Learn How to Take Your Office With You Wherever You Go by Forwarding Calls

Rare is the professional who never leaves the office, especially salesmen. Generally speaking, the higher one moves up the career ladder, the more mobile one must become. Meetings, seminars, conferences, appointments – the list runs on. This obviously poses a problem when the number on your business card has only your desk phone. However, even with a cell phone, call forwarding can make a world of difference.

This is doubly true in regards to a frequently travelling professional. Whether you travel once a month or three times a week, having access to remotely manage your home office communications systems can play a vital role in your productivity and performance.

Catch me where you can. Many professionals don’t want their cell phone known to anyone with an inkling to call; forwarding calls to one’s cell phone is a different matter entirely. Because the caller doesn’t see what number it is being transferred to, this makes the find me/follow me options ideal.  These are two separate features, allowing the user to have multiple numbers simultaneously ring from one incoming call (generally to the desk) and have multiple phones ring in a pre-determined  sequence in an attempt to find you.

If not me, then who? In addition to finding you, these forwarding options can enable any phone to ring from any other incoming call. That sounds confusing, so let’s explain in more detail. Your main number is 1-800-WHO-AM-I, and this generally rings to Bob’s desk phone. Bob is the owner, but is on vacation. These options allow Bob’s cell phone to ring at the same time as the desk phone from the incoming call. Moreover, if Bob doesn’t answer his phone (which he doesn’t – he’s touring the Taj Mahal in India) Joe’s desk phone will ring. (Joe is Bob’s assistant.) In the event that Joe doesn’t answer by the third ring, Ichabod’s cell phone will ring. (We don’t know Ichabod’s position, but there can only be two generic titles and names before it becomes a boring read.) Having all of these phones pre-programmed, it nearly guarantees someone will answer. Unless everyone’s golfing together with Immanuel and no one’s answering their cell phone. There’s no option for avoiding that, and Bob’s still on vacation so he can’t, either.

Going global. While in India, Bob makes some international contacts and decides to grow his business globally. Bob can also use forwarding options to obtain a local number presence to Calcutta – or wherever else. The Indian number will transfer to an American number (1-800 WHO-AM-I is based in Chicago) which eliminates Indians from having to call an international number. Moreover, it gives you a local number, so when you’re making calls to India, it doesn’t show up as an unusual number to them.

Mixing it up. The best part is that all of these can be mixed together. So is Bob’s global partners call him for an order, and Bob is in L.A., he can answer his cell phone – even though they called his Indian number, which transferred to his desk number – and then to his cell. Reciprocally, If Bob is in New York visiting the statue of Liberty, Bob can call Calcutta and confirm shipment – and it appears as if he’s calling from a local Indian number.

While we understand not everyone is lucky enough to visit India and the Taj Mahal, the practicality and usage is no less important. If you never leave the United States, or even your city, these options are every bit as beneficial as if you were a frequent international traveler. Ultimately, the ability to be reached when someone calls – especially an important client – can significantly increase productivity and help grow your business… and that’s what matters.