Hiring a virtual receptionist service is a big decision. Why? Because it costs you money and affects your company’s image. This easy-to-consume guide helps you make an informed decision so you only hire a service that represents you right.
We want to make sure small business owners are making the smart choice, not the flashy choice. In our Visual Guide to Virtual Reception, you’ll learn:
- The different types of live answering services
- Signs that you need a virtual receptionist
- The benefits of live virtual receptionists
- How to choose the most cost effective option
- Competitor analysis of top services
- How to pick a no-strings attached free trial
- BONUS: Virtual Receptionist Features Checklist for your research
The Different Types of Live Answering Services
There are a few options for live answering services: answering service, virtual receptionist service, and virtual assistant service. The quality, customization, and features offered varies drastically. Understanding the similarities and differences is the best way to pick a service that is right for your business.
Signs That You Need a Live Virtual Receptionist
If you’re like me, you were probably surprised (or relieved!) to learn that not every administrative task has to take place at your business’ physical location. This is where a virtual receptionist comes in.
Virtual receptionists roles and responsibilities constantly evolve and their bandwidth is never slim. There are always customers who need help, callers that need to schedule an appointment, mail that needs to be sent out, and eventually calls get missed and the customer experience starts to suffer. No fault to you and your staff, work just gets busy.
The Benefits of Live Virtual Receptionists
Like most people, I’ve had more worthwhile experiences with businesses over the phone than on any other medium. I can’t remember an ‘amazing’ email or flyer, but I can definitely recall many positive phone conversations. That’s because there’s an intimacy with a voice conversation that you don’t get with the written word.
Small businesses have started hiring virtual receptionists to provide this great customer service. We break down 4 game-changing benefits of a virtual receptionist that can make a great impact to your small business’ bottom line.
How to Choose the Most Cost Effective Option
Unfortunately, many companies are slapped with unexpected fees and overage charges by their seemingly “inexpensive” virtual receptionist service. Some are even billed for minutes related to spam calls or unengaged calls.
We want to let you know that this doesn’t have to be the norm. Here are a few pointers on what to look for when researching and choosing a virtual receptionist service.
Competitor Analysis of Live Virtual Receptionist Services
You want to choose a virtual receptionist service that has proven quality with small businesses just like you. We pulled these 2021 reviews and ratings from Clutch.co to help with your decision.
How to Pick a No-Strings Attached Free Trial
More and more live virtual receptionist services are offering free trials. This is your best opportunity to discover if the service is right for you and offers the quality that is promised. We suggest looking for free trials that are 14 days or more and that do not ask for any commitments, such as a contract.
Virtual Receptionist Features Checklist
Live virtual receptionist companies offer many features and it is difficult to understand what you need and don’t need. We curated a checklist of the features you should look out for to ensure you get the “bang for your buck”.
We hope this helps you in your research process and we wish you the best in business success!
