Everywhere you look, people are using their phones. Making calls, texting, sending emails. It’s never-ending, and according to a recent study by research firm Deloitte, phone usage is just as prevalent as we imagine.
The group found that the average person looked at their phone 47 times a day in 2017, with 76 percent taking that first peek within 30 minutes of waking. In addition, 81 percent looked at their phones within an hour of going to bed.
These are just average people, they’re not business owners who are trying to make sure they’re staying in touch with any customers who may be calling, texting, emailing or leaving messages through social media channels! Wearing yourself so thin can be really bad for you and your business over the Long-Term, but what options do you have?
Reduce Your Phone Anxiety with an Answering Service
When your customers are calling, no matter what channel they choose, it’s vital that you have someone to answer. But that someone doesn’t have to be you. In fact, if it’s always you on the answering end, you’re going to quickly learn the true meaning of “burning out” and risk damaging or destroying your business’s hard-earned image as you slowly slide into a stress-induced stupor.
If you find yourself checking for messages at all hours of the day and night, neglecting personal time or family time due to client calls or feeling like you simply cannot escape your telephone, it’s time for some professional help. Call an answering service.
They can provide you with services like:
- Message relay. When your customers call, they’re always going to get a friendly voice provided by your answering service. Whether they need something simple or complicated, they’ll be able to leave you a message any time of the day or night, which can then be relayed to you via email or SMS, or collected into a log to be sent to you at a specific time of the day.The result? You can rest assured that someone is always available to say “hello,” even when you’re not around.
- Emergency call patching. If you’re constantly checking your phone because you’re watching out for emergencies, then asking your answering service to provide emergency call patching is a great idea. This way, you can take your evenings back and let your answering service support both you and your customers.When they do have a true emergency, you’ll be the first to know, since you’ll get the call patched straight to the phone you’ve specified. If you have multiple telephones or on call people on your team, ask about Follow Me. This service can help your answering service find you, no matter where you are.
- Virtual reception. Turning the telephone over to an onsite receptionist is great, until you have to figure out how to pay them each and every week. Then it becomes a new stressor, especially when you have to train a replacement or find someone to cover so your regular person can go on vacation or take a sick day.A virtual receptionist service can solve these problems by providing an already-trained team of receptionists who can do all the things an in-house receptionist can, but without the financial cost or stress factors.
Checking your phone all day and all night in hopes of catching as many customer calls and complaints as possible is a recipe for disaster over the Long-Term. Instead of wearing yourself to the bone, let an answering service support you and provide some much needed peace of mind. You’ll be able to perform better and your customers will appreciate your new found energy!
