Regardless of the kind of business you have, current and potential customers want to feel that it’s there for them when they need it. That’s why the common practice of being available to answer the phone only eight hours per day during your typical operating timeframe is probably not sufficient. If you decide to avail of a company that can handle calls when you’re away, the results could help your business prosper.
Show Customers, You’re Dependable
Some businesses are particularly well-suited to using an answering service, although all types could benefit from them. For example, maybe you’re a doctor or a dentist, or you run a locksmith service or plumbing company. In those situations and others, you’re reaching current and potential customers possibly dealing with dire circumstances. When there’s someone on the other end of the phone line ready to assist them, those people are more likely to feel calmer during their times of need.
The person who receives the call can also screen the communications and know when it’s necessary to get in touch with you or someone else associated with your business. Perhaps a frantic mother called your family practice because her toddler has a sudden high fever. After taking down a few details, the answering service worker can give you the specifics and help you decide what to tell the mom after getting back in touch with her.
If the child’s mother had only said her tot didn’t have an appetite, that’s likely not an emergency and is something that can wait until morning. However, depending on its severity and the duration, a high fever can be an emergency. Having an answering service makes it much easier for you or other medical professionals at your practice to deal with these cases outside of office hours.
It’s understandably frustrating to get no answer when dialing a number, or to hear a recording that says someone will return the call in the morning. Even in the age of the internet, many customers still prefer interacting with businesses via the telephone. The employee of an answering service reinforces the idea that someone is always available to respond, even in the middle of the night or during weekends.
Benefit From Better Lead Generation Efforts
Having someone perpetually available to answer the phone also means you don’t miss out on the communications from potential customers who have questions about what you offer or current clients who need specific assistance from you or require additional clarifications. If a person calls your company’s number and hears nothing but several rings and no one picking up the line, they may give up and forget to contact you again.
Conversely, one of the benefits of using an answering service is that the employees associated with it can take down notes about all incoming calls. Then, when staff members arrive at your business during the next operating day, it’s easier to prioritize which calls to return and when. Calling people back promptly and having details about their queries when you contact them helps you capitalize on lead generation and best serve the people who reached out.
For example, maybe several customers had similar questions. You could decide to group all of those and handle those calls in one session before switching to another task and then going back to returning phone calls about another topic. Being strategic like that can help you stay productive while ensuring that you don’t forget to call anyone back. It’s easy to understand, then, why an answering service helps a growing business maintain responsiveness.
Give Your Customers More Consistency
A person working for a call answering service can also follow your requested script. Then, no matter which customers contact your business and when, they all hear the same kinds of responses. That kind of consistent performance can also give you more peace of mind from knowing that a crucial aspect of your company keeps operating smoothly when you’re away.
VoiceNation is a leading answering service that even offers a mobile app to help you track activity. You may at first feel hesitant to let someone else answer calls for you. However, before long, it’ll become clear that such an arrangement lets you focus on meeting customer needs by ensuring someone is there to engage with them 24 hours a day and during holidays.
Whether your business is just getting started or already well established, an answering service caters to your needs and theirs. This overview gives a glimpse of why it could be crucial for helping your company compete in the marketplace.
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