar traits. Cohort analysis can help you identify groups of customers that exhibit a specific quality, e.g.
Trial signups in the past 30 days
Paying customers in May
Customers acquired via social media ads
One of the numerous ways to use a cohort analysis is to calculate your customer retention over time. SaaS companies often employ this tactic, but it also applies to other businesses.
17. Customer Sentiment Analysis is Key Too
Thanks to Artificial Intelligence, you can dissect all of your existing customer reviews without reading them one by one. This process is known as sentiment analysis and lets you see the big picture by showing you trends in your feedback data. Using Natural Language Processing, sentiment analysis tools can calculate how positive a given review is. They produce a sentiment score that shows how happy your customers are.
18. Uncover Seasonal Patterns
For some products, seasonality is common sense. You don’t need to do extensive research to know that, in the Northern Hemisphere, beach towel sales will peak in June, July, and August. But, a lot of times, the numbers might not be what you expected. Did you know that weight loss products trend the most in winter and then again in summer? The same research found that exercise-related searches were most common in winter months. Perhaps New Year’s resolutions have a lot to do with these spikes. Here’s another surprising example. You’d think that ugly sweaters, candy canes, and Christmas trees sales would peak on the same date. But, that’s not the case as real-world data is a bit more nuanced than that.
The bottom line is that your products or services could also be susceptible to seasonality, even if it’s not apparent at first sight. To spot seasonal trends, you can use a tool like Google Analytics. If you have your conversion goals and e-commerce events set up, this information is just a few clicks away.
19. Monitor Brand Mentions
If a customer is unhappy, he will most likely complain online, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be on one of your social media channels. A bad review can be anywhere on the web and easily escape your attention. Monitoring brand mentions helps you stay on top of customer sentiment. It also helps with reputation management and measuring campaign effectiveness. You can start getting notifications about your brand’s mentions with Google Alerts. Simply enter the brand name, and you will begin to receive daily emails.
Unfortunately, this can quickly get overwhelming if you have to process thousands of mentions per day. In this case, you can opt for a full-blown reputation management app like Mention. The platform groups your mentions by source and allows you to respond within its interface.
By the way, you can use such tools to conduct competitive analysis or to identify influencers.
20. Explore Your Knowledge Base Analytics
Your knowledge base can give you many insights about your current customers. Features requests, common troubleshooting items, which content is helpful, and more. All you have to do is browse the list of searches that customers make and quantify the results. If 100 people have looked for a specific term, you may want to create content around it.
Diving deeper, knowledge base analytics can also help you pinpoint potential product improvements. If people keep searching for ways to do a specific thing with your product, consider making it more obvious within the interface.
21. Understand Product Usage
You and your team can capitalize on product usage data in several ways. For marketers, this can be a source of inspiration and a way to improve their content. In 2016, Spotify unearthed usage data for a successfulmarketing campaign. Product usage data can help support reps to prevent churn. For a SaaS platform, this could be the time since the user last logged on. Support agents can contact those who have been inactive recently and ask them if they are experiencing any issues.
Next Steps
You can start improving your customer experience bit by bit right now. We’ve shown you 21 ways to gather customer insights using tools at your fingertips. This is a great first step toward getting to know your customer base, but it’s also just the beginning. Once you start to pull customer insights, you will face another challenge — scattered data. There are dozens of data sources, including social media posts, customer feedback forms, and order data. The next step is to plug these sources into a unified dashboard. What if you could aggregate every customer interaction into a unified customer service platform? You could then assist every customer the exact way they want with the right information every time.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emil Hajric
Emil Hajric is the founder and CEO of Helpjuice, a powerful knowledge management software company. Emil is an organizational learning expert and author of Knowledge Management: A Theoretical and Practical Guide for Knowledge Management in Your Organization.
No matter how many tech writers predicted the death of the fax machine, it’s still very much here with us in 2020. Surprising to some, businesses and governments fax more now than ever. There was a 9% growth in all sectors from 2016-2017 and expected growth of 25% from 2017-2020. As a business owner, you are probably well aware of this already. But what you might not know is how to make a fax fit into a more and more digital office landscape. Online faxing is the solution to your problems, making the office staple feel much less like an out of place dinosaur, and more like the useful business tool it can be.
Skip right to any of these sections:
Online faxing, also known as, eFax, vFax or virtual faxing, is when you send or receive a fax through the internet on a computer, rather than by using a typical fax machine. It does not use the standard telephone connection. So you don’t need a machine, a dedicated fax number, and a phone line. You only need to have a computer, an internet connection, and an online service. That also means you don’t have to print out documents, just scan and send them. Related: How to Send and Receive a Fax Without a Fax Machine
How Does it Work?
Fax machines are not directly connected to the internet. So to transfer data to one via the internet, you need to transfer and translate the data from the internet protocol, to a telephonic transmission. That might sound complicated, but only if you try to start from scratch. Instead, the easiest way to send and receive faxes online is to sign up for an internet fax service like Nextiva vFax.
It will provide you with a virtual fax number. This number can be used to receive standard faxes from traditional machines. The service handles all the complicated parts like sending and translating data. It will have an online dashboard that you can access to check your inbox, as well as send faxes.
How to Send a Fax (3 Steps)
There is a growing bid to go digital, and 34% of companies have already completed their transition. And who can blame them? The average U.S. office worker goes through 10,000 pieces of paper per year. And that’s not the whole office. It’s a single worker. If you have a 50 person office, that’s not only 500,000 pieces of paper going to waste, but imagine trying to file, organize, and stay on top of all that data. That’s a job for another 50 people. Taking your faxing online is a significant first step to dealing with issues like these. With one step, you avoid printing before sending, and you can use data-based archives to prevent logistical problems with faxing.
1) Choose and Sign Up For a Service
Like we explained in how online faxing works, the only convenient way to fax documents online is to use an online service. There are many alternatives out there, but we feel confident in recommending Nextiva vFAX for most serious business faxing purposes. We are one of the few U.S. based providers, and as a modern cloud-based communications company, we’ve decided to take things to the next level. You can send and receive electronic faxes from anywhere, on a computer, or even a mobile device. Our system uses 256-bit SSL encryption to keep your sensitive business information secure. You can even choose a toll-free number, or transfer the number from your machine to digital. *If you are just a student and you want to send a short document, and you don’t care about security or third-party branded logos on the documents, you could use a free service like fax zero.
2) Log In to the Service Portal on Your Computer
After signing up, access the dashboard of your service through your browser. With Nextiva vFAX, you can also log in for a responsive user experience form any device.
3) Create A New Fax and Send It
Sending a document online isn’t that complicated. In our dashboard, choose the “send a fax” option, to open a new window. Then you fill out the recipient info, like the recipient’s fax number (remember the area code), schedule, the subject, and your information as the sender. You can also set a cover page at this stage. Then you move on to the attachments. This step is where you attach the relevant documents that you want to fax. PDF files are accepted, as well as DOCX files and excel worksheets. We have a whole section at the end of this post that covers the document types our online fax service supports. Once you have included the files that you want, you can move on to the preview stage. Once it’s all checked out, move on to the send screen. Before you send, you can choose which type of fax it is, and put it in a specific folder for archiving purposes. You can also CC the message to the emails of relevant staff members who won’t receive the fax itself. Related: 2020 Nextiva Reviews & Ratings From Top Sources & Verified Users
Other Ways to Send a Fax: By Email / Document Printing
If you choose Nextiva, you will also be able to send faxes from your email provider of choice. First, you need to set the email address you want to use for this as the vFAX account’s primary email. Then you can create a new email addressed to “[email protected]”. For example: [email protected] The text of the email will be added in the notes section of the cover page, and the email subject will become the fax subject. You can also do the same thing from any Android or iOS email app where you can access the same account. With vFAX, there is a final way that you can send electronic documents. You can print out text files or spreadsheets when they are done. To do this, you first have to install the vFAX printer client, which you can download here. After you have installed the client, a new printer should be available on your computer. Validate and login into your vFAX account. Now all you need to do is choose the printer labeled “Nextiva vFAX” when you want to send a document.
3 Steps to Receive a Fax
Receiving a document online that is sent from a fax machine is even easier than sending. There are two basic steps, signing up for an online fax service and number, and accessing the inbox from within the online dashboard.
1) Sign Up For a Digital Fax Number
The first step of receiving a document sent to a fax number online is signing up for a digital alternative. If you have already signed up with a service to send a fax, you will most likely already have a number as well. If you still haven’t you can take Nextiva vFAX for a 30-day free trial. You will be able to receive up to 500 fax pages for free. And best of all, you will get to keep your current number, so you won’t have to contact all your offices and business partners to change up their processes.
2) Sign in And Access Your Inbox
Provided you keep the same number, you can jump straight ahead to the actual receiving. Just head over to the login portal. Log in with the same information you signed up with. Right from the dashboard overview, you can see the received faxes in the bottom right corner. You can even download individual faxes by clicking the download icon next to the fax in the “view” part of the dashboard. You can even choose the file type, compression and which pages you want. This easy to access overview might be quick and easy, but constantly checking in on a different service might not be something you want to add to the plate of your employees.
3) Set Up Email Copies for Incoming Faxes
Email is one of the cornerstones of 2020 offices around the globe. Between 2014-2018, an average office worker wouldreceive 90 and send 40 business emails per day. Instead of adding a new inbox and flow of communication employees need to pay attention to, you can relay fax messages directly to email inboxes of key staff members. This workflow will let them focus on just one inbox and will make their daily work lives easier. Once you log in to your vFAX account, go to the Settings page inside the dashboard. From the default Profile page, redirect to the Notifications page by clicking the link. Once you’re there, you will be able to enter up to 5 email addresses. Once you have set up these email notifications, you or your staff will receive them straight to their email inbox.
They will then be able to check this inbox from the mobile app of their choice.
You can even set up SMS notifications for incoming faxes as well. These notifications help you stay on top of internal and external communication.
How to Receive Faxes to Your Machine and Email Inbox
Do you want to keep your trustworthy office machine, but also have a digital version of every incoming document? With the right tools, you can implement this solution in your office. Sending faxes via the internet is easy, but receiving faxes to an existing fax machine online can be complicated. Instead of scrapping the machine and getting a new virtual machine number that you have to send to all your customers and business partners, you can simply receive faxes sent to a machine directly to your email inbox using Nextiva’s fax to email solutions.
Once you install the Nextiva Fax Bridge, your telecom machine will also be able to send data via the internet.
This device allows you to receive faxes straight to the office, as well as the cloud at the same time. Once you complete the installation and set up, every fax you get will also arrive in your email inbox at the same time.
What Document Types Does Online Faxing Support?
Most online faxing services support typical Microsoft Word, text, printer and PDF files. Nextiva vFAX also supports image files like TIFF, GIF and JPEG, and other Microsoft Office file types like PPT. So you can save time by taking a high-quality photo of a document and attaching it instead of having to scan it and turn it into a PDF file. If using an email client, it is important that you attach the image files and don’t embed them. Otherwise, they will not be read properly and vFAX will be unable to send them. Full list of supported document types:
Microsoft Word DOC Files (DOC, DOCX), Excel Spreadsheets (XLS, XLSX), PowerPoint Presentations ( PPT, PPTX)
Printer File Formats (PCL, EPS, PS)
Other Text Files (TXT, RTF, XML)
Adobe Acrobat Files (PDF)
Image Files (TIFF)
Image Files GIF, PNG, JPEG (They will only work if they are not embedded images.)
What Do Online Fax Services Cost?
When surveying our competitors, we found that many of them hide high fees and bad terms behind a free trial. You can save up to 80% by switching to Nextiva vFAX from another provider. After a 30-day free trial, Nextiva vFAX costs as little as $4.95 / month with 500 free pages. Competitor Costs:
eFax costs $10.00 a month for up to 150 sent and 150 received faxes.
Myfax.eu costs €13 a month for 100 sent and 200 received per month.
While our service only costs $4.95 a month for 500 pages sent or received in total. That is a cost per page of $0.01 vs $0.033 for eFax and $0.046 for MyFax. Switching from eFax would save you 66.6%, and from MyFax 78.3% Not only that, because we have a 30-day free trial, the switching costs are 0.
