Updated January 19, 2021
As you consider this year’s business goals, likely focusing on new growth opportunities and customer satisfaction are at the top of the list. Customer satisfaction means that you are delivering goods or services that meet or exceed expectations. It means that when a customer has a question or concern, they can find the answers and solutions. However, sometimes small businesses, with limited resources, cannot fully address customer service. Or to do so means sacrificing other growth opportunities in order to allocate resources. Well, give yourself and your business this gift this year: A Virtual Live Receptionist!
A Virtual Live Receptionist has so many benefits, such as freeing up your time, making a great first impression, and building credibility and trust with potential customers! However, the most important is that it enables you up to GROW YOUR BUSINESS! And after navigating through one of the toughest years any business has seen, keeping your current customers and growing your business is more important than every!
Let’s look at all the ways a Virtual Live Receptionist will benefit your business.
What is a Virtual Live Receptionist?
A virtual receptionist is a live person that sits in a different location to answer your calls. They are live, not automated. Many times they are a service with a Virtual Office package. They can answer your calls, transfer them to you, or take a message on your behalf. This live receptionist will handle customer calls with professionalism and responsiveness. High priority calls can be forwarded to you or messages can be taken. You get an online inbox with messages that you can review and prioritize.
Why do you need one? Benefits of a Virtual Live Receptionist
Never Miss an Important Caller!
Sure, a cell phone is important for you to communicate from anywhere. However, if you get a call on your cell, you may not know if it’s a friend or a potential customer. So, you either spend all of your time answering calls or you just don’t answer it. But a phone number that is monitored 24/7 by a live person is critical to ensure you never miss an important call.
80% of callers sent to voicemail, don’t leave messages
because they don’t think they’ll even be heard.
Don’t miss any opportunities coming to you. The 80% that you would have missed because they simply hung up before leaving a message, can now speak directly with a professional that represents your business exactly how you want. You can provide the responses and any key information that you want communicated to potential customers. You can also flag VIPs for the live receptionist so that those calls are immediately forwarded to you take right then and there or can immediately call them back.
Finally, if you are reopening your business after having to close or pivot your business, you also never want to miss a call to update customers!
Make a Better First Impression
You could automate your calls with a system, but in today’s face-paced environment, a human touch when connecting with clients can make or break client relationships. When business growth is your primary focus, any incoming calls are an opportunity for you. Studies show that people are more inclined to hang up when reaching an automated system.
You could also employ an answering service. While these are in fact, live operators, they are really only there to tell you office hours and take a message. They do not usually have much customization or additional response capabilities to inquiries. Nor do they have the higher professionalism that you want.
A virtual receptionist really adds a sophisticated and professional vibe to your business, and assures your clients that there are in the best hands.
More Time to Focus on High Priorities
Needless to say – but let’s say it anyway (!) – when you don’t have to answer all the calls, you get more time back! You can fully focus on growing your business and leaving room for important tasks, instead of screening phone calls. You can then scan your message center for the most important calls to return and leave the rest for later. There are also other services with a Virtual Office that can save you time, such as a Virtual Mailbox that you can read more about!
Scalability
Of course cell phones are critical for individual business owners. However, your cell phone number should not be the businesses number. There are numerous reasons to have a landline for your business, but one that is often overlooked is scalability. If your goal is to GROW, and I’m guessing it is, then set your cell phone free! You need to set your business up from day one with the capabilities to take many incoming calls. A Virtual Phone Number tied to a Virtual Office with a Virtual Receptionist is ideal.
Now that you have freed your cell phone, advertise that phone number!! With a Virtual Office phone number and a live receptionist, you can put that number everywhere your customers are. Additionally, your number can be listed on Google My Business, which is the #1 way that you can catch new leads.
How do I get a Virtual Live Receptionist?
A Virtual Receptionist is available through many Virtual Office Plan providers, such as Starthub. It may be an added cost service, so be sure to inquire about this service.
How do I best work with one?
You can customize your virtual receptionist to your preference. During the initial setup, you choose your own greeting to welcome guests and thank them for calling. You can also keep it simple with just your company name. The live receptionist can then “soft transfer” the calls to you, meaning that they will call you first to give you the caller’s name and any additional information. Then you can then decide to have the call transferred to you or not. Another option is a “hard transfer,” which means that the call is just immediately transferred to you.
Some business owners prefer their calls to be on their schedule, so they choose to not have their calls transferred at all. In this instance, the live receptionist takes a message with the caller’s name and callback number and sends you an email with all of the information you need.
What else can I do to save time for my business?
Here are some additional articles to help you find other ways to save time and improve efficiency for your business this year.
- Make sure you have an updated Website that customers can go to first to have questions answered. This is also where you and your Virtual Receptionist can send customers to for more in depth information about your business.
- Make sure you are managing your remote teams as efficiently as possible.
- Run your meetings as productive as possible.
Get Your Calls Answered Now with Starthub!
A live receptionist can make your business more professional and credible. We can help you catch potential clients and investors, and you won’t miss out on any important work. At Starthub, you have a dedicated inbound business phone number, where your personal calls and business calls won’t interfere.
Your business calls are just as important as the rest of your business.With a virtual receptionist to answer all of your calls, your clients will feel like they are a priority to you. You can rest assured that your virtual receptionist will add professionalisms and credibility to your business, which will be reflective of your hard work.
