The most obvious reasons for business failure are poor planning, poor time management, lousy customer service, lack of capital, and little to no marketing to promote the business. So why do so many businesses that have perfected the aforementioned scenarios fail? The answer may lie in something that is so basic that it is easily overlooked.
Even with a great business model, adequate funding and full dedication to a business risks collapsing if it is not effective in acquiring new customers. The fact is, just because you’re running ads and the phone is ringing with new prospects doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not missing out on new opportunities and first-time customers.
Most new businesses simply cannot hire a full-time receptionist at the start of their new business venture, and as a result, those business owners resort to answering incoming calls themselves. There are several problems with that solution, including but not limited to creating a very small business image, loss of customers, and a complete waste of time that could be better spent building and running the new business.
A proven solution to this dilemma can often be something as simple as hiring a virtual receptionist answering service. In fact, most people are surprised to learn that the inherent benefits of using a live answering service far outweigh the cost. After contacting a few providers, you’ll find the following reasons to seriously consider outsourcing your calls:
Reason #1: It’s considerably more affordable than hiring even a part-time receptionist. Hiring your own employee will cost you two to three thousand dollars or more per month. This doesn’t even take into account that he or she will receive health benefits, paid vacation, and sick time. While all services may bill differently, you can usually find one that charges between $1.00 and $1.50 per call. There aren’t many businesses that will receive calls to the tune of 400 per month, but even if they did, they would only be looking at a monthly investment of around $600 dollars. In addition, a service is available to take all calls 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, nights, weekends and even on holidays.
Reason #2: The next benefit online would be the image of the company. Nothing screams that you’re a small business like answering your own phone or, worse yet, having an answering machine answer the call in the middle of a business day. People judge you for these little items and you need to take them very seriously. Having a secretary, or even a virtual receptionist, gives the image of a professional and successful company.
Reason #3: A quality response service will absolutely help prevent the loss of new customers. When new clients need a service for the first time, especially in industries such as recruitment, legal and medical fields, clients will want immediate attention and while they may leave a message on an answering machine, they will almost certainly hang up and call other. competitor who could answer the live call. Whoever responds first will undoubtedly almost always get the business.
Reason #4: Virtual receptionist providers can free up your time so you can go from being an overpaid secretary to doing the most important thing, and that is building your business and focusing on things that generate more income. The answering service can screen calls and answer basic questions about its services, including giving directions, business hours, and even scheduling appointments or inquiries. The service can determine if a call should be transferred to you, and therefore allow you to only spend time on the phone with callers who require your personal attention. Many services can even process payments, take reservations, and handle highly complex calls using menu-driven technology that makes it nearly impossible to know they’re not talking to your real office.
The bottom line is that sometimes saving money is the very thing that will cost you money, and in fact, the loss often far outweighs the savings. Whether Fortune 500 companies or small one-man operations, there are millions upon thousands of businesses that use live answering services to grow their business, increase cash flow, improve their image and free up valuable time.