Get Online Faxing for Email Today
If your business still uses a lot of fax in your business communication it’s important to integrate it with. By going online, your employees will be able to send and receive faxes via email, making it easier for them to stay on top of important internal and external communications. You can even connect your old fax machine with the internet through our hardware without having to change numbers. Taking your faxing online has never been easier, or cheaper, than it is with Nextiva vFax today.
You’re finally free from the fax machine. Try Nextiva vFax today.
Gaetano DiNardi led demand generation at Nextiva and has a track record of success working with brands like Major League Baseball, Pipedrive, Sales Hacker, and Outreach.io. Outside of marketing, Gaetano is an accomplished music producer and songwriter. He’s worked with major artists like Fat Joe, Shaggy, and loves making music to stay turbocharged.
Customer service involves much more than just exchanging pleasantries during a purchase or answering questions on your business line. Psychology intersects with customer service and plays a vital role in determining the success or failure of the customer-business relationship.
When your customer support team understands the underlying psychology, they’re able to deliver a positive experience even in bad situations.
The ultimate goal is to have every customer depart from the business with positive feelings toward the service they received. However, despite the best intentions, circumstances may still arise where this ideal outcome is not achieved.
Providing excellent customer service becomes even more challenging when one lacks the necessary information. Let’s dive in!
Customer service psychology requires you to understand the range of customer behaviors and emotions to serve them better. It can be difficult at times to understand emotions as they can be a bit tricky. They can change at any moment and in a split second. If you do not know how to handle these types of situations, your customers will leave unhappy with their experience and may never return. This can become costly over time. Losing relationships also means a loss in sales and, thus, higher churn. Whether it be in person or on social media, keep each customer connection positive. Learning the psychology of customer service and how to manage emotions will help your business thrive even further.
Managing Emotions in Customer Service
There’s a great deal of value in knowing the different types of emotions you may face daily. Although not all customers are the same, specific “triggers” can cause the same reaction in most people. You need to use the power of psychological behavior to ensure you don’t unnecessarily trigger negative responses. It’s essential that every person who works in customer service understands that emotions are what dictate our decisions. When a customer comes into your business, their first impression of you matters. Every customer service interaction and touchpoint also matters. Recognize that the actions you take or do not take speak volumes to customers. Treat your customer as if they were thy self. It may sound a little Shakespearean, but the truth still resonates.
Tap into that cognitive bias
If your first action were to take personal responsibility for the customer’s problem and make it your duty to present a solution, customers would respond differently. Psychologically, you are making them aware that they are essential to your business while, at the same time, meeting their needs. Essentially, you become their customer service expert, which can create a halo effect. This effect is a type of cognitive bias. It’s when the overall impression of a person or business influences how they feel and think about their character. Thus, you want people to have a positive impression of you. To do this, you’ll need a firm understanding of emotions, customer behaviors, and how to provide great customer service. Your customer service agents need to be effective in taking on a positive and dedicated attitude. For this to happen, you and your team must first learn about emotional intelligence.
What is Emotional Intelligence, and Why is it Important in Customer Service?
A simple Google search provides a definition of emotional intelligence. It’s the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. Most customer service representatives will already be highly familiar with some of the most critical customer service skills:
Patience
Attentiveness
Clear communication
Product knowledge
Use of positive language
Time management
Read customers behaviors
A calming presence
Empathy
Tenacity
Although this is only a shortlist of essential customer service skills, it’s evident the majority of them require some “emotion management.” If there is a lack of knowledge or understanding about Emotional Intelligence, it’s almost impossible to possess these skills, as most are directly related to it. With that said, if you choose to grow your knowledge and strengthen your skills, the higher your emotional intelligence will be, but to make this happen does require a lot of effort. Positive and negative emotions are often a reaction to needs, either being or not being fulfilled or met.
A Theory of Human Motivation
To better understand what those “needs” are and how to address them, let’s turn to a psychology theory proposed by Abraham Maslow in 1943 called “A Theory of Human Motivation.” The connection is that most people’s motivation comes from what they “need,” and depending on how it’s received is what will determine their emotional response. If you can control your own emotions in light of others and do so reasonably, then your emotional intelligence is highly developed. For a more in-depth view of Abraham Maslow’s theory, let’s look at Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs.”
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Recognizing people’s “needs” is the best way to learn how to manage emotions; thus, you can become a master at customer service psychology. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is in the shape of a pyramid, with the primary needs at the bottom. At the top of the pyramid is where the need for self-actualization and transcendence is located. Maslow believed that an individual’s most basic needs must be met before they become motivated to achieve higher-level needs. Today, the theory has been modified. People prefer to think of these levels as “continuously overlapping each other.”
Hierarchy Pyramid
(Top of the pyramid)
Self-actualization (To realize one’s full potential)
Esteem – (Respect and admiration) – Basic Need
Love/belonging (Comprises of caring, compassion, empathy, acceptance and approval, attention, and affection) – Basic Need
Safety (Well-being, protection, and security.) – Basic Need
Psychological (Mental and emotional state of a person/What affects the mind) – Basic Need
(Bottom of the pyramid) The bottom four parts of the pyramid contain what Maslow called “deficiency needs.” These are esteem, friendship and love, security, and physical needs. If these “deficiency needs” are not met, except for “Psychological,” it will cause an individual to feel anxious and tense, even without giving off signs they are experiencing these feelings. This pyramid can be applied directly to customer service psychology in terms of customer “needs.” It’s essential to recognize what an individual is potentially going through when experiencing customer service and how to manage outcomes better. For example, it’s only reasonable that a customer stresses out when you don’t meet a deadline. In the pyramid, the second part addresses the basic need for “Safety.” If complications do arise during the buyer’s journey, the customer may become overwhelmed with worry that delays could cost their purchase to be lost or broken. Now, let’s look at 15 tips to help you improve customer service with Maslow’s Hierarchy Pyramid in mind.
15 Customer Service Psychology Tips Based on EI
1) Show Customers They Matter
At the top of the pyramid, you may notice how it becomes less about survival and more about the ego and self. All individuals desire to be accepted and valued by others (Esteem). As part of your daily decision-making, choose to give each customer your undivided attention and an earnest attempt to solve their concerns. Tell them if you do not know something, but follow up with, “I will find out.” Make each customer service interaction count. Top resource: Making Customers Matter EBook
2) Answer Every Query
When you respond to all queries made by customers, you show them a willingness to resolve any issues and answer any questions. (Safety)
This is an excellent way to build trust, loyalty, and to gain their honesty.
Just say, “I would be happy to help you with this” as soon as you receive a customer query.
Refrain from babbling or trying to “wing it” to prevent negative experiences from happening.
Be transparent with what you know and eager to find out what you do not know. Actively listen to your customers needs to resolve them quickly and efficiently. This applies to both online and offline customer interactions. Top resource: What Customers Crave: How to Create Relevant and Memorable Experiences at Every Touchpoint EBook
3) Answer Politely and Clearly
What you say is just as important as how quickly you say it. Use positive phrases and terms when responding and conversing with customers. Show them the respect they deserve. (Esteem) Avoid using negative words like, “I do not know, Nope, Calm down.” Use the art of communication to connect with people. Choose your words wisely. Top resource: Powerful Phrases for Effective Customer Service EBook
4) Respond Quickly
When you respond to customer comments, questions, queries, and reviews, quickly, you show them that you care. (Love/belonging)
Not only do you care about their time, but about providing the information or attention, they requested or required.
If you take too long, people will become unhappy, and it could cost you a customer. Respond promptly, do not keep them waiting. Top resource: The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter and More Social
5) Provide Availability
Showing customers you are available to them via multiple channels, makes them feel a sense of belonging. When you provide the attention they want, when they want it, it creates a happy customer. (Love/belonging)
If you are unavailable, it can have a lasting impact not just on customer experience but your company’s bottom line.
Do not say, “It’s not during office hours” to your customers. Tell them you are always “here” to help them. If you do not, they will go to someone available. Top resource: Competing for Customers: Why Delivering Business Outcomes is Critical in the Customer First Revolution Ebook
6) Identify Customer Needs
Identify what your customers need from you through keyword research, social listening, analytics, and focus groups. (Esteem)
When you can meet or exceed a customer’s expectation without them even telling you what they are, you present to them an exceptional experience.
Listen to your customers and refrain from repeatedly asking them, “What do you want?” Show that you respect them by taking the time and using insights to “get to know them.” Top resource: Customer Obsessed: A Whole Company Approach to Delivering Exceptional Customer Experiences Audiobook
7) Resolve All Issues During the First Interaction
First impressions are vital to every business. If a problem comes up, and you don’t take action to try and resolve it, customers will leave. They have not built trust with you, and loyalty does not exist yet. Show them respect by taking their issues seriously (Esteem)
Show them you are their support team and will work hard to resolve all their issues the first time.
Don’t blatantly treat new customers different from existing ones, either. If you do, it will be much harder to turn a new customer into a loyal one. Top resource: Business Etiquette: Adding the Polish That Builds Profits Audiobook
8) Deliver Emotion
Give customers ways for them to express or feel emotions. Use humor, intelligent questions, or nostalgia to steer their mind towards a particular direction. (Psychological)
When you offer relevant and emotional content or conversations, you open the doors for the customer to connect with you. They will associate the good feelings with experiences they have with you, thus, making them want to come back again.
Do not share irrelevant information. What you share needs to be relevant to your work, the products, or services offered.
Refrain from sharing negative emotions or items that can be associated with sadness, anger, or negativity.
Keep the environment and interaction positive. Top resource: The Customer Service Solution: Managing Emotions, Trust, and Control to Win Your Customer’s Business Ebook
9) Exhibit a High Level of Reliability
When customers know you will be there for them and they can rely on you, they feel a sense of security. They will feel like you will not let them down.
As the old saying goes, “Do as you say and mean what you do.” Let them know they can trust you, and a healthy relationship will form. Top resource: Trust-Based Selling: Using Customer Focus and Collaboration to Build Long-Term Relationships Audiobook
10) Offer Convenience
Being mindful of customer’s time shows you care. Giving customer convenience in every way possible is considerate, and customers love it. (Love/belonging)
Ask customers if they’d like home delivery. If this is a service you offer, it saves customers time and the need to travel.
Think of how to make their lives easier, without taking shortcuts or lessening quality. Top resource: The Convenience Revolution: How to Deliver a Customer Service Experience that Disrupts the Competition and Creates Fierce Loyalty Ebook
11) Keep Promises and Fulfill Commitments
Never over promise or under deliver. When you promise your customers something, stick to it. If for any reason, something changes, be respectful, and inform the customer straight away. Top resource: because I said I would. Ebook
12) Show Empathy
Presenting customers with an understanding of how they are feeling in any given situation shows you care. Convey to your customers, “I’d be frustrated, too.” in times when it’s needed. (Love/belonging)
Refrain from being “cold” and robot-like. It can turn angry customers to irate ones, quickly.
Show humanity and that you genuinely care. Top resource: This Is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See Audiobook
13) Check In with Customers and Follow Up
Ask customers, “Are you finding everything okay?” Asking questions, like this one, lets customers know you respect them. You want them not to waste their time searching for items they are finding difficult to locate. (Esteem)
Just a few words can show a willingness to help. Do not ignore their confused looks and puzzled expressions. Extend a hand and help.
Customer service should also go beyond the sale. Follow-up with customers who recently bought a car from you or purchased the Internet service you offer.
Let them know that their happiness with your products and services matter to your small business. Top resource: Selling the Hug Your Customers Way: The Proven Process for Becoming a Passionate and Successful Salesperson For Life Audiobook
14) View Customer Complaints as Opportunities
It’s a fact, not every customer will be satisfied with the service you provide, even if you feel you did your best. There are also customers who complain about their experience, but many more who don’t.
When a customer expresses their dissatisfaction, your response needs to be, “I really appreciate you letting us know.” Change their feelings by changing their mind. (Psychological)
Don’t become upset or get angry. Some tend to portray a psychological phenomenon called the Online Disinhibition Effect. This is when you go online without your name and photo visibly attached to your profile and let your anger loose.
For some reason, human beings feel like the online world offers some form of identity protection, even when they cognitively know this is not the case.
So, what happens?
