Telephone Answering Service Vs Answering Your Own Calls

There are many benefits of using a professional call answering company to answer your business calls. Some businesses believe that by answering their own calls it saves staff costs and is therefore better for the business. This is true in some respect, yes it does save costs but by answering your calls yourself you are opening yourself up to an array of potential issues such as:

* Missed calls and not having a number to call your customer back on - It all sounds good, answering your own calls but it can be surprisingly difficult and frustrating at times especially when you are bombarded by sales or marketing calls whilst you are in the middle of something important. A call answering company can filter all your unwanted sales calls leaving you free to concentrate on running your business and getting work done.

* No log of calls and enquiries- It can be very frustrating for any business to receive a voicemail or missed call on their phone, you then attempt to phone the number back only to realise it was withheld or unavailable (especially when it is a potential new lead or sale ). You may also be on the go and have no means of writing down what the call was regarding or callers name/details etc.

* Unwanted background sounds/noises if answering on the go - As a potential customer it can be very off putting when you phone a company landline number expecting to speak to someone on reception only to find that your call was in actual fact re routed to a mobile phone which can come hand in hand with poor reception and background noises such as passing cars, other peoples conversations etc. A virtual receptionist can answer your calls in a dedicated office environment at all times eliminating this problem.

* Giving the impression of a one man band - When we phone a company, although it is nice to speak to the owner it can also make us feel a little uneasy knowing that that is your only point of contact should any problems arise or you need to speak to someone straight away. There is always some comfort in knowing that your supplier has a dedicated office and receptionist.

By paying as little as 0.80p per call in some cases, you can have all your calls answered professionally and promptly each and every time by a trained PA who knows and understands your business. By doing this, you can ensure that firstly you never miss an important call, plus it gives you the time to call back the customer at a time that suits you best. Because the call has already been answered and your client or customer has already spoken to someone representing your company, they are then very unlikely to move on to one of your competitors. This in turn can lead to more sales leads than if you were to try answering the calls yourself.

So the conclusion is, yes it is cheaper to answer your own calls but not as cost or time effective as hiring a virtual receptionist to deal with them for you. A virtual receptionist can most definitely help to increase your revenue and portray a professional image for your business. There are some costs that simply should not be cut during tough times such as the recession we are experiencing, one of these are your marketing costs. Other costs that should not be cut are those that can affect the continuity of your business or damage your company's image in any way. A virtual receptionist is the perfect solution at just the right time. Save costs on staff, free up your own time, increase sales and improve your company image. Perfect!

Professional live telephone answering service and business answering service for UK businesses.Try our call answering services completely FREE - 7 days.

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Telephone Answering Service Vs Answering Your Own Calls

There are many benefits of using a professional call answering company to answer your business calls. Some businesses believe that by answering their own calls it saves staff costs and is therefore better for the business. This is true in some respect, yes it does save costs but by answering your calls yourself you are opening yourself up to an array of potential issues such as:

* Missed calls and not having a number to call your customer back on - It all sounds good, answering your own calls but it can be surprisingly difficult and frustrating at times especially when you are bombarded by sales or marketing calls whilst you are in the middle of something important. A call answering company can filter all your unwanted sales calls leaving you free to concentrate on running your business and getting work done.

* No log of calls and enquiries- It can be very frustrating for any business to receive a voicemail or missed call on their phone, you then attempt to phone the number back only to realise it was withheld or unavailable (especially when it is a potential new lead or sale ). You may also be on the go and have no means of writing down what the call was regarding or callers name/details etc.

* Unwanted background sounds/noises if answering on the go - As a potential customer it can be very off putting when you phone a company landline number expecting to speak to someone on reception only to find that your call was in actual fact re routed to a mobile phone which can come hand in hand with poor reception and background noises such as passing cars, other peoples conversations etc. A virtual receptionist can answer your calls in a dedicated office environment at all times eliminating this problem.

* Giving the impression of a one man band - When we phone a company, although it is nice to speak to the owner it can also make us feel a little uneasy knowing that that is your only point of contact should any problems arise or you need to speak to someone straight away. There is always some comfort in knowing that your supplier has a dedicated office and receptionist.

By paying as little as 0.80p per call in some cases, you can have all your calls answered professionally and promptly each and every time by a trained PA who knows and understands your business. By doing this, you can ensure that firstly you never miss an important call, plus it gives you the time to call back the customer at a time that suits you best. Because the call has already been answered and your client or customer has already spoken to someone representing your company, they are then very unlikely to move on to one of your competitors. This in turn can lead to more sales leads than if you were to try answering the calls yourself.

So the conclusion is, yes it is cheaper to answer your own calls but not as cost or time effective as hiring a virtual receptionist to deal with them for you. A virtual receptionist can most definitely help to increase your revenue and portray a professional image for your business. There are some costs that simply should not be cut during tough times such as the recession we are experiencing, one of these are your marketing costs. Other costs that should not be cut are those that can affect the continuity of your business or damage your company's image in any way. A virtual receptionist is the perfect solution at just the right time. Save costs on staff, free up your own time, increase sales and improve your company image. Perfect!

Professional live telephone answering service and business answering service for UK businesses.Try our call answering services completely FREE - 7 days.

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The Upsides And Downsides Of Getting An Answering Service

Business is composed of a number of segments. There's production, operation, human resources, marketing and sales. Each department has a set of responsibilities to honor and among them is catering to customers and affiliates. Given the variety of goals a team has to accomplish within the day, it becomes quite difficult to address this obligation and still maintain effectiveness in delivering results in other tasks. This is where hiring an answering service comes in handy, but there are a few notable advantages and disadvantages to its use that interested companies should know.

First and foremost, an answering service allows you to provide better customer care. Since the company does not have to rely only on one or two receptionists to cater to all of the incoming calls, they experience less missed and dropped calls and can respond to customers at any given time. On top of that, call screening and handling becomes more streamlined. Calls can be prioritized and addressed according to importance. If the person in charge is not present, the inquiry can just be forwarded to his or her mobile line or sent to the next assigned personnel. This reflects well on the company's image and in turn, encourages patronization. Along with that, sales and approval ratings rise. It's also important to emphasize that with an answering service, the wait time for issue resolution is lessened. This equates to less queued calls and therefore, less need to hire more in-house manpower to finish the job. The fees may not be as affordable as getting a dedicated temp. However, when you add hiring and training costs, you will probably save money if you acquire the services of a professional outsourced customer service company.

As for the disadvantages, there is the fact that you relinquish control when you use an answering service. Unless you have a very reliable provider, you may not be able to secure quality customer service for every call your company gets. There are communication issues to deal with, especially if the answering service is outsourced. Unless you get people from an English-speaking country you are bound to get complaints about mispronunciations, accents and incomprehensibility. On top of that, since answering services are typically setup for in-bound calls only, there is no chance for call back if the line is disrupted. Additionally, there is greater possibility for information leakage and privacy infringements since a third party is involved in the relay of important messages.

Given all of this, it is vital that you go over your options carefully and decide, with full knowledge of the pros and cons, in which direction you would like to go. If you are to hire people to help you maintain your accessibility, you need to be smart about who you transact with. Don't just limit yourself with the fees. Look at the service provider's track record as well as their packages' features. Ask for trial services so you get a good gauge of what they have to offer before you commission their assistance.

For more information about an Orlando answering service and an English-speaking answering service visit our website courteouscom.com

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