The necessity of hiring a live answering service within your company depends on a few things. If you don’t receive a lot of phone calls for things like appointment scheduling or customer inquiries, maybe a service like this isn’t for you. But if you receive a high call volume throughout the day and night this might be best investment you could ever make.
Before making the investment you should do a bit of research on how a live answering service can help your business to grow. You can start right here by reading up on the main things you should know before hiring a live answering service.
What is a live answering service?
It is a phone answering service that utilizes real-live human beings to answer phone calls directed to your company. Unlike automated services these people have flesh and blood and they provide top quality customer service – unlike the robots used in automated systems.
The best services use representatives that are stationed right here in the United States rather than somewhere overseas. They have received extensive training in the field and will also receive training based on your company and its policies and overall vision.
What are the specific services provided?
There are usually a few packages to choose from when you invest in a live answering service company. They can cater the services to your specific needs, but generally these firms specialize in a few things:
- Front office virtual receptionist
- Emergency dispatching services
- Answering to literature requests
- Appointment scheduling
You can also hire a specific representative to serve as your personal assistant if this something you would benefit from. Your assistant would help with scheduling meetings and appointments, responding to clients, and keeping your schedule as organized as possible.
What sort of training is involved for the call center representatives?
Before putting your company’s future in the hands of a call center rep you obviously need to be sure that he or she is qualified to handle to tasks at hand. The best live answering networks require their employees to undergo a 12-week training course.
This not only shows their commitment to the job but also prepares them in every way to take calls for a variety of companies. Throughout the 3 month training they learn how to deal with scheduling conflicts, utilize certain softwares, and gain strong communication skills.
Who is the best candidate for a live phone answering service?
If you work on your own and have no trouble managing call volume and scheduling then no, this service would probably not benefit you much in the end. The best candidates for hiring an answering network are companies whose phones are ringing off the hook.
You are considered the top candidate if you experience calls even during non-business hours.
If you are closed for the day your customers are typically pushed through to voicemail. Some of them are too impatient to even leave a message or call back number. With a live answering service you will have someone to man the phone 24/7 which will improve your overall customer satisfaction.
