A small business answering service can have lots of benefits for any local or small company that doesn’t have lots of resources for customer service. If you want to learn more, keep reading to learn some common myths about virtual receptionist answering services.
Myth #1: It’s not worth the cost to invest in an answering service telephone. False!
Actually, it can definitely be worth the cost to invest in virtual receptionist services. If you have a company that relies on customers that buy your products, it is important to be there for them as much as you can. Some people might even stop using your services if your company is hard to reach, and this can hit the bottom line pretty hard. A 5% increase in customer retention is estimated to correspond to a 125% increase in profits, which is significant for most small businesses. If you are looking for ways to increase your earnings without expanding your client base, the first thing to do is search for ways to keep your current customers.
Myth #2: My business doesn’t count on customer service, do I don’t need a quality answering service. False!
Even if you think your business model doesn’t fully rely on customer service for the bulk of your profits, it is important for any small business to take advantage of the great benefits of having an answering service telephone. You should consider the fact that even when you have customers or clients calling outside of business hours, they will want to speak with someone right away. If you don’t sell products directly to customers, it is still important to be available for anyone you work with because they will appreciate having someone there to deal with their inquiry right away without having to wait until the morning.
Myth #3: My business’ customers aren’t dissatisfied, so a virtual telephone answering service wouldn’t be worth it. False!
The typical small business only hears from about 4% of customers who are dissatisfied with their services, so even if you think you don’t have any unhappy customers, you may be wrong. One way to find out what your clients really think is by making your whole company more accessible so people can voice their concerns. A call handling service does just this because every time someone calls your business phone number, there will be someone on the other end of the line waiting to address their concerns. This is a great way to evaluate how effective your business practices are because it allows more clients to get in touch faster and to voice their opinions about your business practices.
Myth #4: If my company has a way for customers to submit complaints online, we don’t need answering service telephone services. False!
Even in today’s world when so many people conduct much of their business online, many people, in fact 60% of customers, prefer to voice complaints over the phone. This gives clients a personalized feeling when they are addressing the ways they were dissatisfied with your company, and this can be great for improving their concerns on the spot. For example, one of the most common complaints is that small businesses are not available to speak with customers. If you have a client who wishes to discuss this concern, you can alleviate their stress immediately by having someone available to talk with them about this issue.
