The time comes in all business owners’ careers when they ask themselves if it’s time to hire extra help.
Often, this is a time of explosive growth and limited liquid funds, making adding staff a difficult and risky decision. For many businesses, partnering with an answering service is an excellent middle ground solution, saving money and servicing customers better than ever!
An Answering Service Can Streamline and Grow Your Business
The reputation of your small- to medium-sized business is the most valuable marketing tool you can possibly have. In fact, according to a survey conducted by American Express, an average customer will tell 21 people about the bad experiences they have with companies both online and off. That’s a lot of lost revenue, considering how much customers rely on personal testimonials when they’re trying out a businesses for the first time.
Instead of letting your customer connections suffer growing pains, you can partner with an answering service that scales as your business grows. Most of these companies are set up so you only pay for the calls they answer, which can save a lot of money over a full time employee or team of operators.
If you’ve been considering hiring another customer service employee or receptionist, you should be asking yourself if you could take advantage of a telephone answering service.
Here are just a few ways this type of service can make life easier for you and improve your callers’ experience:
- Expanding your customer touch. Most SMBs simply don’t have the budget to hire a 24/7 telephone operators, but when you partner with an answering service, it’s suddenly just as affordable to have the phones on all the time.You might not be as big as your competitors, but giving your customers the option to call any time, day or night, can give you the impression of being a much larger corporation, as well as making your customers feel like you’re always going to be there for them.
- Ensuring every call is answered. You’re a busy person during your workday and sometimes a call or two will slip through your grasp because you’re occupied. That’s not a worry when you’ve partnered with an answering service company. Instead of those calls heading to voicemail, where it’s not always a given that your caller will leave a message, your answering service can instead pick them up.Call overflow is also helpful when you’re receiving multiple calls at the same time. Instead of putting everyone on hold, your team of remote operators will handle their concerns and questions on your behalf in the order they call.
- Booking appointments for you. Having a dedicated appointment queue is a great boon for companies that rely on one-on-one customer engagements. Instead of having to juggle the phone and your appointments, using an appointment setting service makes it possible to focus on the person right in front of you, allowing you to deliver the best customer service possible.
If you’re wondering if your small business needs an answering service and you’re ready to see your company grow, or at least ready to shed a few extra responsibilities, the answer is probably a resounding “yes!” They can be an affordable option for SMBs and a helpful tool that allows you to get more done in less time.
