3 Undeniable Reasons Businesses Need a Live Receptionist

You’ve taken your company from a tiny, one-person show operating out of your basement and turned it into a business that’s expanding quicker than you can utter the phrase, “I need help!”

Your revenue stream is steady, your product is selling like crazy and you have a strong customer base. This is amazing, fantastic, everything you ever wanted – except for one problem: you don’t have the time to deal with all those customer calls on top of your other responsibilities as a business owner.

No need to panic; this is why live receptionist services exist. The right answering service can make a bigger difference in yours – and your customers’ – day-to-day life than you might think. Let’s take a look at the three major reasons why you should work with a live receptionist service.

1. Get All the Benefits of In-House Staff Without the Fuss (and Stress)

Creating your own customer service department is a big undertaking. You need to develop best practices, create employee guidelines, and determine your call volume so you know how many representatives you should hire. Then, after all that, you need to hire the right candidates, which can feel like you’re slogging through a sea of sub-par and mostly-made-up resumes to find the few that could be a right fit for you.

After that, you can look forward to interviews and training. Then the fun still isn’t over (is it ever?). Once they start answering calls, you have to manage quality control, and figure out how to cover for them on holidays and sick days – a pretty tough task when you’ve only got a dozen or so employees.

When you hire a live answer service, all of those processes, not to mention the people, are built-in. There’s already a group of trained and knowledgeable receptionists, a team managing quality control, and no fear of calls going to voicemail if someone calls in sick. All you have to do is help their staff develop a call script for their agents that provides any information or services your customers might be calling about. Then you can turn your focus to other things. Sounds pretty nice, huh?

2. Top Notch Customer Service All Day Long

42% of customers prefer to resolve customer service issues over the phone. When you’re a small or medium-sized business, there isn’t a graceful or long-term way to provide 24/7 customer service, especially over the phone – at least not one that’s cost effective. You and your employees have to sleep at some point. Forwarding calls to your phone just means you’re trying to help someone one out while you prepare dinner and your dogs bark in the background. A professional image this does not make.

Live answer services like PATLive, however, are large enough to have professional, friendly live receptionists available 24/7/365. Missed calls equal missed business opportunities, so hiring someone to answer the phone in the evenings, on weekends, and on holidays is a big plus for any company.

3. Save Money

Hiring staff is one of the biggest expenses for most small and medium businesses. Salaries, benefits, workman’s comp, equipment, and other miscellaneous expenses that accrue when you hire adds up to a big yearly spend. Depending on your call volume, you can hire a live answer service for less than $7/day. When you compare that to the stress and expense of staffing in-house customer service, outsourcing to a live receptionist is a good alternative for the right company.

Conclusion

In summary, as your business grows, managing customer calls becomes a significant challenge. This is where live receptionist services like PATLive become invaluable. They provide the professionalism of an in-house team without the complexities of hiring and managing staff. Plus, they offer 24/7 customer service, ensuring you never miss a call.

Opting for a live answer service is not only a time-saver but also a cost-effective solution, freeing you from the expenses of full-time staff. It’s a smart strategy for business owners focused on growth and excellent customer service. In short, a live receptionist service is a key asset in the journey of your expanding business, ensuring seamless customer interactions and your peace of mind.