UPDATED: July 27, 2021

Running your own business is not without its expectations and pressure. One of the most common areas you'll notice both are when providing customer service and trying to answer every customer call. Perhaps your type of business gets calls at all hours of the day and night, or maybe you only take calls during the day, but this becomes a problem when managing a lunch break or trying to take care of another pressing matter. Take a look at why an answering service might be the best solution for your company, and see how it can help you take care of your customers and even continue to grow in the future.

What An Answering Service Can Offer

An answering service helps your business by answering phone calls even when your company is closed or you cannot take a call for some reason. This includes working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year, ensuring customers do not slip through the cracks. If you are frequently out of the office, do not have the staff necessary or have trouble keeping staff, or aren't sure how to get things set up, working with an answering service can save you a lot of time and hassle in the long run. 

Staying On Brand With a Script

Many companies have a specific way they want their phone calls to be answered with the help of a script. If yours has one, that is completely normal, and a tool many entrepreneurs put to good use. With an answering service, any operators who are fielding calls for your company will answer in the manner that you request. This can give your customers confidence about doing business, even if they aren't dealing with you, personally. It can also strengthen your company's brand and allow you to grow. The more operators who can field calls can help you complete orders, answer questions, and allow customers to feel good about working with you directly. 

Managing Calls Out Of The Office

There may be days where you cannot come into the office at all. Perhaps you are sick or maybe you have a pressing matter to attend to. Even if you aren't there, it is possible to see how everything is doing with your answering service if they are one who uses an app. You might have helpful features, such as answering customer calls and returning them on a cloaked phone number. That means the number your customers see is not your personal phone, but it rings directly to it, thereby “cloaking” your real number. This ensures you aren't giving out information you'd rather keep private, and you can see how things are going. Various companies might provide different offerings on their apps, if they offer them, so it is crucial to take a look and find out what kind of benefits you are getting with a particular service. 

Having Operators Who Care

The person who answers your phone is the first human contact your customers talk to. As such, even if they cannot be seen, operators can still be viewed as the “face” of your company. It's important to have operators who are kind, caring, and can empathize with the callers and what is going on, no matter what type of business you run. A quality answering service will train and hire people who are looking to help others to the best of their abilities. If they don't know the answer to a question, they do everything they can to follow up and help the customer, so they get the solution they are looking for. Make sure the answering service you are looking at knows how to hire the right people who are there for you and your customers. 

If you're ready for your business to take off, but think you need additional help when it comes to managing phone calls, an answering service might be just the solution you are looking for. If you have a script, it is simply a matter of providing that information to the company, so their operators can answer the phones the way you would like. This helps build customer confidence and presents a strong image of your business. Some answering service providers offer an app, allowing you to either answer certain calls yourself with a cloaked number or otherwise check in and see how things are going. Finally, a good answering service will have operators that are empathetic and caring, ready to help your customers find solutions to their problems. You can outsource calls and make time for yourself, while you focus on the core tasks associated with running a business and continuing to grow your empire. If you are ready to get outside help while ensuring your business grows, see how this could be a useful solution for you.