Advantages of a Live Answering Service Over Voicemail

Making your small business stand out from the competition and run successfully is challenging, and the last thing you will consider is introducing a new system imposing additional costs. It is the thought process for most business owners when investing in a virtual receptionist service over their voicemail solutions.

Hence, we've decided to fit it right in this post and share the possible benefits of a live answering service over voicemail.

What is an Answering Service?

An answering service is an agency that answers inbound calls on behalf of their clients. They offer remote calling services to respond to incoming calls.

Businesses experiencing high volumes of calls outsource a part of their work to answering services. But small companies can also take advantage of this service. Business growth largely depends on your ability to answer queries and calls in a reasonable amount of time, especially when you are a startup.

But despite your best efforts, it isn't easy to be available all day, and a voicemail cannot offer enough support. Hence, here are some of the prime benefits of live answering solutions over the conventional voicemail system.

Benefits of an Answering Service Over Voicemail

1. Increases Operational Efficiency

The business tools you employ must be user-friendly. But voicemails involve intensive manual work. They can trap information, and you must dial a number to access it. Moreover, a message is replayed more than once to ensure you get the correct message. Going through numerous messages to gather the required information consumes too much time.

With an answering solution, it is easy to access the messages. Live operators attend every call, collect important information about the customer, like his name, phone number, and query, and deliver the needed information through a text message or email. It even quickly transfers the call to the relevant department, thereby increasing the operational efficiency of a business.

2. Improves Customer Service

Voicemail systems have existed for years for many businesses because they are easy to access and cost-effective. However, this old form of answering cannot offer customers the best experience a live virtual receptionist can provide.

A live virtual receptionist delivers an improved customer service experience. Most callers prefer to speak to a genuine person rather than an automated response. They can easily explain their queries and frustrations to a real person. Even the live operator answers general queries and offers basic help.

A live answering service is not a machine and delivers a better user experience than an automated voicemail system.

3. Maintains Business Continuity

It is difficult for your staff and you to be available round the clock. But customers don't think about having someone in the office before they call. They can call anytime during a vacation, lunch, or office. And when they call, they want to reach you anyhow.

A 24/7 answering service is a feasible solution that can take calls for your business anytime. It includes holidays and weekends.

Your callers will never receive an automated response and will be greeted by a live person no matter the time or day they call. This service is even more suitable for businesses where emergencies can occur anytime.

They deliver a rich experience to your customers even if they call at 3 a.m. You can ask for a particular emergency call transferred to you.

4. Boosts Business Reputation

A telephone answering service makes your business look more established than a voicemail, particularly during the startup phase. Your customer calls are answered by professional telephone operators, which creates a great first impression that you have a skilled and huge team of experts.

Moreover, they are available and able to meet your customer's requirements, which adds credibility and develops trust in your business. Prospective clients and customers wish to work with a company that holds a good reputation.

5. A Cost-Effective Extension of Your Business

Hiring an answering service ensures you get a reliable and cost-efficient extension of your business. Professional respondents can handle bulk tasks the way your in-house team performs. They do more than handle incoming calls and jot down messages. It can schedule appointments, follow scripted workflows, place orders, and dispatch emergency messages and calls.

A voicemail can't help to convert leads, which a live agent can support. Hence, if you are willing to invest your money, the live answering service works as an extension of your business by adding more value to the brand and functionality of your business.

Hire the Best Answering Service for Your Business and Avail of Numerous Benefits Immediately!

You can take your business to the next level with a phone answering service. You can attend to your patient calls more streamlined and have a great business reputation.

Only a few trusted providers of this service deliver solutions at affordable packages to accommodate your business requirements. Contact the best one to streamline your communication process and wave goodbye to the traditional voicemail method.