An Entrepreneur's Guide to Answering Systems

You have a business. Your prospects and customers need to get a hold of you, but you are busy and don’t have the time to give each caller the time and attention they deserve. You are missing out on opportunities for new customers and having a hard time servicing current customers. What do you do?

Direct Communication Increases Conversions

No matter how technology-based your company is, you need an answering service for a small business. Your customers still love personal communication. And a phone call can still be the fastest way to resolve a problem or answer a question, and even better, initiate a purchase. We’ve written extensively about why tech startups without phone lines fail, ten times your eCommerce business needed customer service, and how to determine if you need a receptionist for your business.

It is most important to remember that direct communication can increase your conversions*

• 81% of Americans regularly use phone for customer service
• Inbound phone calls have 30-50% conversion rates, compared to only 1-2% average for website visits
• 66% of businesses rate their inbound phone calls as an excellent source of leads – higher than any other inbound lead source
• 70% of mobile searchers have used click-to-call from search engine results
• 34% of callers who do not reach a person will not call back
• 93% of the average marketing budget is spent enticing a potential customer to call a business, but only 6% is spent handling the call

Today, we’re here to help you decide how to answer your phones, and review the different types of phone answering services ranging from the stereotypical (and much dreaded) call center, to basic answering services and virtual receptionists.

This handy infographic breaks it down for you:

*Sources: Global State of Multichannel Customer Service Report, Invoca Data, BIA/Kesley, Google Search Data, Sales & Marketing Magazine, Inbound Telephone Call Center, American Teleservices Association, Voice Response, Inc, The Global CX Wakeup Call Report

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How does a virtual receptionist work?

If after reviewing these options, you are interested in having the personalized, custom care of a virtual receptionist, you are in luck. Abby Connect offers a free (yes, 100% free) 14-day trial.  But how does it work? Check out this quick video and sign up below: