When customers call your business, there is a number of factors deciding whether they’ll feel good about their experience: did they have to wait on hold? Did they get the information they needed? Was the person who answered polite and attentive?
Or did the phone ring and ring until the caller gave up before getting an answer?
It’s crucial to your business to provide reliable phone service, but it can also be challenging given all the other work that must be done. A phone answering service may be the answer to this challenge. Answering service outsourcing is a good idea too.
Answering service companies like VoiceNation don’t have a huge spotlight on them, and you may be wondering how they work, let alone how they can benefit you. Read on and you’ll find it’s not too complicated.
How It Works
When you start working with a phone answering service, there are a few steps you’ll take to set things up according to your needs.
First, you’ll choose a phone number that will be used to forward incoming calls to the answering service, or that you can share directly with clientele.
Then you can provide a script that phone operators will use when answering calls to your business. You can also decide the schedule that the answering service will follow: if you need representatives taking calls at peak times or after hours, you can arrange the schedule accordingly.
Many answering services employ bilingual receptionists and phone operators, and you can enlist this service if your business serves clientele who don’t speak English.
Calls that go through the answering service can be forwarded to you or your voicemail, and the operators can also take messages, make appointments, and perform other basic tasks if instructed.
As part of your plan with an answering service, you’ll also probably have access to reports on phone activity. Once your account is up and running, you can check the volume of calls your business receives, how long the calls last, and other valuable information about the calls your business receives.
Top answering services allow you to use their features using an online account. You should be able to access a centralized, user-friendly dashboard to look at call data, edit your script, and make other adjustments to your plan.
Why It’s Helpful
Phone answering services can be helpful to all different types of businesses. These are a few businesses that might benefit from phone support:
- Real estate offices
- Law offices
- Dental and medical offices
- Small businesses like salons and shops
- Banks
One reason answering services can be beneficial in that it allows you to provide customer service 24/7, whether you’re on the job or not. When people call your business outside of open hours, they’ll still be able to reach someone.
This can make a crucial difference for callers who need to make an appointment or have their questions answered as quickly as possible. Having open phone lines for long hours also means more people can call, which can help grow your business.
Providing consistent customer service at any time of day can improve your business’ reputation. You won’t lose customers on account of a lack of phone service, because everyone who calls will most likely get an answer. New customers who call will get a good first impression, and you’ll have an easier time retaining old customers if they feel your business has reliable phone service.
Word-of-mouth advertising and online reviews may also be improved if your customers are pleased with their experiences. All of this goes to encourage customer loyalty and attract new patrons.
Finally, using a phone answering service is more affordable than hiring full-time receptionists to help you manage call volume. The people answering calls to your business are already trained and equipped with a script, and they record all the important data from phone calls in one place for you. What more could you need?
Providing customer service and support over the phone is a fine art. Mastering it is an important part of having a successful business, but even entrepreneurs have to sleep. If you and your in-house employees are stretched thin, it will be difficult to perfect customer service.
That’s where a phone answering service comes in. It works simply, relieves pressure, and can make customers happy. Many answering services offer free trials, so the only next step is to try out their service and see how it works for yourself.
