As with many things that have been commonplace in recent years, the technological revolution offers a cutting-edge solution to handling call traffic. This service is known as a virtual receptionist, and it does its job by directing your calls over the internet. The following is some more information on how your business may benefit from the use of a virtual receptionist service:
1. No Employees Necessary
With a virtual receptionist service, hiring employees to sit in an office and direct your calls becomes a thing of the past. The service fills that gap by routing incoming calls to either a person working remotely, an automated voice, or to the correct person within your business depending on the service. The cost of hiring and training your own call staff is also removed from the equation once you add a virtual receptionist to your customer service arsenal. It is generally a much cheaper option to use a virtual receptionist service considering the full cost of initiating and then scaling up your own team as call flow increases for your business.
2. Take Calls 24/7
The next benefit to consider when thinking about getting a virtual receptionist is that your business can take calls at all hours. This means customers who call after hours will still get quality service without having to change their schedules, thus likely boosting their morale and their regard for your company. It also means that customers no longer have to sit in lengthy queues to receive help with simple issues. This is good for both you and your customers because your time and energy can now be allocated to solving more complex issues while your virtual receptionist takes care of the tedious maintenance.
3. Data Analytics Made Easy
Many virtual receptionist services automatically record significant data about the calls they handle for record-keeping purposes. These records are easily repurposed for your data analytics needs. Reports are generally accessible online. Here are some examples of the data generally recorded by a virtual receptionist:
- Call length
- Call frequency
- Call topic
- Number of voicemails or messages
This information can be useful when assessing a business’s call flow needs and their customer’s needs. From there, you can devise solutions to those problems using that data without ever having to collect it. A virtual receptionist takes the hassle out of collecting this data because it is usually automatically collected automatically or logged by a real person!
4. Create a Positive Reputation With Customers
The fourth benefit to using a virtual receptionist to meet your call traffic needs is that it avoids the majority of the risk associated with hiring your own receptionist. Many customers feel that the customer support team is an extension of the business, and often it is the small details that make a lasting impression. A traditional receptionist can have a bad day and mistreat a customer, thus tarnishing your image in the eyes of that customer. Often it is the small details that make impressions. By being available to help 24/7, being friendly, and using a customer-oriented attitude, and minimizing the time callers spend in call queues, you make your business seem responsible and like it cares about its clients. This in turn makes them feel good about doing business with you, making them more likely to come back or recommend you to their friends, family, or colleagues. In this way, a virtual receptionist may actually generate more business for you.
To recap, a virtual receptionist is software that provides a new solution for call traffic management. They can often have a hint of duality to them, because virtual receptionists have the potential to both generate business and to grow in call handling capacity alongside the business. They also foster good reputation for a business and make a business available to customers consistently. When compared to the traditional method of a business hiring their own call team, virtual receptionists prove to be cost-effective, convenient, and efficient. In order to “hire” a virtual receptionist, one generally must either contact them online or over the phone. Once your virtual receptionist is up and running, you can attend to the things that matter in peace knowing that every call made to your business is being handled and attended to the way you’d handle them yourself!
