Small businesses are constantly growing, and a part of positive growth is managing employee costs. Hiring employees and managing the related expenses and benefits programs can add up quickly. By outsourcing the management of your call volume to small business answering service providers, small businesses can cut front desk-related costs and expand the number of hours they are available with a LIVE voice. Financial savings can then be directed towards another area of the business.
Get a Small Business Phone Answering Solution
What Is a Phone Answering Service and How Does It Work?
A phone answering service is a professional solution that handles incoming calls for businesses. It ensures that every call is answered by a trained representative, even outside of regular working hours. By acting as an extension of your business, these services manage inquiries, telephone schedule appointments, and relay important messages to your team.
Essentially, they work by keeping your communication lines open 24/7, helping to maintain customer satisfaction, and ensuring no opportunity is missed, all without the cost of hiring in-house staff.
What Are The Benefits Of Answering Service For Small Business?
- Reducing the Pressure on Your Employees: Having an answering service for small businesses can take the load off of your employees so that customers can get most or all of their questions answered by a call center agent. This can cover everything from hours of operation and billing questions to product questions and order fulfillment.
- Managing Emergency Calls: Professionals, as well as service providers ranging from doctors and dentists to plumbers, electricians, and beyond, are also prone to heavier calls during the holiday season. The truth is that these are often urgent or even emergency calls that require immediate attention. More often than not, they come at a time when the service provider is already in the field or after business hours.
- Efficient Communication with Customers: Small businesses telephone answering services can provide a knowledgeable voice on the other end of the phone to answer general questions, and based on need, route calls while also setting appointments, so customers get the personal attention they need.
- Increasing Customer Satisfaction: No matter whether your small business is a retail, direct seller, professional, trade, or service provider, reliable live answering services can increase customer satisfaction. By adding customized answering services for small businesses, business owners can cost-effectively increase their bottom line while ensuring that every customer has the prompt, courteous, and informed personal attention that keeps them coming back as lifelong customers.
- Customized Scripting Control: By having a small business answering service, you know exactly what the person who represents you will say and can be assured that every call will be answered. You can provide daily instructions that can be modified so that they can provide more definitive timeframes for the callback, and small business answering services from Anserve including appointment scheduling on your behalf. When you set the protocol for what exactly constitutes an emergency, agents can forward the call directly to you so that you can take it immediately.
- Records for Everything: Between service calls en route to the next appointment, you can review recorded calls to determine callback priority, and also squeeze in new appointments when the current schedule moves faster than expected. With many calls coming after business hours, you’re sure to have an informed and courteous live voice answering them and following protocols for appointments or contacting you in the event of an emergency.
- Cost-effective Solution: By having an answering service for small business service providers, you can have a cost-effective customer communication solution that works well for the holidays and beyond. There is no better way to keep your appointment book full, keep revenue flowing, and set the stage for a productive year.
Get a Customized Small Business Answering Service Quote
How an Answering Service Can Boost Your Small Business’s Efficiency
Many medical and small business offices are working short-staffed. Without the appropriate staff to handle incoming calls, calls often go unanswered. Unanswered calls can mean lost appointments, lost sales, or frustrated existing customers. Many callers will hang up after 4-5 rings, and will not leave a voicemail. If the call is from a potential new customer, they may move on to the next phone number on the list.
One way to help take the pressure off existing staff, bring in new customers, and avoid upsetting existing customers is to hire an answering service for small businesses to handle overflow calls. Most phone carriers provide a service called Automatic Call Forwarding (ACF). ACF allows for the calls to automatically be rerouted after a predetermined number of rings (usually 3-4). For example: If the phone rings more than four times in the office the call is then transferred to the telephone answering service. The answering service then takes the call, asks the required questions, and sends back the information to the office (via email, fax, text, etc.) The office staff can now prioritize the calls and take appropriate actions (call back to set up appointments, make a sale, or handle a customer issue). And the monthly cost of hiring an answering service is significantly less than hiring and training a new employee to manage calls.
Why Small Businesses Can’t Afford to Miss a Single Call?
Every missed call is a potential lost opportunity. For small businesses, particularly those in service industries like plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and construction, a single missed call could mean the difference between a quiet month and a year-long contract.
Imagine a plumber missing a call from a large corporation in need of urgent service. This one missed call could have generated enough revenue to cover a year’s worth of answering service fees. Another example is
Why Missed Calls Cost Your Business:
- Lost Revenue: Every missed call is a potential sale or service opportunity.
- Damaged Reputation: Unanswered calls can frustrate customers and damage your business’s reputation.
- Lost Opportunities: Missed calls can lead to lost referrals and future business.
- Wasted Time: Spending time chasing down missed calls can be time-consuming and inefficient.
Elevate Your Business with a Comprehensive Communication Solution
While every small business owner understands the importance of customer service, many struggle to manage the influx of calls, emails, and messages. This is where a comprehensive communication solution can make a significant difference.
A modern solution should be equipped to handle:
- Phone Calls: 24/7 coverage to ensure no call goes unanswered.
- Text Messages: Prompt responses to keep customers engaged.
- Emails: Efficient management of email inquiries.
- Appointment Scheduling: Improve your staff’s efficiency and filter out time-consuming calls to schedule appointments.
Benefits of an Outsourced Communication Solution?
- Round-the-Clock Availability: Ensure your business is always accessible to customers.
- Professional Image: Project a polished and professional image with every interaction.
- Increased Efficiency: Focus on core tasks while your virtual receptionist handles routine communications.
- Cost-Effective: Avoid the overhead costs of hiring additional staff.
- Scalability: Easily adjust your service plan to meet your evolving needs.
By partnering with the best call center company, such as Anserve, you can streamline your operations, improve customer satisfaction, and drive business growth.
How to Choose an Answering Service for Your Small Business
Choosing the right answering service can significantly impact your business’s efficiency and customer satisfaction. Here’s a guide to help you make an informed decision:
- Define Your Business Needs:
- Core Functions: Determine the primary tasks you want the service to handle, such as taking messages, scheduling appointments, or providing customer support.
- Special Requirements: Identify any specific needs, like multilingual support or 24hr emergency assistance.
- Ask the Right Questions:
- Training and Procedures: Inquire about the training process for agents and how they’ll be trained on your specific business needs.
- Communication Channels: Ask about the methods used to communicate with you (e.g., email, text, or a dedicated portal).
- Scalability: Determine if the service can accommodate growth and increased call volume.
- Security and Privacy: Ensure that your customer data is handled securely and confidentially.
Why Choose Anserve?
Anserve is a trusted provider of answering services for small businesses, offering a comprehensive range of communication solutions to meet your unique needs. With our experienced team, advanced technology, and commitment to customer satisfaction, we can help you:
- Improve Customer Experience: Provide timely and professional responses to customer inquiries.
- Increase Efficiency: Free up your time to focus on core business activities.
- Enhance Your Business Image: Project a polished and professional image.
- Boost Productivity: Streamline your operations and reduce administrative burdens.
Ready to take your business to the next level? Contact Anserve today to learn more about our customized answering service solutions.
Director of Business Development
With over 25 years of experience, Peter oversees the marketing, sales and account management for Anserve. He is an expert in customer service and strategic business growth, leveraging his knowledge to help businesses optimize revenue using efficient procedures.