You let your inhibitions and self-boundaries go. You end up responding in ways you would never do if you were in person. Top resource: A Complaint Is a Gift: Recovering Customer Loyalty When Things Go Wrong, Edition 2 Ebook
15) Show Gratitude
Nothing says you care for your customers more than giving them a simple, “Thank you.” Whether you thank them for a recent purchase or show appreciation for choosing you, you will make them feel good. Do not take your customers for granted. Tell them that you care and thank them for choosing you and your business. Top resource: The Thank You Economy Ebook
Gaetano DiNardi led demand generation at Nextiva and has a track record of success working with brands like Major League Baseball, Pipedrive, Sales Hacker, and Outreach.io. Outside of marketing, Gaetano is an accomplished music producer and songwriter. He’s worked with major artists like Fat Joe, Shaggy, and loves making music to stay turbocharged.
In this guide, we’ll breakdown one of the biggest challenges researchers face when it comes to surveying an audience — Response Bias. Let’s dive in.
You need to know exactly what response bias is, what causes it, and crucially, how to avoid response set bias in your surveys.
In this article, we cover it all:
What is response bias?
Why does response bias matter?
What types of response bias are there?
How do you get rid of response bias?
Which survey tools should your company use?
What Is Response Bias?
This term refers to the various conditions and biases that can influence survey responses. The bias can be intentional or accidental, but with biased responses, survey data becomes less useful as it is inaccurate.
This can become a particular issue with self-reporting participant surveys.
Bias response is central to any survey, because it dictates the quality of the data, and avoiding bias really is essential if you want meaningful survey responses.
Leading bias is one of the more common types. An example would be if your question asks about customer satisfaction, and the options given are Very Satisfied, Satisfied and Dissatisfied. In this instance there is bias that can affect results.
To avoid bias here, you could balance the survey questions by including two of each of the positive and negative options.
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A survey is a powerful tool for businesses because it provides the ability to obtain data and opinions from real members of the target audience, which gives a more accurate assessment of market position and performance than any trial-and-error tests could ever produce.
When the goal of the survey is data collection, having the right sample size and survey methodology matter most.
What Types of Response Bias Are There?
One of the key things to avoid response bias is to fully understand how it happens. There are several types of response bias that can affect your surveys, and the ability to recognize each one can help you avoid bias in your surveys as you create them, rather than spotting it later.
However, even with this understanding, it is always wise to have several people go through any survey design to check for possible causes of response bias before any survey is sent to respondents. This ensures that the resulting data is as accurate as possible.
We will cover the main types of response bias here, and we will provide examples of response bias to show just how easy it is to introduce bias within the survey.
1) Demand Characteristics
One of the more common types of response bias, demand bias, comes from the respondents being influenced simply by being part of the study.
This happens as respondents actually change their behavior and opinions as a result of taking part in the study itself. This can happen for several reasons, but it is important to understand each to be able to deal with each form of this response bias problem.
For instance, if the survey is looking into a user experience of a website, a participant may see that the aim is to gather data to support making changes to layout or content.
The participant may then answer in a way that supports those changes, rather than as they really think, resulting in untruthful or inaccurate responses.
The setting of the survey or study
This is more applicable to surveys carried in person, where researchers conducting the survey can have an influence on the respondents, but it can apply to digital surveys too.
Interaction between researcher and respondent
This can influence how the survey is approached. Note that if it’s a digital survey that researcher-to-respondent interaction is still possible, occurring in the email or message used to invite the respondent to participate.
Wording bias can come into effect here as well
This type of bias influences the entire gamut of responses from individual or multiple participants. For instance, if the researcher knows the participant personally, even greeting them in a friendly manner can have a subconscious effect on the responses.
This is as true in an email as it is in person, so by retaining a formal approach to all participants regardless of who they are you can ensure a uniform response from all participants.
Prior knowledge of the survey
Whether the questions themselves, or the general aims of the survey, or how it is being put together, prior knowledge of some aspects of the survey deliver response bias.
This is because the participants can become preoccupied with the survey itself, resulting in those participants second-guessing their own answers and providing inaccurate responses as a result.
2) Social Desirability Bias
This type of response bias results from participants answering sensitive questions with socially desirable, rather than truthful answers.
The key here is how response bias questions are worded. To better illustrate this, here is an example:
“Do you think it’s OK to drink alcohol frequently?” is a question that society conditions us to say no to, even those who do drink heavily.
A question like this cannot get a truthful response.
People know the appropriate answer and will give it regardless of their real view.
In fact, social desirability bias can work both ways. Depending on the question you can find both over-reporting and under-reporting of a particular viewpoint, and that can have a dramatic affect on the usability of the data eventually generated.
3) Extreme Responses
The name gives this one a way really, but it refers to the survey bias that is characterized by respondents providing extreme answers to questions. This can manifest as extreme positive or negative responses, and both render the data ineffective.
This type of bias occurs most commonly in surveys that offer a scale for responses in order to rate individual components, whether that is numbers (such as 1 to 5, star ratings) or even a selection of statements (such as satisfied, mostly satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, and dissatisfied).
What happens is that the answers tend to be either 1 or 5, 1 star or 5 stars, satisfied or dissatisfied. Few people choose the middle options. Through various response bias studies, it has been shown that there are cultural influences on this kind of behavior.
Culture is of course not the only cause of this behavior. Studies show that education level also matters. The lower the education level, the more likely the participant display extreme response traits.
Lastly, wording bias can also be a cause. Sensitive questions that offer blame to someone or something for a difficult situation will result in extreme responses too.
Here’s an example
Think about the following question:
“Are family and peers partly responsible for a substance abuser’s behavior?”
There is no middle ground there for most people, and responses will be at the extreme end of whatever options are provided. While sometimes sensitive questions need to be asked, carefully structuring them to avoid the instant emotional response can avoid the extreme responses we are talking about.
4) Neutral Responding
This type of response bias is the exact opposite of extreme responding, as here the participant chooses the neutral answer every time. This is usually a result of the participant not being interested in the survey at all and is simply looking to answer questions as quickly as possible.
This inaccurate data is just as damaging and highlights just how important selection of participants can be for your research.
5) Acquiescence Bias
Acquiescence bias is a form of response bias where participants respond in agreement with all questions within the survey. In most cases, if your survey is well designed, that results in the participant agreeing with at least two contradictory statements. The answers provided this way are then no longer accurate or truthful.
The reality is that all of us have our unique view of the world, and it is highly unlikely anyone will agree with everything on a survey. To figure out how to combat this type of bias, let’s look first at how this kind of bias occurs.
There has been much research carried out on this kind of response. American educational psychologist Lee Cronbach theorized that it is a result of the participant looking at the question and actively searching for information from their own experiences to support it. Others have suggested it stems from a need to please researchers, but Cronbach’s approach is considered the most relevant.
As an example of this, a survey may contain two questions:
“Are you outgoing and social?”
“Which do you prefer: a quiet night in or a raging party?”
A respondent could answer yes to the first question, because we all like to think of ourselves as likeable, social people.
However, when faced with the second question, they may remember a nice night in they had enjoyed recently and answer with that. Those two answers may seem to contradict each other. Both, however, would be genuine, truthful answers from the participant’s perspective.
6) Dissent Bias
Finally, we have dissent bias. This is the exact opposite of acquiescence bias where the participant seeks to disagree with every statement or question the researcher makes.
With the same causes, dissent bias can be just as problematic for researchers as acquiescence bias, and it must be remedied in the same way.
How Do You Get Rid of Response Bias?
Avoiding response bias is easier when you know the types of response bias, and why they occur. There are several things that every researcher can do to overcome response bias.
1) Understand Your Demographic
As we discussed previously, some demographics are more susceptible to certain types of bias. Paying attention to the ‘who’ you are asking is as important as ‘what’ you are asking.
You can put demographic understanding at the top of your research by asking yourself a few simple questions:
What does my audience have in common?
Why will they want to answer my survey?
What is it about them I am interested in?
Make these part of your survey research and you’ll have a higher response rate.
2) Avoid Question Wording Bias
Careful question phrasing is critical to get an unbiased survey and responses. We talked before about inherent bias, but this also applies to questions that produce an emotive response and can cause acquiescence bias or extreme responding.
Follow these simplesurvey best practices to avoid word bias in your surveys:
Look at the questions and ensure there is a balance
Include as many positive responses as negatives
Seek to avoid questions that will produce a powerful emotional response one way or the other
Always look for phrasing that provides acceptable positive or negative answers
3) Diversify Questions
To keep participants focused, avoid using one type of question all the way through. Instead, mix binary response questions (yes or no) with those that offer a range of responses. This avoids the participant simply giving the same answer each time, and thus forces them to think about their responses.
This applies to more than just the style of question. Avoid asking questions about the same topic one after the other, as this can lead to reflex answers given without thought.
Instead, mix up topics throughout the survey, so that the participant is not just automatically following what they answered last time and has to think about each question on its own.
4) Allow Participants to Say ‘No’
Participants often wish to give the best answer possible, but for some questions a participant may not have an answer. Feeling that they need to do something, they at times will give an inaccurate answer that you don’t want.
Having a ‘don’t know’ or ‘undecided’ option allows them to answer honestly without skewing your results. In fact, this minor addition to your survey could remove a lot more inaccurate answers than you think.
In addition, the ‘don’t know’ option can be a valuable data set of its own and can prove useful throughout subsequent analysis.
5) Effective Administration
As we have seen, several forms of response bias can be caused by participants being influenced by the researchers themselves, or the motives behind the survey. This makes every aspect of the administration of the survey crucial to its success.
The following are important steps every survey should follow:
Researchers must remain neutral at all times
During all correspondence of any kind, maintain a professional, unbiased demeanor to ensure participants recognize the importance of the situation. Using the digital approach can remove some of these risks.
Maintain survey integrity
Participants second guessing research motives or finding out motives before taking the survey both result in response bias. Do this by maintaining the integrity of the survey and ensuring participants do not have additional information.
To ascertain if participants have any understanding of the survey motives, a short after-survey questionnaire can be used.
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Your questions should be clear, precise, and easily understandable. That means simple, unbiased language that avoids using words that evoke an emotional (rather than through-based) response.
This includes words such as:
Politician
Terrorist
Junkie
And so on. You want answers that are thought through, and these so-called ‘lightening’ words instead elicit an emotional response that is not as valuable for your research.
In addition, try and avoid using a lot of negative words, as these can have an effect on how the participant perceives the survey and skew their responses.
Finally, avoid word tricks. Be transparent with the audience and allow them to develop their answers.
All of these are relatively simple steps to deliver improved survey results. Removing response bias will help you acquire accurate, unbiased data, and reflect the real views of your audience.
What Survey Tools Should Your Company Use?
Even if you know the various types of response bias, you still need to monitor the survey for problems and inaccurate data. Nextiva has two tools designed to do this for you, providing performance combined with ease of use for seamless integration into your workflow.
Survey analytics provides business intelligence efficiency with a comprehensive feature set that tracks survey response data throughout your research. This provides simple, clear, visual presentation of the data you need.
Through this simple interface you can drill down to get a complete performance picture, analyzing results right down to the individual respondent if necessary. All data is easily accessible, saving time and frustration.
With a visual representation of aggregate responses to any question, you can quickly identify trends and anomalies as they are occurring.
A complete software solution for all your surveys, Nextiva Surveys provides the perfect platform for all your research. With a simple, fast design solution, your surveys will look great. And full customization ensures they always reflect your brand image.
With no coding required, you can get beautiful, rich surveys put together in just a few minutes, saving time and money without sacrificing quality or control. There are templates for all types of questions, complete security, and features including skip logic for a personalized experience. Nextiva Surveys has all the tools you need to create response bias-free, effective surveys that produce exceptional results. Platform free, you can deliver surveys in an email or via the web. The responsive design provides an exceptional user experience even on mobile devices. When it comes to response bias-free surveys, Nextiva has your back. With our easy-to-use survey software creating effective surveys that avoid response bias are just a few clicks away. Try them now and see how easy surveys can be!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cameron Johnson
Cameron Johnson was a market segment leader at Nextiva. Along with his well-researched contributions to the Nextiva Blog, Cameron has written for a variety of publications including Inc. and Business.com. Cameron was recently recognized as Utah's Marketer of the Year.
Upgrading your phone system can be daunting, but it doesn’t need to be. In this VoIP implementation guide, we’ll cover everything needed for a successful migration.
