COVID-19 continues to spread very quickly around the world and almost every country has reported cases. With the rapid increase in COVID-19, the lives of people and their businesses have become uncertain. It has not only challenged health care systems, but also the livelihoods of the people and the stability of economies. Countries along with the business have been facing challenges and the questions on, how to restart the economy? what measures need to be addressed to restart safely? when to proceed and bring lives to normal?

The uncertainty remains and the impact it has on small businesses is very high. Small businesses across the country are already feeling its negative impact on their business. According to the data from the National Federation of Independent Business show, 74% of small businesses say they are not yet impacted by the pandemic, while 23% say they are being negatively affected. Just 3% report positive impacts. The group polled a random sample of 300 of its 300,000 members on Tuesday and Wednesday from employers with up to 120 workers. Of those who said they were not being impacted, nearly half anticipate the outbreak to affect their business if the virus spreads to or more broadly within their immediate area over the next three months.

Being a small business, we completely understand what you are going through. At the moment the businesses will need to plan more diligently on restarting their business. Officense can provide the tools you need to keep your firm operational during these trying times. Officense is rolling out special 30-Day Remote Work Plans which will allow firms to adapt to social distancing guidelines.

1.) Phone Answering
We assign you a dedicated phone number to forward your office phones to. Then, our live receptionists will answer your incoming calls with your custom greeting as if they are your own employees. They will screen callers for information, enabling them to forward each call to the right individual regardless of where they are working—at home, in another state, or overseas. Plans start at $89 per month for MSBA Members, with pricing to scale with call volume.

2.) Business Address, Private Mailbox, and Mail Forwarding Service
Enhance your business image with a professional private mailbox, and a prestigious business address with a suite number. We can forward your mail to your home or deliver it curbside if you prefer not to come into the building. Call us for special 30-day pricing.

3.) Virtual Reception and Administrative Support
Whatever type of front-office business service you need, we can provide. Bank visits, translations, transcriptions, copy/scan/fax, mail and email services, bookkeeping, billing and collections, notary public, and much more.

4.) Private Office Space and Conference Rooms
If you’ve been using public places, or even coworking space to meet with clients or associates, now’s the time to limit your exposure with a more secure, professional option. Our meeting rooms vary in size to suit your needs. And because we are a boutique firm, our office locations are smaller, there are no crowds, and all rooms are sanitized thoroughly after every meeting.

Additionally, OFFICENSE is offering free guidance to those applying for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). These loans are available to small businesses, as well as sole proprietors and independent contractors and a portion of the loan may be forgiven if firms maintain their staff and operations through the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information regarding remote work plans or guidance applying for SBA Paycheck Protection Loans contact OFFICENSE at 410-814-7500 or email info@officense.com.

Real Estate is a business that requires great communication and negotiation skills, attention to detail and a willingness to work hard and succeed. Real estate is one of the most challenging careers, agents are under a lot of pressure. They need to know various areas like law, negotiations, sales, social media, and also need to keep finding new clients and focus on growing the business. As a real estate agent, you are on the clock with potential buyers, and leasers 24/7. Potential buyers and leasers are simultaneously making financial and emotional decisions, and you need your front-end business and phone answering service needs to be handled accordingly.

Your key to success is with Officense

Real Estate agents and brokers have found Officense’s phone answering service to be one of the best solutions to manage their communication. We understand the problem very well and we are here to provide the solutions that fit best for your business. Communication and business process outsourcing with Officense can help you ensure that all communication and front-end business needs are fulfilled in a very professional and effective manner.

When you choose Officense’s realtor phone answering service you receive all the support of our company and still retain all of your entrepreneurial autonomy. The Officense team not only supports your business but acts as a part of your staff. You can decide how your calls and general business communication will be handled. You have an opportunity to pick and choose the custom package that you like, and also decide how much you pay.

Officense will screen calls according to your instructions and ensure you receive only the calls you want when you want them. We can also use the script you’ve given us to answer basic queries, access a shared database to give property information to callers, capture leads, schedule appointments, direct calls to the appropriate listing agent and more. That’s the beauty of Officense! We will direct you and will work with you to help you grow in the real estate field.

Give us a call at (410)-814-7500 to get more information, today!

Has your time and money been gobbled up by the holidays like the turkey, stuffing, and home-made pumpkin pie? Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday season. Who has the time to sort through spam, wait for packages, or deal with the post office’s time constraints? A virtual mailbox could be the solution for your busy schedules’ needs, both during and after the holiday season.

Virtual Mailbox Security Assets.

