Being an entrepreneur or a manager is a highly involving task. You have to attend meetings, prepare proposals, deal with emergencies, and initiate programs. Delegating responsibilities to other people frees your time so that you can focus on critical issues. For the reasons mentioned above, a receptionist is vital to any office. The functions of a receptionist include handling incoming calls, taking messages, and booking appointments among other things.
If you run a small business, you probably miss a few calls, every now and then, because you were on a meeting, or simply busy. According to the data from eReceptionist, 62% of first time callers won’t leave a voicemail.
Unfortunately, many businesses don’t hire a receptionist, as they don’t have the office. And that’s why a virtual receptionist is the best choice, it’s cheap, can answer 24/7 and it’s virtual.
Here are some insights that might change your mind regarding a virtual receptionist for your business.
Virtual Receptionists Answer Calls Quickly and Exhaustively
The primary function of a receptionist is to receive calls. Responding to the queries raised by these callers is also part of the job. The physical presence of a receptionist at your office is unnecessary when it comes to the performance of this function. Remember, virtual receptionists have the same kind of training that traditional ones do.
For example, virtual assistants focus on incoming calls completely. They do not engage in social conversations with other employees at your company while your stakeholders are on hold. More importantly, they do not develop personal biases based on their personal knowledge of your stakeholders. That means they will answer each call with the same level of care and concern. Therefore, hiring a virtual assistant automates your business because it eliminates inefficiencies and biases when it comes to answering calls.
Virtual Receptionists Work for Extended Hours
Businesses should operate for as long as possible so that they can rope in as many clients as possible. They also have to follow up on leads based on a client’s schedule. Additionally, handling emergencies as they arise is critical. Unfortunately, it is difficult for an office to work for extended hours when it hires a traditional receptionist. Instead, it should go for a virtual assistant because outsourced employees work for extended hours.
A virtual assistant works on a flexible schedule. You can change it based on your present circumstances. You can also extend this schedule if necessary. Doing so with traditional assistants is difficult if not impossible. It is also costly. Therefore, virtual receptionists help you automate your business because working with them increases your flexibility. Moreover, these receptionists help you follow up on leads without substantial increases in your budget.
Virtual Receptionists Screen Your Calls Effectively
Sometimes, pranksters call your phone endlessly yet serious stakeholders are waiting in line. Telemarketers are also fond of calling businesses and therefore, wasting the receptionist’s time and effort unnecessarily. At other times, relatives or friends try to get in touch with you constantly through your office line.
Traditional assistants cannot deal with such instances effectively. For example, they might know the friend or relative who is trying to get in touch with you. Virtual receptionists are the best when it comes to screening and forwarding such calls because they work under strict guidelines.
More specifically, you can give them a pre-approved list of people whose calls you would like to receive. Virtual assistants will take a message from anyone who falls outside this list. Therefore, hiring this kind of employee automates your business because it promotes the effective screening & forwarding of incoming calls.
Virtual Receptionists Receive Payment for Work Done
Hiring a traditional receptionist who works full time is a costly affair. Remember, you will pay the receptionist whether the phone rings or not. Imagine paying a receptionist for a month’s work when the phone rang ten or fifteen times. That is an expensive undertaking, is it not? You still have to pay for benefits, sick days, and vacation days among other things. Can your business afford such expenses?
You might opt for a virtual assistant, as these assistants receive payment depending on the work they do. For example, how many calls did they receive? How many messages did they take? How many follow-ups did they make? Paying for this kind of work makes sense, does it not? Consequently, hiring a virtual assistant helps you automate your business because you make payments for work done.