For many, the thought of using a live phone answering service seems archaic and unnecessary. Especially when you consider the relatively inexpensive automated answering service options that are so plentifully available, going with a live service seems like a throwback to another era. And maybe it is. But sometimes, adding a greater degree of human touch is what can separate your business from the competition.
Here’s the truth, plain and simple: people are tired of talking to machines. Especially on a customer service level, repeatedly leaving messages is degrading and irritating. Live conversations can facilitate a greater degree of understanding and a feeling of assurance that you’ve been heard, even when the nature of your business is simple. A live phone answering service projects the idea that your call won’t get lost in a shuffle and isn’t dependent on machinery working properly to get where it’s meant to go. Furthermore, it eliminates the “full voice mail” issue that is such a huge turnoff.
In the end, however, using a live phone answering service or call handling service will save you time and money, and it might help you retain clients/customers that would otherwise walk away.
Here are three more in-depth explanations as to why using a live operator answering service is to your benefit:
There are any number of reasons why someone is calling your company, and different calls will be handled in different ways. Having a live service handling the front end puts a human face on the initial communication while also screening out calls about details that you needn’t be fussing with calls about basic policies and procedures, directions/location, hours and so forth. Additionally, a live operator can take messages (and let you know which ones are truly the most pressing), and can selectively forward calls to a cell phone or home phone.
This is a no-brainer. Having a live phone answering machine service working for you allows for a greater degree of calls that get automatically turned around into appointments by skipping the callback steps. Let the service worry about availability and work around parameters you’ve already established with them – your schedule will get established for you, leaving you more time to do your job more effectively.
Your live telephone answering service won’t be specifically trained to run customer service for you, but they will be able to add a caring touch to calls that come in after hours that would normally go straight to voice mail, allowing an additional chance to diffuse a negative situation early. It also allows for a swifter execution of communication in case of an emergency and makes sure that your clients feel a sense that you’re working around the clock and always available, even when you might not be.
Looking at it from this angle, the added expense of a live phone answering service is something that pays for itself in short time and keeps callers feeling like they’ve been heard — that their time is important to you.
References.
