It is proven that more than 60% of people would not leave a message on an answer machine. If you are busy on calls or out of the office new business can be lost if a potential client cannot speak to a real person. They will simply just move on to the next competitor. What’s the point of spending money on marketing or any other aspect of your business if you are unable to make yourself accessible to your clients? Getting just one sale a month through a message that your telephone answering service has taken could mean that it will pay for itself. Your clients and customers are your bread and butter, which means you need to treat them like gold dust.
The service is available 24 hours a day, even when you are closed
Your calls can be answered on overflow during your daytime business hours so you will never miss a call when you are busy assisting other clients. As for out of hours calls, how many do you think you will miss if you don’t have an out of hours answering capability? Gone are the days of working Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. Many companies are surprised to learn how many calls they miss out of hours when their office is closed. This service enables your callers to be able to speak to a real person instead of your lines ringing out or going to an answer machine. Also if you do have an out of hour’s service requirement your calls can be filtered and calls which require immediate action can then be passed to the relevant on-call personnel so that you don’t have to. This way any calls that do not require immediate attention will be filtered so that no one is disturbed.
The service is much cheaper than a full-time receptionist
How? Hiring a receptionist can be costly and you often do not get full value for money as they will probably not be fully productive for the whole of their shift. With a telephone answering service you only pay for the times when they are actually working on your behalf. So, if no one calls you on a specific day you won’t have to pay anything. They also have no other duties to perform which ensures that you get what you pay for and the job is done efficiently. Using a telephone answering service should be seen as an investment that can pay off handsomely and not something extra that would be useful for your business to have.
You never miss calls when you are busy
If your telephone lines are busy then your calls can be redirected to ensure that it is answered in the professional manner you expect. A detailed message can then be taken so that you can return the call when you are next available. Therefore you will always have someone on hand to answer your calls and you will not lose out on potential new business. Calls which are missed or divert to an answer machine will mainly serve to frustrate customers at best, and lose them all together at worst. Neither situation is desirable, and both are avoidable.
A virtual receptionist gives your business a professional image
A good answering service will answer your calls in a professional manner using your preferred company greeting along with any specific instructions you require. The caller will never suspect that they have been redirected to someone out of your office environment. Reputable telephone answering services can provide a professional image you can rely on.
Your company will become more efficient
Spend time on your business requirements rather than stressing out because you are spending your days taking calls. Telephone calls are one of the biggest distractions people face in the workplace. When you are constantly having your workflow interrupted it breaks your momentum and it can take you twice as long to complete the simplest of tasks. Taking 80 calls a day means that person will take 1 call every 4 minutes
Your team will be free to generate revenue and grow your business
Dealing with the flow of inbound calls can be extremely time consuming, not to mention distracting. There is no point hiring great staff to improve your business if they are going to be required to answer mundane enquiries. A telephone answering service can filter your calls so that you can focus on working without distractions. They can also handle day to day enquiries which will allow you and your team quality time to concentrate on growing your business.
Guaranteed disaster recovery service
When running everything in-house you are at the mercy of the power, telephone and internet company. If either goes down, and it does happen from time to time, then you are left high and dry with no way to make or take calls or process any orders. Using a telephone answering service will ensure that you have a backup strategy available. This will enable them to continue taking your calls whilst the issue is resolved. Therefore disruption to your business during this time will be minimal.
The headache of covering absences, sickness, holidays and maternity cover will be eliminated
Time, effort and money all go into the process of hiring staff as well as ensuring that they are doing a good job and are happy in their role. Arranging cover can prove difficult or impossible when staff are absent from work for whatever reason. If cover can’t be arranged, this can have a knock-on effect on the productivity of other staff members. With an answering service it doesn’t matter if one of them falls sick or goes on holiday, there will be others able to take your calls at all times. Finding a replacement member of staff when this happens no longer becomes an additional expense.
Create the illusion of size
To attract the bigger business and contracts you may need to appear bigger than you are. Whether you are a sole trader or a nationwide business this service can give you a friendly and professional voice when you are unable to do so yourself.
You can have an 08* number or a landline even if you only have a mobile
This is extremely useful if you need to provide support and assistance to your clients. If you advertise a mobile number on your website then this gives the illusion that you are a small company and does not look very professional.
-Commlink
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