If you are looking for an answering service company to handle your customer calls, schedule appointments and help with other tasks, you may be wondering how it can add value to your business. When considering the big picture, a good answering service can provide tremendous value to businesses in a variety of industries, providing overall cost and time savings, as well as excellent customer service that leads to an enhanced brand image and increased revenue. Here’s how:
An answering service can actually help you save money
For many, price is the first thing that comes to mind. You might think that signing up for an answering service is going to cost your business a lot of money, but when compared to the cost of hiring additional employees to work in your office, you’re sure to find that this is a more affordable option.
Without an answering service, it would be up to you and your staff members to answer all incoming calls, during both regular business hours and after hours. Handling all calls in-house would mean hiring and training people to answer your phone 24/7, around-the-clock. In addition to the hourly labor cost of in-house employees, you must also consider benefits, management, and overhead expenses. With this said, good answering service at a reasonable cost is a bargain when compared to the cost of hiring an in-house employee.
The value of excellent customer service
When your customers call, they expect to be able to talk to a live person right away. They don’t want to listen to a recording or wait on the line for someone to pick up. They also don’t want to leave a voicemail and wait around for a callback.
Great customer service is so important that according to the American Express 2017 Customer Service Barometer, customers say they are actually willing to spend more money with companies who provide it, and you only have one chance to make a good impression. More than half of Americans have scrapped a planned purchase or transaction because of bad service, and 33% say they will consider switching companies after just a single instance of poor service. However, if a company provides excellent customer service, 70% said they are willing to spend up to 17% more to do business with them and have already done so in the past.
When you use an answering service, you can make sure that your company’s incoming calls are handled promptly. The individuals who answer will be trained and experienced in handling customer service calls and can, therefore, provide your customers with a great experience.
Your time is valuable
You have a business to run. You don’t want to spend hours picking up the phone and getting interrupted. With a telephone answering service, you can save yourself a lot of time while making sure that all of your company’s incoming phone calls are handled in a professional and prompt manner. This leaves you and your employees with more time to focus on more important matters.
