We are delighted to share that for the second consecutive year, Kendlebell has been awarded the title of ‘Service Franchise of the Year (B2B & B2C)’ at the 2023 Irish Franchise Association Awards. This prestigious award further highlights Kendlebell’s position as the leading provider of customer contact solutions for SMEs in Ireland.
Gerry Delaney, Managing Director, Kendlebell Kimmage, said, “at Kendlebell Kimmage, we take great pride in providing the best service possible to each and every one of our clients. This award recognises the hard work and dedication that our team put into providing quality customer service solutions.”
“The Irish Franchise Association Awards are the largest event for the franchising industry in Ireland. To be recognised as ‘Service Franchise of the Year’ is a great honour and is testament to the hard work and dedication of our team members.”
Winners of The Irish Franchise Association Awards are chosen by an established independent adjudication panel, which is chaired by Irish businessman and entrepreneur, Bobby Kerr.
Gobnait Collins, Operations Director, Kendlebell Kimmage, said “Kendlebell winning this award further cements our position as the leading provider of outsourced customer service solutions in Ireland. Since we established Kendlebell Kimmage in 2007, we have assisted hundreds of clients, both in Ireland and overseas.”
Kendlebell Kimmage provides cost-effective customer service solutions such as phone answering, virtual phone numbers and virtual reception services. In today’s world of hybrid and fully-remote working environments, more businesses than ever before are engaging with Kendlebell Kimmage to assist with back-office operations.
As an Irish Franchise Association member, Kendlebell meets best practice standards required and subscribes to the European Code of Ethics on franchising. Our membership provides our clients with complete peace of mind that when they work with Kendlebell, they can expect the assistance of highly-skilled and highly-trained customer service personnel who will represent their business in a professional manner.
Are you looking for cost-effective solutions to your back-office functions? Here at Kendlebell Kimmage, we can assist by providing telephone answering services, virtual phone numbers and virtual reception services. Contact us today to find out more and to arrange your free 7-day trial of our telephone answering service.
Today’s fast-paced business world demands prompt and efficient service for your customers. An effective way to achieve this is by using a phone answering service.
Phone answering services provide valuable assistance to both businesses and their customers by providing quick and friendly customer service, improving customer satisfaction and loyalty, and reducing operational costs. Here are a few ways a phone answering service can improve customer interactions and why they’re essential for any successful business.
How phone answering services improve customer interactions
Improved Customer Service: A phone answering service can help to improve customer service by providing a live person to answer calls during business hours. This allows customers to get the information they need in a prompt manner and may help to reduce the number of abandoned calls.
Increased Sales: A phone answering service can also help increase sales by providing support for sales and marketing initiatives. Agents can handle inbound calls from potential customers and provide information about products and services. They can also make outbound calls to follow up on leads and close sales.
Reduced Operating Costs: Phone answering services can help businesses save money by reducing operating costs. Services are typically offered at a flat monthly rate, which can be much less expensive than hiring additional staff to answer phones. In addition, many providers offer 24/7 coverage, which can further reduce costs.
The benefits of having a phone answering service
There are many benefits of having a phone answering service. Perhaps the most obvious is that it can help to improve customer interactions. This is because when customers call a business, they will often be greeted by a friendly and professional voice. This can aid in making them feel more valued as customers and may encourage them to do business with the company again in the future.
Another benefit of having a phone answering service is that it can help businesses to save money. This is because they will no longer need to employ someone specifically to answer calls during office hours. Instead, they can outsource this task to an external provider. This can be a particularly cost-effective option for small businesses that may not have the budget to hire additional staff.
Finally, a phone answering service can also help businesses to improve their efficiency. This is because all calls will be handled promptly and efficiently, meaning that customers will not have to wait around for someone to answer. This can help to improve overall customer satisfaction levels and could lead to more repeat business in the future.
This services have revolutionised customer interactions for businesses, as they enable businesses to offer 24/7 service and provide a friendly and knowledgeable voice for customers who need help or have questions.
