As you grow a business, you have to keep track of every dollar coming in and going out.
Reducing your overhead while maximizing your receivables will build a strong financial future for your company. But don’t let a minimalistic approach to your expenses hold your business back from growing.
Working with an answering service to handle your incoming calls, take care of basic customer service issues, take orders and deliver FAQ information is technically an expense – but it actually contributes to your bottom line. Being concerned about the monthly cost of live, virtual receptionists is taking a shortsighted approach to business growth.
Answering services help grow your business in many ways, including these three key ones:
- Answering services can help your staff get off the phones and focus on work.
Having staff members answer incoming calls is fine at the beginning of your business, but ultimately you’ll want that staffers to do what you hired them to do. Screening calls is a waste of their time. They have better things to do – things that will help you grow the future of the business. With an answering service, your staff can get off the phones and back to business.
- Answering services can help you avoid the costs of hiring a full-time, in-house receptionist – or an additional one if yours is already overwhelmed with calls.
Maybe you’ve decided that your staff can’t answer phones anymore, so you’ve gone ahead and hired an onsite receptionist. But your business is booming, so even she is swamped in calls. Before you consider hiring (and paying) yet an additional team member, look to a virtual receptionist. The cost of a virtual receptionist is significantly less than that of a full-time employee – but you’ll have all the benefits of an extra person answering phones.
- Answering services can help you capture more incoming calls and expand your business hours.
One of the hidden benefits of answering services is that it helps you capture more business around the clock. Even if your business isn’t open 24/7, your phone line can be. With a live, virtual receptionist taking incoming calls anytime during the day you’ll be able to take care of after-hours callers or handle emergency situations that would have gone to voicemail otherwise.
Take a wider view of your company’s bottom line and be sure to view answering services as an asset instead of a debit. They can help increase your profits and set up your company for long-term growth.
