60 percent of customers interact with businesses through phone calls.
The large portion clearly shows phone calls in business are still relevant and effective in this digital era. As such, businesses should have a reliable phone answering service to improve business efficiency and keep their clients satisfied.
The phone answering service directs the vital customers’ calls to the internal team in the business. However, some companies do not enjoy its benefits. Maybe, they hire the wrong team or they find it too costly.
This article discusses the phone answering service pros and cons. Read on to know why you should invest in it, and why you should not.
Phone Answering Service Advantages
While an in-house team can help you handle most daily calls, a professional answering service may facilitate your business’s growth in many ways.
Here are some of the benefits which you may enjoy by hiring the professional team:
Save Money
A phone answering team can save you substantial amounts when compared to the in-house team. The in-house team requires you to spend on salaries, employees’ benefits, payroll taxes, etc.
At times, you may even spend money on the hiring and vetting process. The phone answering service team consists of professional people who know how the phone answering services work.
When you outsource them, you will not spend any money on the hiring services. This means that you will save substantial amounts that you would have wasted on the hiring process.
Get More Time
As an entrepreneur, you still need time to concentrate on other activities. You need to meet with investors, market your business, and watch the progress of your business.
The phone answering process may be time-consuming even when you have an in-house team. This is because you will still need to oversee the activities and monitor the phone answering processes. The professional phone answering service can help you get the time you need to continue with other business activities.
Better Customer Services
As mentioned earlier, the professional phone answering firms hire experts. The agents are well trained, and most importantly, they have the expertise required to handle clients.
Having provided the services to similar businesses in the past, they can offer excellent customer services to meet your business goals and needs.
All you have to do is instruct them on how you would like them to handle your clients. After that, they will offer personalized services that impress and inform your clients.
Better Customer Relationships
As a small business, you would like to retain your customers for an extended period. This is because the costs of attracting new clients are high, and the process is tiring too.
The professional phone answering services can help you develop a long-lasting relationship with your clients. They use their experiences and skills in the telephone answering industry to persuade your clients to stay loyal in your business.
Besides, the incredible mobile services are enough to make your customers develop a long-lasting relationship with your brand.
Better Reputation
Do you know that a virtual phone call service can boost the reputation of your business? The answering service will make your customers feel more valued. They will see that you care, and this will translate to a better reputation.
Besides reputation, the answering call service will make your business appear larger than it is. An excellent business reputation will expand your brand, and in return, you will enjoy more brand loyalty. You only need to hire a reputable virtual phone answering firm which can boost your business image.
Phone Answering Service Disadvantages
Nothing is perfect. Even with the above benefits, you may still experience a few disappointments for hiring the phone answering services. Luckily, you can readily overcome them if you plan well, and set realistic expectations.
Here are the main cons:
Fewer Personal Touches
You will lose your personal touch with the clients when you outsource. As a busy entrepreneur, you may never get the time to talk to them, which might affect your relationship with them.
You can avoid this by finding other ways to connect with your clients. You can email them, and communicate with them via other digital means such as video conferencing.
Less Control
An answering call service involves vendors, not employees. This means that you will have limited control over the call answering service. Although you will give directions on how you would like the call answering to be done, a few problems may arise regarding the control.
Also, the fact that they will not be working on-site may bring in more control problems. The best way to overcome this issue is to encourage open communication. Give clear instructions, and only hire a transparent team which you can coordinate well.
Potential for Poor Quality
It’s possible to receive poor quality phone answering service, mainly if you work with an incompetent team. Poor quality services will result in a lack of trust, and eventually, you may lose your loyal clients.
The best way to prevent this is to track the progress of your call service providers. End the contract if your customers complain about poor services.
Company Culture Concerns
The step of outsourcing phone answering service may affect your company culture. Your in-house employees may feel unappreciated. They might also feel threatened by the decision, mainly if they think you are replacing their position.
You can handle this by talking with your in-house employees and explaining your reasons for outsourcing. Let them know that you don’t intend to replace them from their regular positions.
Understand the Phone Answering Service Pros and Cons
A phone answering service can bring many benefits to your business. It can also mess with your brand if you don’t plan or if you hire the wrong team.
Before you outsource, review the phone answering service pros and cons to make an informed decision. Also, work with the most reputable team which would guarantee the best results.
Today’s businesses need an affordable and professional phone answering service. Phone.com provides a handy solution for small and medium-sized enterprises by creating a good rapport with their clients. As a globally recognized brand, we offer 24/7 phone answering services to more than forty countries.
We have helped 30000+ business clients, and we can help you too. Contact us today to speak with our team of experts and get the support you need.
