If you run or own a business, you know how important appearing professional on the phone is to your company and bottom line. It has been estimated that about 61% of all American consumers say they prefer to get customer service over the phone. Nearly 55% say that they are willing to pay more for good customer service. The problem with bad customer service is that people are much more likely to complain about bad service they receive than to talk about good customer service they get. Because people do judge a business by the way they are treated on the phone, many businesses hire professional answering service to manage their incoming calls.
- A call handling service can deal with your calls efficiently and effectively. When you hire a live operator answering service, you know all of your calls will be answered quickly and efficiently. They can screen calls, take down messages, answer questions and help your clients or customers.If someone calls your business looking for something, they may not know who they need to talk to. By having a live phone answering service take the calls that come in, the caller can be directed to the right person. This is something that you do not have to worry about. They can even make appointments and answer basic questions about your business. You do not have to take time out of your day to give the mailing address, for instance.
- The live operator can manage the office schedule. When you have someone with access to everyone’s schedule, they can set meetings and appointments for everyone at your business. If you run a medical or legal office, your clients may just be calling to make appointments. This is the perfect use of a professional answering service. This is an important function and service that they provide.
- They can answer calls at night and on the weekend. Your office may be closed but your business telephone answering service is still available. You can have your professional answering service take your calls on the weekends, at night and over the holidays. There are times when you are not going to be open but you may need to have someone answer your calls. If you manage a medical office, patients may call after hours with problems and concerns. You will be able to take those calls when they come in. Customers appreciate being able to reach a person when they call, even when they call after hours. By
- A professional answering service makes you look bigger than you are. If you clients or customers call on Sunday at 2:00 pm and they get someone, even if you are a small start up, you look a lot more professional and like you are larger than you actually are. They will not know that you have contracted out with a third party. This can help get your business going in the right direction.
- You will get more of your calls. When people have their calls go to voicemail, the vast majority of them do not leave a message. That means you will miss those calls. Moreover, most people do not like the prompts they get when they call the utility or other company. People really prefer to talk to a person when they call an organization or business. When you have a professional answering service, your calls will be answered by a person and your customers and clients will get better service.
- You will save money. If you want to take care of answering your phone in house, you have to hire someone to do it. That means you have to go through the process of funding someone, come up with their salary and benefits. This person can still only answer one call at a time and you still run the risk of missing calls. With a professional answering service, you will have a guarantee that your calls will be answered and dealt with effectively and professionally. If you make a mistake with your hiring decision, it can cost you a lot. A safer bet is to go with a professional answering service.
The way your calls are answered is very important to your business and bottom line.