Improve Customer Service with a Live Answering Service

Any successful business owner knows that the customer is king. Happy customers are your best marketing tool, and they are often willing to pay more to work with a company that provides premium customer service. The first place your customers interact with your business is often the phone. If you miss a call, a potential or existing customer may think they are not important and take their business elsewhere.

A live answering service can help you improve your customer service in a variety of ways. Below we will answer and discuss the following questions so you can better understand how you can improve your customer service strategy with a live answering service:

• What is a live answering service?
• What can a live phone answering service do?
• What are the best live answering services?
• How can live telephone operators help grow my business?

What is a live answering service?

Businesses of all sizes and industries can benefit from live answering services. As the name suggests, these services connect customers to professionals who act as an extension of your business. They ensure that your callers get to speak with a real human who is educated and trained in your industry and who will warmly greet callers on your behalf and assist them.

What can a live phone answering service do?

We live in a world where customers want accessibility 24/7. A 24/7 live answering service can provide that for you while still allowing you to have time for other aspects of your business.

Live answering services provide a variety of services including (but not limited to):

• Answering inbound calls and general questions
• Transferring calls, taking messages and scheduling appointments
• Providing customer support
• Qualifying leads
• Bilingual operator services

What are the best live answering services?

The best call answering services ensure that your calls don’t go unanswered and that customers receive excellent service from live agents who care. The best live answering services will also have the following characteristics:

• Trained, educated, professional live agents. The best live answering services will invest in training for their staff. Be sure to ask about what sort of training is provided to the agents you are considering hiring. If any specialized training is required, such as HIPAA compliance, make sure to ask about that as well.
• Options that make sense for your business. The most reputable services will offer customized options such as bilingual live agents, after-hours support, and disaster recovery. Additionally, they will give you the flexibility to add or drop these services so you aren’t paying for unnecessary features.
• Onmichannel support. Live answering services can do so much more than answer the phone. They can also handle text messaging answering services and email monitoring services. This comes in handy for many business owners who need help qualifying leads and need to establish a better work-life balance.
• A solid reputation. When looking for a live answering service to partner with, you’ll want to do your homework. Look for customer testimonials, five-star online reviews, and references from previous customers.
• Easy account management. The idea behind hiring a live phone agent is to make your life easier, so you want to make sure your account management is easy too. At Answering Care Service, we offer a mobile app that lets you pay your bill, check your usage, and manage your calendar on the go.

How can live telephone operators help grow my business?

Live telephone operators can help you grow your business by ensuring top-notch customer service and lead qualification. Specifically, live operators can help grow your business by doing the following:

• Ensuring that your company’s phone calls, text messages, and website chat messages are answered
• Providing around-the-clock coverage
• Answering general questions, scheduling appointments, qualifying leads, taking messages, and providing customer support
• Saving you money by not having to hire an in-house receptionist