Additionally, it reduces the amount of time spent dealing with mundane tasks so that employees can focus on more important work, like providing quality customer support. And lastly, it can also be used as an emergency backup in case your business experiences an influx of calls during peak hours. With all these benefits, it is clear why investing in a phone answering service could be beneficial for any company looking to improve its customer experience.
Are you looking for cost-effective solutions to your back-office functions? Here at Kendlebell Kimmage, we can assist by providing telephone answering services, virtual phone numbers and virtual offices. Contact us today to find out more and to arrange your free 7-day trial of our telephone answering service.
Finances are one of the most important aspects of running a business, but even so, business owners frequently make mistakes that can cost them in the long run. Whether it’s failing to pay taxes, mismanaging expenses, or failing to have enough capital to keep operations running, these errors can lead to serious problems down the road.
Businesses frequently wear multiple hats, juggling duties such as sales, marketing, operations, and finances. While this can be a great way to cut costs, it can also lead to financial management errors. Here are five common financial mistakes made by small business owners, as well as tips on how to avoid them.
5 Common Mistakes Business Owners Make with Their Finances
Managing finances can be challenging for many business owners. However, there are some common mistakes that business owners make that can negatively impact their business’s financial health. Here are five of the most common mistakes business owners make with their finances.
Not Knowing Their Numbers
Keeping accurate and up-to-date financial records is crucial for any business, yet many business owners struggle with this important task. Failure to keep an accurate financial record can lead to several problems, including overspending, not being able to keep track of expenses, and not being able to make informed financial decisions.
Not Having a Budget
Another common mistake that business owners make is not creating a budget. Without a budget, it’s difficult to know how much money you have coming in and going out, which can lead to overspending and cash flow problems. To avoid this mistake, it’s important to create a budget that includes projected income and expenses for the upcoming year. This budget should be reviewed regularly to ensure that it’s accurate and to make any necessary adjustments.
Not Tracking Their Spending
Business owners may have a general idea of how much they spend on overheads, but may be unaware of how much they spend on other expenses such as marketing or employee salaries. It’s difficult to make informed decisions about where to cut costs or how to allocate resources if you don’t know where your money is going. Tracking spending is critical for making sound financial decisions and staying on track financially.
Not Diversifying Their Income Streams
Diversifying your income streams entails having multiple revenue streams coming into your company. This could include product sales, services, consulting, advertising, affiliate marketing, and other activities. The key is to have a variety of sources so that if one goes dry, you have others to fall back on. This will assist in keeping your company afloat and reduce the risk of financial hardship.
Not seeking professional advice
Finally, many business owners make the mistake of failing to seek professional financial advice. Many experts can help you manage your finances more effectively, whether it is an accountant, a financial advisor, or a business coach. These experts can assist you in developing a budget, tracking your expenses, and making sound financial decisions that will help your business thrive.
It’s extremely important for business owners to be mindful of their finances. Managing the finances of your business can be a complex and time-consuming task. To make things simpler it is suggested to outsource the accounting and bookkeeping services to professionals that have the knowledge and experience to handle the finances of your business.
Are you looking for cost-effective solutions to your back-office functions? Here at Kendlebell Kimmage, we can assist by providing telephone answering services, virtual phone numbers and virtual offices. Contact us today to find out more and to arrange your free 7-day trial of our telephone answering service.
A virtual business address is a physical address that can be used for business purposes, but does not belong to or is not operated by the company. Virtual business addresses can be used to receive mail and packages, and provide the business’s physical location on Google Maps and other online directories.
There are numerous advantages to using a virtual business address, such as having a professional presence in multiple locations, increased privacy and security, and lower overhead costs.
The different types of virtual business addresses
With the growing popularity of remote work, virtual business addresses are becoming an essential tool for businesses of all sizes. There are several types of virtual business addresses available, each with its own unique benefits. Here are the most common types of virtual business addresses:
- A physical address that receives mail and packages but does not have a storefront or office space attached to it.