Entrepreneurs and small business owners enjoy the benefits of a robust phone system. Today’s technology adds new capabilities and results in great customer experiences. It can all be had for less than you’re spending on traditional phone service.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) works by converting voice data into digital data. VoIP technology allows people to complete calls over an existing internet connection.
When users bypass the Public-Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), they supply the internet connection. A typical broadband connection provides all the bandwidth needed for high-quality phone calls.
Let’s get started on implementing VoIP!
If you have a high-speed broadband connection, you can implement Voice over IP (VoIP). The good news is that IP telephony doesn’t use as much bandwidth as you might think.
Plan to use 100 Kbps (or 0.1 Mbps) per line of voice service. For instance, if you plan to use ten voice lines, you need 1000 kbps (1 Mbps) for your network.
It’s a good idea to only use up to 80% of your available network bandwidth. A congested network can result in poor-quality phone calls.
2) Low Latency
A reliable internet connection leads to successful VoIP implementations. Why? The less time it takes data to reach the internet, the better connection you have. You can measure the quality of your network by monitoring Jitter and Ping.
These metrics focus on the quality and consistency of your connection.
Successful VoIP implementations have less than 70 ms (milliseconds) for Ping and Jitter. Take the free VoIP speed test to see the speed and stability of your network connection.
3) Wired over Wi-Fi
When you have the option, connect VoIP devices to an Ethernet connection. Wireless internet (WiFi) may work for some users, but it is not as reliable as a wired connection.
Avoid congested network symptoms and delight users with an Ethernet network connection.
For users who operate in an office, invest in a Power over Ethernet (PoE) switch. PoE switches deliver the data and power for VoIP phones over one wire.
4) Data Prioritization
You can’t always forecast every network condition, but you can plan for the higher traffic. Examples of high-traffic activities include software updates, file transfers, and watching YouTube videos.
Set up VoIP Quality of Service (QoS) on your router to optimize voice traffic on the network. Contact your business phone service provider for recommended QoS tweaks for their network.
VoIP Implementation: How to Set Up a VoIP Phone System
As you plan your VoIP deployment, you’ll want to design with growth in mind. Planning ahead is crucial when setting up a VoIP phone system.
Use this checklist to help you assess your current needs while you plan for the future.
1) VoIP Phones
Identify the number of phones and which must-have features you need. Should everyone should get the same type of phone? Are there certain users who want to receive a premium business phone? Visit our VoIP phone guide to view top recommendations.
2) Network Connectivity
Calculate how much bandwidth you need by estimating 100 kbps per voice line. Always factor in an extra 15% headroom for data overhead.
Align your implementation plan with the company’s staffing plan, so it’s growth-oriented.
3) Communication Costs
Understand how much the company spends on its existing telephone service. Consider these costs as you look into an alternative business phone provider.
Switching to VoIP (or adding a SIP Trunk to your IP PBX) can save your organization up to 70% off its voice service.
Understand what your company actually spends on business communications. The entire organization rarely feels these individual costs, but they add up. Gather invoices for all your business apps so you can look at the bigger picture and trim expenses.
4) Number Portability
Identify any issues you may have with porting your number to a VoIP number. In most cases, you will want to speak with your phone provider to understand what you need to port out your number.
It takes about 2-4 weeks to migrate a number from a previous phone provider.
5) Get Familiar with the Portal (Control Panel)
Gain confidence in administering your VoIP phone system. People may ask you to add lines, adjust features, and more. Check with your VoIP provider to adopt their recommendations.
Dedicate a couple of hours for this purpose so you will save you time when you need to make adjustments later. Related: VoIP Configuration Examples: 17 Dos and Don’ts Before You Set It Up
6) Develop Training Materials
Expect that people will ask you about common phone functions like accessing voicemail. It will happen no matter how simple it is. Make your VoIP implementation successful by developing a handy guide for staff.
Provide a slideshow showing significant features and functions. Think about their everyday needs. This document empowers your staff to enjoy their phone system without any hiccups. Provide a one-page guide to show how to manage voicemail, transfer calls, and use the hold function.
7) Test to Discover and Fix Issues
Give yourself enough time to test your new VoIP business phone system. Identify any problems upfront and troubleshoot VoIP issues right away.
If you find that you need to upgrade your broadband service, do it soon. It’s not uncommon for service upgrades to take a couple of days to complete.
Consider testing your voice calls at various times throughout the workday. Testing like this simulates real-world conditions so you can fix issues earlier. Related: 10 Common VoIP Problems & Easy Troubleshooting Tips
Selecting a VoIP Provider
Before you upgrade your phone system, you will want to choose a VoIP service provider. Select a provider offering excellent customer service, favorable customer reviews, and reliable uptime.
You also want to look for a phone provider that has the flexibility to serve the needs of your business. Nextiva is a leading business communications provider with over 100,000 users who trust it for their commercial phone service.
Don’t only choose the cheapest provider when comparing VoIP service providers. For smooth implementation, consider your VoIP provider your partner, not just another invoice.
If your company uses a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) as a part of your phone system, you will enjoy adding a SIP Trunk to it. Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Trunking helps you maximize the value of your existing PBX.
A top SIP Trunking provider will add voice connectivity using the same method of IP telephony as VoIP. Businesses love SIP Trunks because they lower telecom service costs. These VoIP solutions leverage technology without affecting day-to-day operations.
Choosing Your VoIP Equipment
Depending on your needs, you might need more equipment. If you decide to go with a software-based VoIP app, you won’t need a desk phone. Download the appropriate SIP-based phone software and configure it for your VoIP service provider.
For Nextiva users, all you need is your username and password. That’s all! Download the Nextiva App here.
Most people who use a softphone will want to use a headset with a microphone. That might be all the extra hardware you need to make every VoIP call offer excellent audio quality.
For your desk phone, you will want to consider the usability of the phone itself. Are you able to connect a headset for comfort, or can it handle simultaneous calls?
For businesses with multiple VoIP lines, you need to choose the right equipment for staff. It can be overwhelming to choose the best VoIP phone among hundreds that exist out there. Browse the top VoIP business phones to narrow down your list.
Choose a router that offers high performance for all types of traffic.
Routers regulate and enforce QoS rules, so you prioritize your voice traffic. For instance, voice calls are likely more important than watching YouTube videos.
For those in a professional environment, PoE network switches provide desk phones their data and power. Employees will appreciate using one cord on their desk, not two. Not every successful VoIP implementation uses PoE, but for corporate environments, PoE is the best option. Related: VoIP Networking Diagrams for a Reliable Voice Architecture
Go Live!
It’s now time to take your VoIP phone system out for a spin. You’ve established new business phone numbers or migrated ones from your previous provider. Your network checks off and your VoIP phones are ready to go.
After you complete some test calls, contact your provider to get a Mean Opinion Score (MOS). MOS scores range from 1–5, where five is talking face-to-face. These scores measure the quality and audio fidelity of your voice calls.
You may find that as network traffic increases, your MOS score may decrease.
After your VoIP implementation is complete, there is one remaining to-do list item.
Update your website with the correct business phone number. Verify that you have updated your company phone numbers on Facebook, Google, and Yelp. You don’t want callers dialing the wrong number when contacting your business.
So, let’s recap what it takes to upgrade your phone system to VoIP:
Understand your company’s growth plan. (headcount, offices, etc.)
Use a high-speed broadband connection (low latency, low ping)
Determine your VoIP phone and supporting equipment (phones, software, PoE, etc.)
Choose a reputable business VoIP provider (Nextiva)
Educate staff on new phone capabilities (training)
Complete the switch! Enjoy your lower costs and better service.
Upgrading your phone system is easier when you have a plan. After you set up VoIP, you won’t look back at your legacy phone service again.
Voice calls connect quickly with the high fidelity that you often expect available for half of the cost of traditional phone service.
See why 100K+ brands trust Nextiva
for their business communications.
Gaetano DiNardi led demand generation at Nextiva and has a track record of success working with brands like Major League Baseball, Pipedrive, Sales Hacker, and Outreach.io. Outside of marketing, Gaetano is an accomplished music producer and songwriter. He’s worked with major artists like Fat Joe, Shaggy, and loves making music to stay turbocharged.
Think back to when you launched your business. You likely began with limitless energy to crush goals on your to-do list. Perhaps you feel exhausted by the time you get started on the meaningful work. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Get back the drive and excitement in running your small business with increased productivity.
Demands for your time and attention can be overwhelming. We live in a culture of digital distraction. You don’t have to look far to see these distractions in action.
Your family, customers, and prospects all require your attention—let alone the endless social media updates, breaking news, and annoying push notifications on your phone.
Much of life’s success comes down to productivity and work performance. Productivity to entrepreneurs might have different meanings, but in general, it means to obtain the maximum output for the amount of effort or time you invest.
So how do you consistently stay grounded, motivated, and focused?
To find out, we asked 25 successful entrepreneurs to reveal their top productivity tips for our readers.
Check out their responses below.
Check out the Business Communication Report
Actionable tips from 1,000+ business leaders.
Productivity Tip #1. Structure Your Day in One-Hour Chunks
John Barrows | Principal at JBarrows Sales Training
I structure my day in one-hour chunks and stay focused for that hour on whatever the task I’m doing.
Next, I don’t send an email, make a call, do research, go to the bathroom, grab a coffee, send an email, write a proposal, etc.
Lastly, I try to focus on one thing at a time so I can gain momentum and be very efficient with that task.
Multi-tasking is a myth and makes you very inefficient with what you do. Focus (with breaks) is the key to getting s*** done. Learn more from John Barrows: Goal Setting
Productivity Tip #2. Ruthlessly Prioritize Your Activities
For me, it’s about ruthlessly prioritizing activities against my most important goals and then knocking them out early in the morning before distractions arise. A think a huge part of this is related to building a habit of consistent self-inquiry to ask yourself whether the goals you set are the right ones and whether the activities you’ve selected are the highest leverage. Reflecting, adjusting, and planning on a quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily basis has been profoundly impactful. Learn more from Scott Britton: How To Become Disciplined
Productivity Tip #3. Delegate Work Before Your Start On Your Own
Before starting on your own work, spend time assigning work to your team. That way, they can be working in parallel with you rather than waiting for you to finish your work before starting their work.
Productivity Tip #4. Review Goals in Your Morning Routine
For years, I’ve written down my annual goals, but only recently have I started reviewing those goals five days a week as a part of my morning routine. Now, my goals are on my mind much more frequently, and I’m taking more consistent action towards reaching them. I’ve also learned that just because I set a goal in January, doesn’t mean I’m married to it. I need to be excited about the goals I’m pursuing. Now that I feel the freedom to adjust my goals as the year progresses, I have a lot more energy to follow through and execute. Learn more from James Carbary: Ready. Fire. Aim
Productivity Tip #5. Use Fear to Combat Complacency
I would say my top productivity tip is a little unorthodox.
Always be fearful.
For example, I walk in the door every single day scared that we are going to lose every customer we have if we aren’t hustling. This mindset helps me grind every day, all day long. It produces a culture of hustling.
Even when we have grown 100% year over year, it doesn’t matter. Fear. Not a moment to sit back and take it easy. Learn more from Steve Cox: Building Steam with International Freight Forwarding
Productivity Tip #6. Choose To Be Happy
Cam Doody | Founder, President & Chairman at Bellhops
When we were first launching Bellhops, our team practically lived together. Working long hours alongside each other made it important to prioritize having fun and taking time to share moments where fun, family, and humor were the focus, not work. The happiness advantage is a real thing. We’ve never forgotten that – even as we scaled our team to hundreds of employees nationwide. Consciously working family and camaraderie into the equation makes us that much more productive when it’s time to dig in and get things done.
Productivity Tip #7. Start Your Day With Zero Distractions
Being productive and maximizing the hours in our workday is paramount. I personally always question “why” am I doing something and what is the value behind it.
Automate: Ask yourself what you can automate in your daily routine. Setting up smart folders with rules in Outlook is critical for me and keeps me organized. This tactic allows me to focus and not have to search through countless emails.
Anticipate: When I am working on projects and meeting deadlines I turn email and phone off to eliminate distractions.
Delegate: As a business owner everything flows through me, but it does not mean I should be doing it all. I am a firm believer in outsourcing and delegating to those who can do it better and give me a good ROT (Return on Time).
