How much time do you spend on the phone?

I doubt I spend more than 15 minutes per day on the phone at the outside ... email works much better for  me as I can deal with it efficiently and at a time of my choosing. I have a mobile phone but only about 3 or 4 very important clients have the number. I appreciate that you will need to be 'busier' in this respect when you start out but I would urge good discipline from the outset.

My mobile is strictly private - only my secretary & family have that number as I really dont want to discuss someones tax return while I'm driving, or out and about. 

As regards the land line - it varies from day to day, but at a guess, probably an hour a day. Of course, if you're ringing HMRC that will quickly become 3 hours - and that's just how long you'll be on hold.

It really does depend on your clients, and the kind of work over  and above routine annual accounts / tax returns that you undertake.

Not necessarily by design but I too spend very little time these days on the phone with clients, some days nothing, others maybe 40 mins, again email has replaced the boring stuff, but then it also reflects the fact that only 2 clients are not online.

I have a Skype out number and so as well as all the free calls to & from other Skype clients I can call & receive land & mobile calls.  So I tend to call out on Skype leaving our main land line for in-calls only.  Seems amazing to think that 3 years ago we needed 4 landlines.

Really is a personal thing and maybe an age thing but I too am very protecive of my mobile number.  Several clients have it but only those who would never abuse it.  This may well be the opposite for you, anyway I never hit my 300 mins a month but the deal has unlimited email/internet.

If I was starting up again, most of my time would be spent face to face.  Despite all of the means by which we communicate these days, a meeting can be so much more efficient and far more effective at cementing the deal/relationship.

All the very best

I use Skype for outgoing calls to landlines - costs me £30 for 12 months.  Yes, that's unlimited calls to UK landlines for thirty quid a year.

When I need to call a mobile, I use my mobile which has enough free minutes to cover the time easily.  Mobile bill is about £30 per month, but is mainly used for private calls.

With an incoming Skype number, I can give clients a UK landline number (I actually use an 0800 freephone one, via Ring Central, see below) to call and either answer on my laptop or divert to my mobile.

I would also recommend using the very powerful virtual telephone system at www.ringcentral.co.uk.  Costs about £10 per month.

Hope this helps.

Adrian Pearson
Top Accountants
 

Much cheaper and much easier if on a land line.  Others have suggested skpe for outgoing and an 0800 fopr incoming.

As I read this you are starting from home abnd dont want to use your home phone.  Fair enough but its only £10 a month for an extra BT line or virgin line.  You can make it ex-directory and get the provider to prevent your number being shown to people you are ringing.  Personally I would use an 0800 and a local std code call ie 01XXXX XXXXXX and re-direct both available as I have found that local clients like local accountants.  Dont forget afax to email for those who want to send you a fax - I still get 20 or so a year.

Good Luck and remember mostly it is only those with children that go on holiday in August so perhaps you should aim at older clients who are working in August.

 Added later

I should have also said that using a professional answering service when you cant answer the phone pays massive dividends.  I tried a number but settled with Your office and pa at www.yourofficeandpa.co.uk.  If you ring and speak with Sally or Gordon you can have a free trial.  I dont have any interest in this business except that I pay them for this serrvice

I use Vonage so that I can give an office "landline" which I think looks more professional. I also set it to ring simultaneously on my mobile when I'm out of the office and the client doesn't know the difference.  This way I can offer 9-9 telephone service. When I'm away I can switch this to ring a professional answering service or my new employee's mobile. My next set of business cards won't even include my mobile number.

I start by spending lots of face to face time with clients but, once the relationship is established, most of them use email rather than phone. I can deal with this while I'm out via my Blackberry. I still make sure that I see people in person as often as practical for them (they do have a business to run after all) and for me but you get to know people's preferences.

I think that it is rude to interrupt meetings by answering the phone so my answerphone message says that I aim to call back within 2 hours (which covers most meetings and trainings). My clients are aware of this but strangers are generally surprised when I keep my word. This should improve with first employee but she is only part time. I also call back missed calls that haven't left messages as some are prospective clients (most are trying to sell me something).

Good luck with the new practice. 

Della

entirely and I cannot talk to HMRC or to a client about anything when I am out and about. Clients don't have my mobile number. that is for family and my VA/answering service when I am not in the office.

In addition people take an old-fashioned view that just having a mobile number for bsuiness is unprofessional. Until all our phone numbers are truly portable that attitude will persist. I use a combination of a business-only landline at reasonable cost and use Skype for any calls outside the norm, such as to anywhere abroad from France to Singapore.

Incidentally I do recommend a professional answering service. Mine has paid dividends in never missing a call in office hours and frustrating my clients,  and also never missing a new prospect who didn't want to talk to a machine.

Why not start off with a low-usage contract, then increase it (if necessary) when you have a better idea of what your usage will be?

I completely agree with previous poster about using SkypeIn (with a landline number) and SkypeOut; I think they are great and provide wonderful flexibility.

I have been considering using an answering service. I have not done it yet, but the next time I do a marketing campaign I definitely will as (as a previous poster pointed out) some people do not like talking to a machine.