Gainesville, VA – November 21:  Offix, LC is pleased to be able to once again provide a donation to local schools in the areas surrounding each of their offices.  This time the goal is to help those students suffering with food insecurity during the Thanksgiving holiday.

On November 21, 2023, Offix staff members delivered baskets with non-perishable food items to (5) Loch Lomond Elementary School, 7900 Augusta Road, Manassas, VA. Offix also delivered baskets to (5) Marshall Middle School 4048 Zulla Road, The Plains, VA on Tuesday, November 20. In addition to these local donations, Offix three other satellite offices in Norfolk, Richmond and Lynchburg also delivered five baskets each, to their local partner schools:  Coleman Place Elementary School (Norfolk, VA), McClenney Elementary School (Richmond, VA) and Heritage Elementary School (Lynchburg, VA).  Of these schools, four are designated as Title 1 schools, meaning that a large portion of their students are from economically disadvantaged families.

The baskets were complete with all the ‘fixins’ for a classic Thanksgiving meal, less the turkey which was substituted with an exclusive gift card that can be redeemed at their local Walmart for a turkey, ham or fresh produce to complete their meal.  While this alone would be enough for those familiar with food insecurity, Offix caring staff members also enthusiastically stepped up to make their own contributions, by donating things they typically have at their own family Thanksgiving meals.  These items were added to the baskets for the larger families.  The baskets were packed with love and delivered by the employees of each of the Offix offices.  Thanks to their collective efforts, in total, baskets were furnished for 25 families, providing meals for 139 people this holiday season.

Offix firmly believes in the importance of businesses being active members of the community and they look forward to continuing their support in areas surrounding their offices in 2024.

About Offix:  Offix serves businesses of all sizes, ranging from small enterprises to Fortune 100 companies.  Their expertise lies in providing comprehensive document management solutions, encompassing top-of-the-line printers, copiers, multifunction devices, and seamless network integration.  As a trusted office technology dealer, Offix offers a wide range of cutting-edge products sourced from reputable suppliers, including industry leaders such as Canon, Sharp, KIP, HP, Kyocera, Duplo, and FP mailing services.  Their commitment to delivering quality solutions has earned them a reputation as a reliable partner for businesses seeking efficient and innovative office solutions.

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If you would like more information about this event, please contact Judy Popov, Marketing Manager at (571) 292-9239 or email marketing@offix.com.

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Buy Efficiently

Vehicles don’t come cheap under the best circumstances, and with how COVID-19 has started an ongoing chip shortage, vehicle prices are on the rise. That makes it even more important than normal to obtain your vehicles in as cost-efficient a manner as possible. Buying, or even leasing your vehicles in bulk, may be an effective way to lower the cost of the individual units and save you money overall. Keep an eye out for used vehicles or good sales deals that you can take advantage of as well.

Brand Your Fleet

Your fleet gives you a chance to advertise your business with relatively little cost when you choose to brand them. If you choose to utilize your vehicles this way, it’s important to consider things like visibility and uniformity in the way you brand. While paint is the standard option, vehicle wraps can provide consistency to your fleet. Each one can be created to be identical to the rest, and can be applied so that each vehicle looks the same as every other. As an added bonus, the wrap can help protect the vehicle’s paint, preventing it from becoming damaged over time.

Carry Insurance

Vehicle insurance is mandatory no matter where you’re located in the United States, though the particulars governing the minimum required insurance vary from state to state. Insurance can make a real difference in how well your vehicles, and especially your business are protected if something were to go wrong. Take how much coverage you need into careful consideration and make sure you have a solid understanding of exactly what your policy does and doesn’t cover. That will help you avoid any unpleasant surprises should one of your vehicles become damaged or be involved in an accident.

Creating your business’s very own vehicle fleet can be a large undertaking, but the payoff down the road is worth the effort. A vehicle fleet offers you a marketing opportunity by literally getting your business in front of people every day. Make the most of this opportunity by buying efficiently and branding your fleet. And, of course, don’t forget to carry insurance so you can keep your fleet protected.

Read this next: Factors That Drain Your Company Financially

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Offix, a premier provider of office technology and document solutions, is proud to announce the opening of its newest location, servicing the Eastern Shore region of Virginia and Maryland.

Through the acquisition of Eastern Shore Business Machines’ office equipment division, located in Onancock, Virginia, Offix is now able to guarantee fast, reliable sales and service of its entire line of document management products to businesses located in the Delmarva region, including Ocean City, MD, and Bethany Beach, Delaware.