Learn more from Craig Eggleton: The Three Types of Sales Motivation
Productivity Tip #9. Automate Processes that Enhance Customer Experience
As an insurance agency, we are constantly working to differentiate our business in every way possible.
It starts by creating a winning culture with a customer-centric focus.
From a productivity standpoint, we focus heavily on automating processes through technology that will enhance the overall customer experience. Learn more from Chad Eichelberger: Award-Winning Reliance Sets Itself Apart
Productivity Tip #10. Schedule Time to Go Dark
Nigel Green | Founder at Evergreen
Here’s my productivity tip: Schedule time to go dark. I do this on airplanes. I intentionally don’t get the WiFi if it’s time for me to work on big projects or to do the work that only I can do. Going offline works for me because I fly regularly. If you don’t fly often, then go to the library (you won’t see anyone you know there), spend the night in a hotel (in the city you call home), or find a way to go dark. If we don’t, I’ve found, we just do the trivial-urgent things. I’ll argue that does not even work, that’s just being busy. Learn more from Nigel Green:It’s Your Job to Read
Productivity Tip #11. Get Out Of Your Own Way
Genesis the Greykid | Poet & Artist at Genesis the Greykid
Productivity for me becomes less about steps and more about the space in between the steps. Getting out of my own way first, placing the nonsense aside, only then can I find the utopias of presence I seek. Only then, does anything I consider “productive” truly matter to me.
Productivity Tip #12. Work Smarter Through Automation
Work smarter, not harder: Positive work ethic and a heads down approach is a valuable asset to have. But to scale, teams need to learn to work smarter.
Many small work/life adjustments can be made to become a smarter employee, such as learning how to prioritize your work and blocking off time each day for specific routine projects.
However, my favorite productivity hack to work smarter is to embrace automation.
Once a strategy is proven to be effective, learn how to use software tools to automate repetitive tasks in a weekly or daily method, giving yourself more time to find new channels to be successful. Learn more from Tim Handorf: G2Crowd President Tim Handorf Appears on ‘Bootstrapping in America’
Productivity Tip #13. Trace Activities Back to Your Goals
Jared Houghton | Founder & Chief Sales Officer at Ambition
The best way I stay productive is by reflecting on the overarching goals I’m trying to reach.
What’s the revenue goal Ambition is trying to hit?
Why are we trying to hit it?
How do customers see value from our platform?
I constantly try to tie my actions back to the big picture, no matter how small the action is, which gives me the will and the focus to stay happy and productive as I move throughout my day. Learn more from Jared Houghton: The Silver Bullet Most Salespeople Don’t Know About
The name of the game is triage.
In the startup world, your most precious resource is your time. You’re never going to get it all done. So prioritize the things you can accomplish that will have the quickest and most significant impact and work your way backward from there.
The remarkable thing is that those items that don’t make it to the top of your list of priorities tend to resolve themselves anyway. Learn more from Jason Hubbard: YourGrowthExpert Helps Startups Expand Reach
I’ve found a couple of key things I’ve implemented recently have made a massive difference in my productivity.
First, zero notifications. No email notifications on my computer. No text notifications on my phone.
I found that I was jumping around too much based on the hundreds of notifications I was getting each day.
Second, I’ve been putting large blocks on my calendar (2-3 hours) for uninterrupted deep work. Deep work a time where I can think about the most important things for the week/month/quarter and be as proactive as possible. Learn more from Blake Johnston:Create a Culture of Experimentation in Inside Sales
Productivity Tip #16. Pick Your “One Thing” for the Week
Pick “One Thing” for the week.
There is a phenomenal book called The One Thing by Gary Keller. In the book, he proposes the question, “What is the one thing you can do this week, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
Use this question as you plan every week, and pick that one thing. Then crush it.
When you do that week after week, you knock down large obstacles that move you closer to your targets instead of getting lost in the weeds.
What drains your energy? Get it off your plate. Spend two weeks documenting every single task that you do in your day to day work. Keep a log of this and build a massive list.
Once you have your list, sort this into three categories:
I love it, and it gives me energy.
I’m good at it, but I don’t love it.
It drains life and energy from me.
Start at the bottom and figure out how you can delegate and get those energy draining tasks off your plate. Tackling these tasks will free you up to focus on your areas of unique ability and ultimately produce far more value in the business. Learn more from Jake Jorgovan: Building a $400K Business in 1 Year
Productivity Tip #17. Always Know Your Most Important Task
Always know your Most Important Task, which is the one thing you can do today to make progress on the game-changing task you have for your business. At the beginning of every day, work on this task for the first 30-60 minutes of your day. Shut the door. Turn off your phone. Eliminate time-consuming distractions. Consistent daily progress is the key.
Productivity Tip #18. Allot a Specific Time Block for Each To-Do Item
David Martin | Co-Founder at Heed Public Relations
I’d long heard about the value of time-blocking but never instituted the practice into my workday until we launched HeedPR.
Parkinson’s Law, which says “work expands…to fill the time available for its completion” is so true.
I used to start every day with a lengthy to-do list, but since there was no time restraint around any project, finishing all the items on my list would often drag on deep into the evening hours.
Now that I dedicated blocks of time to each to-do item, I’m able to get more work done daily with valuable time to spare. Learn more from David Martin:An Interview with David Martin and Natalie Martin
Productivity Tip #19. Own Your Morning, Know Yourself, Travel Efficiently
I’ve found the mornings are the sweet spot to maximize my productivity. Here’s why it works for me; I hit the gym at 6 AM, and while warming up, I scroll through my emails.
This way, subconsciously I can prepare for the day.
Recognize strengths and weaknesses
Become self-aware of your professional strengths and weaknesses. For more challenging areas, I tap into our virtual team or extended network.
Delegating tasks that would otherwise distract me from what I’m most productive at has been incredibly impactful in the long term.
Travel light to achieve maximum efficiency
Travel productivity is mostly underrated and I’m always looking for ways to expedite the process.
A few rules I live by include traveling only with carry-on luggage, using TSA Pre-Check, and purchasing an in-flight Wi-Fi.
I’m most productive in-flight since I can eliminate distractions such as phone calls or streaming video. Bonus! Be kind to baristas that you see frequently. It’s likely they will start your beverage when they see you join the line so you can pop in and out much faster than usual. Learn more from Tami McQueen: Stack and Flow Interview with Tami McQueen
Productivity Tip #20. Set Themes and Goals for the Month and Quarter
To be truly productive, you need to do less rather than try to cross everything off of your list of tasks. I begin my day by writing down precisely what I should focus on for the day.
This single item could be a specific task or a larger objective. I also set themes and goals for the week, month, and quarter.
As a management tool, following each week and month, I reflect on my progress. I celebrate my wins and also examine where and why I fell short, and what I could have done differently.
From there, I decide how to improve my energy and efforts moving forward. Learn more from Heather Morgan:How to Reverse Engineer Sales and Customer Success
Productivity Tip #21. Plan Your Day the Night Before
As CEO, my days can get kind of hectic. I prefer to take early mornings to calmly focus my day, prepare myself, and plan my day.
This empowers me to devote the most time to the mission-critical objectives that matter the most to me and my company.
To assist, I spend the night before planning out my day for maximum effectiveness.
In doing so, I give myself a template and structure for each day that lets me dictate how the day will go. Learn more from Manoj Ramnani: Why Good Contact Data is a Must in Marketing Departments
I’m going to keep it to three words: write short emails.
Being brief, concise, and crystal clear in communication is one of my best productivity hacks.
Brevity prevents overthinking and messages getting lost in translation, which is a preventable productivity loss for you and your team. Learn more from Andrew Scarbrough: PriceWaiter Wants to Change How You Shop Online
Productivity Tip #23. Stay Disciplined With Your Tasks
I would argue that discipline is a crucial aspect of productivity.
You can use the fanciest to-do list and reminder app, but if you aren’t addressing tasks promptly, then your productivity is suboptimal.
Automation is another impactful driver of productivity for Make Me Modern.
I enjoy using automation to enhance my productivity in my business. Internal productivity tools like Asana is great to manage and delegate tasks.
To manage contractors and remote staff, I use an internal time-tracking tool.
Overall, these solutions eliminate a ton of additional work for me and keep me focused on working on the business versus inside of it. Learn more from Thomas Truett: Make Me Modern
Productivity comes down to prioritization and rhythm for me. I’ve found that I am most productive in running our business and serving our clients when I isolate no more than three major tasks due on any given day. I keep an ongoing list for opportunities that may pop up outside of the three, but those are my top priority. Aside from that, I block out 2-3 hours at a time on my calendar to accommodate larger tasks. Managing my calendar this way allows me to increase business productivity and get into a rhythm for the deep work I’ve prioritized.
My three tips to increase productivity for small business owners are:
Schedule meetings in a row
Meetings are crucial, but they can also waste time. Have you ever had multiple meetings with less than an hour in between them? For most of us, that “in-between time” usually gets wasted.
One of the best things you can do to get this time back is to schedule your meetings back-to-back.
Streamline time spent on email
One of the most common problems we face is the temptation to check email all day, even while we’re in the middle of another task. An easy fix is to manage your email in chunks.
Block off time every few hours to read and respond to emails. You’ll be able to focus on more valuable tasks and spend less time in your inbox.
Schedule distraction time
Long days at the office can be tough, and if you don’t give yourself time to unwind, you can experience burnout.
Add distraction time to your schedule explicitly reserved for this purpose. It can be anything from checking your phone, social media, going for a walk, etc. Every few hours, you should have at least a few minutes to take a break.
By scheduling these distractions, it helps keep them out of your work time and keeps your stress levels in check. Learn more from Jordan Wan: The Value of a Diverse Team
Jeremy Boudinet was a senior brand manager at Nextiva, co-president at AA-ISP Phoenix, and a published writer for Time, Entrepreneur, Inc, The Daily Muse, and PopSugar. Today, he heads up growth for Ubiquitous, an influencer marketing agency. He has been giving the people what they want since '86. Connect with him to…
The history of business communication technology holds the answers we seek to where the future of VoIP is heading.
Although the centuries do not divulge details, they do share the reasons why technology continues to grow in this area.
To recognize why VoIP is the future of communication, we must take a look back at the growth of telecommunication.
For thousands of years, our ancestors invented, learned, adopted, and survived by using variations of telecommunication systems.
Today, we continue to use many of the techniques as those before us, along with newer, more updated versions.
What Is Telecommunication?
Telecommunication is the transmission of signals over a distance of land for the purpose of communication.
Over time, we have seen telecommunication systems transform and evolve. Its long history divides into two distinctive parts, pre-electrical and electrical telecommunication systems.
Pre-Electrical Telecommunication Systems
Before we could communicate electronically, we used more primitive ways to send messages from a distance.
Smoke signals
Drums
Handkerchiefs
Flags
Firing cannons
Pigeons
Telegraphs
Morse code
Thanks to the minds of three essential inventors, who started it all, Claude Chappe, Joseph Henry, and Samuel Morse.
However, the weather was limiting these methods, interrupting the sending of signals.
A change needed to happen, and in 1876, a significant piece of history came to be. It is the year electrical telecommunication systems was born.
And society, has not been the same since.
Electrical Telecommunication Systems
The revolution to communication came as a result of two new inventors in Boston, on March 10th, 1876. During which time, Alexander Graham Bell made the first electric telephone call. His invention impacting so many lives. In 1922 the entire telephone system shut down for one minute in tribute to his life. Bell was not alone in the creation of the phone. His co-creator was an electrician named, Thomas A. Watson. Mr. Watson made several improvements to telephones. Including the addition of a microphone, eliminating the need to shout. As we travel into the1900s, telecommunication inventions continue to grow. Some notable changes to the telecommunication systems, include,
Electric Telegraph
Cable
Telephone
Broadcasting
Satellites
Electronic Ink and Paper
Computer
Cellphones
Ethernet
Internet
During the 97 years after the introduction of the telephone, many electrical developments appeared on the scene. Including Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.
It was in 1973 when the transmission of the first voice data packet occurred.
Fast forward to sixteen years later. In 1989, one of the most significant game-changers to telecommunication happens.
