Owning a small business is tough. You have to juggle a lot of tasks, including answering calls. That’s one task that can claim a huge chunk of your precious time.
Don’t get us wrong. We know that interacting with the buyer is one of the most crucial things to build your business. But spending too much time on answering the customer queries can shift your focus from the other important tasks, such as – marketing, and stocktaking.
The point is, it simply isn’t logical to spend much time on the phone when you have a business to manage. Then again, if your customers and prospects reach your voicemail upon calling, they will be frustrated. That would lose you a lot of business. What to do?
Sure, you can hire a full-time employee to attend the calls. But that might just be a waste of money. What you can do instead, is hire an answering service. A virtual receptionist will ensure that your customers are received warmly every single time. The service will maintain the highest level of efficiency, professionalism, and a personal touch.
A good live answering service helps a business solve a number of challenges, including:
Providing customer support 24/7/365
No matter how dedicated you are to your customers and business, you cannot always be there to answer the phone. Installing an answering machine or voicemail isn’t much help either; since most people are refusing to leave a message at the beep. On the other hand, an answering service available 24/7/365 at your aid means that there is a friendly agent to greet your callers, make them feel more comfortable to leave messages or ask questions, and get them what they need, pronto.
Handling common issues without getting involved
You can save your precious time and money by providing your answering service with specific instructions to handle common calls. Thus, when a caller inquires about your business hours or returns policy, the agent can provide them with that information right away. There is no need for you to get involved. They can even offer scripted guidance to aid a customer. For example – while setting up an appointment with the doctor, an answering service hired by a doctor can remind people to bring previous prescriptions and other documents to the appointment.
Re-routing calls to a designated emergency number
You get your fair share of after-hour phone calls in the emergency number, and we know how much it stresses you out to handle them. On the other hand, if you entrust the task to an answering service, they will make sure that each of the calls gets answered, each message gets noted, and you are not contacted unless there’s a real emergency. This way, your off time remains yours.
Getting an organized list for call-backs
Why waste time making a list of callers from your voicemail, when you can route calls through your answering service partner? You will receive a tidy log of callers, complete with their needs and phone numbers. You can quickly check the list off as you contact the callers. Being organized gives you the chance to become incredibly responsive to customer needs. You’ll return calls more quickly, and not forget a single message.
There are many challenges that hiring an answering service can solve quickly and affordably, irrespective of the size or type of your business. At Fusion CX, we are trained to keep your clients’ information confidential and secure while providing your business with a warm, friendly voice.