- A virtual office address, which includes access to a meeting room and other business facilities, but is not a physical location.
- A co-working space, which is a shared work environment that members of a community or organisation can use.
The benefits of having a virtual business address
The modern business environment is dynamic and highly competitive. Businesses have been able to achieve new levels of success by leveraging the power of virtual solutions since the advent of online technologies. A virtual business address is one such solution that has grown in popularity in recent years. It has numerous advantages over a physical office or other traditional means of communication. These advantages include improved customer service, increased flexibility, increased scalability, lower overhead costs, and more. Running a business often requires a physical address for official correspondence and to establish a professional presence.
A virtual business address can provide an affordable and practical solution. Here are some of the numerous benefits.
The most obvious of having a virtual business address is that it can help your company save money on office rental fees. A virtual business address gives you more flexibility and mobility because you are not tied to a physical location. This is especially useful for companies with multiple locations or employees who work remotely.
Another key benefit is that it can help to build and maintain a professional image for your business. Having a professional mailing address can lend credibility to your brand and make you appear more polished and established than if you were using a personal residential address. This can be vital for businesses that rely heavily on online interactions with clients or customers.
Finally, a virtual business address can provide you with access to a wider range of services than what is typically available in a physical office space. For instance, many virtual office providers offer support staff, meeting rooms, and other amenities that can be useful for businesses of all sizes.
Having a virtual business address can be an invaluable asset for any business. Not only does it help with organisation and streamlining operations, but it also provides you with the opportunity to establish your presence in areas where you may not be able to have a physical office or store. Furthermore, by utilising a virtual address as part of your branding strategy, you’ll be able to increase customer trust and recognition while expanding your reach within the digital world.
With a virtual business address, you can maintain a professional image, receive mail and packages from anywhere in the world, and have access to additional services that can enhance your business operations.
Are you looking for cost-effective solutions to your back-office functions? Here at Kendlebell Kimmage, we can assist by providing telephone answering services, virtual phone numbers and virtual offices. Contact us today to find out more and to arrange your free 7-day trial of our telephone answering service.
Having a team with great customer service skills is something that is vital to the continued success of your business. Polished customer service skills have the ability to convert a potential client or customer into a lifelong supporter of your business or brand. When it comes to your business, it is recommended that any team members that are interacting with customers have been highly trained in customer service.
What is considered great customer service?
How can your business become known for great customer service? Firstly, you need to consistently meet the needs and expectations of your customers, in a timely and efficient manner. Companies that do this best have usually taken the time to try and understand their customers. Understanding who your customers are and what they need will allow you and your team to be empathetic and informed when responding to their queries.
Top Customer Service Skills
With customer expectations continuing to rise, how can you stand out from your competitors and provide the best customer service possible? These are the top customer service skills that you and your team should be focusing on…
Empathy
In order for your staff to be able to empathise with customers, they need to have empathy. Having empathy will allow staff to put themselves in the shoes of their customers or clients and see things from their point of view.
Confidence
Confident staff help to put your customers at ease and make them feel that they are in the best hands possible. The more confidence your customers have in you, the more trust they will have in you and your team. Empower your team on a daily basis to help their confidence grow.
Good Listening Skills
To be able to understand a client or customer’s concerns, staff must possess good listening skills. Training up your staff on listening skills can benefit not only your customer communications but also the internal communications of your business.
Patience
Patience is a virtue and when it comes to customer service, it’s essential. From time to time your team may have to engage with frustrated customers. When this happens, it is vital that staff remain calm, patient and focused.
Problem Solving Skills
To be able to solve customer queries and problems, staff must possess many of the customer service skills that we have already mentioned, such as listening, patience and empathy. Staff must also be given the tools that they need to solve problems, such as how to use software, where to find the answer to a customer query or what the correct company policies and protocols are for different situations. For this reason, a high level of training for all staff is extremely important.
Positive Attitude
Having a team full of positive and optimistic people is invaluable when it comes to being able to provide great customer service. Customers will pick up on this positivity via any engagement they have with your team, whether that’s in person, over email or via a telephone conversation.
