FAQ GENERAL Where is Calliste Communications located? What is Calliste Communications? When was Calliste Communications founded and why? Why do you operate majority of your business online in virtual space? Can I meet a Calliste Communications consultant face-to-face? EXPERIENCE How many years have the consultants and analysts participated in business? What professional backgrounds do the consultants possess? Can you consult me in languages other than English? PRIVACY & CONFIDENTIALITY Is my information safe with your company? How do I know you are working for me? Will my company be published in your press blog and in other correspondence such as your newsletter? Why is my company sometimes published in your press blog and in other correspondence such as your newsletter? OUTSOURCING & OFFSHORE What is outsourcing? Why is outsourcing so cheap, inexpensive and affordable? What does offshore mean? GET STARTED RIGHT NOW! FREE CONSULTATION & HOW TO MAKE PAYMENTS Why is the initial consultation free? What are your fees after the initial consultation? How much time will I have during the initial consultation? How do I get started? How do I pay once its time to pay? When do I pay? PARTNERS (DEVELOPERS, ADVISORS) Why do you use outsourced programmers? What regions/countries do you partner with outsourced web developers? IT & e-COMMERCE What is SEO? COMMUNICATIONS What is VoIP What is your customer service email address? Where can I find more information? GENERAL Where is Calliste Communications located? The world wide web and strategic locations worldwide. As of January 2009 the corporate headquarters for Calliste Communications is in Ohio. We currently operate majority of our services online in an effort to maintain a competitive advantage and offer you affordale rates. Eventually our corporate headquarters will be re-located to the Carribean, in Calliste, Grenada West Indies whle maintaining a North American headquarters in Ohio. UNRELATED FACT: The Chinese Embassy to Grenada is located in Calliste, Grenada West Indies. TOP ^ What is Calliste Communications? Calliste Communications is a team of business professionals and academics who create customized business solutions for individuals and entrepreneurs by integrating their experience, research and development, strategic planning, and technology into quality products and services. Our consultants and analysts are located in North America, South Asia, East Asia and Western and Northern Europe. TOP ^ When was Calliste Communications founded and why? While the founder was developing business and marketing plans for his own ventures he realized how so much of the same information could be shared on a global scale with other aspiring entrepreneurs. CC was conceived in 2005 with the founders vision to provide an affordable management consultation service to entrepreneurs worldwide. As of 2007 the company was in stealth R&D and start-up phase development. The company officially soft launched January 2009. TOP ^ Why do you operate majority of your business online in virtual space? Since most of our clients originate out of emerging markets it makes good business sense to operate online and keep our expenses low and pass the savings on to you. TOP ^ Can I meet a Calliste Communications consultant in person you know face-to-face? Yes. We do offer face-to-face consultations and will come to you when requested and compensated. Our face-to-face meetings since they are outside of our normal business model and can consume time are quite costly. Keep in mind we do have consultants in strategic locations worldwide - North America, South Asia, East Asia and Western and Northern Europe and at the moment we are always recruiting new consultants in different regions to join our team. TOP ^ EXPERIENCE How many years have the consultants and analysts participated in business? Our senior consultants possess a combined 100 plus years of business expertise. TOP ^ What professional backgrounds do the consultants possess? Calliste has managed to assemble a very experienced team. Our consultants have broad educational and professional backgrounds in business management, economics, finance, recorded music, banking, print media, digital media, engineering, web development, and project management. TOP ^ Can you consult me in languages other than English? Yes. The team is fluent in English, Mandarin Chinese, Vietnemese, Hebrew, Russian, and conversational Spanish. TOP ^ PRIVACY & CONFIDENTIALITY Is my information safe with your company? Yes. Calliste maintains secure servers and only partners with the best and most secure hosting companies worldwide. Read our Privacy Policy to learn how we protect your information. We operate with the utmost confidence and integrity. We urge our consultants to keep all client information confidential at all times. TOP ^ How do I know you are working for me? At Calliste one of our goals is to make sure the client is satisfied. A satisfied client is a happy client and a happy client exudes an energy that demands respect in turn the positive action produces success. Our professional reputations are on the line, globally. Be rest assured we get the job done. TOP ^ Will my company be published in your press blog and in other correspondence such as your newsletter? Yes. At times we will reference past and present accounts in our press releases and will publish your company's name and with your permission your name and title unless you sign a confidentiality agreement with us for non-disclousure. TOP ^ Why is my company sometimes published in your press blog and in other correspondence such as your newsletter? To inform other clients and people outside our company of the work we concluded and projects we continue to work on. TOP ^ OUTSOURCING & OFFSHORE What is outsourcing? Although the term "outsourcing" is most commonly attributed to IS or IT computer systems, outsourcing is, according to California State University Moneterey Bay 2007, "Assigning responsibilty for all or a portion of the activity and tasks involved in developing and or running and maintaining a system to a vendor outside of the organization." At CC we think of outsourcing as, "an act of sharing the responsibility of any one particular internal operation or development function with a third party vendor