Why Using A Telephone Answering Service Still Makes Sense

In this age of electronic gadgets, instant messaging and email, it may seem archaic to hire a live telephone answering service to handle calls to your business after hours, when your lines are busy or when you are away from the office. However, hiring such a service to field your calls offers a number of advantages, even in this digital age.

Benefits of using a telephone answering service

1. Adds a personal touch. Although electronic answering devices are everywhere these days, that fact doesn't mean that everyone likes using such machines. Having a live person answer the phone when a customer or client calls still gives an added warmth to the transaction.

2. Improves efficiency. Using a live telephone answering service also helps to insure that the right message gets to the right person. Instead of having someone listen to the answering machine messages while they are unlocking the doors and disarming the alarm system in the morning, you have someone answering the phone whose attention is focused 100 percent on your caller.

3. Handles easy tasks. Your answering service can do more than just take messages. If callers are inquiring about simple things, like an upcoming event, store hours or sale deadlines, your answering service can field those questions without bothering your staff, allowing you to get more work done during the day.

4. Makes scheduling easy. If your business works with appointments, such as a medical practice, law or accounting office or beauty salon, your answering service can handle scheduling and confirming appointments for you, further freeing time to concentrate on other business.

5. Someone's available 24/7. It's rarely cost-effective to have an employee available to answer your phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. After all, in addition to the person's salary, you need to pay for the lights, the heat and the supplies. When you hire an answering service, such as LifeWorks Business Center, they handle multiple clients at the same time, so the cost is much less than manning your own 24/7 help desk. This way, clients can reach you in the event of an emergency, but you don't have to foot the bill for a dedicated 24-hour help desk.

While using an answering may not be the right choice for every business, using this type of service adds a personal touch, augments your customer service, improves efficiency and can free up time for your staff to concentrate on their other tasks.