The Top 10 Reasons to Hire a Virtual Receptionist
Hiring a virtual receptionist is one of the smartest moves a business can make in finding effective and cost-friendly communication solutions. The benefits of hiring a virtual receptionist are exponential. Given today’s world of 24/7 technology connectivity, businesses simply must have a communication strategy capable of keeping up.
By making a virtual receptionist the pivot point of an organization’s customer communication strategy, the organization gains a more consistent and reliable brand image, comprehensive customer care, and a well-rounded communication strategy to cover the multiple fronts of when and how consumers choose to correspond with their marketplace providers.
Such gains are quickly making virtual receptionists services, such as Front Office Solutions (FOS,) a popular choice for businesses of all niches and sizes. Some may just need to expand upon their in-house communication operations. Others may need to completely fill the void of in-house communication staff. Either way, FOS can fulfill whatever communication strategy a business finds themselves in need of implementing.
10 Benefits Of Hiring A Virtual Receptionist
A quick look at just 10 of the top benefits of employing a virtual receptionist service will demonstrate just what a prudent, cost-effective, and comprehensive decision it can be for businesses. By the end, it will be clear why so many businesses are abandoning traditional customer service models and turning to virtual receptionists to meet the growing consumer demand of how and when communication happens, and it should be noted that they’re actually meeting this more expansive demand with less cost than they had in the traditional communicative models.
1.) Consistent And Professional Image
In-house receptionists are rarely limited to sitting away from the hustle and bustle of the office, and they’re often inundated with other office tasks and distractions. This inevitably leads to poor and inconsistent customer service experiences. Virtual receptionists, however, are tasked with handling each communication on a singular basis, meaning no distractions, no inconsistencies, and superior customer service standards.
2.) Industry-Trained Virtual Receptionists
Hiring a good in-house receptionist doesn’t always mean that the employee is seasoned or knowledgeable about the business’s industry-specific operations, partners, and other such intrinsic factors. Front Office Solutions offers specially trained virtual receptionists. These individuals will be familiar with the applicable industry standards and practices to offer communication that’s equally consistent, knowledgeable, and friendly.
3.) Web Chat
As mentioned above, a prudent business realizes that consumers are no longer only engaging businesses during standard working hours and via phone calls alone. Virtual receptionists offer the ability to reach beyond standard phone support. Visitors to the business’s website can conveniently engage in a web chat to get expedient answers to their questions, schedule services, and so forth. Imagine for a moment how this bolsters the business’s online presence and converts that presence into a powerful interactive sales tool.
4.) Scheduling
Scheduling appointments and meetings can be time consuming and eat up in-house manpower hours that could otherwise be engaged. A virtual receptionist can handle scheduling services, and this leaves in-house staff to actually implement day-to-day operations and services.
5.) Processing Orders
Order processing is another time leech for in-house employees. A virtual receptionist can easily solve this issue. Whether by phone or through an e-commerce site, the virtual receptionist will be there to assist in order and payment processing and to answer any questions customers may have throughout the entire process.
6.) Provides Phone Services
Phone systems are by far the most essential and time consuming when it comes to most business’s communication strategy. There’s a lot to account for with an in-house phone receptionist – coverage of breaks and leaves, where calls go when he/she is on another line, hold time lengths, and so forth. If a consumer can’t reach a live agent, it affects the company’s brand and results in sale losses. This is where a virtual receptionist is an invaluable investment.
The business will always have a trained professional answering each and every call with a virtual receptionist. No missed opportunities and call gaps. No distractions. No unreasonable waits that cause hang ups. And, the virtual receptionist can act as a customizable filter to transfer calls exactly where they need to go and only when they need to go there.
7.) Lower Cost
From benefits, salary, work space and equipment allowances, time off, replacement costs, and training costs alone, hiring a full-time in-house receptionist is a costly endeavor. That’s not to even mention the costs from employee-related workplace injuries and lawsuits.
All the above expenses are avoidable. Take a moment to compare the average salary of a receptionist in your area to the virtual receptionist services provided by Front Office Solutions. Not only is the business getting more comprehensive and attentive communication services, the cost of doing so are far less than hiring an in-house employee.
8.) Only Pay For What’s Needed
Again, a look at the overhead in operating costs with an in-house receptionist shows many unnecessary expenses. There’s equipment to buy – fax, phone, copiers, hands-free sets, computers, etc.. There’s maintenance costs of the equipment. Standard office supplies like paper and pens are a constant restock. Work space alone can be an issue for small companies. Outsourcing a virtual receptionist removes all these unnecessary standard administration costs.
The best part is that there’s absolutely no paying an employee for idle time or busy work. With POS, client’s only pay for the minutes they need.
9.) Bilingual Communication Reach
Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language in the world, meaning a huge section of any business’s client pool and target demographics is likely Spanish-speaking. Countless opportunities and sales are lost simply because a consumer can’t communicate with a provider because of a language barrier. A virtual receptionist allows a brand to have a bilingual voice to reach the entire pool, not just a limited portion. The result is measurably improved customer service and conversions.
10.) Generates Leads
So far, virtual receptionists have saved a business money, time, and energy and expanded and perfected the how and when of communication. Now, it’s time for the virtual receptionist to actually make the business money.
A virtual receptionist can bolster revenue by simply being there. A business now has a professional available 24/7 to consistently represent their brand. This fact automatically translates to yielding more sales leads through online and offline exceptional customer service experiences. Other customers and investors are automatically more inclined to choose the business with an exceptional consumer reputation over competitors demonstrating poor customer service through their subpar communication strategies.