Voice Overs Tell Stories
People have been telling stories since the dawn of time, drawing upon their voice to convey their messages to others in their circle of influence. Over the centuries, the art of communicating with other people about a given purpose and the transmission of the spoken word, the most powerful, persuasive, and distinctly human tool in any marketers arsenal, has evolved to the degree that you don’t have to be in the same room to get a message across, even the same country for that matter. Geographic locations and time zones afford little to no obstacle for communicating with others in a meaningful and cohesive way.
With all of the advantages this new world and new media bestows, it is very important that a message received is a message that is understood, believed and acted upon. Much of this depends on the copy writing and voice over skills of the messengers, which brings us to five different characters if you will that will help you get your message across in a direct and effective way.
1. Instructor (formal, didactic voice over)
2. Real Person (informal voice over)
3. Spokesperson (advocate, authoritative voice over)
4. Narrator (omniscient storyteller)
5. Announcer (sets the stage and calls for action)
Let’s explore these types of character roles in detail.
1. Instructor
When teaching someone on what to do, for example, a corporate training video or children’s game, the voice over best suited for this kind of project is a straightforward, didactic and educated voice. The role of this particular voice talent is to instruct or provide information to fulfill a specific goal or purpose.
2. Real Person
Projects requiring a more casual approach often benefit from relatable, genuine voice overs. These voice overs are referred to as “Real Person” voice overs, commonly known as the “regular guy” or the “girl next door”. The character is homegrown, sensible, and friendly with a touch of familiarity and provides a more intimate interpretation that instills trust.
3. Spokesperson
A spokesperson can be on camera or off camera depending on the medium you are using. The role of a spokesperson is generally played by a confident, charismatic person able to promote a cause, product, or service with ease and authority. A voice over of this nature needs to be driven, optimistic and assured.
4. Narrator
Storytelling is where the narrator is most at home. Omniscient, courteous and honest, a narrator’s job is to provide an audio landscape for a listener, briefing them on background information, posing questions, and providing solutions as they guide their audience through a program or documentary. Narrators can be male or female, and the most important factors are that they can communicate clearly and engagingly.
5. Announcer
The announcer, often heard live at events, on commercials, promos or introducing segments for podcasts, is a product of the broadcast age, most celebrated at its height in the Golden Era of Radio and early television broadcasts. Announcers can introduce an idea and assertively make a call for action at the conclusion of a commercial advertisement or short video. One common misconception is that an announcer has to sound like an announcer from decades ago, however modern announcers act more like narrators, and in many cases, adopt the Real Person approach.
Now that you’ve met the different kinds of people or characters that can help to make your production a success, the next question is where do you find voice talents?
If you are reading this article, you are already on your way to locating a voice talent to record for your project.
Using the Internet to find a voice will streamline all of your efforts, saving you a significant amount of time and financial expense. Over 50,000 people have discovered just how easy it is to find the perfect voice for their project at Voices.com, the voice marketplace. At Voices.com, you can search for, listen to and hire professional voice talents to record your voice over within your budget range. Posting a job to find the appropriate candidate to record for your project is not only convenient, it is also a desirable option, providing you with the opportunity to choose the voice that will best represent your company and deliver on your vision.
The professionals at Voices.com can take your script from concept to completion and quickly become an integral part of your creative production team. Breathing life into the written word is what they do for a living, so you can rest assured that your project is in a good hands with a Voices.com voice talent.
To learn more about Voices.com or search for voices, visit http://www.voices.com
VoIP Slashes Retailer’s Wages and Phone Bills
Operating 10 offices as a single call centre using VoIP technology has saved a retailer $140,000 each year in wages and another $30,000 in call costs, without compromising service quality.
"The business benefits are huge," says CPAP Australia’s managing director, Ben Greenaway. One of Australia’s largest retailers of equipment to solve snoring and sleep apnoea, CPAP Australia has offices stretching from Cairns to Canberra.
An Epygi IP PBX routs customer calls. Using Aastra IP handsets from Alloy, CPAP Australia staff members can put callers on hold, transfer calls between offices and pick up voice mail. The system’s designer, Lee Watson of Spring Mountain Technology (SMT), said the Quadro operated like a number of distributed telephone systems and a network server in one.
