Home » Benefits & Drawbacks of Hiring a Call Answering Service for Your Small Business

Benefits & Drawbacks of Hiring a Call Answering Service for Your Small Business

April 30, 2024 admin

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Generally, you only get one shot to create an impression. In today’s cutthroat business world, when it has become a practice to stand out, and there are rivals everywhere, it is more important than ever for a small firm to establish a strong first impression and sustain that reputation over time. This includes the way that new clients are greeted by your company. The 24 hour call answering service can be of your aid all day and every day in this regard.

One issue that a lot of small businesses deal with is answering customer queries after regular business hours. Unsatisfied or unhappy customers are a mistake that can cost you opportunities. More often than not, small businesses do not have the means or resources to hire an in-house staff for only attending customer calls. In this situation, call centers can come to your rescue.

Call answering service for small businesses have a vital role in managing a crisis like this. Remote receptionists have the right ability to deal with anxious customers and provide satisfactory answers to their queries.

Why are Small Businesses Important in the US Economy?

Do you know that there are thirty million small businesses in the United States? That means they make up over 99% of all businesses in the country. So, it is safe to say that they create the foundation of the economy.

However, when things went tough during the pandemic, these businesses were unfortunately among the most affected. It can be well understood that small businesses need more resources like call answering service for small businesses to overcome the backlog and other problems.

Small enterprises are great because they help people to walk on their dream path. They take their passions and ideas and convert them into profitable ventures. This in return helps them to showcase their skills and creativity to everyone. 9.6 million new employment were made in the US by small firms between 2000 and 2018.

For women and minorities, small enterprises also mean greater opportunity. In 2012, minorities controlled 29.3% of small businesses, while women owned 26.3%.

Therefore, it is evident that these businesses require an additional helping hand in the shape of 24 hour answering services in order to conduct their operations effectively.

Are Answering Services Essential for Small Businesses?

A dependable answering service is more than simply a convenience for small businesses. With customer expectations at an all-time high, it has become an essential requirement. Every calling consumer wants their question answered right away and would not put up with waiting for a response that takes two to three days. Many small businesses choose to hire call answering servicesfor small businesses instead of hiring a receptionist on their own.

All calls get answered by a professional who works as if he/she were employed by your company by an outsourced service. The person attending your phone can answer and divert calls to you or a coworker, screen calls, capture comprehensive messages, and promptly deliver them by email or text.

Answering professionals handle calls continuously or only while you are busy, working as an extension of your internal staff. They are available anytime you need them – United CCS even gives round-the-clock answering support irrespective of whether you are on another call, in a conference, or it is after your regular work hours. It is up to you as a business to decide when to take calls. You can adjust how you answer calls to fit your business and lifestyle.

A 24 hour answering service is indeed a great choice for small businesses that wish to take calls after hours or on the weekends because it eliminates the need to recruit more employees for these types of calls. Your calls are answered by a kind, committed receptionist who has taken the time to learn about your company and your preferred method of call handling.

The Good & The Bad Side

Just like everything else this amazing service also has some perks and downsides. So, it will be best for you to know both sides before you start using this.

Advantages

There is an endless list of benefits that make this service so effective. Some of the things from that list are:

1. Cost-effectiveness

Small businesses can significantly reduce costs on phone answering services by opting for virtual assistants. These remote receptionists offer a cost-effective alternative to full-time employees, saving on recruitment, benefits, equipment, and supply expenses. With virtual assistants, you pay only for the services utilized, ensuring optimal resource allocation.

This approach not only saves money but also streamlines operations, allowing businesses to focus on core tasks without the burden of managing additional staff. Overall, virtual assistants offer a practical solution for small businesses seeking efficient and affordable phone answering services while maintaining quality and professionalism.

2. Round-the-clock availability

Today, customers like to choose when they get help, not just during normal work hours. If your company has remote receptionists, they can answer calls whenever customers call. How fast you respond can decide if you win or lose a deal. Hiring remote receptionists from different time zones can give you 24/7 coverage.

This means you’re always available to help customers, no matter where they are. Being there for customers all the time helps your business succeed by meeting their needs quickly and staying competitive.

3. Enhanced customer service

Every business needs to give great customer service to stand out and compete well. Using call answering services for small businesses can help improve customer service. Remote receptionists are trained to handle calls well and make customers happy. They talk to customers nicely and quickly. This means customers feel good after talking to them.

