An after hours live answering service makes sense in this 24/7 world
Our world has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. As technology has evolved at an exponential rate, more and more of us have access to our work and our emails 24/7, and this has had a knock on effect on the way we work and live our lives.
For business owners and entrepreneurs in particular, the presence of technology and collaborative tools has aided in the formation of new ideas as well as creating an online business that trades internationally.
The way we work in this day and age is very much whenever and wherever, and this can open up a whole new world of opportunities for workers and business leaders. No longer are we tied to a strict 9-5 office schedule and many businesses are able to allow their employees to work from home and manage their own goals.
But how has the 24/7 work environment impacted our lives?
There are a lot of amazing points to be said about working 24/7. You will have access to everything you need immediately, you are always open for new customers to get in touch, and you can build up a better audience. But this also can impact the quality of life of you and your workers, impacting your work-life balance.
So how can you work 24/7, reach your goals, AND find a work-life balance that works for you?
That’s where a virtual assistant and phone answering service comes in.
Virtual assistants as well as answering services allow your business to be live all day every day, even when you are not there. You can use features such as a live chat software on your website and have specialists answer your enquiries and phone calls and pass through message ready for you in the morning.
There are some amazing benefits to see from using a call answering service and a virtual assistant service, and here are some of the most important ones for your to consider for your business this year.
1. Capture opportunities
In a regular working world, you will likely get to the office at 8-9am in the morning and start your working day. Once you have been working for a number of hours, you may go home at 5-6pm and rest for the evening. But what happens in that times between 6pm and 9am?
Having a virtual service at your disposal allows your to take advantage of all of the new opportunities that come through out of hours. Where you would normally catch up on missed calls and emails in the morning and perhaps miss that window of interest from the customer, you would instead be able to capture their interest straight away and be able to make a sale. Having someone ready to answer questions and address issues in the moment can almost double your sales as time goes on.
2. Increase productivity
Running a business is no mean feat and it will take a lot of different skills as well as your ability to balance many different plates. It is important as a business owner or even a high level business employee to be able to fit as much meaningful work into your day as possible. When we look at the hierarchy of work, answering the phone simply doesn’t hit the mark when compared to other tasks.
However, when you elect not to answer the phone, you may be missing out on the opportunity to speak to a customer and assess their needs. Every call you take is the chance to show off your best customer service skills and make a sale. By hiring an external company to answer phone calls for you, you will gain the opportunity to sell more as well as increase your own productivity in the office instead of answering the phone every two minutes.
3. 24/7
24/7, 24/7, 24/7… the world revolves around instant service and sales these days. As a competitive company in your industry, you need to be able to provide 24/7 customer service for anyone who looks to buy something from you. As a business owner you need to make all of the effort you can to stand up and above the competition, and if you cannot offer 24/7 customer service you will miss out on essential sales.
Hire yourself a phone answering service and this will allow you to answer all enquiries as they come in and stop your customers from getting impatient and turning to your biggest competitors for help instead!
4. Reduce your costs
When running a profitable business one thing you must consider is reducing your costs. There are many ways to reduce your costs for the business such as allowing employees to work from home, sourcing cheaper supplies and using online tools. Another method is to hire a phone answering service to take calls for you, reducing the time you and your team spend on the phone each day instead of working on other projects. The more productive you are, the better it will be for you and your costs!
5. Give a good impression
Entrepreneurs have a hard time getting into the world of business and staying there, and if you are to be a successful addition to your industry you must show grit, determination, and dedication to your audience.
Marketing is a massive area of business to consider when trying to build your brand because the company reputation can make or break you. If you want to make a good impression with a new audience and grow that audience, you must show them that you care, and one of the ways to do this is by answering the phone.
Consider you are a customer wanting to find out about a new brand… you call and get no answer, or when you call you get someone on the other end of the line who sounds fed up and tired… what’s your impression?
If you know you don’t have the time or energy to dedicate to your audience you MUST hire someone else to do it. A phone answering service will provide friendly and dedicated time to all new customers, allowing them to build trust and recommend you to people they know.
A phone answering service is a great tool for a new business owner, and it could help you to find success in this new venture. Consider making the switch in this 24/7 world today and see the benefits yourself.
