An increase in business is an excellent thing for you, but the amount of phone calls you are now receiving may be a bit overwhelming. It can sometimes be difficult to keep up with all of the phone calls, and it may be time to enlist some extra help.
If this sounds like your business, then it may be time to hire an office answering service. This type of service can help your business through its time of growth, and they are also affordable and effective. They provide flexibility for your business and employees and offer excellent customer service to your customers. Here are ten signs that it may be time to enlist an office answering service.
1. You Receive A Large Amount of Calls
As your business increases, so will the amount of phone calls that you receive. Many businesses see an increase in calls at certain times of the year. For example, the power company receives more calls during the summer because people are using more electricity to cool down their home, and colleges and universities receive more calls towards the beginning of a semester as students prepare for upcoming classes. An answering service can help with overflow call handling and provide relief for employees.
2. You Want to Ensure Business Continuity
If your business experiences a loss of power or phone lines for some reason and you still need business to continue running, then an answering service could be beneficial. Without power or phone lines, you will lose service to emails, webchats, and phones. This service will keep your business running smoothly and allow you and other employees to stress less.
3. You Do Not Have a Receptionist
If your business does not have a full-time receptionist, then you should consider a virtual receptionist. A virtual receptionist service allows for 24/7 answering capability, and it also frees up your staff to do the jobs they were hired to accomplish. If your employees are feeling stretched due to sudden growth, an answering service might come in clutch for the business.
4. You Do Not Have a Disaster Recovery Plan
If your business is located in an area that frequently experiences hurricanes, tornadoes, or earthquakes, you need to look into a disaster recovery plan. Being prepared for these events is crucial for your business to continue running properly during a worst-case scenario. An answering service that is located at a secure inland location can keep your business running even when power lines have been damaged in your area due to a hurricane. Make sure you have a plan in case a disaster strikes your area.
5. You Need To Check In On Your Employees
This is for businesses that have employees out in the field somewhere and rely on employee check-ins. If your business employs servicemen that travel to different locations, you want to check up on them to make sure they safely arrived at their destination. This also goes for businesses that have property managers that serve a large area, but are not able to check in on them regularly.
6. You Are Answering Frequently Asked Questions
Your time is important at your business. You shouldn’t have to waste precious time answering the same frequently asked questions all day. These questions that are constantly being asked can be built into an answering service script to save time and stress of employees.
7. The Office Now Has Different Departments & Calls Should Be Routed More Efficiently
As a business grows, new departments are added and more employees begin to move into those departments. Incoming calls for these employees in different departments should be easily routed to their office phone, but that isn’t always the case with growing businesses. Calls are routed to the wrong department and employees become aggravated with the mishandling of calls. An virtual receptionist or even an IVR can route calls more efficiently, saving aggravation for employees and potential customers.
8. Your IT Team is Overwhelmed
Your IT team has become overwhelmed with basic and tier one tech questions. If this sounds like your IT team, then it is time to look into outsourced IT support. Many of these questions being handled by your IT team can be listed and handled by the automatic answering service. Give your IT team the opportunity to focus on tougher problems instead of worrying them with the basics.
9. You Need Your Calendar to Work For You
Once again, your time is precious at work, and you don’t want to be bothered with calls that don’t fit your job. Before spending time in a meeting, you want to make sure that an inquiry meets your criteria. A personal injury lawyer that deals with vehicle crashes and injuries does not want to waste time with calls from someone looking for a divorce lawyer. The same goes for doctors and real estate agents that do business in certain fields but receive calls for non-related fields. An answering service can field those calls for you without wasting your time at work.
10. You Need a Better Way to Confirm RSVP’s
Businesses and organizations that have a large number of outbound calls going to their guests or workers would benefit from an answering service that could make those outgoing calls for them. The business may be a large water park trying to call and locate workers as the upcoming open season approaches or an event center that is trying to find workers to take tickets, serve food, and clean up. An answering service can make this call easy for your business while still giving a real-life touch to those on the other end.
An office answering service can be beneficial for businesses that receive many calls, do not have a receptionist, or are looking for an easy way to check in on employees. A virtual receptionist can add flexibility and save you and other employees valuable time that can be spent towards other projects at work. If you are looking to add an answering service to your business, please contact us today.