6 reasons to use a telephone answering service

We recently conducted a Twitter poll asking people why they use (or why they would use) a telephone answering service and the results surprised us! We fully expected the top reason to be to save money – but it was actually near the bottom of the result table.

Top reasons to use a telephone answering service

Not only did we learn the answers to our question but we also learnt the value of market research! And here’s how the results polled:

• 41% human contact: never underestimate the value of speaking to a ‘real’ person. Customers who call your company want to speak to a person. They don’t want to hear the engaged tone or hear an automated message – they’ll simply move on if they do.
• 25% save time: it’s great to have a busy telephone line – it can show your business is a great success! But how long is the average sales call? How many calls do you take that are nuisance calls? Filtering your calls means that you can pick out the important ones and call the customer back at an allotted time.
• 18% save money: do you employ a receptionist and incur all associated costs (wages, NI, sickness, holiday etc) or do you pay a small monthly fee to have a call-answering service deal with your calls?
• 16% not missing a sales call: if you’re with a customer or client or in a meeting you’re probably not going to want to interrupt to take a call. That missed call could be a sales order and nobody can afford to throw business away.

We also think the following a consideration too

• Giving a big business feel – you might not want your customers to realise you are dealing with them from your dining room or your bedroom. ‘Pretending’ to have a receptionist can give your business a professional front.
• Professional call handling – what if dealing with people over the telephone is not your strong point? Or you can only take calls during anti-social hours? Experienced professionals can take calls on your behalf.

We can offer many reasons to use a telephone answering service. But why not think how you and your business could benefit? Reap the benefits and guarantee your customers always talk to a real person!

Try for yourself and sign up for a 7-day free trial with Pocket Receptionist