When we think of traditional Valentine’s gifts, chocolates and roses and Hallmark cards easily come to mind. But no matter how traditional or unconventional a valentine gift is, the real meaning behind any loving sentiment is the gift of time and attention.

In today’s fast-paced world, the gifts of undivided time and attention seem more and more like rarities—whether for ourselves, our families and friends, or our customers. But it doesn’t have to be this way. There’s an easy and affordable solution that will help you be able to devote more time and attention to your business, your family, and yourself—a live answering service. Here’s how:

For Your Customers

If you and your staff are too busy with other business tasks to efficiently answer all phone calls, it’s very likely that existing and potential customers will think you’re too busy to manage their requests which will motivate them to look elsewhere. But with a live answering service, specially trained operators answer each of your customers’ calls promptly. Plus, they can help with other business tasks such as order taking, help desk or technical support, appointment scheduling, and more.

Your customers are attended to promptly by a professional, friendly receptionist who greets each caller with the name of your business and knows how you prefer questions to be answered. In fact, the agents are so familiar with your business that your customers don’t even realize they’re speaking with someone at an answering service rather than in your office. Your customers are given the time and attention they expect, and they know that their business is valued.

For Your Family

If you’re the one responsible for answering business calls and you work in a profession in which urgent calls might come in any time of the day and night, you’re probably spending a good deal of evening time answering calls or checking voicemail. No doubt this cuts into your time with your family, whether it’s during a weekday dinner at home or during a much-needed vacation.

For example, an on-call doctor must answer each call in case it’s an emergency situation, although often patients will call after hours with non-urgent questions. But an answering service is staffed with receptionists to answer all calls at any time, 24/7. The receptionists screen the calls for importance based on your priorities, and only forward those calls that are truly urgent. Non-urgent questions are answered courteously and professionally, or a message is taken and forwarded to your practice to be attended to by your staff the following day. The amount of time you spend attending to calls while at home decreases dramatically, freeing you up to focus on your family time.

For Yourself

With a live answering service on your side, you can take the time you need while having peace of mind that your calls aren’t piling up and your customers are left hanging. A good answering service will offer the flexibility to take over call answering even if it hadn’t been previously planned should the need arise. Need to focus on a strategy planning task to grow your business and don’t want the distraction of phone calls? Notify the answering service to pick up your calls. Own your own business and want to take the afternoon off but need to be notified in case that important call you’ve been waiting for comes in? Notify the answering service, with instructions for which calls they should contact you about. You’ll be free to focus on your priorities without unnecessary interruption.

Day or night, outsourcing your calls will ensure that you are able to give yourself, your family, and your customers quality time and attention, which is a real gift of devotion.

Voice Link of Columbus, Inc. offers nearly 30 years of experience in complete telecommunication solutions and provides live answering services that exceed your expectations, 24/7, 365 days a year. With an 82% referral rate, Voice Link offers monthly plans that contain no hidden fees and are tailored to suit your unique needs. Request information online or call us at (800) 262-2799 for a free consultation.

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