“We are excited about this new chapter in our company,” said Steve Valenta, President and Founder of Offix. “This expansion will allow us to bring Offix’s full line of multifunction devices, wide format plotters, mailing equipment and more to businesses of all sizes, located along the beautiful Eastern Shore of Virginia and Maryland.”

The acquisition of Eastern Shore Business Machines’ office equipment division fits into Offix’s strategy to make businesses and organizations in America more efficient and effective, through hardware and software designed to make document management easier and more functional. Through this expansion, Offix further improve its capillary service throughout Virginia and Maryland.

“Over the past 20 years, our focus has always been on making Offix a great place to work and a great place to be a customer,” said Mitch Riehle, Vice President of Sales. “With this new, exciting expansion, Offix will be able to take its legendary customer service and guaranteed response time as fast as two-hours to the Delmarva region, making Offix an even better place to be a customer.”

Offix will initially operate out of the current Eastern Shore Business Machines’ building, located at 152 Market Street, in Onancock, Virginia.

The new Eastern Shore location joins the well-established lineup of Offix locations in Gainesville, Norfolk, and Richmond, Virginia.

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Offer More Attentive Customer Service

Face-to-face interaction is a huge benefit to consumers, and young people are no exception. It can be reassuring to talk to someone directly about your financial problems. If the situation is urgent, most people do not want to rely on technology to get the job done, they want to communicate with a real person.

When you do have the chance to interact with your customers, make it worthwhile. Train your employees to be kind and to put the customer first. Live chat options for people visiting your website can also show that your business is alert and sensitive to the needs of its customers.

Get Serious About Mobile Banking

What is the one edge FinTechs have over traditional banking? Mobility! As digital natives, Gen Z consumers want more flexible mobile options. If you can create an effective app that gets the job done, it will more than likely compete with the prevalence of FinTech software.

Hire someone who knows how to make a professional-looking app. They should know the basics of UX design. Add features that people will likely want to use while they are on the go. If you make the online banking experience a swiss-army knife for customer finances, it will make your company look a lot more useful than FinTechs.

Develop a Rewards Program

Another way to incentivize people to come to your business is by creating a rewards program. Loyalty programs are pretty common for businesses—particularly for restaurants and grocery stores. While you probably can’t reward someone for setting foot inside your business, you can reward them with small benefits here and there.

If you are looking for ideas, some websites go into the different benefits you can provide your customers if they open accounts or credit cards with your business. Get as creative as possible! This is a fun way to bring more people to your business.

FinTechs may seem like the cool new thing. If banks don’t learn to adapt to the gradual shift into technology, they could become irrelevant. By merging the in-person benefits of your bank with digital convenience, you can become unstoppable.

Read this next: Challenges Your Brick-and-Mortar Bank Faces in the Current Economy

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That’s one of the reasons why more than one-third of businesses globally are using a VOIP phone system, and a good number of them are highly successful ones like Google and Microsoft.

(By the way… if you’re wondering What Is VOIP, click here to find out.)

VOIP phones are equipped with the latest rigid-flex PCBs — circuitries that are known for their high-capacity threshold. Rigid-flex PCBs were initially limited for military and space use, but the cost to produce them has since gone down, so they’re now found in a lot of phones and other advanced office devices.

This is why VOIP phone designers are able to program in a number of unique features into the machines. Here are some of the best features of VoIP systems:

Make international calls for free, with VOIP

Since a VOIP phone system is connected to the internet, it’s not bound by location. It can make international calls at no additional cost (you’d only be paying for your VOIP subscription and internet connection). Traditionally, the person receiving the call needs to be using a VOIP phone as well. However, top VOIP providers offer unlimited global extension plans, which allows its users to call international landline phones as well.

VOIP allows you to make video calls

According to a telebusiness guide from Chron, you’re more likely to have a productive call over video since people make “virtual eye contact” instead of getting distracted by other tasks. Incidentally, VOIP phones are built with a camera. Therefore, as long as the person you’re calling has a VOIP phone or its connected app, it’s possible to have video calls with them.

Get voicemail transcripts, when you switch to VOIP

Call transcriptions offer plenty of business benefits. For example, calls with concerned customers can be compiled and analyzed at a later date, allowing you to improve the customer experience in the future. Transcriptions can also be used to save important information, which is useful if you’re handling complaints. However, transcribing calls takes extra resources — talent that could be used in less mundane tasks like creating an event or upgrading your services.

