Masonry Magazine July 2012 Page. 50
INDUSTRY NEWS
phone understands that business communications with customers, vendors and employees is vital to success. Every missed call is a missed opportunity. Having the right business phone system will give a construction owner a competitive edge and increase the chances of gaining more customers, by providing a more professional face to callers and ensuring that every phone call is answered and managed correctly.
Reputation building. Reputation means a lot in the construction industry, where clients are making decisions to spend thousands, or even millions, of dollars on a project. Customize your professional greetings and voice mail message for clients, vendors and partners so the right messaging goes to the right person every time.
Rewire your land line phone to the cloud. Cloud-based phone systems, also known as virtual phone systems, provide professionals with a phone number that routes to wherever you are - cell phone, home or office-making it easier than ever for clients to reach you 24/7. Set up "voice to text" so voice mails are transcribed to a text message or email. Messages can then be read discreetly while in a meeting or when on a noisy jobsite, where it may be hard to hear.
Lower bills. Using the power of VoIP helps construction professionals stay connected in service dead zones and, more importantly, cut down on mobile phone bills. A virtual phone system with a VoIP app automatically transfers calls from your network carrier to the Internet whenever WiFi is available and that means free minutes and better coverage.
Call recording. Multitasking is a construction professional's lifestyle and answering calls while on the job or moving between sites can make it hard to track important details from a client. Recording calls to catch the specifics of a new room addition project or a counter design is critical to keeping clients happy and remaining within budget. With the push of a button, virtual phone systems record calls to get the details right the first time, avoiding what can often times turn into costly miscommunication with clients.
Smartphone as a tool. Taking advantage of all of the features a virtual phone system can offer like call routing, call screening, multiple extensions, personalized greetings, voice to text, and more, turns a smartphone into a 24/7 virtual assistant.
BSI Honors Mendel With Tucker Award
Mark Mendel of Monterey Masonry LLC, working as a stone consultant for Cuningham Group Architects of Minneapolis, Minn., was part of the design team that received the 2012 Tucker Design Award, a biennial award presented by the Building Stone Institute (BSI). Established in 1977, the Tucker Awards honor those who achieve the criteria of excellence in the use of natural stone in concept, design and construction.
The Tucker Design Award is the most prestigious national award given in the stone industry. The prize was awarded for Epic Systems Inc.'s Campus Two. Epic, based in Verona, Wis., is a medical software company. Mendel used about 4,800 tons of stone for the Campus Two project, creating a mix of sandstone and bluestone sourced from 10 different quarry sites in Pennsylvania and New York.
Mendel started Monterey Masonry in June of 1982. This month marks his 30th year in the Berkshires. His design work and historic restoration work have appeared in numerous books, including "Barn" by David Larkin, "Color" by Donald Kaufman and Taffy Dahl, and "Great Gardens of the Berkshires" by Virginia Small and Rich Pomerantz. Among the architects on whose buildings he has worked, he lists Thomas Jefferson, Charles McKim and James Cutler.
Hilti Holds '18 Volt Ulitmate Sweepstakes'
You can enter for your chance to win a full lineup of 18-volt cordless tools on the market, during the Hilti 18 Volt Ultimate Sweepstakes. To enter, visit Hilti's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HiltiNorthAmerica through Aug, 31. Just "Like" the fan page and complete the online entry form to enter. Receive additional entries for every Facebook friend you recommend who registers for the sweepstakes.
The grand prize winner will receive the full line of Hilti 18-volt cordless tools, including batteries, charger and tool bags. Four additional prize winners will be chosen throughout the sweepstakes to win one of the following: SFC 18-A
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