You no longer have to rely on friends, family, or neighbors to accept packages when you are not home. There’s always someone available to accept or decline them for you, per your instruction, with a virtual mailbox. With a secure mail room, you need not fear burglars. Your home address can stay private while showcasing your company with a prestigious address. This provides a professional image and consistency, even when you move since the address has no need to change.

A Cornucopia of Benefits.

Speaking of addresses, according to Small Biz Geek, when yours is posted to every page of your website you can gain leverage with online business directories. This can also help in google searches as well as making you easier to find and contact. This all boosts the appearance of your company.

A virtual mailbox gives you all of the features of a P.O. Box while also taking the worry out of courier deliveries.  It also allows you to receive mail from all of the couriers instead of just USPS.  Your mail can even be forwarded or you can pick it up in person any time day or night, instead of having to rush to get there before the post office or other carrier closes. You can be notified upon arrival of mail, keeping it from sitting around in your mailbox or the post office. Another benefit of a virtual mailbox is you can even deposit checks while you are away!

Efficiency and Simplicity.

You also garner a reduction in junk and spam mail with a virtual mailbox. Spam mail and mail from previous mailbox owners get sorted out and disposed of for you. This helps prevent overflow issues and makes certain that time sensitive mail gets managed fast and easily. You also can ensure secure communication with vendors, customers, and clients. Another wonderful benefit of a virtual mailbox is that you can get incoming documents digitized, scan other document types, and have them forwarded to you which gives you access to your mail from anywhere, at any time, and without having to drive.

At Officense, you can gain all of the benefits listed above and more. So why not make your holiday season, ‘a gay happy season’ and join us by calling (410) 814-7500 or come on by to visit us at 300 E. Lombard St., Ste. 840 today. Let us make your holidays just that bit easier with a virtual mailbox of your own.

CAN’T ANSWER CALLS?

Do you have a business but are too busy working to answer calls? Are most of your calls going to voicemail?

EXECUTIVE PHONE SERVICE

Officense is here to assist you in all of your phone answering needs. We offer executive phone services that will alleviate the stress you might have when it comes to communicating with your clients. Our executive assistants, also known as receptionists, are trained to answer calls as if they work directly for your business. They follow a call-handling script that you create during our orientation process. Our receptionists are also able to connect callers directly to you or send a message to you. This is helpful if you are unavailable or prefer not to take calls.

When you purchase an Executive Assistant package, you get a virtual DID number. This is beneficial if you do not have a direct line to your business or if you prefer that clients do not have your personal number. You also get a voicemail box which is helpful when you cannot answer the phone. Having a phone answering service helps elevate your business. When people are able to talk to an actual person your business becomes more legitimate. Legitimacy is always a good way to generate clientele.

The receptionists here at Officense take a lot pride in what they do and could be incredibly beneficial for your business. Our phone answering services are especially helpful for start-up companies that are without the funds to hire receptionists of their own. If this sounds like something that you’re interested in contact us 🙂

Taking to leap to start a local Start-up takes tenacity, determination, and true grit. Traditionally, support provides for startups focused on amassing resources rather than creating a community of connections to open the door for budding entrepreneurs. Additionally, a start-up business is more likely to receive assistance if they had a scalable product or idea. This is due to traded business allowing venture capitalist to have a quicker and more lucrative business launch. Unfortunately, this does not typically foster a city’s local industries such as health services, construction, or legal services.

Who Starts the Local start-up?

Local start-ups are traditionally created by your long-time local resident. Someone who wants to work for themselves and fill a void in the local economy. This could be a lawyer looking to open a practice or a construction professional looking to start their own construction firm. It could be anyone really who wants to make the leap from working to running a new business.

What Type of Resources Does a Local Start-up Need?

Let’s say a fresh law school graduate decides to open a practice. This means the new lawyer will require an address to receive mail, a dedicated phone number, professional office space, and staff to greet his clients. This provides the young attorney will a professional appearance to his newly formed business. A professional appearance can make or break sign new clients to get the firm up and running. At Officense we have experience with providing assistance to the neglected local start-ups.

Choosing Your Resources

Our clients include lawyer, contractors, CPA, Caterers, health service trainers, therapists, doctors, and so many more. With our expertise in providing the professional experience, we frequently provide insight into how a new client can grow their local business. Furthermore, Our company was recently highlighted by Launchopedia article, “Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Spotlight: Baltimore, MD” as a premier co-working space for the local start-up. Please look into our various services to see how our company can foster your local start-up. Finally, Don’t be afraid to take the leap and start your business today with Officense at your back!