Professional Communications
Location: Portland, ME
Website: www.professional-communications.com
Market Served: Medical & Dental, Funeral Homes, Heating & Oil, Plumbing, Toll Booths, Property Management, Restaurant Reservations
Services: 24/7 Live Answering Services and Dispatching, After Hours
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Lisa HIll
Owner
Mother, Grandmother of 6, Pool Shark
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Resides in Maine.
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Years in Partnership with OnviSource: 22
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Interview with Lisa Hill
When did Lisa get started in the Telephone Answering Service business and how did it come about?
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As a favor to her brother, who owned and operated a towing service, Lisa started in teleservices by answering calls and helping with his business. Later, they started Professional Communications as an extension of the towing operation. Lisa knew nothing about telephone answering but she had a mission to make it work and has grown the business from 2 people to 12.
Unique Fun Fact!
There's a Shark in Our Midst
Lisa has been playing pool for fun and in leagues for over 35 years. She and her husband, Wayne, enjoy the sport together and often play in tournaments.
In 2021, COVID didn't stop them. They masked up and kept on playing. In fact, the Hills participated in the American Poolplayers Association state tournament and came out winners with a cash prize and bragging rights for the Maine State Champions for 9-Ball Doubles title!
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In previous years, Lisa has also "racked up" numerous wins and a few free trips to Las Vegas.
What brings you the most satisfaction about what you do?
"I take a lot of pride in being able to provide good service to local businesses and jobs for a staff of 12 people. I honestly feel like I have an amazing and dedicated staff!"
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Future Business Plans
Lisa would like to increase her client base by 25% this year. To this point, Professional Communications has been fortunate enough to attract clients by word of mouth, but Lisa plans to do some direct mail advertising and promote her website to increase traffic to her new site.
What has been the biggest change in TAS and your operation since you started?
“Changes in technology have completely changed the way we operate, and that is a good thing."
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What has been the biggest challenge for your operation since COVID?
Keeping up with rapid changes in technology and the cost of owning and maintaining hardware posed the biggest challenges. In 2018, before the pandemic, Lisa made the decision to transition her business to OnviCom cloud-based services. Admittedly, she was very nervous about making the transition but she felt it was the only way she could afford to continue future operations. In the end, it went well and "it was the right move." The timing was perfect as she was already set up to operate remotely by the time COVID struck.
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Moving to a cloud solution enabled Professional Communications to go fully remote, eliminating costs for monthly rent and expensive hardware and maintenance. It also removed the hassle of having to coordinate IT resources.
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"I want to say I couldn't have done this without the people at OnviSource either. They have always been there for me and the people are exceptional as well. I have a lot of respect for all of them"
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What would you consider your greatest business achievement?
With all the struggles and ups and down in recent years, keeping 12 people employed has been a point of pride. In addition, the transition to the cloud-based services was a leap of faith for Lisa who claims to be technically challenged.
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If you knew then what you know now, what would you do different?
"I wish I had known more about the TAS business before getting started. I think I could have expanded my business more if I hadn’t been on the phone myself. I would have invested in and implemented more marketing and advertising on some level."
What do you like to do outside of work?
Playing pool with her husband has been a life-long passion and gets Lisa out of the house. Otherwise she likes to hang out with her 6 grandchildren and her 3-year-old German shepherd, Shelby.
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OEO 2.0 Membership
What do you look forward to most from your OEO 2.0 Association membership?
"First and foremost, it’s the people. The OEO members are extremely helpful and I have learned so much from them. I have always been able to trust their advice."