Understanding the importance of providing great customer service is one thing that successful business owners of all types have in common. According to a study by American Express, 90% of Americans use customer service as a factor in deciding whether or not to do business with a company. This large percentage is something that no business should ignore, as it stresses the importance of striving to make all customer interactions a positive experience. Every customer needs to feel like they matter.
A large amount of customer communications take place over the phone, with people calling about everything from booking appointments, to asking general questions, to making purchases (and just about everything in between). The same American Express study found that 67% of callers hang up the phone in frustration when they can’t reach a customer service representative, so it is crucial that callers are able to speak with a live agent.
With it being so important for businesses to get it right and make all customer interactions a seamless experience, many turn to call answering services for help.
What is a call answering service?
Unlike a call center, which acts as the face of a company, a telephone answering service manages incoming calls on behalf of its clients, and then relays the messages via text, email, recording or live delay.
Businesses of all types outsource to call answering services when they need help managing their incoming call volume, but they don’t wish to spend a lot of money hiring an in-house employee. As long as your business doesn’t need help managing tasks that must be completed within your office, consider partnering with a reputable call answering service. In addition to managing your business’ incoming calls, your virtual receptionist can help with the following tasks:
- Scheduling appointments
- Responding to emails
- Replying to text messages
- Transferring calls
- Answering general questions about the business and its products or services
How do call answering services work?
By configuring its phone systems to manage your business’ incoming calls, a call answering service ensures that even if you are unavailable to answer the phone, your customers and prospects can speak to a live agent. With up to 80% of callers preferring to hang up rather than leave a voicemail, business owners of all types, from tow truck companies, to funeral homes, to medical offices, have recognized the importance of outsourcing to a call answering service.
Who answers my business’ incoming calls?
The virtual receptionists, also referred to as live agents, that manage your incoming call volume are friendly, professional, English-speaking individuals that receive ongoing specialized training. Each of the virtual receptionists here at Answering Service Care has been educated on how to provide top-notch customer service, how to operate our internal and keyboard systems, and how to effectively communicate with all types of callers. Before they ever answer a call on your business’ behalf, they will have also received special training about your industry, company, and the products or services that it offers.
If your business has more specialized needs, and requires HIPAA-compliant virtual receptionists or bilingual virtual receptionists, look no further! We are proud to offer live agents who receive ongoing training on the latest HIPAA requirements, as well as agents who are fluent in both English and Spanish.
