Virtual Answering Service

Everything You Need To Know About Virtual Answering Services

Have you ever thought about how a virtual answering service could benefit your small business? Find out more about answering services and call centers, including what services they provide and how much they cost.

Inbound phones can be answered, emails can be managed, social media can be monitored, and live webchats can be covered by virtual answering services. Small firms might employ answering services to supplement or totally outsource their customer support. Answering service costs vary depending on the service's complexity and usual call volume.

Small businesses who want to improve their customer service but can't afford an in-house receptionist or customer care agent might use answering services, also known as virtual receptionists, receptionist services, and live receptionists. Answering service firms range in complexity from simple to complex, and they provide a variety of services to help small businesses manage calls, emails, social media, and live web chat efficiently.

What is a virtual answering service?

A virtual answering service allows organizations to outsource their phone answering. These services might be simple, such as answering the phone and taking messages, or they can be more extensive, such as providing entire customer support. "Consider a virtual answering service as an extension of your on-site receptionist. They can take messages, pass crucial calls to you, and even set up appointments for potential clients "Back Office Betties' creator and CEO, Emily LaRusch, said

Businesses who either cannot handle their incoming call volume or just prefer to engage competent customer care personnel to manage their incoming phone calls for them use virtual answering services. Many virtual receptionist firms also provide omnichannel assistance, which includes email management, social media moderation, and live web chat management.

How does it work?

Virtual answering services are adaptable and may be adjusted to a company's specific requirements. These requirements can be simple and straightforward in some circumstances, even to the point of being automated. In other circumstances, a dedicated agent may be necessary to assist callers through a guided dialogue.

"A virtual answering service is a cloud-based or online service in which calls to your phone number are picked up by an automated response or third-party operative to take messages, forward calls on, or otherwise handle your telephone conversations," according to Evans. "This may be as basic as a voice mailbox that takes messages from your callers and allows you to listen to them later, or a live, remote receptionist who answers calls using a greeting and business name you provide in accordance with your established protocols."

Most contact centers and answering services provide a variety of services for inbound calls, including simple, automated choices like the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) tree, which provides callers with a menu of options from which to automatically direct their call. On the more complex end of the spectrum, answering services can assign human agents to manage your account, getting to know your business inside and out and, in some cases, even selling on your behalf. Some even provide outbound calls to help with sales and lead generation.

Here are some of the most common services that a virtual answering service can provide:

An IVR tree is a standard call routing mechanism that ensures that the call is delivered to the correct contact without the need for human interaction. Because they don't require an agent to answer the phone on your behalf, these systems are frequently the most cost-effective to set up and run. They merely ensure that calls are routed to the appropriate employee at your company.

Message taking: Message taking is one of the most typical services given by an answering service. When a call comes in, an agent takes down the caller's name, contact information, purpose for calling, and any other pertinent information your company requires. That information is provided to your company so that someone can call you back whenever it is convenient.

Call forwarding: Some answering services provide call forwarding when a message isn't enough to fulfill the caller's demands. This solution enables an agent to determine a caller's needs and then route the call to the appropriate employee inside your company.

Many answering services can access your chosen calendar tool and make appointments during available business hours for firms that rely on appointment scheduling for meeting with clients.

After-hours or overflow answering: A virtual answering service can be employed for specific purposes such as after-hours or overflow responding if you have your phone lines under control but need assistance during peak hours or after your business has closed for the day.

Questions that are frequently asked: Some answering providers include a list of FAQs provided by your company, which is a slightly more complex service. Rather than taking a message or forwarding every call, agents can answer these inquiries and assist callers on the spot.

If you run an e-commerce store, an answering service employee can support callers who require assistance placing their order. Agents help the caller through the buying process to ensure that their order is received correctly. Some answering services also provide upselling and cross-selling options.

Customer service: Full customer service outsourcing is on the more advanced end of the spectrum. Because it needs experience with your business and industry, this answering service often requires dedicated or semidedicated agents. Customer service agents can execute all of the activities that an in-house customer service representative would, including answering questions and handling complaints.

Some companies only need one of these services, while others require numerous. Because answering services are usually adaptable, if your demands change, so can your answering service.

What are some of the advantages of using a virtual answering service?

The fundamental advantage of any answering service is that it relieves the burden of managing phone lines from a small business's workforce. This allows a small business to focus its resources on more critical operational duties without risking losing clients due to bad service. "It means you'll never miss a business opportunity or an essential call, and you'll keep excellent professional standards," said Evans. "It's a fantastic tool for freeing up time, which is very important for small enterprises." Hiring an in-house customer service professional may be too expensive for small firms with limited resources. Outsourcing to a good answering service, on the other hand, provides the same level of professionalism and attention to detail as an internal customer support person.

