5 Reasons To Use An Online Answering Service Instead Of Voicemail

By Author: supriyo banerjee
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Running a successful business requires reliable customer service, including telephone answering. In an ideal situation, the phone is answered by the second ring, no matter the time of day. Voicemail may seem convenient and adequate, but a phone answer service is a much better choice.

There are several reasons that an online answering service is better for most businesses than voicemail and can save money in addition to providing a better customer experience. Five of those reasons are discussed below.

24/7 Live Call Answering Feels More Personal

Voicemail answers calls, but it also sends a message that no one is available. Having a live person answer the phone at any time of day or night makes a company feel bigger and at the same time more personal. Callers want to talk to a live person, and many will hang up on voicemail. Most people do not mind leaving a message with a live person, feeling that the message will reach its designated recipient. These same people may very much mind having to talk to voicemail.

A Receptionist without Payroll Expenses
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An online answering service offers the benefits of having a receptionist without the expense. For far less than the cost of salary and other compensation, a company can have a live receptionist answer the phone and assist customers. Phone answer services can do much more than simply take a message. Operators learn to answer questions and provide information on the company, just like an on-site receptionist.

Fewer Hang-ups and More Business

As mentioned above, many people hang up on voicemail. When a prospect hangs up, they may never call again and the sale will be missed for the lack of a human to answer questions or take an order on the spot. Phone answer services reduce the number of hang-ups and help companies capture more business. An online answering service can mean the difference between losing sales because no one answers the phone, and making sales because someone does.

Flexible Phone Answering Services

When hiring phone answer services, companies have a choice about when the online answering service handles phone calls. Some companies choose to have their phones answered by a phone answer service only after hours. Others set up service for after hours and as a backup when no one is available in the office to answer the phone. Still others use phone answer services around the clock.

No Missed Calls

Small businesses, especially, may not always have someone near the phone when it rings. As a result, they miss calls even during office hours. When all staff members are busy doing their own jobs, answering the phone may take second place. Even when the telephone is a priority, actually getting to the phone before the caller hangs up may pose a challenge. Phone answer services answer each call immediately and never miss a call. For companies where the phone is an additional task on top of everything else, and hard to manage, an online answering service offers a solution.

Companies who currently rely on answering the phone on top of other work, or who send many calls to voicemail, can use phone answering services to improve their bottom line. Online answering services provide all the benefits of a dedicated telephone staff member, without the associated costs.

Anser Services offers both phone answer services and online answering service for businesses large and small across the country. To learn more about answering services for your business, visit our website at Anser.com.