How to Use Live Call Answering to Grow Your Business

For small businesses, making a good first impression can be critical to growth. It is common for consumers expect the phone answered immediately. If an automated voice response system or answering machine picks up, the consumer may disconnect and make the next call, resulting in an unnecessarily lost opportunity. Small business owners and solopreneurs understand the importance of being available when the phone rings, but it’s not always possible. Live call answering services can be the tipping point between growing the business and losing clients.

Receptionists have lists of daily tasks. Some of these tasks are near the phone, but others are not. Shared phone duty is common when there are others in the office. However, this isn’t realistic for smaller offices. Forwarding calls to another location may cause issues if there is distracting background noise. Office personnel takes breaks and vacations which may require trained temporary help to fill the gap. Answering services employ teams of professionals to answer the phone efficiently and competently. Fully trained with customer service experience, virtual receptionists can deliver a positive first impression.

Real Estate, Finance and Non-Profit professionals may often spend large portions of the day working with clients. Answering the phone mid-meeting can be fragmenting, breaking the flow of conversation and halting progress. Live call answering can remove disruptions. When daily activities can move forward while having new appointments scheduled and common questions answered, businesses can grow.

A call center providing phone answering services may also offer other benefits, such as outbound calling, call routing and bilingual answering. For service-based businesses, 24/7 call answering and forwarding can be the difference between having loyal customers and lost customers. Virtual receptionist services may not charge a premium for after-hours calls, which can save on payroll as overtime pay isn’t an issue. Flexible billing and schedules may be available so that the hours and services meet business needs without breaking the bank.