The era of Internet Phones
Tim Berners-Lee introduces his invention, the World Wide Web (WWW). Which opened many new doors, literally and virtually. As the world was creeping closer to the end of an era, we were embarking on a brand new World (Wide Web) of communication. That very same year (1989), Alon Cohen and Lior Haramaty, founded the telecom company, VocalTel Communications, Inc. Throughout history, they radically changed the telecommunication world. It is Cohen and Haramaty, who introduces us to the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) industry, which occurs only six years later. Four years pass and the first “Smartphone” enters the world, in 1992. Although it was not actually called that until 1995. Created by IBM, the first “Smartphone” had a different name, the “Simon Personal Communicator,” and it was ahead of its time. IBM releases this futuristic “Smartphone” more than 15 years before Apple introduced its first iPhone. The first VoIP application is also introduced in 1995, called, “VocalTec Internet Phone,” or simply, “Internet Phone.” Its creators are none other than Alon Cohen and Lior Haramaty of VocalTec Communications Inc. The Vocaltec software compressed the voice signal. It translated it into digital packets and distributed it over the Internet. For the last 25 years, more inventors of communication technologies have made their mark on history.
There is no doubt, more is yet to come
It may seem far fetched, but if it were not for the first smoke signal who knows if VoIP would even exist today. Clearly, these are not the signals used for VoIP. But, without their introduction to telecommunication history, who knows where the trajectory of communication systems would have gone. From the invention of landlines, cellphones, the Internet, World Wide Web, and Smartphones — every single one of these discoveries has played a significant part in the creation and history of VoIP. Past developments and tech advancements, show us where communication is heading. The future is VoIP, but it did not start out this way.
The Growth Curve of VoIP
Like all inventions, popularity does not happen overnight. Introduced in 1996, VoIP’s early adopters were mostly individuals. It took some time for businesses to entirely put their trust in its technology. With its introduction came promises. As VoIP assured users it will reduce the price of long distance calls and make local calls free. It sounded too good to be true. In the early stages, users had limited bandwidth and network jitter affected call quality, giving doubters a reason to doubt Voice over Internet Protocol. But during this time, the concept of QoS or VoIP troubleshooting did not exist yet.
What is QoS?
QoS stands for Quality of Service. It is an advanced feature that prioritizes internet traffic for optimal performance. This feature looks at a variety of factors to minimize the impact of busy bandwidth, which is the speed of the link, in bits per second (bps). For VoIP, QoS prioritizes voice traffic above less critical traffic like watching YouTube. Each of these features is extremely pertinent to the evolution of VoIP and its growth in users.
VoIP Technology Improvements
As time passed, more inventions and improvements to VoIP technology came to be. These advancements are what encouraged businesses to start using it.
Its inexpensive yet high-quality voice calling, which at one point seem too good to be true (and it was) now exists.
VoIP Growth and Features
In 2004, the number of VoIP users dramatically increases from 150,000 in 2003 to 1.2 million.
VoIP was responsible for more than 200 billion call minutes in 2005.
Seven years later and VoIP goes mainstream. The global VoIP market totaling $63 billion in 2012.
There are numerous features VoIP systems offer to expand the company’s presence and footprint, quickly.
It now goes far beyond only offering a phone system. VoIP has evolved into a complete advanced business phone service.
Some of the features VoIP offers:
With the workforce transforming into a mobile/remote one, more landline phones disappear.
Customers expectations from businesses have shifted.
As a result, creating a gap between the customer and companies, which only VoIP can fill. Many businesses are becoming more aware of this void.
Some are already filling it in, by choosing to use VoIP. As they want their company to improve its customer service and thus, customer experience.
Companies Already Using VoIP
Thanks to the pioneering vision and progressive thinking of Alon Cohen, VoIP now powers many business phone systems.
Companies of all shapes and sizes, all over the world, are enjoying it.
VoIP is not only changing the way we do business but the costs associated with it. Switching to VoIP can save small businesses as much as 45 percent each month over traditional phone service.
4 Companies with VoIP Integration
1) EagleRider
They are a multi-brand motorcycle rental, tours, and apparel company that uses VoIP. Some of the VoIP features they enjoy are, Auto Attendants Call Forwarding and NextOS Portal.
2) Uber
The well-known share ride company, adopted the use of VoIP in 2018, for riders and drivers to communicate through their App.
3) Conan
The popular show, Conan, with host Conan O’Brien, typically films its show in Burbank, California. However, there are times it takes the show on the road, and they use VoIP to help stay connected from anywhere.
4) Starbucks
Starbucks expands its enterprise through a business partnership and by using a VoIP App system.
Top 10 Reasons Many Companies Make the Switch to VoIP
Reduction in Communication Expenses
Affordable Long Distance and International Calling
Free Calling Features
Convenience and Easy to Use System
Constant Connectivity Options
Mobility or the Mobile “Office”
Service and Support
Control and Scalability
Gain a Competitive Edge
Unified Communications Among Multiple Locations
VoIP technologies and those that influence them have come a long way from their beginnings.
VoIP is still continuing to grow. The revenue from UCaaS market is forecasted to surpass $140 billion by 2025.
We are now at the point where experts disagree only on the date of when VoIP replaces the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), completely.
It is not a matter of if, but when. Welcome to the future of VoIP.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gaetano DiNardi
Gaetano DiNardi led demand generation at Nextiva and has a track record of success working with brands like Major League Baseball, Pipedrive, Sales Hacker, and Outreach.io. Outside of marketing, Gaetano is an accomplished music producer and songwriter. He’s worked with major artists like Fat Joe, Shaggy, and loves making music to stay turbocharged.
We recently hosted author and speakerBrian Solis on Nextiva’s Crowdcast. Brian is also the author ofLifescale: How to Live a More Creative, Productive, and Happy Life.
Brian spent an hour chatting with our host Gaetano DiNardi about how digital devices and information overload affect our mental health. They also then jump into how you can manage screen time to improve work performance.
While the benefits are indisputable, we have, as a society, become so digitally distracted that we don’t pay attention to our:
Decreasing focus
Sapping creativity
Increasing anxiety
Deteriorating interpersonal relationships
Gaetano DiNardi and Brian also share critical insights from Brian’s new book on how digital technology contributes to the distracted mind.
Gaetano DiNardi: Welcome back to yet another fantastic Nextiva webinar today. I don’t even know if this guest needs a proper introduction. He is phenomenal in every way. The one and only Brian Solis. Welcome, Brian, to the Crowdcast. Awesome to have you.
Brian, these are all these problems that we’re facing with digital distraction. We get into this digital hamster wheel of “Check your”:
Email
Text messages
Voicemails
Project management tool
CRM
Before you know it, you’ve spent an hour and a half on social media or on your cell phone. You’ve got nothing done, and now you have more messages at the top of that cycle.
You can either go back to the top of the hamster wheel or figure out how to break the chains of digital distraction.
Introducing Lifescaling
Brian Solis: I’m going to walk you through what living on this digital hamster wheel looks and feels like.
A part of it is to build awareness and the other part is to work together. We have to go on a journey where we give ourselves a new sense of purpose. And, a new vision for taking control. Not eliminating the use of technology, but managing it in a way that works for us and others.
This is a movement that I call “Lifescaling.”
The reason it’s important is we were given access to tools, platforms, and mobile devices that no one prepared us for. We were left to fend for ourselves.
You’re going to go to bed looking at your cell phone and waking up looking at it. It’s the same routine until you manage how much time you spend on your phone or iPad. Related: 25 Working from Home Tips to Slam-Dunk Tasks [2019 Update]
Digital Distraction Vs. Fear of Missing Out
Brian Solis: What I found out the hard way, is that life and happiness are part of the same journey. Be in the moment and don’t focus on what’s on your device. Happiness already exists. It’s already within you.
At some point when I was writing, what would have been my eighth book, I hit a wall. I didn’t necessarily know why I couldn’t get past the proposal stage. All I knew was that I needed to get that book out.
So it took everything I had to be able to focus on what I felt I needed to get to the bottom of, which was, “Why couldn’t I:”
Get that proposal done?
Think the way I used to?
Focus or concentrate for the time like I used to?
Ignite my imagination and creativity on demand?
And I started asking questions like, “When did:”
We get so busy?
Looking at our mobile devices become the norm?
Breathing or thinking become so difficult?
Screen time become such a responsibility?
I start to feel like I need you to know that I see everything that you’re doing?
Anxiety just take over?
The hard part was just recognizing that we’re living life anxious, more self-interested, less patient, and definitely more stressed. But we do nothing about it.
The Science Behind Digital Distraction
Brian Solis: Attention is currency. The more you pay attention, the more they monetize it. This is true for every single platform that we use.
If you think about how you use digital today, you’re essentially rewiring your brain and your body.
On average, we receive about 200 notifications per day. It’s teaching your brain to be ready to be distracted, to speed up. The chemicals in your body make you feel like you’re in control, but those same chemicals make you feel stress and anxiety. The chart below, for example, shows you push notification data from 671 million pushes. It’s clear that we respond to pushes throughout the day!
They’re also fooling you into believing that you’re in demand, that you’re top of mind. This is what keeps your fear of missing out away.
Understanding variable intermittent rewards
Gaetano DiNardi: I saw a behind the scenes of how Facebook’s user experience designers think about the platform. One analogy that came out of the discussion was they wanted to build it similar to how gaming machines work in casinos. Brian Solis: It’s called variable intermittent rewards. It gives you the sensation that, when you don’t get a notification, you’re losing out.
These are techniques that aren’t just used in gambling, it’s also used in psychological warfare. It’s also used in spreading fake news. Every platform you use is changing your behavior.
How Digital Distraction Affects Relationships
Brian Solis: We are turning conversations into moments. Stripping away the depth and critical thinking — tearing away empathy.
Think about the fact that a lot of these platforms are polarizing relationships. It’s getting harder to disconnect, especially for young people. Gaetano DiNardi: Some older members of my family are new to Facebook. Whenever something comes along in their feed that they don’t agree with, they block it out. They aren’t able to see the other point of view.
It becomes a very toxic cycle. You’re not able to see that polarity because of the way that the algorithm is kind of shaping your digital experience.
You think you’re living your best life. Are you?
Brian Solis: We tend to surround ourselves with people who validate the thinking that we already have. They reinforce the fact that you’re right. But you can’t think critically.
The reality is, productivity, happiness, and creativity are all interlinked. You are not living your best life, even though you give the appearance that you are.
The biggest direct link of all of this stuff is dwindling imagination and thinking critically and just creativity in general.
The Perils of Multitasking
Brian Solis: Every single aspect of distraction isn’t just about social media or your alerts. It’s also how you live life. Think about how many tabs you have open on your browser at any given point. That’s a symbol of not being able to make decisions and close out projects. You may feel like you’re managing them all together, but you’re not. In fact, 95% business professionals say they multitask during meetings.
Source: Prezi
Every time you reach for that mobile device, it takes you over 23 minutes to get back into the zone. This affects the quality and the caliber of your work. Gaetano DiNardi: To a degree, you’ve got to blame society’s false glorification of multitasking. Brian Solis: Call it the cult of busy or the glorification of hustle. The busier you are, the more important it seems.
Give yourself the means to pursue what a satisfying and fulfilling life could be. I think the pursuit of meaning is what matters.
Creativity is something we could use more of, especially in the digital age. It’s really starting to show signs that creativity and the arts are what machines can’t duplicate.
Don’t worry about disruption; worry about mediocrity. When you multitask, it gives us a semblance of being creative.
How to Prevent/Overcome Digital Distraction
Brian Solis: Without creativity, there would be no innovation. Every aspect of how we work and think are actually preventing us from being innovative.
The direct path to happiness is actually through creativity. It’s time to reacquaint yourself with the artist formerly known as You because you were creative. Brian Solis: Every night you go to sleep, you replenish those chemicals and nutrients that you use up. This is why sleep is so important, it literally gives you a new day with new potential.
Try to think about your day in ways where you can get the deeper work done and distraction-free. Do this in the beginning, and save your afternoon for the creative and deep work.
The more great work that you do, the more special you are. Everybody can’t be special if they’re doing what everybody else is doing, right?
There are techniques that you can build. The Pomodoro timer? You to focus for 25-minute bursts, distraction-free, and then you take a five-minute break.
It all comes down to how you perceive tasks
Brian Solis: As I was writing the book, I found this quote from Mohammed Ali that I felt was worth sharing.
He said that he convinced himself that he can’t quit. Ali envisioned why he was doing those things and to live the rest of his life as a champion.
