As a business owner, you need as much time as possible to complete jobs you’ve been paid to do and make money for your business. Things like taking new business calls and calls from existing customers are vital. But when you’re a small business, these calls can quickly start to get in the way of actually doing the work you’re meant to be doing.
Hiring a virtual receptionist can take away the burden of being worried about missing calls and free up more time to spend on your work. Here are 5 ways a virtual receptionist can help your business.
1. Make sure you never miss a call
Missed phone calls are the bane of every company’s and customer’s existence. If you miss a customer’s call, they might not be available when you call back and then they’ll miss your call, getting you stuck in a time-wasting cycle of ineffective communication. Not only is this annoying for both parties, but it can break down customer relationships that you’d previously worked hard to build up. A virtual receptionist removes the risk of undoing your hard work by keeping customers onside and always being available to answer their calls.
2. Put a professional service behind your front of house
Inconsistent communication doesn’t make your business look good. If a customer can’t get hold of you they might simply give up and spend their money on someone else’s services instead of yours. Virtual receptionists act like experienced personal assistants, familiar with your company values and able to give your business a human voice instead of an automated “please leave a message after the tone”. This reliability can boost your company’s reputation and keep you in the good graces of your valuable clients.
3. Manage your diary and emails
Virtual receptionists don’t just answer phones, they can also answer emails and manage your schedule in your business diary. If you’re busy working, you won’t always have time or remember to book in a meeting or call, or you might miss a customer calling to arrange one. Your virtual receptionist can check your availability and book in appointments for you. They’ll remind you of your daily and weekly schedules so you can stay on top of things without having to manage every little detail yourself.
4. Reduce expenses
There are lots of labour costs associated with hiring an in-office receptionist as a direct employee, like recruitment, training, salary, and pension contributions. Hiring a virtual receptionist skips these expenses and keeps costs low while still taking care of everything you need them to manage. They’re specially trained already and can be available at any time if you need them to be. It’s especially cheaper and easier if your business isn’t based in an office or if you work remotely.
5. Give you more time to focus on your business
No more interrupting a task or client meeting to take an inconvenient phone call, disrupting your work and putting off clients. No more ignoring calls that you’re too busy to answer and losing potential business. With a virtual receptionist to handle incoming and outbound communications for you, you can set your mind to what you’re doing and get better results without distractions. This will improve your productivity and workflow, keeping profits coming in.