Trust us when we say this: you, as a business professional, will be able to focus on the other important tasks simply by using these services. That too while still giving great customer support. This will really work to keep your customers happy, which will make the business more successful in the long run.

4. Professionalism

When you hire a virtual assistant or receptionist, it makes your company look more professional. This impresses clients and shows that you really care about giving them good service. Having someone there to help means things run smoothly, and clients are happy.

Believe it or not, this is definitely a very smart move that will make your company stand out from others. As a result of which, more and more people will start to trust you more. So, do not skip on getting the help of a call answering service for small businesses if you want your business to do well.

5. Business efficiency

An answering service helps your company work better by answering calls quickly. It lets you focus on important things without worrying about missing calls from clients. This makes you more productive and saves time.

You can set up rules so calls go to the right person or department. This means you can respond faster when clients call. So, using this service makes it easier for your business to talk with clients and get things done faster.

6. Lead Generation

Want to know about the special ability of this service? Well, they are like an amazing and effective lead-generation tool. They do this simply by finding and attracting potential customer inquiries. Then they forward these queries to the appropriate department or individual of the organization.

It really does not matter if it is about phone calls, web chats, or email responses, skilled agents are always there to help. They have the amazing ability of qualifying leads based on predefined criteria and gather necessary information. Then they initiate follow-up actions to convert prospects into customers. This proactive approach to lead generation helps businesses maximize their sales opportunities and expand their customer base.

7. Appealing Customers

A professional answering service can easily improve the image and reputation of a business. They do this simply by providing prompt, courteous, and knowledgeable customer service. Friendly and well-trained agents know the correct ways to address customer inquiries, resolve issues, and provide helpful information. This is what leaves a positive impression on callers.

Businesses can appeal to customers, and build trust and loyalty simply by delivering exceptional customer experiences. Plus, this also helps them to differentiate themselves from competitors. Always remember that a good first impression created by the answering service can make a huge impact. It leads to repeat business and referrals.

8. Manages Calendar

Do you know what is one of the best things about this service? Well, it can really help you to easily manage your busy and messed up calendar. Answering services have amazing calendar management capabilities. This allows businesses to schedule appointments, meetings, and reservations efficiently. This means agents can access the company’s calendar system and book appointments on behalf of customers.

They can also send reminders to both parties to ensure timely attendance. This helps businesses to stay organized, avoid double bookings, and optimize their schedule for maximum productivity. Businesses can focus on core activities without worrying about missed appointments or scheduling conflicts simply by delegating calendar management tasks to the answering service.

9. No Missed Calls

The biggest reason why people use this service is because it eliminates the chance of missing any call. It gives you the assurance that all incoming calls are answered promptly, even during peak hours, and after-hours. Rather, they even maintain this when staff is unavailable. Answering services make sure that businesses never miss important calls from customers and clients simply by staying available at all times.

So, it really does not matter if it is about handling general inquiries, taking messages, or dispatching urgent calls, they are always there. Basically, what we mean is professional agents ensure that callers receive timely assistance and attention, ultimately improving customer satisfaction and retention.

10. Saves Time

Outsourcing call answering tasks to a dedicated service is helpful in many ways. It really saves you valuable time and resources as a businessman. You can use this time to spend on hiring, training, and managing in-house staff. So, trust us when we say this: businesses can avoid the overhead costs associated with maintaining a full-time receptionist or customer support team with an answering service.

Moreover, you also get to focus on core activities, strategic initiatives, and revenue-generating tasks simply by offloading routine call-handling duties to experienced agents. This, in the end, leads to increasing the productivity and efficiency of your company.

Disadvantages

Now, it is time for us to be a little more transparent. Hiring the professional services of call answering comes with its potential fair share of cons. It is true that this is not present in the case of all companies but that does not mean that it is the same for all companies. Some of these cons are:

1. No Room for Micromanaging

While answering services offer convenience and flexibility, they may not provide the level of control and oversight that some businesses desire. This is very different from in-house employees. There is no room for closely monitoring and managing the workers.

Answering service agents work remotely and may operate under their own protocols and procedures. This is exactly where it lacks direct supervision, which is very challenging for businesses that prefer a hands-on approach.

– Our Advantage: That being said, we are sure that you will not experience this when you hire our services. United CCS has been in the field for many years now and knows just the right way to deal with all kinds of client calls. We never take our customers for granted.