Good Communication Skills
The last thing you want when trying to meet the expectations of your customers is for things to get lost in translation. For this reason, you should ensure that your team is able to communicate in a clear and calm way, with each other and with customers. Consider introducing communication skills training for your team to help with both in-person and written customer engagements.
Are you looking for cost-effective solutions to your back-office functions? Here at Kendlebell Kimmage, we can assist by providing telephone answering services, virtual phone numbers and virtual offices. Contact us today to find out more and to arrange your free 7-day trial.
Inbound customer service refers to when a customer or client calls your business and speaks with a representative. Usually, this type of customer service is a form of support which helps customers to resolve an issue, access a service or find the answer to a specific question.
Inbound customer service usually works best when customers are provided with one point of contact i.e. a single phone number. Upon calling the phone number, customers will be put in contact with an experienced representative or agent, who is highly trained and fully capable of answering any query they may have.
Why use Inbound Customer Service?
There are many reasons that your business should be using inbound customer service. First, and most importantly, inbound customer service allows you to provide assistance to your customers and clients.
In order to be able to hear about any problems facing your customers, and be able to solve them, you must have a team of representatives on hand who can listen, give advice and provide solutions.
Having a highly skilled inbound customer service team will also give you the opportunity to leave a positive impression on your customers. The smoother the inbound customer service experience is for your customers, the more of a chance your company has to gain referrals and retain your current customer base.
Benefits of using Inbound Customer Service
Are you still considering an inbound customer service strategy for your business? In addition to enhancing the customer experience, there are a number of other benefits of using inbound customer service, which we will run through below.
Manage high call volumes
Using an inbound call answering service will allow you to manage high call volumes, without experiencing a loss in the quality of the customer experience. Staff at inbound call centres are highly trained in this area and are always ready to deal with high call volumes.
Expert teams will leave a good impression
Using inbound call answering teams who are highly experienced in customer satisfaction, will ensure that your customers are left happy following any interactions they have.
Solve customer queries easily
Should you choose to use an inbound call answering service, you will be guaranteed peace of mind when it comes to the speed at which customer problems or queries are solved. Inbound customer service teams are experts when it comes to customer service, communicating over the phone and problem-solving, enabling them to assist your customers in an efficient manner, no matter what the query.
No additional employee training required
Outsourcing your inbound customer service means you don’t need to worry about finding bigger premises or upskilling your current workforce. For this reason, using an inbound call answering service such as Kendlebell Kimmage is an extremely cost-effective option if you are thinking about adopting an inbound customer service offering.
Are you looking for cost-effective solutions to your back-office functions? Here at Kendlebell Kimmage, we can assist by providing telephone answering services, virtual phone numbers and virtual offices. Contact us today to find out more and to arrange your free 7-day trial.
Consistently providing great customer service can help you not only retain your current customers but also attract new business and grow your customer base. When we talk about customer service, this can mean everything from helping a customer in your store or office, to solving a problem over webchat and answering a query over the phone. Whatever way you and your team engage with customers and clients, having great customer service skills is imperative to the reputation of your business.
Great Customer Service Tips
How can you ensure that the customer service you provide is consistently meeting the expectations of your customer base? The needs and wants of customers are continuing to change and it’s important that you and your team are able to cater to them. Providing customer service skills training for your team is just one step towards giving your customers the best service possible.
So, what else can you do? These are our top customer service skills that we recommend employing if you want to have a happy and loyal customer base…
Respond in a timely manner
One sure way to have great customer service is to be timely and efficient in your responses to customers. Bringing in a company-wide policy, such as responding to all queries within 24 hours, will ensure consistent responses to all customer queries, across the board.
Be friendly
As the old saying goes, ‘people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ Employing a friendly manner in all customer interactions will result in happy and satisfied customers. Even in stressful situations, remaining positive and friendly will go a long way toward reassuring and calming the customer.
