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The Importance of Answering the Phone
Consumers today are doing their research and shopping in a totally different way from years gone by, with browsing for information and subsequent enquiries often not occurring within the once standard nine to five bracket. When a customer wants to speak to someone from your company, he wants to do it when it is convenient for him, which might not be convenient for you, but if you are not picking up the phone, the chances are you just lost a customer to someone who is. Obviously though, having someone sat in your office sixteen hours a day to answer an occasional call is probably not financially viable, but at the same time, not many people want to leave a voice message on an answering service, so what are you to do? An answer that many businesses are turning to is a virtual receptionist.
What is a Virtual Receptionist?
A virtual receptionist is a real human being who will answer the phone on your behalf when your office is closed, or no one is picking up your phone. The customer will hear the standard greeting all callers normally hear when they ring you, and will be able to ask all of the questions they would ask your normal daytime staff. The only difference is that the virtual receptionist will not actually be physically present in your office. Reception HQ is a USA based virtual receptionist company who employ many skilled call centre staff, but unlike a traditional call center, incoming calls aren’t routed to the next free representative. Instead, it allocates specific individuals to certain clients, meaning repeat callers will get the same people every time, and will become used to the sound of the same voice answering the phone, which is perfect for continuity in an issue. After all, no one wants to explain their problem from the start again, every time they call.
The Benefits it Brings
Economically, it is a winner. You have no overhead in buying desks or equipment and you don’t have to employ any extra full time staff. You only actually make any payments for calls that are received, so you are now open for business 24/7 for a remarkably small amount of money. Equally important, your phone is now being answered by a highly trained, experienced and often certified customer service representative who has been trained to deal with every eventuality in a courteous and professional manner, which reflects very well on the image of your company. You may actually find that your virtual receptionist is better than your normal full time staff.
No More Recruitment or Training
Hiring any new staff is time consuming, trying to sort through CV’s, arranging interviews, checking references and then having to train them. By employing the services of a virtual receptionist company, that all becomes a thing of the past. They have very experienced customer service staff already, who receive extra training to be able to understand your company, its products and can answer enquiries exactly as if they are sat in your office. As a call comes into them, they see which company the call originates for, and respond accordingly.
If your normal receptionist is sick, or on leave, the virtual receptionist kicks in and business is not affected. You need never miss another enquiry again, unlike your competitors who are still in the dark ages.