Why You Need an Answering Service

Many savvy businesses opt to rely on answering services for one clear reason — it helps them provide better customer service without overwhelming their team. One of the biggest challenges of running a business in the 21^st century is the instant gratification and the expectation that you always make yourself available. For better or worse, your potential customers want to know that they can count on you when they need you.

The big problem is that you can’t be available around the clock. You need to sleep. You need days off. It’s even impossible to hire a staff that’s available 24/7, as most businesses can’t hire an employee for the exclusive purpose of overseeing any incoming communication, even if that’s incoming communication when you’re busy, in the middle of the night, or even on holiday.

An answering service or a virtual receptionist can be the answer to that dilemma. These professional services designate a trained operator or receptionist who operates remotely and takes any incoming calls, whether those calls come during off hours or simply when your lines get too busy.

That way, when a potential customer calls at 10:00 at night or at a busy time in the afternoon when 20 calls all come in at the same time, your answering service can take a message, schedule an appointment, or even answer basic questions, such as cost or business hours. If there’s anything that really does demand immediate attention from you, your virtual receptionist can take a message and reach out to you.

These answering services make a huge difference for businesses because they ensure you, as the owner, get interrupted only when necessary, but they let your customers feel as if their needs are being addressed — and they’re not being ignored, which could prompt them to go patronize one of your competitors.

Important Information You Should Know about Answering Services

The Power of a Booking Service

An answering service, as we described it, often involves a trained operator taking calls. Part of what that operator will do is make use of a virtual booking service to make appointments for your customers. Popular booking services like Microsoft Bookings and Calendly offer different capabilities and integrate with the other management platforms you use.

For example, Microsoft Bookings, as part of the Microsoft 365 Suite, can let your answering service schedule appointments by seeing when you’re available and signing customers up for available slots. That appointment, thanks to integrations with Microsoft Teams and Outlook, creates a virtual room for a video conference at the day and time and sends out an email with the access link and a reminder closer to the appointment date. You also have the option of integrating with another video messaging platform, such as Zoom. Or you could simply have your calendar reminder state that it’s an in-person appointment at your place of business (or your customer’s home, in the case of a house call, with the option to provide their home address on the booking form). Similarly, Calendly can be integrated with your apps like Google, Outlook, and iCloud to create customizable events and send out automated reminders.

These services can streamline appointment scheduling for your business and are often easily accessible from a mobile device, so your customers take satisfaction in knowing that booking an appointment with you is easy, stress-free, and accessible. There’s no need for them to worry about reaching a member of your staff during business hours just to get on your calendar for more info later.

Three Benefits of Answering Service

Improved Customer Service

When your customers can see some type of action — whether it’s talking to a receptionist on the phone or booking an appointment with a virtual booking platform — they don’t feel ignored. They understand that their needs are understood and valued, not something that can wait until 9 AM on the next business day. It also eliminates the risk that customers who are less certain about needing your service, are less likely to second-guess or rethink making an appointment if they hold off.

All of this happens while you are free from interruptions. You don’t need to take every single call that comes your way, so you are able to focus on doing your daily job while an answering service takes your calls. 

Cost Effectiveness and Accessibility 

You might hesitate at the idea of adding an extra service to your business expenses. Having to pay somebody to answer your phones or subscribing to an online booking service seems like money poorly spent upon first consideration, but most businesses who use a virtual receptionist or answering service actually see an increase in their profits. Because they are making it easier for customers to contact them, they actually get more business. Plus those customers that do reach out to them have increased satisfaction. An answering service is a smart investment that gives you a great return. 

Integration with Your CRM

A booking platform is seamless. You don’t have to worry about writing down an appointment and entering it into your online calendar later, or sending out an email to a client to remind them about your call. These integrations handle all of that for you. This can be especially important for medical practices, which handle so many appointments every day, or a service-based business, such as a plumber or an electrician.

How to Choose and Implement an Answering Service

By now, you might be convinced an answering service is the right option for you. So where do you go from here? Start by assessing your specific needs and what hours you’ll be relying on an answering service. You can ask around to others in your field to determine whether there was a good match that worked for someone in your network.

Determine whether any platform or service you’re using will integrate with what you already have. For example, if you primarily use Zoom for your virtual meetings but a booking service integrates exclusively with Teams, then it’s likely not the right fit for you. 

Working with an answering service that uses human operators to answer calls means you’ll want to vet whether the operators are up to your standards: Do you trust them to handle calls professionally and understand your industry? 
Using a booking platform or an answering service gives you a lot to think about, but the benefits for your business can’t be overstated. If you’re curious about what they have to offer and need assistance navigating all the details, reach out to our team at Office Phones Plus by calling 410-834-4900.