an organization or unit outside of your normal channels of production or development". Corporations outsource for a host of reasons. Some to save costs, add R&D facilities, expand operations, or to reach international markets. When thought through and properly managed outsoucing can save a company a lot of money. Most outsourcing projects are passed on to companies located offshore. Business Week provides an extensive online insight into the many factors large and mid-size companies exercise when deciding to outsource - Outsourcing, Business Week January 30, 2006 Also see Ref: California State University Monterey Bay - Glossary (use the search window Keyword: outsourcing). TOP ^ Why is outsourcing so cheap, inexpensive and affordable? Well you should first understand who outsources to understand this question. In short outsourcing is performed by people in emerging markets where the economies are stagnant or developing (emerging from stagnation). In India for instance as of July 2009 the India Rupee is worth an estimated 48.40 India Rupee (IR) to $1 US dollar. So for every $1 US dollar a worker in India will receive 48.40 Indian Rupees (units of their currency). Five years ago it was roughly 46 IR to $1 US dollar. The same example in Euros. As of July 2009, 1 Euro is equivalent to 68.50 India Rupees. A cup of tea in India costs roughly 5 Indian Rupee five years ago. There are similar opportunities available to entrepreneurs in other emerging markets . In Northern and Eastern Europe, other parts of South Asia and the Caribbean. Until these emerging markets gain ground on their developed markets currencies entrepreneurs will find tremendous value in outsourcing technology based projects. TOP ^ What does offshore mean? Simply offshore is a location not onshore and outside of a countries legal boundaries. Working in a city like Beijing is considered onshore since its apart of mainland China. Macau however is an island nation located offshore from mainland China. Countries located in the Carribean are generaly considred "offshore". In today's global economy "offshore outsourcing" is considered an opportunity for a young company and its entreprenuer to capitalize on the low costs associated with that particular offshore location. See: Business Week 2006, "Slideshow: Five offshore practices that pay off." and the other offshore articles presented in this Business Week online review. The costs associated with registering offshore and outsourcing web site development cafor instance in the long run can save an entreprenuer and enterprise lots of money thus providing for higher budget in say marketing and promotions, salaries or healtcare for the employees. Always check with your tax authority and professional advisors prior to registering or doing business offshore. TOP ^ GET STARTED RIGHT NOW! FREE CONSULTATION & HOW TO MAKE PAYMENTS Why is the initial consultation free? We predominately operate online and pass the savings on to you. We give you an opportunity to present your inquiry or concern. We listen so we can create a solution for you. All we ask is that you are prepare to take notes and know specifically what you need to know. If we can not answer your question or provide you with the information you need we will not waste your time, we let you know. TOP ^ What are your fees after the initial consultation? Affordable. Our fees vary based on the product or service you request. Fill out our Service Request form so we may assess your needs and provide you with a quote or specific price of our products. TOP ^ How much time will I have during the initial consultation? Generally 15 - 30 minutes. Sometimes the initial consultation may run longer at no charge to you. Subsequent meetings will be charged at the consultants hourly rate unless a flat per project rate has bee negotiated. All consultation must first be processed through our Service Request Form. TOP ^ How do I get started? Send an email to: GET STARTED. Also visit our Contact Us page for additional information. A representative will receive an email and forward your Service Request inquiry to the appropriate consultant or company representative. TOP ^ How do I pay once its time to pay? Calliste Communications partners with Pay Pal "The easier, safer way to get paid". Pay Pal accounts are free to set up and are available in many countries. Select clients may wire transfer (ACH) their payments to our company. TOP ^ When do I pay? Clients are expected to pay Calliste Communications a non-refundable retainer fee (TBD) when they submit an initialed, dated and fully endorsed original copy Consulting Agreement. The terms and conditions of services rendered and what is payable will be defined in the agreement. Clients are expected to pay their full balance before receiving any form of hard copies of plans, reports, files or software development of the work performed. TOP ^ PARTNERS (DEVELOPERS, ADVISORS) Why do you use outsourced programmers? Quality, low costs and efficiency. In our experience outsourced programmers tend to "get the job done" in a timely manner without the hassle and for a more affordable rate. Yes there are potential pitfalls when working with outsourced programmers and that's where Calliste Communications through its ongoing relationships with its outsourced programmers eliminates or minimizes the risk. TOP ^ What regions/countries do you partner with outsourced web developers? South Asia, Asia and Eastern Europe. TOP ^ IT & e-COMMERCE What is SEO? SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a process when performed properly assist you in placing your web site near the top of popular search engines results for greater visibility on the web. TOP ^ COMMUNICATIONS What is VoIP? VoIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol is a form of communicating voice converations over the Internet. Services like VONAGE, JAXTR and SKYPE provide inexpensive quality call VoIP services. Calliste Communications prefers SKYPE. At last glance VoIP calls to China are .021 cents per minute. Again very inexpensive and Calliste passes the savings on to you. TOP ^ What is your customer service email address? SERVICE REQUEST FORM TOP ^ Where can I find more information? Calliste.info Check Calliste.info on occassion for updates. TOP ^ Save Calliste.us to: