Things to Know About Answering Services

When your client cracks a tooth at dinner and needs relief and an appointment or if your client doesn’t understand how to set up the product that they purchased from you, they typically need immediate help. However, if you are not in the office or are experiencing a large volume of calls, you may not be able to get to these customers right away. If you work with a phone answering service, however, your clients can get the immediate help they need without you being in the office 24/7.

A Variety of Users

Large and small businesses use a live phone answering service. Plumbers and building contractors, who typically cannot pick up the phone in the middle of a job, find these services convenient. Doctors and other medical professionals also offer 24-hour phone services for emergencies. Anyone in sales who doesn’t want to miss a lead can benefit from answering services. Any company that receives large or variable call volumes can take advantage of phone services for their overflow calls. Finally, these services are great in emergencies or when the power goes out because all calls are rerouted to a location that is not experiencing these challenges. Therefore, answering services can be used by businesses in almost every industry.

Services Provided

Reputable these providers, such as VoiceNation, offer a wide variety of services. Yes, they will answer your calls and take messages, but today’s businesses need much more than this. Therefore, these services also take orders, answer customer questions, book appointments and event registrations, provide help desk and other product support, respond to emergencies and process payments. These services can be negotiated into your contract. Almost anything a receptionist, customer service representative or help desk person does can be done by an answering service.

They Sound Like You

The agents from a great answering service will sound as if they are part of your company. They receive thorough training on your product and services so they can answer any client questions. In addition, they reflect your corporate culture. For example, a doctor’s office requires professional, kind and understanding representatives who will listen to the client’s complaints and provide empathetic solutions. However, a card company that focuses on humorous cards may want light-hearted agents to handle their customer orders.

Not only do the call center’s agents reflect these characteristics, but you don’t have to pay to train them. They receive thorough training on your company, products and services so they can provide excellent service to your customers in the way you would provide it internally. These agents will adopt your wording and language to prevent legal or liability issues. They also incorporate your brand’s greetings and processes as they solve your customers’ problems.

Labor Cost Reductions

A customer-centered company typically employs at least one receptionist, and it may hire multiple customer service representatives. One receptionist can cost more than $30,000 per year. In addition, you may have fluctuating call volumes, which results in either overstaffing or understaffing at least part of the year.

Answering services often offer scaled pricing based on your call volume and the services you request. Your contract is typically not binding and can be cancelled or changed relatively easily. These services can take care of your calls while your employees focus on increasing production and profitability. Additional staff members also require space to do their work, but if you don’t need to set aside space for a receptionist or customer service personnel, you can expand your production or reduce your building size, both of which impact profitability.

Service Terms

Different companies offer different terms of service. For example, some offer scripted calls while others offer flexible scripting, which prevents the agent from sounding as if they are reading from a script. These agents must understand your product and brand to personalize each call.

You may not need an answering service for business hours if you have an in-house receptionist or dedicated customer service staff. In these cases, you may contract for overflow services when your call volume is high. However, you may want to search for a service that answers your calls outside your business hours. Some services offer 24/7 call answering, while others have more restricted hours.

You may want to try out a company, and some offer flexible pricing based on the services you request and don’t have binding contracts.

If you want to increase your customer service while focusing on improved production and efficiency, consider working with a call answering service.