With technology always pushing forward and evolving with the times, it’s easy to see why everyone is always communicating with each other irrespective of their location or the time. From Skype and instant messaging services through to email, social media and phone calls – people are communicating with each other from all over the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, when you run your own business it can feel like you are always being pulled in every direction at one time from the moment you start work to when your head hits the pillow at night. Your phone will ring throughout the day while you attempt to work your way through meetings, invoicing, payroll, emails, interviews and whatever duties need to be seen to that day.
Being able to answer the phone all the time simply isn’t possible. Who answers the phone when you are driving? What happens if your mobile doesn’t have a signal? Who answers the calls when you are on a lunch break, going to the toilet or in a meeting with clients?
There are so many occasions throughout the day that leave you unable to answer the phone that it is vital to ensure someone else will answer it for you as you never know how much of a missed opportunity lies in a missed call.
Call Handling Services
This is why a calling handling service comes in handy. They will be able to answer your calls for you at any time of the day or night in a professional manner using your company name and simply pass on a message to you. This allows you to decide whether you take the call immediately or return the call when it is more convenient to you and here are some of the most obvious benefits of using a telephone handling service:
- It saves money compared to hiring staff
- Calls never go unanswered
- You will always be able to provide your customers with good customer care
- It allows you to manage your time better
- You can maintain a professional image at all times
As well as being a cost effective solution, it is also a great way to increase your productivity. Imagine how much extra time you will have on your hands every day when you don’t need to answer every single incoming call.
You will be able to concentrate on doing your own job role and focus on the jobs that you need to be doing, rather than answering the phone and you also get the peace of mind that you are not missing out on a business opportunity.
Reduce your Costs
If you receive a lot of calls that simply go answered because you are unable to answer them all of the time, then it is time to employ a professional virtual receptionist. They are a lot cheaper than what it would cost you to employ a member of staff to answer your calls and they will also be on hand to take your calls at the weekends and out of hours.
Here are some of the things you don’t have to pay a virtual secretary for:
- Salary
- Any bonuses
- Supply them with benefits
- Give them holiday and sick leave entitlements
- Provide them with a workspace
- Supply them with expensive equipment such as a computer
You won’t have to go through the advertising process, interview people for the position, train anyone, teach them about the company or give them any of the perks that you offer your staff. All you need to do is pay the company a monthly service fee and someone will handle your calls for you without having to worry about advertising, employment or training.
How Does it Work?
Here’s a summary of what you can expect when you employ a telephone answering service:
- You will be provided with a virtual secretary who will work from a remote location to handle your calls
- Some companies will supply you with a small team of receptionists depending on the volume of calls you are expecting
- They will answer your calls using your company name
- They will then filter out cold sales calls
- They will pass on messages via SMS or email
You can decide whether you answer the call immediately or wait until it is more convenient for you and it can be a really productive addition to any sized company.
Improve Customer Care
We all enjoy dealing with companies that make us feel valued, so ensuring that each of your customers or potential customers feel valued is important to your customer relations. When phone calls are missed, people get annoyed and will simply move onto your competitors for a better experience and this is something that you need to avoid at all costs.
Here’s how a virtual secretary can help to improve your customer service:
- You can tell the virtual secretary how you want each call to be answered
- You can be sure they are always courteous and polite
- They will learn about your business so that they can answer any questions put to them during the call
- They can work out of regular office hours, which means your calls never go unanswered
Their approach will be far more professional than yours as a business owner who is being pulled in every direction possible at the same time. Instead of balancing the phone under their chin while they continue typing an email or take a bite of their sandwich while on the hands-free kit in the car, your receptionists will be ready to take all of your calls.
Hiring a telephone answering service is also great for anyone who runs a business from home, as you never have to worry about answering the phone when the dog is barking or as the kids get home from school. It can be a great way to grow your company without adding to your outgoing costs by hiring someone to work in-house.