Everything You Need to Know About Virtual Receptionists

If your business is to grow, it needs to have a personal touch. Customers are more inclined to conduct business with you if your business has a human touch. First impressions matter a great deal, both personally and professionally. The first impression a customer gets when they call your business is crucial. It will determine if they will conduct business with you or move on to your competitor. If you don’t pick calls, you might be losing a lot of business.

But, it’s impossible to sit by the desk all day answering calls. You need to get the work done! But how do you overcome this dilemma? Using virtual receptionists is the solution.

Virtual receptionists are professionals who are on standby round the clock. They will answer calls on your behalf. Also, no customer will have to deal with automated machines, which can be irritating. Studies show that 85% of customers will hang up if their calls go to voicemail. Virtual receptionists work off-site, which offers flexibility which means your business is online 24/7.

Below is everything you need to know about virtual receptionists

Understanding Who Is A Virtual Receptionist

A virtual receptionist works by answering your calls. They interact and respond to the customer per the script you’ve provided. Let’s say you are a law firm operatingin London. You provide a script to the virtual receptionist service provider. In the script, you can state your:

• Working hours
• Physical location
• The area of practice
• If there is a consultation fee

You can change the information on the script to indicate any changes. You might, for example, change your location or your operating hours. Before you settle for any virtual assistant, it’s critical to conduct due diligence. Select the best per your budget and the kind of services you require.

Do Virtual Receptionists Have An Advantage For Your Business?

Although it might seem like an extra expense, especially for small businesses, using a virtual receptionist is an excellent business idea. Hiring a virtual receptionist for your business has numerous benefits, which include:

1. Attracting And Retaining Customers

As earlier stated, customers want to relate to a person. If a customer calls and is directed to voicemail, the chances of hanging up are pretty high. The first impression is crucial. The professionals at www.connect-communications.co.uk concur that emotions have a significant influence in determining a buying decision. A virtual receptionist will make the customers feel welcome. Virtual receptionists are also trained customer care professionals. Due to their training, you will not miss a business opportunity.

2. An Answering Service Offers Round The Clock Timely Connectivity.

It’s critical that your firm receives every call from a client immediately regardless of the time or season, may it be the holidays or weekends. Never missing a call becomes a challenge for your business, as some customers call at night when office hours are over. At this time, your employees are enjoying their private time at home.

Calls also come in on weekends when the office is closed. Therefore, it is easy to miss a serious call, which means your firm might lose a big business opportunity. Missing a call from clients leaves them devastated, especially if the customer is solely dependent on your firm’s services.

Moreover, the clients may feel disappointed by your company’s failure to receive their calls. Hence, they may give a negative review of your firm to friends. Additionally, your company will have lost a chance to serve a client and make money as well.

By partnering with a virtual receptionist service provider, your firm is relieved of having to worry about the availability of its services to clients at the time of their immense need. This is because virtual receptionists ensure that your customer’s calls are received and attended to at all times.

3. An Answering Service Increases The Call Picking Efficiency Of Your Firm.

Manually receiving calls may keep clients on hold as the company lines are usually busy, especially if you have many customers whom you serve. Statistics conducted to assess the efficiency of receiving calls by firms indicated that customers have to wait on hold for at least 10 to 20 minutes before their call is received. By integrating the services offered by a virtual receptionist, your firm reduces the caller’s waiting time, as clients no longer need to be put on hold.

What Are The Features You Should Look For In A Virtual Receptionist?

Diverse virtual receptionists offer different features. Depending on your business, some of these features might be of great importance, while others, not as much. Below are the features you should check when selecting a virtual receptionist.

1. Do They Offer Live Answering Services?

Some virtual receptionist service providers have live people who answer every call. Other service providers use Artificial Intelligence to answer the calls. The AI model is consistent and can respond to some basic queries. Remember, most customers prefer to speak with a person. It’s, therefore, prudent to go with a live virtual receptionist. They are empathetic and can respond to complex queries.

2. Can They Customize Your Script?

You offer the virtual receptionist a call script they use when answering queries about your business. Some virtual receptionists personalize the greetings, which means the customer doesn’t realize they are dealing with a virtual receptionist. They get the impression they are dealing with your office. To make the customer experience seamless, some virtual assistants will work with you on your script. This ensures the customer receives top-notch professional service.

3. Do They Offer Appointment Scheduling?

Appointment scheduling is vital for your business, for it is during these meetings that you close business deals. Receiving calls on your behalf is good, but it’s better if the virtual assistant would schedule an appointment for an in-person meeting. They can also schedule a virtual meeting. For the virtual receptionist to schedule the meeting, you have to allow them access to your calendar.

Virtual receptionists play a significant role in a business. They give it the personal touch. A virtual receptionist helps your business organize the workflow, build relationships, retain and acquire new customers and build long-lasting and beneficial relationships. A virtual receptionist frees you from answering the phone and helps you concentrate on your core business.