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Lower capital spent on clerical duties

Listen, can you hear it?

That’s your wallet rejoicing at the money you saved when you hired an answering service.

Using an answering service to answer your telephone calls, you never have to worry about providing benefits or installing the proper equipment or purchasing stationary.

You will only pay for what you use, no need to purchase extra computers, telephones, desks, etc.

What you decide to do with the money you have saved by not hiring multiple receptionist is up to you, but now you have the ability to invest in other aspects of the company that will generate extra revenue.

POP QUIZ! Question #1: What time does your business close? Question #2: What happens if a customer calls after hours? Question #3: How many customers have you lost by not having a live 24/7 telephone answering service?

Go 24/7 – Increase business hours

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It has become customary for businesses to provide some degree of support 24/7. Consumers are often busy during the days; engulfed with personal or work-related issues.

In fact, as shown in Diagram 1.0 (on the following page), a business will receive a majority of its calls during ‘check in’ (7:30am-8:30am relative time) and ‘check out’ periods (4:30pm-6pm relative time).

Because the typical work day falls between 9am and 5pm, a consumer (or prospect) will bombard a business with multiple phone calls in a frantic attempt to contact them before or after work.

Go 24/7 – Increase business hours (cont..)The irony behind this however is most businesses are not open during these periods when thecall volume is at its highest. So, up comes the million dollar question:

Why do people call businesses, even when they know it is closed?

The answer is quite simple – they will call when they can and the average consumer has threetime slots to make these calls:One the way to work (7am-9am)During lunch (Noon-1pm)On the way home (4pm-6pm)

Graph showing three peak periods in call volume during a typical business day|Diagram 1.0

Hiring an answering service to represent your business during these crucial periods when our business is closed is a step in the right direction to grow your business.

Granted, the answering service will not be able to resolve the caller’s issue completely, however a consumer is more likely to leave a message with a live representative than a machine. Also an answering service will forward the message to you immediately, so you will have the option of contact the caller if he/she has an emergency.

Reduce number of missed callsHow many calls does your business miss each day? More importantly, can your business afford to continue to miss calls?

Second chances are hard to come by… if a customer attempts to contact your company and is unsuccessful, there is a 15% chance they will contact one of your competitors and that is always a no-no.

Technology has also made it possible to transfer calls to different destinations after a predefined time allotment. Using techniques such as Call Forward No Answer and Call Forward Busy you can transfer calls to the answering service before the call is sent to voice mail, this way the answering service can intercept those calls you cant.

Missing calls can impact the productivity and profitability of your business. Just think about it, what if the single call you just missed would have been the ‘break’ your business needs?

You might be thinking, “15% - that’s not too bad”, but think of the larger picture – imagine losing two of ten customers, everyday before you even have a chance to communicate with them. This does not include those who will decide not to use your services or the cancelations that will occur.

The WOW Factor Increase Customer ExperienceAnswering the telephone is a full time job and although it seems simple, it requires much training and practice to do an amazing job. There is a noticeable difference between Customer Service Representatives who are confident and trained properly and those who aren’t… this difference is what we call the WOW Factor.

voices that makes you want to do business with them.

While it is difficult to replicate the WOW factor, it plays a crucial role in a company’s success. This experience can be achieved through practice and of course proper training. An answering service is a cost effective alternative to provide quality customer service.

The WOW Factor:Instills trust and comfort in the companyMakes you feel valuable. Makes you go ‘WOW – that was an impressive call’

Excellent customer service is often the corner- stone of the most successful businesses. Don’t believe me, pick your favorite brand and give them a call. You are greeted with warm friendly

Elevate internal work loadIf you find yourself struggling to answer the telephone and completing other tasks, it may be time to decide which task is more important and needs to be done in-house and which can be outsourced. Using the checklist shown in Diagram 1.2 as an example you can see that it is time consuming to catch up on overnight messages and returning calls.

Prioritizing and delegating tasks can make a significant difference in work load and improve productivity. Considering the agenda above almost two hours were spent catching up on over night calls. More importantly the task that this person was hired for (marketing) was the task with the least amount of time.

By relieving clerical duties, the Marketing Assistant will be able to do more marketing related task and promote your business.

Checked Voicemails 45 mins Listened to 20 voice messages

Returned calls 1 hrAttempted to return the calls, only contacted 13 of the 20 people who left messages.

Did inventory count 2 hrs Tallied supplies in closets 1, 2 and 5.

Contacted Google to get quote for Ads

30 minsContacted Google to get a piece to start using pay per click ads to promote the company.

Helped receptionist answer calls

2 hrsScheduled 15 appointments and answered the main line to redirect/connect calls.

Diagram 1.2 | Table showing a portion of the end of day agenda sent by a marketing assistant

Establish a reliable Disaster Recovery System

Look… It’s a KITE! It’s a PLANE! NO… It’s Superman!

What if super heroes existed… do you think there would be one for businesses that need help? Like when the lights go out unexpectedly? Or what about when a storm or natural disaster forces a city into lock down? What happens to your customers then?

Never mind it’s a kite!

Disaster Recovery is the process or policies that ensures business continuity in case of a natural or human induced disaster.

In June of 2013, a power outage affected upwards of 100,000 residents along the coast of California. Did this outage mean that the business world will stop? Of coursenot, but no electricity means no internet, limited visibility and can even cause phone lines to go down as well.

Establish a reliable Disaster Recovery System (cont..)An answering service can help protect your business in case of disasters. Your company will be able to communicate indirectly with customers to keep them informed. Companies that do not have ‘back-up’ plans often experience more difficulties restoring business after a disaster because of the back work associated with disasters.

Diagram 1.3 below is a list disasters and how an answering service can ensure business continuity in the event of a disaster.

Disaster Type Damages How can Answering Service Care help

Fire Natural

Damage to infrastructure – may force business to relocate if destruction is excessive. Lost of connectivity and communication.

With Disaster Recovery solutions from Answering

Service Care, you will always have professionals

standing by to handle your important calls. When a

disaster strikes, our highly trained Customer Care

Specialists will leap into action to answer your calls,

reassure your callers and deliver your messages

flawlessly like any other day.

A quick and efficient reaction is essential to protect

customer relationships and revenue sources during an

emergency or in the aftermath of a disaster and an

answering service is provides the perfect channel for

this.

Hurricane NaturalDamage to infrastructure, downed Wires. Floods, business may have to close temporarily.

Power Outages VariesLost of electricity, internet and sometimes communication methods

Gas leaks Man InducedEvacuation of building. May result in location being closed for multiple days.

Table showing list of common disasters that may impact your business and how an answering service can ensure business continuityDiagram 1.3 |

Create a local presence

For instance, if your company is in a ‘305’ area code and you would like to begin marketing in a neighboring community with a ‘954’ an answering service can provide you with a ‘954’ number.

Customers want to feel a connection to the companies they do business with. They want to feel that you are familiar with their way of life and that you know what they expect from you if they call to do business.

One of the many benefits of hiring an answering service is being able to have a local number.

Using a local number you can “move in” to a neighborhood without having to relocate a portion of your company.

The simplest way to instill comfort is by showing a prospect that you are in their neighborhood. And nothing says you understand their expectation like a local phone number.

Expand your reach

An answering service increases staff, so you have more people working for you. Because of this your business will be able to reach more people.

With fewer missed calls, a local presence, a reliable disaster recovery system, 24/7 customer service, a more manageable work load and great customer experience your business is likely to see a steady increase in customers.

An answering service is an affordable and simple way to increase the reach of your business.

Copyright © 2013 by Global Response Corporation www.AnsweringServiceCare.com800.430.6511