2. Distance Matters

Well, it is very natural that the physical distance between the answering service provider and the business creates many logistical challenges. It directly targets areas like communication, coordination, and troubleshooting, which becomes a huge headache.

Miscommunications or delays mainly occur due to differences in time zones and language barriers. Moreover, sometimes they also happen due to some technical issues with telecommunications systems. Plus, businesses also face difficulty in guaranteeing consistent quality and standards across remote agents, particularly if the service provider operates in multiple locations or employs a distributed workforce.

– Our Advantage: This is why you should choose our services because we do not let any distance get in the way of excellence. We know very well that above all we have to stay connected with our clients. Our remote receptionists are extensively trained and have gained years of exposure to have mastered the right way of dealing with client calls.

3. Very Different from In-house Employees

It is true that answering service agents are very skilled in customer service and communication. But then there is a lot of room for the lack of deep understanding and familiarity with the business that in-house employees possess. This difference in perspective and context always ends up leading to challenges in accurately representing the brand.

It also makes it difficult to solve complex inquiries and resolve difficult issues. And let us be honest: most agents belonging to call answering service for small businesses always struggle to provide personalized responses to callers without firsthand knowledge of the company culture, products, or services. This, in the end, leads to impacting customer satisfaction and leaves them disappointed, ultimately leading them to stop doing business with them.

– Our Advantage: But you do not have to worry about facing this kind of problem with us. United CCS makes sure to give a personalized touch to all customers. When we talk to clients on behalf of your company, they are bound to feel as if talking to someone from your brand. Thus, we work in a manner that proves to be an extension of your brand.

4. Less Knowledge About Your Business

Answering service agents do not know much about the intricacies of the product. Moreover, they also know very little about the products, services, and industry-specific terminology of the company. This is simply because they are not a part of the company; they are external to the organization.

This huge lack of in-depth understanding always ends up resulting in delays and misunderstandings. Moreover, it also results in inaccuracies in handling customer inquiries or relaying information. It is true that comprehensive training and regular updates can mitigate this challenge to some extent. But still, businesses end up encountering instances where the answering service fails. It falls short of providing accurate and insightful support to callers.

– Our Advantage: But this is no issue when you hire United CCS. We gain extensive knowledge about your business and then proceed to deal with customer calls. In case we do not have an answer to a particular question, we dispatch the call to the required personnel without wasting any time. This means that your customers never turn away with unsatisfactory answers.

5. Chances of Errors

Error is a part of human nature. And answering service agents are human beings who are also prone to errors like miscommunications, typos, or lapses in judgment. These errors can occur during call handling, message taking, or data entry processes, ultimately leading to misunderstandings, missed opportunities, or customer dissatisfaction.

Well, most answering services have quality assurance measures in place to minimize errors. But still, some businesses should be aware of the inherent risks associated with outsourcing critical customer-facing tasks to third-party providers.

– Our Advantage: You can trust us with closed eyes for our agents leave no room for error when dealing with clients. Owing to our years of knowledge and expertise, everything is dealt with carefully. Our services are bound to put a positive light on your brand image.

Hire Answering Professionals from United CCS

Small businesses can greatly benefit from answering services in terms of improved customer satisfaction and communication. Being reachable at all times will allow you to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. You may successfully set up and use remote 24 hour answering services to leverage and grow your small business by following the steps given in this comprehensive guide.

To make use of competent, affordable, and flexible phone answering services, think about hiring committed receptionists from the United CCS. With a committed receptionist, you can start at a low cost and develop a personalized plan according to your company’s requirements.

In the End

We at United CCS take great pleasure in providing impeccable call answering service for small businesses. We do everything we can to serve your clients, and in cases when we are unable to, we make sure they are connected to the appropriate individuals.

For a number of reasons, small businesses might reap significant long-term benefits from hiring answering service professionals. Using a phone answering service is significantly less expensive than hiring one in-house receptionist. This is exactly what makes them so appropriate for small firms.

That being said, let us just say that answering services come with a side of good and bad, which is something that makes it imperfectly perfect. By carefully weighing the pros and cons, businesses can determine whether outsourcing call answering tasks aligns with their operational needs, customer service objectives, and overall business strategy. Thus, it can be concluded that it is going to be quite beneficial to you and your clients after you have found a fantastic provider like us to rely on!

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