Author: Nicole Wicker

The most obvious causes of business failure are poor preparation, poor time management, poor customer service, lack of capital, and little or no advertising to market the small business. Why do so many businesses that have perfected the above circumstances fail? The answer may lie in something so fundamental as to be easily overlooked: good business communication. Regardless of a superb business model, adequate funding, and general commitment, a business is at risk of failing if they are ineffective at acquiring new customers. So, it is essential to outsource a virtual receptionist instead of the in-house receptionist due to several benefits. Let’s take a look at the benefits below.

Prevents Any Business Lost

Almost all startups can’t afford to hire a full-time receptionist at the beginning of their new small business, so these entrepreneurs resort to making inbound phone calls. There are many problems with this option, such as creating a very small company image, losing customers, and a complete waste of time spent setting up and running the new company. A proven remedy to this difficulty can often be something as simple as hiring a virtual receptionist service.

Cuts Some Business Expenses

This is much cheaper than hiring a part-time secretary. Hiring one will cost you as much as two or three thousand dollars a month. This will not consider the fact that they receive health benefits, paid vacation and sick time. There aren’t many companies that can get calls on the order of 400 a month, but even if they did, it would only cost about $600 a month.

Maintains the Corporate Image

The next benefit of outsourcing a virtual receptionist would be the corporate image. Nothing screams that you’re a small business like an answering service, or worse, an answering service that hangs up the phone in the middle of the workday. People judge you for such small things, and you want to take it very hard. Having a secretary, or perhaps an electronic secretary gives the image of a competent and efficient company.

Gains More Customers

Excellent customer service will undoubtedly help stem the decline of new customers. When new customers need support, especially companies like construction, lawyers, and health care, customers need to be the center of attention immediately; even if they leave a message on an answering machine, they will almost certainly hang up and call another competitor who can answer the phone live. Whoever answers will almost always get the deal hands down.

Frees Up Your Time

Virtual receptionist providers can save you time, so you can stop using an overpaid in-house receptionist and focus on what’s important, building your organization and focusing on the things that add profit. The answering service can take calls and answer basic questions about your services, such as giving directions, operating hours, and scheduling appointments or consultations. The service can determine if a call should be transferred to you, so you can spend time on the phone with people who need your attention.

Many providers can also handle tasks, accept reservations, and discipline particularly complex calls through menu-driven technology, making it almost impossible to tell that they’re not talking to a real office. Sometimes saving money is what will cost you the most, and in fact, the savings often outweigh the cost significantly. Whether it’s Fortune 500 companies or small one-person operations, you’ll find tens and tens of thousands of companies using live call services to grow their business, improve cash flow, enhance their image and free up valuable time.…