Fortunately, one huge benefit of a VOIP phone is its capability to automatically transcribe calls and send them to your email directly after it.

VOIP and CRM integrations

If you’re using customer relationship management (CRM) software like Salesforce, ActiveCampaign, and Zendesk, know that VOIP phone systems can be synced with them. This is incredibly useful for businesses that work in telesales or telemarketing, as the integrated CRM will automatically save the customer’s details after the call. Some CRM software, like ActiveCampaign, will even allow its users to make the calls directly from the platform, saving your employees a lot of time.

Plus, do you remember that auto-transcription feature we mentioned earlier? Those recordings can also be saved in the CRM automatically.

VOIP phone systems have a lot of useful features. Most of them, like international calls and auto-transcriptions, even come with the basic package.
If you’re looking to make that VOIP switch and are not yet sure what solution you need, sign up using this form for a free consultation.

Prepared by Alicia Brady

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Even though VoIP seems like a new concept, you probably already have VoIP installed on your cell phone; in fact, you may have even used it! Apple’s FaceTime is considered to be a VoIP service since you are using an internet connection to transmit and receive audio and video. Continue reading our article and we will answer all of your VoIP-related questions and actually tell you why VoIP is better than traditional phone plans and how much you can save by switching.

LEARN MORE ABOUT VOIP FOR YOUR BUSINESS

How Does VoIP Work?

Essentially, VoIP allows you to cut cords with your phone company and instead communicate using an internet connection. By using the internet, your voice is transmitted through digital data packets instead of an analog electric signal. This not only makes your voice more accurate and clear, but it also eliminates the need for traditional phone lines.

Despite VoIP eliminating the need for conventional phone service, it is still, by all means, a phone. Though it is commonly referred to as Voice over IP, this service also goes by names like Internet telephony, cloud-based telephony, hosted telephony, broadband telephony, and broadband phone service.

In order to use this technology, you need access through a VoIP service or application to facilitate the calls for you. In layman’s terms, this is how VoIP works:

1. Your device (computer, mobile device, internet phone) connects to an internet connection.
2. When you dial a phone number, your device tells the VoIP service provider to call the other party. When somebody tries to call you, their signals reach the service provider who then notifies you of a phone call.
3. The service provider then initiates the call and converts your voice into digital signals to send to the other party.
4. When the person on the other end speaks, their voice is converted into a digital signal which your device will turn into sounds that you can hear.

With the power of Voice over Internet Protocol, you can make and take calls from an internet-connected phone, computer, or mobile device. What’s more, is that your VoIP phone number can work across multiple devices so you can be reached no matter where you are!

What is VoIP Used For?

VoIP is used for businesses looking for an affordable, personalized, and productive solution to traditional phone systems. With the power of Voice over IP, you can place calls normally all while saving money and increasing the level of communication between your employees and your customers. As the go-to communications solution, users can be reached by the same office phone number wherever they go using their mobile device, laptop, or tablet.

VoIP is the perfect solution for remote work since you will always be reached by the same number. In addition to keeping the same number, there are various other features and capabilities included with Voice over IP that you can use to transform the way you do business. Some of these features include voicemail to email, caller ID by customer, virtual receptionists, and even plugins for your CRM (including Salesforce).

LEARN MORE ABOUT VOIP FEATURES

What Kind of Equipment Do I Need?

Back when Voice over IP first started, you used to need expensive equipment, but not anymore! The only equipment you need is a computer, cell phone, tablet, or a business phone that can connect to the internet, and of course, an internet connection. At Offix, we offer a VoIP Buyback Program to help businesses like yours trade in their old phones for state-of-the-art internet business phones. Click here to learn more.

Pros and Cons of VoIP

With any business service or solution, there are advantages and disadvantages. However in this case, the benefits heavily outweigh any of the drawbacks you may come across.

Advantages

There are many benefits a Voice over IP system can provide for your business, we’ve listed some below.

