With sole traders and small business start-ups becoming the way of the future, a 24-hour phone answering service offers a solution for those who need a receptionist that’s half the cost, and that can work within any space. With an increase in users across the UK and the US, a call answering service becoming the popular choice for any business struggling to take client calls and losing time and money to chasing up leads.
To decide if a call answering service is right for your small business, consider the following seven ways a telephone answering service can help improve office productivity and turn of profit.
1. Organise your Call Flow
When it comes to running a small business, clients will often have to be prioritised based on their importance to the profit and overall influence on the company. While you don’t want to leave any calls unanswered, it’s vital that a process is in place that essential customers can come directly to an individual without the added hassle of extensions or tracked down.
A call service can also ensure that the received call is taken by the correct staff members, and can set necessary boundaries when it comes to how much time staff can spend with each client. For example, you don’t want the same person a client spoke to set up their project to then encounter the same person when it comes to a support call. Separation is crucial as it sets a level of professionalism and clues customers in on who the right person to field their questions are.
2. Reduce on Cold Calls
Another benefit of a telephone answering service is the ability to reduce on cold calls, as the system can vet any potential queries of those looking to market and instead only revive new leads and inquiries from existing customers. Avoiding cold calls saves a considerable amount of time as asking sales reps to remove your company from their list is an exhausting and frustrating task that is especially hard to tackle when there’s no one to screen calls.
3. Increase Productivity
In high stake meetings, the last thing you want to do is excuse yourself to take a call. With a live answering service, this no longer has to be a concern as every call will be screened then taken care of by a professional in customer service. Leaving more time to focus on the products and services you offer your costumers. For those always in and out of the office, it also offers a peace of mind that no sales call or important message will be left unanswered or undocumented.
4. After Hours Calls
Putting in place a 24-hour phone answering service means taking the calls that employees and competitors can’t. Even when your company is unstaffed, you’re still open with a call answering service. Allowing a streamlined filter of all customer calls and messages at any time all without relying on a full-time employee. With no longer needed to pay your team to work long after hours shifts or on weekends an all-access phone line, this means more satisfied customers, staff and more profit for your business.
5. Save on Training and Resources
The amount of time and energy it takes to train up a new customer service team is a considerable investment for any company. Not only do companies invest time in the application and interview process but even the most experienced staff will still require time to learn the new phone extensions, technical information, and entire client base. In some cases, it may even be that your company does not require a full-time employee as calls peak during certain months (for instance end of the finical year) but trickle in year round. Hiring new staff that align with your needs becomes even more daunting when you’re operating as a small business or sole trader with no other team members to spare. A telephone answering service, on the other hand, is an easy no training necessary way to set up your reception and phone services.
6. Protects Small Businesses
An overlooked benefit of answering services is the added protection it gives to small businesses. With all client, interactions recorded a detailed record of all quotes and exchanges is saved and is available for training, price negotiations and even any legal disputes down the road.
7. Big Where It Counts
For many small businesses, a receptionist is more of a luxury than a requirement and it’s an understandable sacrifice to make when the company is just starting out. However, with live call answering, you don’t have to miss out on the added professionalism an inbound call team or receptionist provides. Give the impression to potential clients and customers that your business is running smoothly and avoid having someone on the phone who is juggling their own tasks and priorities.
Contributed byhttps://www.callservice.com.au/
