5 Business Travel Tips That Keep Communication Open While You’re Away

You don’t have to disconnect from your office when traveling to see clients or attending an important trade show convention. You can keep your business communications open 24-hours to stay in the loop while traveling nationally or internationally. In this article, we want to bring you the top 5 business travel tips for staying connected with your office while away on a business trip.   

Our Business Travel Tips:

1.) Telephone Messaging Services

A telephone messaging service will help you streamline your business communications while you’re away. Voicemail is a thing of the past; no one wants to leave a message at the beep anymore. In fact, “67% of customers hang up on a phone connection out of frustration they could not talk to a real person.”

Nowadays, you can forward your office phone and cell phone to a digital call center that will greet your callers 24/7 for as low as $20 a month ($0.45 per call). A real person will answer all of your calls and take detailed messages for immediate delivery to you wherever you are. 

Hire a telephone messaging service that offers 100% customization features to benefit from the following types of call transactions:

• • Pre-screening of all callers to distinguish the best way of organizing and forwarding each telephone message.

• • Highly detailed caller greetings and simplified explanations of your travel plans and expected return date.

• • A specific procedure for forwarding your VIP and emergency call messages according to your exact specifications.

Humanize your brand and provide top-level customer service by having a virtual receptionist on standby to assist your callers when you’re out of the country or state. 

***Click here to learn more about telephone messaging services.

2.) Virtual Receptionist Services

When you’re traveling for business, you step into bubbles of uncertainty when it comes to staying in touch with your office; especially when traveling abroad. Will your hotel’s Wi-Fi be fast enough? Will the different time zones effect the way you communicate with colleagues? Will your cell phone lose service and send important calls to voicemail? 

The beauty of having a virtual receptionist is that you can tackle the most common communication issues with ease and confidence. You’ll have a team that is providing you telephone coverage all day, every day. You can train your new virtual receptionist to field your callers’ frequently asked questions and inquiries.    

A virtual receptionist acts just like an in-house receptionist but at a fraction of the cost. Traveling executives and employees love our service because we allow you to continue going about business as usual when out of the office. While you’re temporarily out of the office on business, virtual receptionists are able to field your calls and provide you detailed summaries of the daily activity.

Here’s an example of how different your telephone call inquiries can be if you outsourced your calls while away on business.

Example 1:      A Voicemail Message on Your Cell Phone

“Hi John, this is Leslie with ABC Group. Please give me a call when you get this message at (123) 456-7890. Thanks.” 

Example 2:      The Same Message Using a Virtual Receptionist

Caller Name: Leslie Johnson

Company:       ABC Group

Tele No:         (123) 456-7890

Email:             LJohnson@email.com

Message:       Met you at last week’s charity auction. Wants to discuss your company purchasing a table at the next charity banquet. You can email her when you get back into town.  

Which telephone message would you rather receive while traveling on business? Example 1, a simple voicemail, may seem very mysterious if you don’t recall meeting Leslie with ABC Group. Example 2 shows you how a detailed phone message can make a huge difference in the priority you place on your callback.

Our top business travel tip is to make leaving and returning to your normal business routines as easy as possible with the help of a virtual receptionist. 

3.) Real-Time Scheduling Services

If you’ve never known the joys of having a scheduling assistant while traveling, this benefit is going to have you excited to forward your calls. A virtual scheduling assistant is able to monitor and handle your appointment calendar in real-time for you. Are you wasting your production time scheduling follows ups and trying to keep your entire team in the loop of your travel schedule? Let’s see how a scheduling team can help you while you’re out of the office on business (or even when you’re on vacation).

Here’s how it works:

1. Real-Time Calendar Access

Our state of the art technology and software syncs us up to your calendar.

2. 100% Customization Process

You teach us how you want your calendar managed. This includes your office hours, preferred meeting time availability and schedule details like when you will be returning from your business trip. 

3. Forwarding Your Calls  

You forward your office and mobile telephone lines to our digital call center for 24/7 phone coverage.

4. Scheduling Assistant 

We answer your calls and schedule or cancel appointments according to your exact specifications. After your calendar is updated, we will send you an email or sms text message of the new or canceled appointment. 

5. Internal Team

A virtual scheduling assistant is off-site but is able to provide on-site like services. Allow us to interact with your internal team by keeping them updated with your travel agenda and notifying specific employees of travel plan changes, etc. 

4.) Constant Update and Check-In Services

After a 10+ hour plane ride, you don’t want to be forced to make/return multiple phone messages you received while in the air. Hiring a virtual receptionist allows you to detach from some of the administrative tasks you’re faced with while traveling on business.

You will save an incredible amount of production time with a virtual receptionist as you will receive all of your detailed phone messages via text or email. This method of delivery gives you the freedom and control needed to prioritize your demanding schedule while traveling.

Make just one outgoing phone call to have a message or update relayed to all of your callers. Make just one outgoing phone call to discuss your daily agenda and scheduled meetings. It really saves you time, energy and money when you have a professional communication expert handling your lines while out of the office.  

5.) Multi Time Zone Wake Up Calls

Since our virtual receptionist team never sleeps, we’re the perfect solution for your national and international wakeup calls. Customize your account and request a wakeup call from your virtual receptionist at a specific time.

We will provide you a reliable and efficient wakeup call and can even callback if you prefer to snooze us. Either way, you will be awake when you need to be. Your virtual assistant can either deliver an inspirational quote to get you pumped to start your day; or, remind you of the first appointment on your calendar. 

Traveling Soon? Need Help With These Business Travel Tips? We Have You Covered!

A Courteous Communications has been providing call messaging and handling services since 1986. In our 3 decades of operation, we have streamlined the process for activating your account with us. Some accounts can be activated within hours of hiring our virtual receptionists.  

Go ahead, give us a call at 1-800-785-6161 to start the conversation with an account specialist to discuss your upcoming business travel plans and how we can help. 

We hope these special business travel tips have given you an idea of how a virtual receptionist team can keep your communications open while you’re away. We here at A Courteous Communications wish you successful and safe travels for your next business trip plans.