The Advantages of Using a Virtual Receptionist

If you are just getting your business up and running, you may not have extra funds available to hire employees. At the same time, however, trying to handle every aspect of running your business on your own can be overwhelming. One way to overcome this problem is by directing your calls to a virtual receptionist. That way, you can focus your attention on other aspects of your business.

An Introduction to Virtual Receptionists
As you might guess, virtual receptionists work remotely, answering any phone calls that you receive from a different location. In some cases, these receptionists are home-based employees. In other cases, they work at larger call centers. Contact AnswerFirst Communications to find out more about their virtual assistants.

The Advantages of Working with Virtual Receptionists

The benefits of virtual receptionists for small businesses are listed below:

1. An Affordable Solution
Hiring a receptionist to work full-time for your company is an extremely expensive prospect. Along with providing benefits, you also have to cover their salary, which comes in somewhere around $28,000. The total price that you have to pay for a virtual receptionist is far lower since you aren’t responsible for providing benefits, covering taxes, or paying a full-time salary.

2. Around-The-Clock Service
Virtual receptionists are available 24 hours a day. This allows you to create a customized schedule for your business based on the needs of your company. To provide customers with the best possible experience, you can even have the receptionist answer the phone outside of your typical business hours. They can also handle calls for you when you are away on vacation.

3. Better Customer Service
Today’s customers expect fast service. When you hire a virtual receptionist, you can make sure their calls are answered in a timely manner. This is true even if the calls come in after your business is closed or while you are away. Working with virtual receptionists makes it possible to take time off without leaving your customers hanging.

4. Eliminates Training-Related Expenses
Call centers take care of the training for you. That means that you don’t have to spend time or money training a receptionist for your business. Because call centers employ individuals that are already trained, you can completely eliminate your training expenses.

5. A Better Customer Experience
If you hire a single receptionist to handle calls for your business, your customers may have to wait on hold during particularly busy times. This can leave them feeling frustrated. Call centers provide a much better experience. Since they have multiple receptionists available, your customers don’t have to get stuck on hold. Even if someone calls in while another customer is being helped, a second receptionist can pick up their call.

6. Year-Round Service Without Interruptions
If you hire a full-time receptionist, you most likely will find yourself scrambling to find a replacement if they need to take time off. Whether they call in sick or go on vacation, trying to find someone to cover your calls while they are away can be a struggle. When you work with a call center, this problem is eliminated since they have multiple receptionists available to fill in for one another whenever necessary.

7. More Time to Focus on Your Business
The time that you spend answering phone calls on your own could be much better spent dealing with other aspects of your business. Hiring a virtual receptionist frees you up to focus your attention on helping your company grow.