When you’re looking for an answering service company to handle your customer calls and schedule appointments, there’s a lot to consider. One of the first things to determine is how much assistance you need, and when it is needed.
Do you need a full-time call answering service?
While some businesses hire a call answering service just to help out during the busy holiday season, others rely on one full-time. The most common reasons for this are to cut costs on in-house employees, or to keep up with a high volume of incoming calls.
With many small and medium-sized businesses operating on a tight budget, some opt to forgo hiring a receptionist or office manager. For a business that only gets a few dozen calls a day, the expense of a full-time employee can’t possibly be justified. A live answering service ensures that all your calls get answered, without the need to pay for a full-time employee.
If your business experiences a higher call volume, here are two signs that you could benefit from a full-time call answering service:
- Your calls frequently go to voicemail
- Your customers are frequently placed on hold
When your customers call, they expect to speak to a live person right away. They don’t want to wait on hold or leave a voicemail and wait for a call back. When you use an answering service, you can make sure that all of your company’s incoming calls are handled promptly.
After-hours answering services give you time off
No matter what industry your business is in, chances are that it receives some calls during non-business hours. Your customers expect their calls to be answered regardless of the time, and if they are not, they may take their business elsewhere.
Without an answering service, it’s up to you and your staff members to answer the phone at all hours of the night, weekend or holidays. Handling all calls in-house would likely require hiring an extra employee or two, resulting in hourly labor costs, as well as benefits, management, and overhead expenses. Compared to the cost of hiring an in-house employee, an after-hours answering service is a bargain. It is an extension of your team that will allow you to leave the office with true peace of mind knowing that all after-hours callers will be greeted with a live, friendly and professional person.
Boost your holiday sales with an answering service
During the chaotic holiday season, businesses in a variety of industries, from retail, to e-commerce, to service providers, see a boost in incoming calls and sales, but they often can’t meet the demand on their own. By signing up with a call answering service, you can focus on doing what you do best, and let us help with tasks including answering overflow calls, providing organized call logs, setting appointments and answering common customer questions.
Is an answering service in your disaster recovery plan?
A disaster recovery plan should be a part of every business’ operational objectives, particularly when it comes to customer service. Although disasters such as fires, hurricanes, and floods can be unpredictable, one thing that businesses can plan for is the way that their customers are communicated with in the aftermath.
In the chaotic times following a disaster, an answering service can literally be your business’ only connection to your customers, vendors and employees while it works to recover. Having a live answering service on standby can help your business avoid communications downtime, saving you thousands of dollars in lost revenue while also maintaining a sense of normalcy that will make callers feel reassured.