"The Epygi IP PBX delivers features like voice mail, three-way conferencing, call waiting, and even access call statistics," he said. "In effect, CPAP has a highly sophisticated call centre that would only be viable for large corporations using conventional technology."
Mr Greenaway said the SMT system had brought savings beyond cheaper VoIP phone rates.
"Our call costs fell by 65 per cent in the first few months and we’re saving at least $30,000 a year in phone call costs and line rentals alone," he said. "Even more importantly, the SMT VoIP system lets us run our business more efficiently, saving us $140,000 per annum in labour costs."
"We are running a virtual call centre spread over 10 locations. Remote sites assist with the workload of incoming calls during their quiet periods, which means we need fewer staff members. We also have the ability to transfer a call from Rockhampton, for example, to the technician in Canberra who saw the patient."
Expansion is also easier thanks to the flexibility of the SMT VoIP system.
"We’re adding new remote locations every two to three months," Mr Greenaway said, "and because calls between our offices are free and there are no extra line rentals, expansion no longer brings the spiralling costs it used to."
"Support is more affordable too. With conventional systems, you pay around $130 per hour for a technician to attend to a breakdown or make changes. In contrast, almost all changes, updates and support for our VoIP system is done remotely. This is both quicker and cheaper."
The savings have not compromised service quality, according to CPAP Australia, which intensively researched its options and phased in VoIP implementation. Among the criteria for the selection of SMT as a provider was its ability to deliver both the equipment and the service, ensuring compatibility and accountability.
"When we first considered VOIP, we could see the cost saving but as our company relies on inbound calls we were hesitant to jump straight in without testing the water," Mr Greenaway said. "Each customer’s inbound call can be worth $1000 to $2000, so high quality voice calls were always our number one priority. After a nine-month investigation of VoIP solutions, it was clear that SMT was the only company that could deliver a complete solution."
"The implementation phase was very painless. Having connected the copper lines from the old system to the new Epygi Quadro4, we shipped SMT’s bundle of the modem/router and Aastra IP phone to remote locations."
Lee Watson said the selection of Aastra phones and the Epygi IP PBX followed extensive testing that showed the two were perfectly compatible and highly manageable.
"Successful VoIP systems have three ingredients: robust hardware, a quality voice service provider and reliable internet connection with adequate bandwidth," he said. "The Aastra phones offer high build quality designed for heavy use environments and offer all the features most centres want. An example is power over Ethernet which centralizes and protects phone power along with dual Ethernet that reduces the need or eradicates the need to add any additional cabling for desk phones."
CPAP Australia initially used an existing ADSL service to carry both voice and data but early quality of service issues prompted the use of dedicated DSL for VoIP at the central office and increased bandwidth for remote locations. After trialling the VoIP system in tandem with the existing PSTN network for two months, CPAP switched all inbound calls to VoIP.
"Using SMT as the service provider as well as the equipment provider, service quality has exceeded all expectations," Mr Greenaway said.
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Ways to Build Voice Over Website Traffic
You can have the best voice in the world, the best delivery, the best voice over equipment, but what if no one can find you? Are you depending on web traffic to supplement your voice over income? Web searches are important to us all. You can have the fanciest voice over website ever created, but its wasted money if your site doesn’t show up on search engines.
It takes hard work to maintain a popular site; it also takes money to make money. BUT, it doesn’t take a ton of dollars to generate website traffic for your site.
Some voice over talents get big hits on their sites and not every one of them is a Don LaFontaine or Joe Cipriano. A lot of the big hit voice talents are spending money on Google ads or banner ads, some of them even have an entire marketing plan implemented. If you have a ton of money and hire the right people this is definitely easier. This is, of course expensive and not necessarily the best way to go about it.
Then there are the other voice talents out there that get lots of traffic to their voice over websites by using SEO techniques. SEO, stands for search engine optimization. Do a Google search on SEO and 183 million sites pop-up. There is a complete industry out there dedicated to what you can do for little or no cost. Is SEO worth it? You bet, and if you have the money to spend go for it. Otherwise, let’s get to work on some easy things you can do.