"These services enable small businesses to have a receptionist provide individualized attention to tiny or fluctuating call volumes without having to hire, train, and manage a full-time employee, with all the associated costs and obligations," said Evans. "Small firms should hire for the following criteria: required availability and scheduling; any specific skills or knowledge requirements; language, accent, and colloquialism requirements; pricing; maximum customer hold times and service quality; and client support quality," Evans continued.

A competent answering service will also have experience handling communications for businesses similar to yours. Legal answering services, for example, are tailored to the needs of law firms, while medical answering services are tailored to the needs of healthcare organizations. Hiring skilled communications professionals guarantees that your consumers are well taken care of while you concentrate on providing excellent products and services.

Are there any mobile apps for virtual answering services?

Most answering services have a client portal that may be accessed via a web browser or a mobile app. The client site of an answering service often provides information about your company's account, such as the number of calls received, the average length of a call, and the average response time of the agents, for example. To ensure quality service, some answering services provide more advanced client portals that allow clients to listen to recordings of all calls.

Billing information is usually updated in near real time on client portals, so you can keep track of how much you're going to owe each month.

How much does it cost to use a virtual answering service?

The price of a virtual answering service varies, but it is usually determined by the intricacy of the services you need as well as your regular call volume. An answering service's pricing scheme might vary, however the following are some of the most common: Per-minute rate: Some answering services charge a set fee per minute. A corporation might charge 80 cents per minute for live replying, for example. Your overall bill will be affected by the number of calls you make that month.

Monthly subscription: Some answering services charge a monthly fee that includes a package of minutes that can be used across all call center services. If you buy 1,000 minutes per month, for example, you can use those minutes for a variety of services such as message taking, FAQs, and order administration. Some answering services charge a per-hour rate instead of a per-minute rate for shared agents, which is usually reserved for services that require a dedicated agent. Dedicated agents are normally priced between $15 and $25 per hour.

An answering service may also charge any of the following fees or upcharges in addition to these rates:

• Setup costs are typically one-time expenses for bringing your account online or setting up an IVR tree for your company.

• Some answering services demand higher prices over the holidays. Inquire about these charges, as well as which days the answering service considers to be holidays.

• Agent work time: Whether or not an agent is connected to a caller, agent work time is billable time spent on your account. While some answering services do not charge for agent time, others do. Make certain to inquire.

• Some answering services charge on a second-by-second basis, which means you are only paid for the time an agent is connected to a caller. Others use incremental billing, which estimates your bill by rounding up to the nearest increment. Because a 1-minute and 6-second call would appear on your account as "1.1 minutes," the most typical increment is 6 seconds. Some answering services, on the other hand, round up to the nearest minute, which can significantly increase costs.

Is it going to be obvious that I'm utilizing a virtual answering service?

A reputable virtual answering service will appear to be a representative of your company when they answer the phone. It should be the same as if you hired an in-house receptionist to take messages and answer phones on your behalf. During onboarding, most answering services work with you to establish a script or preferred procedure, and many make it simple to update any scripts or stages via a client site.

The ultimate purpose of outsourcing communications to an answering service is to improve your firm's professionalism by streamlining caller communication with your company. Any excellent answering service can correctly and efficiently represent your business over the phone, via email, social media, or live web chat, depending on the communication channels your company demands.

When employing an answering service, what should you look for?

Transferring your customer service responsibilities to a third party necessitates a high level of trust. Before signing any deal, you should thoroughly vet an answering service. Transparency and accountability, on the other hand, are essential throughout the life of your relationship, so you should review the answering service's performance on a regular basis to ensure that your callers are treated as you would treat them.

"It's not always possible to ensure that the virtual receptionist is sending the correct message to each and every caller," explained writer Bret Evans. "Because that person does not work for your company directly, they are unfamiliar with it. As a result, it's possible that the virtual agent will mispronounce your company or colleague's name, mix up your employees' names, or even misinterpret your remarks."

Keep in frequent communication with your answering service provider to ensure they have all the information they need to provide excellent service. Furthermore, you should keep a close eye on their performance to ensure high-quality service. After all, an answering service will become an important part of your company's customer-facing operations, and you can't afford to overlook poor service.

Furthermore, according to Evans, ensuring a written agreement that clearly outlines expectations and obligations may hold an answering service accountable and protect a small firm from unpleasant shocks. "In a service level agreement, fully stating expectations upfront will help the small firm negotiate problems and issues," he said. "When a service is offshored, common difficulties include service levels, wait times, knowledge levels, and time disparities."

It's a good idea to ask the answering service to break out all charges and fees in an agreement as well; that way, you'll know precisely what you're paying for before you sign up. Inbound calls can be kept out of your voicemail with the help of a business answering service.

With so many other operational factors to address, it can be tough for small firms to remain on top of inbound calls. A professional answering service can help relieve that stress by ensuring that your callers are answered by experienced, professional agents during and after office hours. Choosing a virtual receptionist service might be difficult, but completing your homework will result in a receptionist service that is effective, dependable, and reasonable.