Know your service or product
Do you know your product or service inside out? Having unrivalled knowledge of your business is extremely important if you want to be able to provide your customers with the best service possible. It will also enable you to answer any queries and solve any problems that a customer might have.
Know your customer base
How well do you know your customers? What you think your customers want and what they actually want, might be completely different. Take the time to get to know your customer base, whether that’s through surveys, on social media or by asking questions in person.
The Kendlebell Kimmage team possesses the communication skills, expertise and technology to provide unrivalled service for all clients we work with. As of 2022, we are proud to be currently working with over 200 clients.
Follow ups
Following up with your customers at a later date is a guaranteed way to exceed their expectations and provide great customer service. Ask them what their experience was like. Did they find your team to be helpful? Did they enjoy the service or product? Taking the time to do these quick follow-ups is a nice way to let your customers know that you value their business and their feedback.
Are you looking for cost-effective solutions to your back-office functions? Here at Kendlebell Kimmage, we can assist by providing telephone answering services, virtual phone numbers and virtual offices. Contact us today to find out more and to arrange your free 7-day trial.
This month marks 15 years since Kendlebell Kimmage was established. While recent years have been somewhat trying, overall we have had 15 happy and successful years to date, none of which would be made possible without our fantastic, hardworking team and our loyal clients.
As we celebrate the achievement of 15 years in business, we also wanted to take some time to reflect and look back on our business journey. Read on below to take a trip down memory lane with us…
Where it all began…
Kendlebell Kimmage is very much a family business and was established in 2007 by Gerry Delaney and Gobnait Collins. Having both come from accountancy backgrounds, Gerry and Gobnait both felt that the business model of the Kendlebell franchise intersected well with their career history. This is how Kendlebell Kimmage was born.
The Challenges…
Kendlebell Kimmage was established in 2007, right before the crash. As a new business in startup mode, this was unfortunate timing for us. From a financial and business perspective, this was a huge challenge. However, we did everything required to keep the business afloat and managed to come out the other side.
The Kendlebell Kimmage team…
Now a team of 10, the Kendlebell Kimmage workforce are a tight-knit unit that has developed great relationships with each other over the years. Our team makes it a priority to stay in regular contact with all Kendlebell Kimmage clients. This ensures that they know our clients well and are aware of what calls and tasks take precedence.
In recent years, we always looked forward to welcoming international interns to our office, all the way from Florida USA. As our team returns to the office over the coming months, we are looking forward to our intern programme becoming a reality once again.
Our Clients…
Having worked with an impressive list of over 600 clients, we pride ourselves on the personal service and high level of attention we offer to each of our clients. We are tremendously proud of how much new business we secure from word of mouth and glowing references. Over the past 15 years, we have worked with clients such as Siemens, Sherry Fitzgerald, Swim Ireland and CleanWater.ie.
The Kendlebell Kimmage team possesses the communication skills, expertise and technology to provide unrivalled service for all clients we work with. As of 2022, we are proud to be currently working with over 200 clients.
Our Future…
What do the next 15 years look like for Kendlebell Kimmage? We are looking forward to welcoming the Kendlebell Kimmage team back to the office. We will endeavour to work hard to grow our client base and our team, and of course, continue to provide unrivalled service for our clients. From all of us, thank you to everyone who has made the last 15 years possible!
Are you looking for cost-effective solutions to your back-office functions? Here at Kendlebell Kimmage, we can assist by providing telephone answering services, virtual phone numbers and virtual offices. Contact us today to find out more and to arrange your free 7 day trial.
As Kendlebell Kimmage approaches 15 years in business, we sat down with our Managing Director and Co-Founder, Gerry Delaney, to find out more about his career journey to date, plans for the future and how Kendlebell Kimmage can assist businesses that have adopted new working models.
With new ways of working in the post-covid era, how can Kendlebell help businesses?
We are definitely seeing many larger type organisations that are now looking at hybrid, or fully remote, working models for the future. Obviously, many of these large companies would previously have had receptionists or someone who did meet and greet. That type of thing no longer exists in a lot of companies, but they still need calls answered and fielded in the instance that they no longer have receptionists or front desk staff. This is where we can step in and assist and fill that gap.