Solving the problem is not about simple time management or productivity tools or hacks. It’s actually changing how you perceive the task.
This is about becoming more exceptional, creative, and happier. The more you know who you are, the more you can become that ideal you. Not that aspirational selfie that we commonly communicate with.
You weren’t put on this planet to validate your existence through the false validation of strangers.
It’s actually just believing in yourself and that is the true aspiration. Then we can break free from the shackles of distraction and this digital hamster wheel.
Jeremy Boudinet was a senior brand manager at Nextiva, co-president at AA-ISP Phoenix, and a published writer for Time, Entrepreneur, Inc, The Daily Muse, and PopSugar. Today, he heads up growth for Ubiquitous, an influencer marketing agency. He has been giving the people what they want since '86. Connect with him to…
Traditionally, there has been a large gender gap in information technology. However, that gap is shrinking fast.
Last year, 20% of Fortune 500 CIOs were women — up from 16% in 2017. There are more women in information technology than ever before and they’re changing the way the enterprise operates.
These female leaders shape IT while encouraging diversity, innovation, and collaboration. They’re driving progress within their organizations and inspiring upcoming women IT leaders.
But how do you make it to the top of the information technology world? We gathered advice from some of the world’stop female IT executives to find out.
9 Women in IT & Their Battle-Tested Advice
These women share what inspires them in their careers, as well as what they encourage their teams to strive for. Whether it’s personal development or tech best practices, their advice is influential.
1) Marcy Klevorn (EVP and President, Mobility, at Ford) – Encourage innovation.
Marcy Klevorn started her career at Ford in 1983 in the telecommunications department and worked her way to the top. Her influence at Ford has been vital. She oversees Ford’s:
Global IT business applications
Architecture
Data centers
Web-hosting
Infrastructure services
Now the EVP and President of Mobility, Klevorn encourages her employees to innovate together. Her investment in her team is an integral part of Ford’s continued success. “I send an email [to our employees], so their supervisors can’t trump it. The message is: you’re responsible for making sure your skills are up to date. Also, we want teams to have time to innovate and collaborate together. People are our most important resource.”
2) Paula Tolliver (Corporate VP and CIO at Intel) – Hone your communication skills.
Paula Tolliver leads thousands of IT professionals worldwide. She specializes in digital asset protection and also leads IT innovation. Her teams work to put in place Intel’s vision by developing smart and connected technology. Throughout her 20+ year career in tech, Tolliver has leveraged hercommunication skills as a valuable resource. She credits her adaptable nature and leadership skills as keys to her success. “I’ve learned to acknowledge that different people value different things, and to engage and interact accordingly. As a leader, you have to change your style with different team members to have the right impact on performance.”
3) Kim Stevenson (SVP and GM Data Center Infrastructure at Lenovo) – Value diversity.
After serving as the COO and Corporate Vice President at Intel, Kim Stevenson now leads the IT team at Lenovo. During her career, she’s worked toraise business expectations in IT while navigating the industry’s evolution. Stevenson is seen as a tech visionary and has led the digital transformation of several companies. Her push for diversity is part of what makes her teams so successful. “If your network is not diverse, then you are not going to get a diverse outcome. That is the challenge, and we all – men and women – have to ensure that the networks we build are diverse. And that we put diverse candidates into key decision-making positions. It is not just gender diversity, but cultural diversity and diversity of thought. It applies to everything.”
4) Pam Parisian (CIO at AT&T) – Always challenge yourself.
Pam Parisian has worked with the strategy, planning, design and development of information technology at AT&T. As their CIO, she has led the evolution of the company. For example, her team helped revolutionize AT&T’s in-store experience. They introduced free-roaming sales assistants with iPads to help customers. Parisian also led a program that retired 3,800+ obsolete apps at AT&T. AT&T, thus, saved about a billion dollars per year. Her ability to take challenges in stride while enjoying her work has made her one of the most revered women in tech. “Don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. Take some risks by volunteering for big and uncertain challenges. If such challenges start to feel overwhelming, take things one step at a time. My career hasn’t been all about learning valuable lessons. I’ve also had a great time!”
5) Cynthia Stoddard (SVP and CIO at Adobe) – Know your customers.
Cynthia Stoddard oversees IT and cloud operations teams and leads Adobe’s global strategy. An IT industry veteran, Stoddard has led several IT successes during her 25+ year career and wonnumerous awards. In arecent blog post, Cynthia discussed the CIO’s shifting role from technology enablement to customer-facing leadership. “The CIO’s role isn’t just about technology enablement — it’s customer-facing. Make it a priority to meet with customers to discuss their journeys, challenges and best practices. Then, bring those insights back to the team and the business to improve internal and external processes.
If employees understand the customer journey and pain points, they can craft better experiences.”
6) Susan O’Day (EVP and CIO at Disney) – Embrace emerging technology.
Susan O’Day’s experience with technology transformation has led her in a career of innovation. Her clear vision has allowed her to be an effective leader. She has implemented company-wide programs designed to enhance and improve operations and processes. She excels at embracing change and leading her team through fast-changing environments. “At Disney, we focus on embracing [technology]. Not being afraid of that technology or being afraid of the change but leaning into it and moving into the future.”
7) Sheila Jordan (Senior VP and CIO at Symantec) – Focus on digital hygiene.
Responsible for driving software company Symantec’s IT strategy, Sheila Jordan ensures they stay ahead of the curve. Throughout her career, she’s worked to drive productivity and strategic business partnerships. One thing she values: cybersecurity. In a thought leadership article on Symantec’s blog, she stressed the importance ofkeeping up with digital hygiene by keeping systems up to date. “At many companies, especially those that have been around 50, 60, or 70 years, there’s a lot of legacy applications and technology…My advice: go clean up that environment. Most breaches we’ve seen have some part of that legacy problem in the issue. As the global environment changes, legacy environments often don’t provide the security that today’s capabilities command, such as supporting secured remote worker programs.”
A game changer in the world of sports, Michelle McKenna-Doyle leads the National Football League’s technology strategy. She also oversees shared service delivery and technology activities. She’s led projects spanning marketing, technology, business development, operations and finance. One thing she stresses as a leader is digital evolution through collaboration. “If you look at the shelf life of a CIO in an organization, it is often one of the shortest positions. I think that is because you typically drive change, and if you don’t drive it the right way collaboratively and coming from the point of view of your customer it is a recipe for a short job. You have to learn how to enable and not be a barrier to progress.”
9)Maya Leibman (Executive VP and CIO at American Airlines) – Take responsible risks.
Maya Leibman is in charge of all information technology systems at American Airlines. This includes systems development, infrastructure, operations, and strategy. She has led various pricing and yield management teams, technology systems and customer relationship management teams during her long career with the company. Leibman advises other leaders to mitigate risk while continuing to innovate and improve processes. In an interview with Business News Travel, she discussed her processes during the American Airlines merger with U.S. Airways. “Our thinking throughout this and what we were focused on was reducing risk. Every question that was posed and every decision we needed to make, we would ask, ‘Will this increase or reduce the risk associated with the entire program?’”
The Makings of a Female CIO
After hearing the wise words of so many visionary women leaders, you may be wondering what it takes to be a top CIO. To start, most women CIOs are well educated and are brilliant communicators. Half (51%) of women in information technology hold at least one advanced degree and 40% have MBAs. Despite high levels of education, a 2017 ISACA Survey found that women are still underrepresented and underpaid in the technology space.
These statistics only highlight the resiliency of the women in these roles, and they show that they aren’t afraid to take on new opportunities: Only 11% stayed at the same company for their entire careers.
It’s more than just IT
Women in information technology give back regularly: 40% of Fortune 500 women CIOs serve on a non-profit board or volunteer in other capacities. They also make time for hobbies like golf, reading, cooking, skiing, and travel.
These female tech leaders are intelligent and inspiring. By leveraging their unique skills, they have risen the ranks and succeeded in a male-dominated industry.
Even the most effective communicators benefit from commercial-grade VoIP phone service. Ensure your company can put its best foot forward using the most efficient business communications suite.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gaetano DiNardi
Gaetano DiNardi led demand generation at Nextiva and has a track record of success working with brands like Major League Baseball, Pipedrive, Sales Hacker, and Outreach.io. Outside of marketing, Gaetano is an accomplished music producer and songwriter. He’s worked with major artists like Fat Joe, Shaggy, and loves making music to stay turbocharged.
Effective communication in the workplace is essential — not only does it play a role in achieving your daily goals, but it has a significant impact on your career. You and your colleague’s business communication styles play an important part in successful collaboration. Understanding how you communicate and the communication styles of those around you is a game-changer. Communication is so much more than the words we speak. It includes our body language, non-verbal cues, and the behavior that follows our words. To effectively connect with those around you, it’s helpful to know the different communication styles. While no one style is inherently better than the other, picking the right style for the right audience is imperative. Let’s explore the four major communication styles here, and feel free to jump to our communication styles flowchart below.
Analytical communicators prefer to communicate with data rather than emotions. They are often great at forming solid arguments and making their points quickly and clearly. This business communication style is often very effective in a business environment, and these people often hold upper management positions. Analytical communicators can be seen as authoritative and informed as they often possess high levels of data and expertise. Analytical communicators:
Use logic rather than intuition.
They prefer to have specific, measurable evidence when making a point, often using numbers as evidence. This allows them to approach problems from a dispassionate point of view and can make them great decision-makers.
Are perceived as reliable and dependable.
Their reputation for making fact-based choices makes them a top candidate for honest feedback and unbiased opinions.
Can come off as cold.
An analytical communicator typically does not enjoy small talk and prefers to make their point known immediately. This is rarely personal and is just a part of how they interact.
How to Work With Them
When communicating with an analytical communicator, you should always include hard data, real numbers, and specific language. Try to keep feelings and emotions out of your argument and present information with facts. They may prefer written communication so that they can pour over the data presented. For example, rather than telling an analytical communicator that “sales are up this quarter,” give them an exact number. “Sales are up 5.8% this quarter” will elicit a much better response from this type of person.< When speaking with them, avoid beating around the bush and get straight to the point. Avoid any sort of cryptic language and ensure you are clear about what you want — the analytical communicator will thank you. Related: 15 Top Reputation Management Examples for Small Businesses
#2 Intuitive Communication Style
Intuitive communicators are essentially the opposite of analytical communicators. They prefer a more casual, big-picture approach to convey their points and appreciate when others do the same. Details aren’t as important to them, and they prefer out-of-the-box thinking. Intuitive communicators don’t need to hear things in linear order to understand concepts and prefer a broad overview instead. Intuitive communicators often:
Contribute big ideas.
Their creative, unconventional point of view allows them to come up with big, bold ideas. This makes them great for brainstorming sessions or creative meetings.
Prefer to use visuals.
Many intuitive communicators present visual examples when communicating, such as charts, diagrams or examples. This helps them illustrate the whole of an idea more easily. You could easily do this through a business phone app using the screen-sharing functionality.
Need to avoid distractions.
When interacting, they like to give a broad overview that excludes the minute details, which they find distracting. This can mean they have less patience for more detail-oriented tasks or conversations.
How to Work With Them
When working with an intuitive communicator, it’s important to take a step back from the details of a subject and get to the heart of an idea before connecting. They prefer to cut to the chase and may not appreciate step-by-step instructions. They tend to prefer in-person communication so they can grasp a concept faster. For example, rather than including all the details of a concept, you should try explaining why the concept is important and how it is connected in the grand scheme of things. You may need to send the details via email later.
#3 Functional Communication Style
Functional communicators like details, processes, timelines, and other well-thought-out plans. They want to ensure that no details are left out of any communications by laying out their thoughts in a linear manner. Contrary to the intuitive communicator, who would prefer to skip all the details and get to the end of a conversation, functional communicators will feel like they are missing context and important bits of information. Functional communicators often:
Ask a lot of questions.
They want to make sure they understand every detail of a plan or project and thrive in situations where they are allowed to ask questions freely.
Prefer completed plans.
They prefer step-by-step, completely laid-out processes. Before diving into a project, they will want to understand their responsibilities, expectations, and timelines.
Need consistent feedback.
Functional communicators value feedback and use it to improve over time. They enjoy seeing different perspectives to understand more about themselves and their work.
