We all know the unpleasant sensation we feel the moment an automated voice begins telling us which numbers to push to continue following an electronic phone service path. By the time we reach a live human voice we are usually so frustrated that we lose faith in the company or business we are trying to contact. This is especially true when we don’t reach an actual agent or representative, but some sort of central operator who sends us off into another area of the electronic world.
If you are a business owner or independent professional, you may want to consider the benefits of a live answering service. It is vitally important to note that these are no longer simply a remote receptionist jotting down messages and forwarding them to you at a later point, but are instead highly complex services offering everything from order taking, appointment setting and event registration to full customer service.
It all begins with making a thorough and itemized list of what you will need from a telephone answering service. For example, would you like your regular phone system to automatically “roll over” into the live answering service at any time your regular staff is unavailable to take a call? For instance, if all lines in your office happen to be busy during the business day, do you want the next incoming call to roll into the answering service?
Additionally, it is important to consider if you will need any messages or details to be forwarded instantly through a few electronic channels. For example, should information from a client be sent via an email or fax to the main office?
A modern telephone answering service makes such comprehensive offerings available to most customers. This means that many smaller businesses can be spared the expense of hiring one or two new employees, paying them to work during “after hours” periods and also keeping the building or office running as well. Consider that this will save on total operating and employee expenses as well as tax and benefits issues also.
When considering any answering service business, however, it is important to also ensure that they will guarantee dedicated staff to your account. This is particularly true if you need special telephone protocols followed. For example, many answering services will answer the phone with the client’s business name, and then follow a pre-packaged script that is written by the client. This allows customers a great deal of confidence and permits the business to offer round the clock virtual customer service, but requires knowledgeable and well-trained staff to achieve.