Here are some words and concepts you should know:
Title tags – These are the words that appear in the upper left of your browser. Make sure they are short, sweet and to the point and more importantly, keyword rich. When your site appears on a web search this is what is displayed. The closer this is to what people are searching for, the better your chances for being found.
Keywords – Keyword and keyword density should be top priorities. Keywords are the things people type into the various search engines to find relevant web pages. Take the time to figure-out the words you think people would use to find your page. Keyword density is making sure your page uses these particular words in its content.
Sitemaps – Sitemaps are not only a good idea to help people navigate your site, but it also tells the search engines which pages to index. The more search engine indexing, the better the chance your site will pop up on a search.
Content – Search engines LOVE content, the more the better. Make sure you update the content often. Search engines want to provide the most relevant pages for their users, that’s why they give higher priority to sites that are active and informational. Maybe you are good at one area of voice over work or you have great technical knowledge. Blogs and podcasts are special favorites of search engines—start one today.
Links – Do whatever you can to get people to link to your site. The higher ranking a site has that links to you, the higher your rank becomes. Search engines feel that if other people are linking to your site your site must be important. Do whatever you can to build links and the closer on topic the referring site is to your keywords the more they are worth their weight in gold.
I barely scratched the surface on this topic and most of the value to you might be simply making you aware that SEO exists. A college course could be given on each one of the items, but the good news is there are countless resources on the web.
Look for my article on “off-site” voice over website optimization.
What Is VoIP And How It Works
Simply put, VoIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol is the transmission of voice traffic over IP-based networks. It is also sometimes referred to as IP Telephony. VoIP has become immensely popular because of the savings an individual can make on long distance calls, especially on international calls. It is cheap, and some are even offering it for free. Savings can range from 60 to 90 percent, depending on your usage.
How can I use VoIP?
There are three ways of using VoIP. The first one is PC to PC, wherein both parties must have their computers turned on to communicate. Second is PC to Phone, where a party must contact a phone through his computer. Last is Phone to Phone.
What do I need to make VoIP calls?
There are three basic things you need to make a free VoIP call: a computer, a decent internet connection, and a headset with a microphone and earpiece. Scour the web once you have those and you can talk to almost anyone around the globe. The down side of this is you can not make a call unless your computer is turned on.
On the other hand, VoIP companies’ services will cut down your long distance costs to a fraction plus you can make calls with your computer turned off. Aside from the basic requirements mentioned above, devices will be provided by the company, usually with a fixed price. The following are the most common devices that you will be issued if you sign up for a VoIP service:
1. Analog Telephone Adapter or ATA. This device is commonly referred to as a phone adapter, and is needed to make Phone to PC and Phone to Phone calls.
2. Tellular Device. This is just like a normal phone, but some are packed with useful features that you will not usually see.
3. Router. A router will allow you to share your Internet connection with multiple computers or Internet devices.
What are the features of VoIP?
VoIP has almost all regular phone features. This includes caller ID, voicemail, 3-way calling, fax, call waiting, and many more. Aside from these, there are a number of advanced features that makes communication easier.
An example would be the “Keep Your Number” feature, which allows you to use the same number even if you move. Another feature would be “Unlimited Calls to US or Canada.” This feature is popular among individuals outside of the US because of the savings they can get.
What are the disadvantages of VoIP?
Yes VoIP is cheap and rich with features, but it is not perfect. Voice quality is one of the main concerns of VoIP users. Delays, echoes, and weird noises are frequently attributed with VoIP. A good VoIP company, a sufficient broadband connection, and quality hardware will eliminate this problem.
Another down side with VoIP is that it is dependent on your Internet connection. If you have slow or poor connection, voice quality will surely be affected.
Unlike normal phones, VoIP relies on power. You need to plug in your ATA, modem, and other VoIP devices for you to make calls.
Telephone Systems UK
Telecommunication Buoys up the Businesses
In today’s click ‘n’ flick era, telecommunication acts as a vital communication conduit for all businesses, whether big or small. Advancements in technology for an evolving business climate necessitate effective telecommunication resources for optimal communications. Swift and seamless communication is the key to success, and a whole host of telecommunication provisions (such as VoIP, broadband, and high speed internet) not just facilitate communication, but also enable the uniting the global businesses. Broadened scopes of commerce increase economic growth, and encompassing telecommunications enhances successful communications for mutual beneficiation.
