The Messenger

Whether you just opened the doors of your small business or have taken over a multi-generational family company, you're probably always looking for ways to improve your business.

As a business owner, you want solutions that increase efficiency without cutting into your profits or harming your relationships with your customers. One solution you should consider is an answering service. Many business owners find that using an answering service to cover some or all of their calls offers the following six benefits.

1. Covers After-Hours Calls

No matter what business you're in, you can benefit from continuing to field calls when you're not in the office. An answering service allows you to take calls 24/7 without having to have an employee stay in the building all the time.

After-hours phone service provides your clients with quick answers and a sense that your company is reliable, and this service also eliminates the need to review recorded phone messages after the fact.

Many after-hours calls are time sensitive, so it's better to have them handled by an answering professional than put the matter on your receptionist's to-do list at the beginning of the next business day.

2. Gives Employees More Time for Primary Tasks

Your business runs most smoothly when each of your employees is fit for his or her tasks and has enough time to complete them well. If you answer phones for your small business yourself or have only one receptionist, you might use up a lot of time just answering phone calls.

An answering service can help reduce the call load that comes to your front desk and to your offices. This change can encourage employee productivity by providing more time for essential primary tasks.

3. Increases Efficiency

Many of the calls your business receives are routine, like inquiries about your hours or services. If you or your receptionist has to stop a meeting or stop doing a task to answer these calls, the interruption can add up to a lot of delays throughout the day.

An answering service can handle simple tasks like placing orders so your receptionist can dedicate his or her time to the in-person visitors to your building.

Additionally, many answering services offer live phone transfers. With phone transfers, if the person answering the phone doesn't have the information your client needs, he or she can redirect the call to the relevant personnel immediately.

4. Organizes Call Information

You cannot predict exactly when calls will come to your office. If a call comes in while your receptionist is juggling paperwork, several in-person customers, and a vehicle check-out, he or she could miss vital information about the call.

When you use an answering service, the person answering routine calls has no other obligations in that moment except handling the call. This focus means that you can collect accurate information about the types and volume of calls you receive with more accuracy.

Additionally, answering services can typically record more information about individual callers. For example, a message left with an answering service can include the caller's name, the time of the call, and the information covered. You can access this information at any time to better organize your client information.

5. Provides a Cost-Effective Solution

Many business owners think of an answering service as an additional expense when in reality an answering service can be a cost-effective solution to common problems. For example, working with an answering service costs less overall than hiring an extra receptionist to help cover calls.

Many answering services also offer packages that charge per actual call so you pay only for the calls actually fielded instead of for a new employee's hours and benefits.

Additionally, hiring an answering service takes less time than finding a new full- or part-time employee. You can hire an answering service within a business day and immediately solve a call overflow problem.

6. Reduces Missed Calls

Perhaps the most fundamental benefit of an answering service is that it allows you to never miss another call, regardless of what's going on in your company. Missed calls can mean missed opportunities to partner with other companies, serve your current clientele, and expand your client list.

More importantly, missed calls make your company look bad. The last type of feedback you want is reviews saying you were difficult to reach or inattentive to your customers. With an answering service, you will never have to worry that how your calls are handled will show your business in a negative light.

Work with a reputable answering service to give your business the benefits listed above.

Think an answering service could improve your business? Consult with Security Services Northwest, Inc. We offer 24-hour professional phone answering services at affordable rates. Our answering team can handle daily issues, like order placement, or provide as-needed assistance, like overflow phone answering.