Today's virtual secretaries literally provide help desk support, process credit cards, answer customer questions and even book appointments. There are three primary and very compelling reasons that business managers really should consider investing into an outsourced telephone secretary solution and each of them are well worth the minimal cost required.
The most compelling reason to employ a service would usually be to keep from losing customers. Excluding referrals and existing customers when a first time new client calls a business and is greeted by an digital machine there is a fifty percent chance that they will hang up with out leaving a message. Picture this scenario, you're at home and you suddenly get a leak from the upstairs bathroom and water is pouring into the living room downstairs. You find a print or online directory and you call one of the plumbers listed and he doesn't pick up. Do you leave a message and wait or do you hang up and call the next listing? Of course you call the guy and if he, or an answering service takes the call he will most likely get your business. You can use the same analogy with a bankruptcy attorney whereas someone decides to file bankruptcy and in the privacy of his or her own home searches out a bankruptcy lawyer and if they too are met with an answering machine. Once again, the potential client hangs up to call someone that is available to service their needs now. The reason for this is that we live in a society where people want (and get) immediate service and with advertising all around us, we know we can get it even if that means making a few extra calls. Today's people won't wait if they don't have to.
Another import reason to hire an answering service is image. Nothing says we're a tiny company with limited resources more than answering your own telephone. You could hire a secretary but she will cost you a good five hundred percent more and she doesn't work twenty four hours a day, nights, weekends and holidays. A typical outsourced receptionist only costs about one dollar a call and the image you produce can pay for a full years service with just one new client.
Finally you need to consider how important quality of life is to you and your family. Most people go into business to make more money while paying someone else to do most of the work. The bottom line is you either own a business or you own a job and if you're choosing to answer calls at dinner time with the family, on the beach, or after normal work hours then you are missing out on the true value of being self employed and even though you can over work yourself and answer calls all the time you will still destroy your businesses image and appear as a small time one man operation. In other words you're acting like an over paid secretary. Even if that's who you are, why scream it out to world when you can outsource it for a few dollars that almost always pays for itself anyway.
In summation a call center and message service has too many excellent benefits to ignore. Most every company offers a one week free trial to let businesses discover for themselves what it can do for their company.
The most compelling reason to employ a service would usually be to keep from losing customers. Excluding referrals and existing customers when a first time new client calls a business and is greeted by an digital machine there is a fifty percent chance that they will hang up with out leaving a message. Picture this scenario, you're at home and you suddenly get a leak from the upstairs bathroom and water is pouring into the living room downstairs. You find a print or online directory and you call one of the plumbers listed and he doesn't pick up. Do you leave a message and wait or do you hang up and call the next listing? Of course you call the guy and if he, or an answering service takes the call he will most likely get your business. You can use the same analogy with a bankruptcy attorney whereas someone decides to file bankruptcy and in the privacy of his or her own home searches out a bankruptcy lawyer and if they too are met with an answering machine. Once again, the potential client hangs up to call someone that is available to service their needs now. The reason for this is that we live in a society where people want (and get) immediate service and with advertising all around us, we know we can get it even if that means making a few extra calls. Today's people won't wait if they don't have to.
Another import reason to hire an answering service is image. Nothing says we're a tiny company with limited resources more than answering your own telephone. You could hire a secretary but she will cost you a good five hundred percent more and she doesn't work twenty four hours a day, nights, weekends and holidays. A typical outsourced receptionist only costs about one dollar a call and the image you produce can pay for a full years service with just one new client.
Finally you need to consider how important quality of life is to you and your family. Most people go into business to make more money while paying someone else to do most of the work. The bottom line is you either own a business or you own a job and if you're choosing to answer calls at dinner time with the family, on the beach, or after normal work hours then you are missing out on the true value of being self employed and even though you can over work yourself and answer calls all the time you will still destroy your businesses image and appear as a small time one man operation. In other words you're acting like an over paid secretary. Even if that's who you are, why scream it out to world when you can outsource it for a few dollars that almost always pays for itself anyway.
In summation a call center and message service has too many excellent benefits to ignore. Most every company offers a one week free trial to let businesses discover for themselves what it can do for their company.