• Cost – VoIP is an economical choice over traditional phone lines because it allows you to take advantage of the internet service you are already using. So instead of paying for two separate utility services (phone and internet), you would only need to pay for internet. As a result, many consumers and businesses have already decreased their phone bills by 30-60% just from switching!
• Quality/Reliability –When you pair VoIP with a reliable, stable internet connection, you won’t have to worry about calls dropping. What’s more, is that because it uses an internet connection, Voice over IP sounds much more clear and sharper than regular phones.
• Features – Your current phone system probably has one feature, and that’s connecting a phone call. With VoIP, you can use features such as virtual receptionists, voicemail to email, and many more at little to no extra cost!
• Flexibility –By using VoIP, you are able to send and receive calls from multiple devices. Because it’s cloud-based, you can integrate seemingly endless tools into your communications. You can even take your desk phone number on the go and be reached on your cell phone or even at home: the perfect solution for teleworking!

Disadvantages

While disadvantages do exist for Voice over IP, as you read, you will find out they are minor and can easily be overcome.

• Speed – While VoIP is fast and reliable for many, those with satellite internet or a dial-up connection may experience delays or problems.  However, less than 1% of residents of Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. still use dial-up or satellite internet. More than likely, you have a high-speed internet connection and can use Voice over IP with no speed issues!
• Contacting Emergency Services – Contacting emergency services with VoIP may not be as easy as you think. Many services may not connect to emergency services through the number 911. Additionally, when you do contact emergency services, you may actually have to provide them with your location; many Voice over IP locations default to your company’s main primary address. However, VoIP services like the one we offer at Offix include services like E911, allowing individuals to tie their geographic location to a building, residence, or mobile device, making it easy for emergency services to pinpoint the location of the call.
• Upgrading – While VoIP may be cheaper than conventional phone lines, you may need to pay extra for business phones that can connect to the internet. Don’t worry because upgrading your phones is optional; you can still connect to VoIP through mobile phones, tablets, and other internet-connected devices as long as you have a speaker and microphone.

LEARN MORE ABOUT TRADING IN OLD PHONES

Is VoIP Reliable?

When VoIP was first introduced to the workplace in the late ’90s, it was not as nearly as reliable as it is today. Dropped calls and delays were too common of an issue for the service to be used practically. However, the stigma for the service still exists in the 21st century despite its complete metamorphosis of efficiency. Since the development of high-speed internet, Voice over IP calls are made in HD quality and are clearer than any traditional phone connection.

Does It Affect Internet Speed?

Even though Voice over IP systems utilize an internet connection to complete a call, it actually will have very little impact on your internet bandwidth and speed. As a matter of fact, opening a single webpage uses six times more data than one minute of a VoIP call!

Will It Work if My Internet or Power is Down?

Even though VoIP systems have a 99.99% uptime, in the event that your power or internet is out, calls can be forwarded to your cell phone or to another location so that your incoming calls are never lost.

How Much Does it Cost?

Compared to its antiquated counterpart, the cost of VoIP is relatively low. Depending on the features and plan you go with, you can actually pay less than $30 per user per month for a Voice over IP system. In many cases, this price would even be less than what you would pay for your cell phone. When you compare the yearly costs of your current business phone system, the cost savings are immense. In fact, compared to your current phone plan VoIP allows you to utilize many more features while offering mobile and telework solutions, giving you more value from your phone system for less money.

CLICK HERE FOR VOIP PRICING

Offix is the premier dealer for VoIP in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. Get in touch with us today for a free VoIP demo or to learn how we can help your business save money and become more efficient.

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Earn Positive Reviews

Online reviews are crucial to your success as a medical practice. People want a doctor who cares about them and knows how to communicate with them. When you do get a patient, treat them with respect and ask them to give feedback online. This will help you figure out what you need to improve about your practice.

When people check online, they look at reviews for each place to pick out their ideal doctor. If your business doesn’t have many reviews, or if it has a plethora of negative reviews, you will need to work hard to improve. Feedback is key.

Source: https://www.physicianspractice.com/view/how-online-ratings-affect-healthcares-bottom-line

Create Better Patient Experiences

One way to improve your reputation in the healthcare industry is to create a customer interaction that is efficient and minimalistic. For example, creating organized records of company patients, their insurance policies, and their plans can make it easy to access customer records. This minimizes stress and conflict at the front office.

Doctors and nurses should make sure they perform examinations on schedule too. Tardiness shows a lack of polish and is disrespectful of your client’s time. Also, patients these days want more convenient mobile payment options. This includes Apple Pay or Venmo. Continue to find ways to enhance your customer’s experience from the moment they walk in.

