Why use an answering service?
In this series:
If someone calls your business, the chances are they’re either a prospective customer who you’d like to bring onboard, or a current customer who you’d like to keep onboard.
Businesses, large and small, depend on the revenue these calls bring in. That’s why your business advertises on the radio, in the local paper, online, with your phone number front and center each time. If someone has a problem, and thinks your business can solve it, they’ll give you a call. If you don’t answer, the smart money says they’re taking their business somewhere else.
We live life at a fast pace. People don’t wait around for voicemail anymore. Thankfully for your business, with an answering service, they don’t have to. When customers call your business, a friendly voice will answer. Every call, every time.
Your business receives a lot of calls. Somebody has to answer them. But could you really justify hiring a person for that job alone?
Traditionally, that person was a receptionist, who sat in an office taking calls during working hours, from Monday to Friday. If you’re a start-up or small business, having a person to answering the phones for you might sound like a nice idea, but it’s probably a luxury you can’t afford. Even if your business has the means, where’s the value?
The way the world works is changing. Advances in technology mean businesses have access to global markets and increasingly operate across time zones. Customers expect 24-hour service. A receptionist can’t provide it. However, an answering service can.
Your client experience associates are your ‘virtual receptionists’: they’re friendly, patient, and they’ll take calls and messages 24/7 so you’re always available to customers.
That’s a better service, at a far lower cost than an in-house receptionist. What’s not to like?
Customers pay you to do a job, with the understanding that you’ll devote your time and effort to that job until it’s completed. You can’t do that if you’re too busy chasing the phone lines.
Your time is valuable. Where you dedicate it will determine the success of your business. The time you spend answering calls, taking bookings, or trawling through voicemail, is time that might be better spent on your core business.
Every business needs to pick up the phone for customers, but if the quality of your work suffers as a consequence, you might find the phone lines aren’t as busy in the future. And if you are endlessly trying to play catch-up, and allow your work to encroach on your family time, can you really chalk that up as a win?
An answering service takes calls and takes messages on behalf of your business, leaving you free to do what you do best, whether at work or at home. If your business relies on bookings, have your provider schedule appointments for you. They’ll slot them directly into your calendar, and you can access them anywhere.
Your customers just might thank you as you deliver both a superior service and a better customer experience.