Communication has evolved into a wide variety of modes that enable a near instantaneous format in conducting business on all levels and scales. Current mediums of telecommunications are the core resource of functionality for successful commerce within all levels of traffic, at any scale of operations, and for all types of enterprises. No wonder the fields of telecommunications are now designed to optimize the communication and transactions in all formats and media.
The scope of telecommunication ranges widely in technology, modes, media, formats, systems, services, amenities, maintenance, support, providers, and costs. Communications needs for different enterprises vary considerably in the types of telecommunication necessary in fulfilling and implementing adequate functionality. That is why a whole slew of communications service providers (that include telecommunication providers, internet broadband providers, broadband providers, and VoIP providers) have come into play.
Fetching apt Telecommunication Services is Still a Challenge
The majority of these telecommunication service providers or companies possess logical expertise in correlation to their respective unique business operations only. And as a result, in most instances, such providers are either lacking in or are not privy to the wide array of options available to sufficiently and appropriate implement the correct modes of telecommunication required to meet specific communication needs of different kinds of enterprises.
Therefore, enterprise leadership may have to face the challenge of finding the right telecommunication service provider – a provider that is well equipped and has the expertise to understand the communication challenges of their unique requirements; a provider who not only provides apt telecommunication, VoIP, or broadband service, but also has the ability optimize their business capabilities.
Make the Right Move by Picking the Right Vendor
It is really imperative for an enterprise to have a plausible and practical approach to address all the aspects of telecommunications. The right approach will lead an enterprise to zero in on an accomplished service provider that could encompass all the processes involved within addressing effective communication implementation, service, support, and networks, amid other modes of telecommunications. Providers of such an encompassing nature are available as independent telecommunication providers. The benefits as to an enterprise utilizing the services of such an independent telecommunication provider are extremely advantageous.
Such advantages are in the areas of evaluation and assessment of communication needs in correlation to the particular enterprise or operation; broader range of options in modes of telecommunication; customization of systems in relationship to the entities served; installation; initiation or transition; utilization of current environmental assets; training; service; support; maintenance; network provisions to best suit the modes of telecommunications; structured package plans with wholesale tariff rates; and, perhaps the greatest advantage in respect of an enterprise’s budgetary allocations, is the wholesale advantage, as opposed to published pricing and tariffs.
An evaluation by an independent telecommunications provider can accurately determine an enterprise’s telecommunication needs, by assessing the most appropriate equipment available on the technological market.
A professional telecommunication provider can determine the best Internet broadband provider to facilitate the need for speed. Such provisions by an independent provider can include the evaluation and applicability in securing the sufficient type of high speed Internet offered through the network provider on a wholesale basis.
In essential regards to connecting telecommunication systems with the most optimal and advantageous network options, the independent telecommunications provider can expertly evaluate, from all perspectives and considerations, the optimal media in broadband communications. The telecom service provider should aim at securing (at the wholesale advantage), the appropriate broadband providers to facilitate efficiency, reliability, and budget, in enhancing an enterprise’s overall technology for communication within a competitive environment.
The beneficial and effective installation of a VoIP-type accouterment is reckoned as an efficient and tailored enhancement to any telecommunication system. An independent telecom and voice over IP provider can assess, acquire, and administrate such VoIP components of external and internal functionality, supported through the best options in terms of overall budgetary vantage as well as networking quality.
In a summarized communications bottom line assessment, as a telecommunications priority, an enterprise should actually consider the overall and encompassing advantages and benefits of an independent telecommunications provider.
Well, Glemnet Limited can pay that role to perfection. Glemnet can act as your full-scale telecommunications service provider. And can be your complete resource for Broadband Services, Business Telephone, Cheap CallsInternet Phone Services, Mobiles, Non-Geographic Numbers, SIP Trunking, Support, and VoIP.
Linchpin Technologies of Call Center
New technologies are leading the way in the evolution of the contact center. By the revolution in communication and information technology have led to a boom in call centers across the world. Call centers use different technologies to join with a customer. As focal points of communications, contact centers were the first to integrate voice and data technologies, deploying interactive voice response (IVR) systems that linked caller information with database records to accelerate response and improve customer service.
