VIRTUAL RECEPTIONIST

Virtual Receptionist Service or Voicemail? What are The Benefits?

14th March 2011:

Can a virtual receptionist service really be judged with an answering machine or voicemail? An answering machine may look like a economical alternative but could be more costly overall.

A virtual receptionist (or virtual PA) is a great way of managing telephone communication for small, medium and even large companies. In the present days extremely competitive business world, businesses need to take full advantage of all sources of business that present themselves, but many may be missing chances or possible sales and never know it. It is estimated that around eighty percent of callers put the phone down when he or she hear a voicemail message. In other words, if a company is not able to manage their telephone calls and leaves it to the mercy of an answering machine, out of every 10 potential callers, eight may well be sourcing their custom somewhere else, probably with a rival.

By offering the aid of live operators that are acquainted with the businesses practices, merchandise and VIP clients, virtual receptionist services can offer excellent advances in caller satisfaction. Customers want to be heard there and then, not at a time suitable to the business when they listen through their recorded messages. Good quality virtual receptionists are able to give the idea to callers that he or she are part of the business and in many cases be able to do much of what a normal receptionist would do be it providing directions, taking purchases, booking meetings or simply patching the caller to the correct department or person. The key is that the client knows they are able to speak to the company if and when they call, most of the time they don't ever realize they've been chatting to an outsourced secretary.

A virtual receptionist should never be seen as a hyped up answering machine and certainly shouldn't be compared for price. Answering machines can only give the option for callers to leave or not to leave a message, there isn't any human contact and the vast majority of callers will go somewhere else. Small companies that are deciding if voicemail is all they need to record callers details need to be asking themselves this question- When you are searching promptly for a trade or service and have had your call answered by voicemail, do you leave your contact details or do you ring the very next entry in the phone directory?

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