An answering service can be a great asset to any business. This is especially true if your company doesn’t have the time or resources to manage phone calls effectively. If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, implementing a telephone answering service might be the answer. In this article, learn more about how an answering service can help your business grow and thrive in today’s competitive market.
What is a Phone Answering Service?
A phone answering service is an outsourced receptionist service that takes inbound calls and messages on behalf of your business, either during designated hours such as when your office is closed or all of the time. An answering service allows your employees to stay focused on their primary responsibilities and outsource their call and message handling to an experienced team.
A virtual receptionist is trained to answer your customer calls, direct those calls to the appropriate person, take customer messages and route those messages to the correct employees, send appointment reminders, and take care of other administrative duties. Different types of phone answering services will provide different types of services and may be customized to meet your specific business needs. You can select from a variety of virtual receptionist services, including live answering services.
Why is an Answering Service So Important?
An answering service has the potential to do so many things to help your business grow. It can increase customer satisfaction, reduce marketing costs, help you find and close prospects, improve your customer experience and improve your brand image.
What if you could reduce the amount of time your employees spend on the phone answering basic questions and increase their ability to close sales? An answering service can be the difference between growing your business and keeping it small. When customers call your business and are greeted by a friendly, professional voice, it shows them that you are serious about your business and customer service. It also gives them a positive experience, which can lead to positive word-of-mouth advertising for your company.
How Can an Answering Service Help Grow Your Business?
When you outsource the answering of telephone calls and messages to a service, you can do so much more with your time. You can instead work on growing your business, finding new markets for expansion or designing your next marketing campaign. You’re no longer tied to the phone 24/7.
You can focus more on marketing your company and increasing sales. Here are some other ways that an answering service can help you grow your business:
Reduce Marketing Costs
A telephone answering service can reduce marketing costs by directing leads to the appropriate sales representatives and reducing the number of cold calls your team members make.
Reduce Sales Cycle Time
Customers can get answers to their questions quickly, which can reduce the sales cycle time. Plus, a professional answering service can act as a buffer between you and your customers. This can allow your salespeople to focus on what they do best—the sale—without having to worry about customer service.
Increase Customer Satisfaction
An answering service can increase customer satisfaction by answering questions and providing excellent customer service quickly. This can lead to more repeat customers and referrals.
Help You Find and Close Prospects
An answering service can allow your sales team to focus on finding and closing prospects. Plus, we can help you find and close more prospects by routing incoming calls to the appropriate sales representative. This can lead to more sales and a larger customer base.
Improve your Customer Experience
An answering service can reduce the amount of time your customers spend on hold, get quick answers to their questions, and have their calls routed to the appropriate person. This can lead to more satisfied customers and an improved customer experience.
Increase Customer Satisfaction
This type of service can increase customer satisfaction by answering their questions quickly and providing excellent customer service. This can lead to more repeat customers and referrals.
A Professional Voice at Your Company’s Front Doors
A telephone answering service can provide a professional voice at your company’s front door. Someone with experience in customer service will always serve as the face of your company. This can lead to more client referrals and a larger client base.
What to Look for in a Professional Phone Answering Service
When you’re looking for a professional telephone answering service, you should consider how you want the service to work in your company, what your goals are for the business, and how you want the service to manage your calls. You should also look for a company that is friendly, has experience in managing calls, offers flexible packages and rates, and has proven track records with satisfied clients.
It’s important that you choose a company that offers virtual receptionists with experience in your industry and a reputation for excellent customer service. This will help ensure that your team can focus on growing your business rather than on answering calls. You should also consider the technologies offered and whether they’re necessary to meet your needs. Look for a company that offers a connection of sales and customer service representatives, which can ensure that your team is efficient and effective at performing all call-related tasks.
How to Find the Right Phone Answering Service for Your Business
There are many benefits to using a telephone answering service. However, not all phone answering services are the same. Before you sign on with a particular company, you’ll want to make sure they provide the right service for your business needs.
You’ll want to look for the following things when choosing a phone answering service:
Reliability
You want to make sure the company you select is reliable. Most professional telephone answering services use a redundant system so your calls are always answered. Without having efficient systems available to accept all calls, some calls could be missed and opportunities from customers lost.
Easy to Use
Your telephone answering service should be easy to use. Your employees should be able to understand the system quickly and without issue. They should be able to manage calls easily, which can help them focus on providing excellent customer service rather than answering basic questions.
Excellent Customer Service
Your telephone answering service should be able to answer your customers’ questions quickly and provide excellent customer service.
Cost-Effective
Your telephone answering service should be cost-effective. You want to make sure you’re getting the best service for your money. Choosing a cost-effective and value-focused answering service can help you to get the most value. However, be sure to balance the cost against these other factors. A cheap answering service that doesn’t do a great job would be a terrible investment. Be sure to find a reputable and reliable firm.
Strong Track Record with Clients
Your phone answering service should have a strong track record with clients in your industry. You want to look for a company that can connect your sales team with customers and clients, which can lead to more sales and referrals.
Customer-Focused
You want to make sure the company you select has a reputation for customer-focused services that help grow businesses. You’ll also want a company with reliable, professional employees who can answer your questions and provide excellent customer service at all times.
Customizable
Your telephone answering service should be customizable. You want to make sure you can make changes to your package as your business grows and your needs change. Your phone answering service should be able to customize its features so it fits your specific needs.
A Dedicated Team
Your telephone answering service should have a dedicated team. You want to make sure someone is always available to take your calls and provide excellent customer service. You also want to make sure the team members are friendly, knowledgeable, and experienced in your industry.
Technology Options
You should look for a company that offers multiple technology options. You want to make sure you can get the right resources for your business without having to pay extra or upgrade packages.
A Strong Reputation
You should look for a company with a strong reputation when choosing a telephone answering service. The company you select has experience managing clients and answering calls in your industry. You also want to make sure it has a good reputation with clients.
Contact Answer Aide to Learn More About How An Answering Service Can Help Grow Your Business
A telephone answering service can be a great asset to any business. This is especially true if your company doesn’t have the time or resources to manage phone calls effectively. If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, implementing a telephone answering service might be the answer.
If you’re ready to get started with a professional answering service, we’re here to help. Contact Answer Aide by calling (866) 427-3500 or by filling out our online form. We’re happy to partner with you to support your business while it grows.