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4 Signs It’s Time To Hire An Answering Service

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Whether you run your business on your own or with a staff, ringing phones are a good sign that customers are interested in your product or service. Keeping up with all those calls, however, is a different story. How each call is handled influences what the caller will choose to do next, and most likely determines whether they will do business with you or not.

If any of these four scenarios are familiar, it’s time to consider hiring an answering service.

1. Productivity is suffering.

Handling calls thoroughly takes time and attention that could be spent working with current or new customers, doing administrative work, or planning for strategic growth. But if you or your staff are frequently busy answering and returning calls, it’s difficult to stay focused on other tasks that require time and concentration. This inability to focus on other tasks adds up to unfinished work in other areas, which over time will impact the rate of growth of your business.

Answering services have the staffing and technology to handle a high phone volume so that all calls are answered quickly. Their operators also have the training to know how to answer calls professionally and according to your preferences.

2. Customers are complaining.

If you’ve had even just one or two customers complain about the hold time when they called, or about not having their calls returned at all, know that they’re probably not alone. Up to 74% of people are likely to choose another business if they have a negative phone experience, and it’s very likely they’ll just move on and you won’t be aware of it. 78% of consumers have bailed on a transaction or not made an intended purchase because of a poor service experience. Yet only 4% of dissatisfied callers will voice their complaints.

Given those alarming statistics, be grateful for the callers who do complain about a long hold time, or poor phone service. They’re letting you know you’ve got a customer service problem on your hands that needs attention.

3. You’re relying on voicemail too often.

Voicemail is certainly useful when you’re unable to immediately answer a call, but if your calls are piling up in voicemail you’re most likely relying on it to a fault. Receiving voicemail instills varying degrees of uncertainty in your callers. Customers wonder when their call will be returned, or if it will be returned at all. Not to mention, getting voicemail in the case of an emergency or urgent matter is always anxiety-provoking. Allowing your calls to default to voicemail gives your customers the impression that you’re too busy to answer their calls, which in turn makes them think you’re probably too busy to take handle their needs as well.

Hiring an answering service with live, friendly operators ensures that your customers are greeted promptly and professionally each time they call. Urgent calls can be directed to you immediately, while less-urgent matters can be resolved by the operators or attended to when it’s convenient for you or your staff.

4. Your on-call staff members only want to receive urgent calls.

Customers call at all times of the day and night. Sometimes their calls are urgent, but often times they’re not. For example, if you run a healthcare practice and assign certain on-call staff to answer calls after office hours, it would save them valuable time—not to mention sleep—if they had to respond only to emergency calls. Meanwhile, non-urgent calls about appointments or prescription refills can be handled immediately by the answering service or by your staff the next day.

If you’re dealing with any of the four challenges above, it’s time to consider hiring a live answering service. The right one will take the pressure off of you and your team by acting as an extension of your business and handling your call volume. Meanwhile, you and your staff can focus on taking care of your customers and growing your business.

A live answering service can be the solution you need to both attract new customers and gain the loyalty of current customers. Voice Link of Columbus, Inc. can help you deliver the service your customers deserve by managing your calls whenever you need— during peak hours, after business hours, or 24/7 around the clock. Our professional receptionists answer your calls according to your specific priorities and preferences.

With an 82% referral rate, Voice Link provides live answering services that will exceed your expectations and will please your customers. Our monthly plans 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.