How to Work With Them
When working with a functional communicator, you should ensure that they have all the available information upfront. Giving them a written timeline or list of expectations before discussing a project gives them time to formulate questions. Answering these questions is important for their success. For example, instead of asking a functional communicator to come up with a big idea, allow them to be the implementer. Their attention to detail and process-driven thought patterns make them the perfect candidates to take action and carry out plans.
The personal communicator uses emotion and connection to understand the world around them. They value assessing how their co-workers think and feel and what they are motivated by. These people often prefer to have personal relationships with the people they work with in order to gauge what they are thinking. They are typically able to recognize non-verbal communication and read between the lines, especially when they know the person they are collaborating with. Personal communicators often:
Are seen as diplomatic.
They love to listen and are typically good at smoothing over conflicts. They are concerned about the health of their relationship, so will go out of their way to make sure everyone involved in a project or task feels heard.
Prefer to speak in person.
Given the nature of their emotional communication style, they often like to meet face-to-face in order to read non-verbal cues and ensure a genuine connection.
Communicate their feelings.
These people will let you know exactly how they feel and expect you to do the same. This can be seen as unprofessional to some, but an emotional connection helps them communicate effectively.
How to Work With Them
When working with a personal communicator, it’s important to establish a connection before diving into the details of a project. Use emotional language and consider asking them how they feel about certain opinions or decisions. For example, rather than approaching these people with data and hard numbers, you should take the time to let them into your thoughts. Discussing why you came to certain conclusions or use a certain process can make all the difference for personal communicators.
There’s No Better Time to Build Rapport
The key to a harmonious workplace is tailoring your verbal, non-verbal, and written communication to the audience at hand. If you’re meeting with your boss, who is an analytical thinker, perhaps it’s best to come prepared with hard data. If you’re preparing to email some constructive criticism to your coworker who is a personal communicator, consider setting up an in-person meeting instead. Learning to recognize different styles and training your employees to do the same can improve overall effectiveness and organization in the workplace. Use the flowchart below to figure out your business communication style!
Gaetano DiNardi led demand generation at Nextiva and has a track record of success working with brands like Major League Baseball, Pipedrive, Sales Hacker, and Outreach.io. Outside of marketing, Gaetano is an accomplished music producer and songwriter. He’s worked with major artists like Fat Joe, Shaggy, and loves making music to stay turbocharged.
Social engineering attacks exploit human behavior for malicious goals. These goals include stealing money, identities, and classified information. Social engineering can also be used to damage or destroy critical networks.
Impregnable fortresses, hyper-secure banks, and clandestine espionage agencies are vulnerable. What makes your company any different? How safe is your business against social engineering attacks?
Two in ten employees compromised their workstations in an experiment. This experiment involved ten types of penetration tests and 3,300 messages.
In the real world, a malicious campaign — Operation Sharpshooter — launched a massive attack against nearly a hundred organizations in 24 countries.
Social engineering uses non-technical methods such as behavioral manipulation for malicious goals. They are often carried out using communication channels such as SMS, email, chat, and social media. Hostile entities use social engineering to extract confidential information from unwitting personnel or to coerce someone to do a series of damaging actions. Unlike computer hacking, where an attacker exploits weaknesses in software design, social engineering involves the exploitation of human vulnerabilities. Social engineers target irrational behavior, cognitive biases, distractedness, and emotions. Related: VoIP Hacking: How It Works & How to Protect Your VoIP Phone
Examples of tactics social engineers use
Phishing is a common social engineering attack. “Phishers” use fraudulent email to steal sensitive data such as your credit card information. Sometimes, social media information is enough to orchestrate a social engineering attack.
What motivates these attackers?
Attacks are caused by greed, revenge, mischief/fun, monumental hacker ego, or advocacy. The goal of a social engineering attack can be any of these —
Social engineering attacks usually happen via a flexible four-step process. These steps may vary depending on the intel on hand, attack method, target’s vulnerability, and other factors.
The key steps of social engineering are —
1) Gather information
The first step is to set up the scenario and prepare all the resources you need for a successful attack. Information gathering might be time-consuming but it is the most crucial element. Practitioners use a wide variety of tools to gather relevant information. This includes website crawlers for third-party services, search engines for social profiles, etc.
2) Build relationship
Here, the attacker attempts to establish rapport with a human target. The target may trust the attacker enough to perform a desired action or even execute the final goal. We’re talking about transferring funds to a bank account, opt-in using a credit card, etc. Relationship-building may occur in person or via email, SMS, phone, or social media messages.
3) Exploit weakness
Once the attacker builds enough trust, it becomes easier to infiltrate the system. Exploitation may be in the form of voluntary disclosure or the target launching a secure portal for the attacker. The target may also open an email attachment to install malware or introduce the attacker to others for sabotage.
4) Execute attack
This final step implements the sequence of direct actions to infiltrate the target. It may also include an exit strategy to blind or distract targets. After the attack, they may remove any clues tracing back to the attacker.
Different Types And Techniques Of Social Engineering Attacks
There are four main types of social engineering attacks — phishing, smishing, vishing, and impersonation. However, the mechanics have evolved over time, and several specialized techniques exist to execute an attack.
Impersonation
This is the oldest form of social engineering attack. Ancient spies wore local disguises to access strategic positions or acquire information. The $28-million diamond theft at ABN Amro is an example of impersonation. Social engineers may pose as delivery or postal service personnel to enter an office. Once inside, they can gather information, plant malware, or steal confidential data.
Phishing
Usually delivered via email. Phishers deceive targets into visiting a fake website or installing malware. They then enter sensitive information such as account passwords and credit card numbers. Phishing has become the most frequently used technique in social engineering. Social engineers use a domain that resembles a legitimate site. They create fake websites and email addresses. For example, “goggle.com” may be used instead of “google.com”).
Security journalist David Bisson said most phishing attacks have the following characteristics:
The email appears to come from a trustworthy source, such as your bank, cable TV provider, or tech support.
Aims to obtain personal data such as addresses and social security numbers
The main goal is to steal identity or money
Link shorteners such as bit.ly to conceal fake websites;
Suspicious URLs (wrong spelling, strange punctuation marks, inaccurate domain extensions, etc. ) that lead to fake websites
Has warnings, emergencies, or cash prizes to manipulate the target’s emotions
May use attachments with malware
Spear phishing describes a phishing attack aimed at a specific target. Whaling is a phishing attack that targets a person with a high corporate position.
Vishing
This refers to phishing attacks that use the telephone (voice + phishing). Vishers use voice changers and other tools to impersonate a trusted individual. They steal social security numbers, employee ID numbers, passwords, and other sensitive information.
SMiShing
This is a combination of SMS and phishing. Fake SMS messages are used to trick recipients into visiting a fraudulent website, downloading malware, or calling a fake phone number. Social engineers use fake prizes, sensational news, and other bait to steal sensitive information. Now’s the best time to create and update your business continuity plan. See how.
Spear phishing
This is a phishing attack that targets a specific individual. Spear phishers gather open-source information about a target, such as a name, job, location, and hobbies. This delivers a higher success rate compared to ordinary phishing attacks.
Whaling
This phishing attack targets “big phish” such as executives and leaders. Social engineers research the corporate leader before the actual attack. Whaling attacks cause huge damage because high-level leaders have access to trade secrets.
Baiting
This technique uses flashy tricks. Baiters use web pop-ups and USB flash drives that are “left behind by accident.” Pop-ups usually display clickbaits linked to fraudulent websites. Suspicious devices sometimes contain malware that can hijack your systems.
Pretexting
This refers to a technique that sets up ideal scenario for an attack. Social engineers use pretexting to steal money and identity. Social engineers act like trustworthy professionals. But they plan to steal sensitive info such as social security and bank account numbers.
Scareware
This technique exploits people’s emotions. It uses shock, emergency, or threat messaging. A message can claim that a powerful virus has infected your desktop computer or your smartphone. You then make the mistake of running malware to scan your system.
Scammers pack scareware messages with phishing programs. They also use ransomware that grabs control of your computer/data. Targets end up paying money just to regain control of their devices.
Water holing
Denotes the behavior of animals that gather around a water source. It targets a particular user group and attacks the websites they commonly visit. Malware can spread like wildfire across the group and infect the entire network. Attacks of this type can shut down entire government agencies and corporate departments.
Diversion theft
This technique resembles impersonation. It is a trick that targets transport, shipment, or delivery companies. Social engineers may re-route or alter the goods being delivered. An alteration may include installing malware or spyware in electronic products. Physical rerouting usually ends in traditional theft. Social engineers use an accomplice in cyberspace to convince a target to share sensitive data.
Quid pro quo
This is also a form of impersonation. As the term implies, the core idea is to exchange something for something. Quid pro quo attackers usually target businesses with many employees. They begin by “helping” one employee. After gaining trust, attackers then convince the beholden employee to take action. Such actions often compromise system security.
Honey trap
This technique plays on human emotions by focusing on sex and romance. Attackers pose as very attractive persons on social media and dating sites. They can also be found on adult-oriented websites. Attackers use charm, sex appeal, or blackmail to get personal data and financial information.
Tailgating
Also called “piggybacking.” Attackers access restricted areas or confidential data by “tailgating” authorized personnel. For example, attackers disguised as tech support can convince an executive to access the company’s confidential data.
Rogue Access Point
This technique uses WiFi. Attackers exploit the demand for internet connection by seeking or creating rogue access points. These access points can be used to steal personal data, install the malware in connected devices, and even start a DoS attack.
Real-world Examples Of Social Engineering Attacks
Security leader Aura published a types social engineering attacks to be on the lookout for. Here are some of the most interesting:
Hack of AP’s Twitter account by the Syrian Electronic Army
In 2013, the Syrian Electronic Army attacked employees of the Associated Press. Attackers used spear-phishing emails and fake websites. Employees entered login data for the news agency’s Twitter account on the fake website. The Syrian Electronic Army gained access to the account. It tweeted that the White House had been bombed and that then-president Obama was injured. The tweet was live for three minutes. But it shook the markets, and the Dow lost around $136 billion.
Sony Pictures Hack
North Korea’s cyber army hacked Sony Pictures because of a film about the country’s leader. In the film (The Interview), the leader is the target of an assassination attempt. The phishing attack used information from LinkedIn and Apple ID to steal passwords. Attackers used the stolen passwords to steal 100 terabytes of data from Sony.
Theft of Democratic National Convention (DNC) Emails by Russia/Wikileaks
Russian hackers breached the DNC email network. They stole 150,000 confidential emails from the Clinton campaign. The attackers used a spear phishing email that appeared to come from Google. The email contained a link to a fake site where victims shared their login info. The incident is still subject to ongoing investigations.
How To Prevent Social Engineering Attacks
There’s no foolproof security solution for a system that includes a human element. If social engineers can break into AP News, Sony Pictures, and the Democratic Party, how safe is your company? Not very much. But you can still drive awareness and prepare for such attacks. Human error can be mitigated. Here are some steps you should consider. (courtesy of Social Engineer LLC and Fossbytes):
Improve awareness and knowledge about the threat (social engineering) and its different forms.
Encourage personnel to screen messages they receive on computers and mobile devices.
Clarify your protocols on social engineering attacks. Integrate such protocols into the overall policy on information security and data protection.
Educate staff about cyber security. Train them how to counter each type of social engineering attack.
Train staff on how to improve their emotional intelligence. Build their resistance to social engineering attacks.
Encourage staff to to ask colleagues and tech support when they are unsure about an issue.
Protect computers and other devices using updated anti-virus and other security software.
Have an accessible, centralized, and updated knowledge base on social engineering.
Conclusion
The threat of social engineering intensifies as the world becomes more digital. Regardless of size or industry, no business or organization is exempt from the threat. Even the most tech-savvy professionals can still get blindsided and make a grave error. Amid this environment, companies need to adopt the best security solutions and build a culture of vigilance. Today, Chief Information Officers (CIOs) develop rigorous prevention and detection programs to limit risks to technical systems and human operations. At the heart of every company is data worth safeguarding, which ultimately protects the company as a whole.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Reaburn
Chris Reaburn is the Chief of Strategic Execution at Nextiva. Known as "Reaburn" by friends/family, he is responsible for championing Nextiva's brand and products into the market in support of the company's vision to change the way businesses around the world work and serve their customers. With his previous leadership roles in the communications industry…
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