Small Business Answering Services: Making The Right Impression

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Now that you’ve successfully launched and established your small business, what can you do to give yourself an edge over your competitors? How do you make it grow? One unlikely answer is to employ a small business answering service. While it’s true that typically, a phone answering service deals with off hours calls, or larger corporations, the lesser known, subtle benefits of utilizing a small business answering service simply can’t be ignored. Sure, a phone answering service can free up valuable time so you can stay on top of your business agenda and make sure things run as smoothly as possible, but there are other, more understateddoles as well. Like what, you ask?


First Impressions:


First impressions are the most important ones. Nothing kills a business faster than a bad first impression, and for the most part, these are spread by word of mouth. Statistically speaking, if a person has a positive experience with a given establishment, they’re inclined to tell one or two of their close friends. If, however, a person has a bad experience with an establishment (say, for ...
... instance, they tried to reach you, but never got an answer), they will tell everyone they know. Employing a phone answering service provides a crucial buffer against this possibility by making sure each and every call that comes into your business is answered; and not just answered, but answered with the utmost in professionalism and courtesy. Human beings are more inclined to be patient and wait on hold if an actual person asks them to do so, rather than a choppy, synthesized computer voice. Small business answering services are staffed with dozens, sometimes hundreds of seasoned receptionists whose chosen career path is to be on the frontlines to greet potential clients. Put simply, it’s their job to be professional and courteous at all times. They know how important first impressions are, and they go to great lengths to be certain that anyone calling your business has a positive one.


User friendliness:


As a business owner, sometimes the most difficult part of maintaining the machine you’ve created is making sure all the parts work well together; in other words, assembling your team. Every member of your team has to fit well with every other one to avoid conflict, and sometimes finding the right receptionist for your business can take months. Unfortunately, however, while you’re trying out new receptionists and quite possibly having difficulty in finding the right one, your business is suffering. Phone answering services are user friendly in the aspect that they have available a dedicated staff of seasoned experts who do nothing but field and sort calls on a professional level. There is no need to sort through candidates and risk picking a bad fit. Small business answering services will work with you to custom build the package that will benefit your business the most. After all, their success is directly based on yours.

Kris Leeds is a freelance writer for Alert Communications, a leading provider of call center services for small businesses. To learn more about their business answering services, please visit at Alert Communications online.