The telephone is an indispensable tool in today’s fast-paced society. With the rapid development of telephone technology over the past 15 years, this instrument has moved from being an under-utilised home device to an essential communication hub for many people. The booming telecommunications industry in Jamaica suggests that we have an almost insatiable need to talk!

While some persons may spend entirely too much money paying for idle chatter, the telephone can actually be turned into a profit-making machine. If you are searching for opportunities to earn extra income, you may find these suggestions useful:

Virtual Secretary

Providing services for small business owners is one of the ways to earn sustainable part-time profits, as most entrepreneurs do not have the resources to hire several staff members to cover different job functions. If you possess a pleasant telephone voice, you could offer a secretarial service where you make appointments, follow up on calls and perform other telephone-related tasks for a virtual boss who is not in the same location as you are. If you are organised and efficient, you could easily manage four or five clients per day.

Sales Calls

There are several tasks that can be accomplished with a telephone, and selling products is one such option. You could work in tandem with businesses to market their products and services to prospective customers on a commission basis. You will need to have strong sales skills to be successful with this opportunity. Another option is to provide an order-taking service, where your clients’ customers can phone in their sales requests directly to you.

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Answering Service

Many small business operators are frequently out of office, or they may not even have a physical workspace. Dealing with incoming calls can often be challenging for them, so you could offer an answering service to meet their needs. You could either use your own phone number, have your clients’ phones forwarded to your phone, or have dedicated phone lines for different clients. With the proper structure, this could even become a rewarding full-time business!

Reminder Service

Another possible part-time earning option is supplying a telephone service to certain businesses that need to keep in contact with their existing customer base. Very often, business owners lose potential sales by not informing their past patrons about current offerings. Other businesses, such as garages and medical practitioners, can benefit from using a reminder service to prompt more consistent business from repeat clients.

Debt Collections

One unfortunate challenge from the current tight economy is that several businesses are facing large receivables and huge bad debt portfolios. If you have a stern and intimidating voice and don’t mind asking people for money, you could provide a debt collection service for businesses. With a persistent and disciplined approach, you could earn a percentage of outstanding debts that you help to clear up, or receive a set fee for simply making calls to remind customers of their balances.

Surveys

In this competitive business environment, companies need to be customer-focused by constantly looking for ways to address their needs. One method of gathering information to support new products or services, and gauging customer satisfaction, is by conducting surveys. How about designing a service to carry out telephone surveys for businesses and institutions? You could also help them to create relevant questions and analyse market responses.

Counselling Service

It seems that more people are suffering from depression as we become more disconnected and impersonal in our everyday relationships. Many persons yearn to talk to someone who can understand their needs and help them to address their personal issues. If you are a trained counsellor, you could reach more clients by providing a telephone support service, especially late at nights or on weekends.

Technical Assistance

Another way to use the telephone to advise people is by creating a hot line to provide technical assistance in your area of expertise. You could receive retainers to help clients with accounting issues, legal advice or management decisions. With the assistance of the internet, you could offer a remote service to troubleshoot computer problems, or teach clients how to use basic programmes and systems.

Phone Credit Sales

Prepaid phone credit is big business, with billions of dollars being spent annually on airtime. You can take advantage of our need to keep in constant communication by selling phone credit via your own mobile phone. Technology has spawned the development of transaction portals that can allow you to electronically top up your customers without the hassle of dealing with physical phone cards. One such service provider can be found at Coolbizja.com.

As you continue your search for practical and viable ways to increase your income, remember that earning opportunities can sometimes be found right at your fingertips!

Copyright © 2010 Cherryl Hanson Simpson. No reproduction without written consent.

Originally published in The Daily Observer, September 30, 2010

Cherryl is a financial consultant and coach, founder of Financially S.M.A.R.T. Services. See more of her work at www.financiallyfreenetwork.com and www.financiallysmartonline.com. Contact Cherryl