Source: https://www.podium.com/article/5-important-patient-experience-strategies-for-health-systems/

Communicate Clearly

Effective communication should be paramount in your conversations with clients. As your patron is about to leave, they should have a clear understanding of what was accomplished at their appointment. When necessary, you should also give them a list of “action items” for them to complete before the next appointment.

If you do not communicate clearly with them, you could run into major problems—especially if a patron’s health is on the line. An action item regarding important medication should always be followed up on within a week. You can do this through email or by phone call. Either way, your effort to communicate expectations is crucial in the medical field.

Source: https://www.emergenetics.com/blog/communicate-more-effectively

Being a doctor is an amazing feat, but managing your own practice can be challenging. By implementing customer feedback and attempting to provide an excellent experience, you are setting yourself up for success early on.

Read this next for more great business tips: How to Increase Customer Satisfaction in Business Interactions

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Our top priority in making these decisions is keeping all employees, their families and our customers healthy!

To ensure that our operations continue without interruption, as we continue to provide the support and service we’re known for to those customers and clients who continue to be operational, Offix will remain open.

As we continue to monitor the situation and recommendations from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), we are asking all employees to assist in the reducing the transmission of this communicable disease in the workplace; in particular, and effective immediately, we are asking all Offix employees to follow these simple but important rules and implementing the following protocols:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Sanitize their hands frequently by using soap and water, or alcohol sanitizers provided in all common areas of our offices.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• If developing fever, employees must stay home until they are fever free for at least 24 hours
• If employees have been in significant contact with someone who has or has been tested positive for Coronavirus, they will be required to stay home for 14 days after contact.
• We ask all our employees to minimize physical contact, for example shaking hands with one another and our customers.

Customer and Client Meetings
We are encouraging our customers and clients to conduct meetings remotely, by phone or through e-meeting technology. All paperwork will also be handled electronically, whenever possible. If an in-person meeting is necessary, we will limit the number of Offix representative who will participate.

Additionally, with regards to the activities of our Service Technicians:

All deliveries, set-up, and training will be performed under enhanced sanitary protocol: we’re asking our technicians to thoroughly wipe every machine before it is delivered to a customer or other facility. Additionally, our technicians are asked to maintain the following health protocols:

• We have purchased and provided them with gloves, and have asked all technicians to wear them whenever possible.
• When servicing a machine, all surfaces of the equipment must be wiped down prior to and following completion of service work.

We are committed to the health and well-being of our employees, customers and our community.  We are taking every precaution to ensure their safety and health, but we need your help.

We will continue to monitor developments and the information provided by the CDC and other local, state and national official sources and adjust our protocol accordingly.

As always, thank you for being our valued customer and for your continued trust as we manage through this time together.

Respectfully Yours,

Stephen Valenta – President, Offix

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Offix is proud to announce that it has been recognized with the 2019 Elite Dealer Award by ENX Magazine. The award honors top-performing office technology dealers across the United States.

“It’s an honor to once-again be recipients of the Elite Dealer Award; it represents another proof of our commitment to our customers, to our employees and to our vendor partners”, said Jeff Lyons, Vice President of Sales at Offix. “We continue to strive for improvement, year after year, even after two decades of activity.”

Offix has been honored with the Elite Dealer Award every year since 2007, confirming its standing as one of the best dealers for copiers and large format printers, mailing equipment, and office technology in America.

“This is an award that Offix shares with each and every one of our team members, who are an instrumental ingredient to our success; we are grateful to our Gainesville, Norfolk and Richmond teams for the talent and passion they put in the success of Offix,” added Stephen Valenta, President and Founder of Offix. “Each year, we try to improve on what we’ve done the year before, empowering our employees to do what’s right by our customers.”

The ENX Magazine Elite Dealer Award recognizes businesses nationwide who have distinguished themselves for their commitment to excellent customer service and satisfaction, for their use of cutting-edge technology.

“Since Stephen Valenta established Offix, in 1999, we have been dedicated to one thing only: complete customer satisfaction,” said Matteo Recanatini, Director of Marketing “which is achieved through the hard work of our team of technicians, whose job it is to keep our customers running, our sales and customer service teams, whose consultative approach continues to save our customers time and money, and our administrative and logistics team, who keep Offix running smoothly year after year.”

With three sales and service locations, covering the Washington DC metropolitan area, Virginia and Maryland, Offix has become one of the most trusted office technology dealers in the United States.

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