When you employ a virtual receptionist service to help with your phone coverage needs, the company you hire will essentially become an extension of your business. So, you want to make sure whoever you decide to go with is truly the right fit for your company. Here are 12 important questions you should ask any company you are considering hiring for your virtual receptionist needs.

 

1. What is included in your packages?

One of the first things you want to do when looking into hiring a virtual receptionist. First, find out what is included in the packages each of the companies you are looking into. In addition to pricing information, a great question to ask each company is “How many minutes of phone coverage is included in each package?” You will also want to find out if the company can also handle calls from new leads and transfer them to the proper channels, so you don’t miss out on any new sales.

 

Knowing this kind of information will give you a great start in comparing companies in terms of their offerings, services, and pricing.

 

2. What hours are your team members available to answer calls?

This is a very important question if you are looking for phone coverage outside of what is considered standard business hours. The good news is that many virtual receptionists, including Voice Link of Columbus, Inc., do offer call answering services around the clock, so you can rest assured your customers and sales calls will be answered 24/7.

 

3. Can we customize the scripts your employees will use to answer our calls?

Like we said earlier, when you partner with a virtual receptionist company, they will become an extension of your business. So, the ability to customize call scripts is vital as it builds trust as well as helps maintain that trust with your current customers.

 

4. What industries do you typically serve, and do you carry the necessary certifications for those industries?

In order to ensure that your customers are given the excellent level of service they deserve, it is really important that the virtual receptionist company you hire has experience with your company’s specific industry. For instance, if you are a healthcare facility, you need to look for a company that is both HIPAA and HITECH compliant.

 

5. How much experience does your company have in providing virtual receptionist services?

When you hire a virtual receptionist company, you definitely want to seek one out that has a decent amount of experience. Voice Link of Columbus, Inc. proudly has over 30 years of experience providing businesses, like yours, with our top-notch virtual receptionist services.

 

6. How often do you incorrectly transfer calls?

Accidents can and do happen. Before signing a contract with any virtual receptionist company, ask how often they incorrectly transfer calls. Your current customers may consider an incorrect call transfer bad customer service on your behalf. And, that could hurt your sales, too, because more than half of Americans have decided not to make a planned purchase with a business due to bad customer service.

 

Also, don’t forget to inquire as to what the team you are considering does when they do make the mistake of incorrectly transferring the call. How they rectify the situation is really important.

 

7. What kind of call analytics do you provide, and how can I monitor those results?

What kind of analytics does the company track? Some important call analytics you’ll want to know include:

 

• Call history
• # of calls that were leads versus customers
• Incoming emails and corresponding responses (If applicable)
• Live web-chat support inquiries (If applicable).

 

Also, how can you access these analytics? Voice Link offers a state-of-the-art online portal for all of our customers, regardless of the plan you select, so you can access any messages we take or emails we respond to on your behalf.

 

8. What kind of technology do you provide?

Does the company you are considering partnering with for their virtual receptionist services offer any special technology-based services? For instance, Voice Link has the following fantastic features we proudly offer our customers:

• Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
• Dealer Locator & Referral Dispatch
• YourVoiceLink Secure Mobile App
• Secure Messaging
• Live Web Chat
• Online Customer Portal.

 

9. Do you require a contract?

If you decide the company you hired isn’t a good fit, being stuck in a contract will put up some major roadblocks for your business. Luckily, at Voice Link of Columbus, Inc., we do not require contracts for our packages. We offer month-to-month service agreements to meet your unique needs, with no hidden fees.

 

10. What happens if I have a technical problem?

When you hire a virtual receptionist company, you will need to make sure that if you have any technical problems with their software, your issues will be handled in a timely manner. Voice Link of Columbus, Inc. can provide your business with the peace of mind that you deserve. We will assist and solve any technical problems with our software that may arise, and we will do so quickly.

 

11. Does your company have a reputation of success?

Chances are, any company you present this question to will say that they do have a great reputation of success. But, the good news is that you can verify this by looking at the company’s online reviews and customer testimonials. In the meantime, feel free to check out the testimonials from our satisfied customers!

 

12. Do you offer a free trial?

A free trial is a great way to see if the virtual receptionist company is a fit for your business because it allows you to do a trial run before signing any contracts. Voice Link of Columbus, Inc. actually offers a 30-day FREE trial that includes two hours of setup and 200 minutes of call answering.

 

See All That Voice Link of Columbus, Inc. Has To Offer!

 

Voice Link of Columbus, Inc. can help grow your business and increase your revenue by retaining your clients and attracting new ones with our on-demand, courteous, and experienced call professionals. We can take care of your needs all day every day; cover your phones after hours; just jump in when your lines are full and you need a little backup; completely take over when you go on a much-needed vacation, or become an extension of your customer service center. Ready to get started with Voice Link? Find Your Plan!