Today’s challenge is providing personalized service that can handle both voice and multi-media contacts (fax, email, voice mail, Web interaction). Enterprises are also incorporating a new array of contact center services such as video, wireless access, and compatibility with personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other smart devices.
There are so many versions of software and upgraded technology in the market to fulfill the requirement of call center. Different major technologies are:
Email Management: Email is the most commonly used medium for customer contact.
IVR: In telephony, interactive voice response, or IVR, is a computerized system that allows a person, typically a telephone caller, to select an option from a voice menu and otherwise interface with a computer system. Generally the system plays pre-recorded voice prompts to which the person presses a number on a telephone keypad to select the option chosen, or speaks simple answers such as "yes", "no", or numbers in answer to the voice prompts.
Guided speech IVR: The Guided Speech IVR approach for call centers is a hybrid model that integrates live call center agents with all the advancements of speech in a new real-time approach for callers. This new approach creates a "safety-net", as the new role for the agent as a guide who assists the automation invisibly helps the caller using human intelligence and transcription to ensure the correct computerized service is provided.
CTI: Computer telephony integration is technology that allows interactions on a telephone and a computer to be integrated or co-coordinated. As contact channels have expanded from voice to include email, web, and fax, the definition of CTI has expanded to include the integration of all customer contact channels (voice, email, web, fax, etc.) with computer systems.
ACD: In telephony, an Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) is a device that distributes incoming calls to a specific group of terminals that agents use. It is often part of a computer telephony integration system.
Predictive Dialer: Predictive dialer systems are commonly used by telemarketing organizations involved in B2C (business to consumer) calling as it allows their sales representatives to have much more customer contact time.
Customer relationship management (CRM): CRM covers methods and technologies used by companies to manage their relationships with clients. Information stored on existing customers (and potential customers) is analyzed and used to this end.
WFM: Workforce Management encompasses all the responsibilities for maintaining a productive and happy workforce. Sometimes referred to as HRMS systems, or even the larger ERP systems.
TPV: Third party verification is a process of getting an independent third party company to confirm that the customer is actually requesting a change or ordering a new service or product. By putting the customer on the phone (usually via transfer or 3-way call) TPV provider asks a customer for his identity, that he is an authorized decision maker and to confirm his order.
Virtual queue: Virtual queuing is a concept that is used in inbound call centers. Call centers utilize an Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) to distribute incoming calls to specific resources (agents) in the center. ACDs are capable of holding queued calls in First In, First Out order until agents become available.
Voicemail: It is a centralized system of managing telephone messages for a large group of people. In its simplest form it mimics the functions of an answering machine, uses a standard telephone handset for the user interface, and uses a centralized, computerized system rather than equipment at the individual telephone.
Voice Recognition: VR is the task of recognizing people from their voices. Such systems extract features from speech, model them and use them to recognize the person from his/her voice.
VoIP: Voice over Internet Protocol, also called VoIP, IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband telephony, Broadband Phone and Voice over Broadband is the routing of voice conversations over the Internet or through any other IP-based network.
Speech Analytics: Speech Analytics is a process of analyzing recorded human speech in order to collect information about what was said. In contact center environments, Speech Analytics is used to mine recorded phone conversations between agents and their customers. By carefully "listening" to hundreds or even thousands of calls, Speech Analytics automatically identifies important business intelligence that helps managers reduce contact center costs, increase customer retention and satisfaction, and improve agent performance.
Call Centers India is a Washington state corporation headquartered in Seattle which has India’s one and only end to end CISCO based IP network. Cisco Predictive, Preview, Outbound, 24/7 Dialer, Cisco call Manager as PBX, Cisco Unity Voice Mail, Cisco IVR.
Technologies are: –
1.India’s one-and-only, end-to-end CISCO based IP network. Cisco Platform:
2.Cisco Call Manager as PBX .
3.Cisco Unity Voice Mail .
4.Cisco IVR,Cisco Predictive, Preview , Outbound ,24/7 Dialer.
5.Ability to call and receive calls from over 30 Countries .
6.PCs: Compaq .
7.Phones: CISCO IP 7940 series.
8.Headsets: Plantronics .
Contact Us : Call Centers India
Email : sales@callcentersindia.com
Phone : 206.384.4669