Our inbound call answering service is manned from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday, including lunchtime. This ‘always on’ service gives the company owners the reassurance that Kendlebell Kimmage will endeavour to capture incoming calls and business opportunities on their behalf. Our staff are highly trained so all of our clients know that they will be represented in a professional manner, which adds extra peace of mind.
What has been your biggest challenge in business to date?
Definitely the crash in 2008. We had just gone into business in 2007 and everything was going quite well. Even though we were only in startup mode, we were actually getting quite a lot of clients. And then all of a sudden the crash hit and from a financial and a business perspective, it was probably the biggest challenge we’ve had to deal with since we started. But you know, we came through it. We tightened up our belts and learned a lot about running the business and holding onto the clients that we had, even though we did lose quite a lot.
Are there any challenges facing the industry at present?
From speaking with some of the other offices, I know that staffing is a big issue facing the industry at the moment. We are not currently recruiting but I know it’s something that others in the industry are finding a challenge.
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever been given?
An old colleague once said to me, “Gerry, if you try to get it a hundred percent right all the time, you won’t. You’re better to get it 50%, right, rather than a hundred percent wrong.” He was a banker and he actually survived the crash, unlike many other bankers. So I always remember that bit of advice.
What would you regard as your greatest achievement to date?
Surviving the crash was definitely a big one. Also, our ability to adapt and move to remote working during COVID was swift. We had the technology there to do it which obviously helped enormously. We are also tremendously proud of how much new business we secure from word of mouth and good references. Over the years we have lost very few clients, so we are very proud of the quality of service that we provide and the high level of customer satisfaction that we have.
Are you looking for cost-effective solutions to your back-office functions? Here at Kendlebell Kimmage, we can assist by providing telephone answering services, virtual phone numbers and virtual offices? Contact us today to find out more and to arrange your free 7-day trial.
With the ‘great return’ to offices now taking place, many companies are opting to adopt new working models and practices as they move forward in the post-covid era. Some are planning to operate as fully remote organisations, with employees working from remote-working hubs or from their homes.
Others are adopting a hybrid model, meaning that staff may be working in an office for 2 or 3 days during the week, and from home for the remaining days. So, how can Kendlebell Kimmage assist these new companies with a smooth transition to these new working models? Read below to find out…
Inbound Answering Service
For those companies that now find themselves without a receptionist or a front desk, Kendlebell Kimmage can provide a range of business supports including a corporate call centre service, telephone call answering and message taking, 24-hour call answering service, virtual receptionist, order taking, diary management or a customer helpdesk service.
Kendlebell Kimmage employs highly trained staff, 24 hours a day, to represent clients in a professional manner and endeavour to capture incoming calls and business opportunities on their behalf.
Virtual Telephone Numbers
Many companies have made the decision to go fully remote, with staff now working remotely from home or business hubs. In this instance, Kendlebell Kimmage can assist by providing a range of virtual telephone numbers to give a business a more professional look or to allow a business to set up separate companies or departments.
In the case of larger multi-departmental or segmented businesses, the use of geographic or non-geographic numbers can project a ‘large company look’ and can direct callers to the correct department to have their query dealt with.
Virtual Business Addresses
We recognise how important a first impression is for every company. Having a professional business address, as opposed to a residential one, demonstrates the importance and enhances a company image. Kendlebell Kimmage is one of Ireland’s leading virtual office address rental service providers and offers prestigious mailing addresses within Ireland for our clients. This address can be used on all company materials i.e. letterheads, business cards, websites etc.
Companies can choose the frequency of mail being forwarded and have it forwarded anywhere in the world, to an address of their choosing.
Has your company recently moved to a remote or hybrid working model? Still debating whether or not your business needs to avail of the above services? Contact Kendlebell Kimmage today to arrange a free 1-week trial to assess the benefits for your business and hear more about how we can help.