Quick tips to maximize productivity. Let Ooma’s Virtual Receptionist help.

2019 research by the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that the average office professional clocks in 8.8 hours each workday. And, during peak / busy seasons, many might spend more time completing deadline-driven work required for their jobs.

Here are some recommendations that will help you work smarter and more productively while serving your company and your customers better.

1. Take breaks every hour. According to research conducted by The Muse using time-tracking and productivity app DeskTime, the top 10% of the most productive users had one key thing in common: they took effective breaks. The most productive people worked for an average of 52 minutes, then took a 17 minute break before refocusing on work (This is similar to the Pomodoro Method).

Highly productive individuals work in “sprints” with intense purpose, then “recharge” before the next burst. According to Psychology Today, “Movement breaks” are essential for both physical and emotional health. Getting up from your chair to walk, stretch, or do any physical activity for five minutes every hour can improve your health and well-being.

2. Trim one-hour meetings to 50 minutes. Not only will you realize you can cover what you need to in less than an hour, you can also take a 10 minute break prior to your next call or meeting. And, during that break, you can get something else done. Voila – you just achieved 2 tasks rather than 1 in 60 minutes.

3. Let Ooma take your calls for you. Ooma Office has a Virtual Receptionist that lets callers be routed to specific people or departments by choosing from menu options. You can also set up ring groups so various lines ring simultaneously, that way the first available person in a given department will answer. If everyone’s busy, the caller can leave a voice message and the call can be returned with just one click.

“The virtual receptionist makes it so much easier to answer phone calls because it automatically directs the call to the person who is needed. It also saves time and I do not need to be in the office to answer the calls.” – Samantha Kachler

4. Tailor your workstation to be ergonomically friendly. Saving your back, neck, eyes, wrists, and legs from unnecessary strain helps you stay comfortable and focused. Invest in a standing desk to alternate between standing and sitting throughout the day to enable peak comfort and productivity.

5. Let Ooma provide information when you are in a meeting, on the road, or after business hours. With Ooma’s Virtual Receptionist, you can create your work schedule so the virtual receptionist answers when you are busy or not at your desk. Set up automated messages that include commonly requested information, such as your business hours, your office or store address, web site address, and additional information. So if one of your customers calls during their lunch break or after 5 pm when you are not available, they can still get essential information and can leave a message that you can get instantly through the Mobile App on your smartphone.

“The virtual receptionist has been great at directing calls for our company. Since we are a smaller business it helps that it stops 90% of the robo calls and makes it easy to either get to the different departments. The mobile app allows us to take meetings away from the office without worrying we will miss a call.” – Stephen Jarvis, Basic Earth Essentials

To see how much time you can save using Ooma’s Virtual Receptionist, check out this brief overview.