Phone Answering Service / Virtual Receptionist

chickmug

When I was in business (Estate Agents) even though we had the right number of lines it was totally impossible to have the right number of people to take all the calls as they came in. Impossible to predict who would ring and when.

So initially we had a 'answering machine' type of facility which was interesting when we found sometimes an hour without a call then 6/10 coming in within a ten minute time frame.

So we signed up with a "answer phone service" where a real person took the call. After using them for five years we only had two people who twigged on it wasn't our own staff as they answered in our company name and when the phone rang it flagged up all the details of our company. Details we could easily change. There was no fixed monthly charge but we we charged per call and the more calls taken the cheaper each one was. Every call was texted and emailed, to us, as it came in with a full emailed summary at the end of each day.

We felt there was a significant cost saving as well as giving our existing clients and potential new clients a much better service.

The company we used was taken over by a bigger company so I suggest you search out "answer phone service" in Google. But research thoroughly as there are some duff ones and make sure you can have a test week or two before getting too involved.

slipp_digby

in my opinion, if the customer wants to talk to someone they will probably not be entirely happy if each time they ring all they can do is leave a message and never speak to someone who has product/service knowledge. however in your current position, its probably a compromise you will need to make.

what will be critical is how responsive you can be to potential clients.

however, i do agree that people are more likely to leave a message with a person than if its simply redirected to a voicemail.

Nednats

chickmug wrote: »

When I was in business (Estate Agents) even though we had the right number of lines it was totally impossible to have the right number of people to take all the calls as they came in. Impossible to predict who would ring and when.

So initially we had a 'answering machine' type of facility which was interesting when we found sometimes an hour without a call then 6/10 coming in within a ten minute time frame.

So we signed up with a "answer phone service" where a real person took the call. After using them for five years we only had two people who twigged on it wasn't our own staff as they answered in our company name and when the phone rang it flagged up all the details of our company. Details we could easily change. There was no fixed monthly charge but we we charged per call and the more calls taken the cheaper each one was. Every call was texted and emailed, to us, as it came in with a full emailed summary at the end of each day.

We felt there was a significant cost saving as well as giving our existing clients and potential new clients a much better service.

The company we used was taken over by a bigger company so I suggest you search out "answer phone service" in Google. But research thoroughly as there are some duff ones and make sure you can have a test week or two before getting too involved.

Thank you. Sounds like you used a simialr service that I have been looking for. I have searched google and other search engines for hours. I haven't found a company that doesn't charge a monthly fee and have a setup fee. I rather pay a higher price per call than pay monthly fee as I don't enough calls to mkae monthly fee affordable.

I was hoping someone could recommend company. If any one knowns of company that does what looking for please let me know?

Did the company you used charge you set fee so they train staff to your script? I notice companies are saying they need to this bought I don't really have much of a script. I want someone to answer find out why the client is phoning and then I will phone bacak asap with their answers. Other than answering the phone in my company name I can't see much of a script.

slipp_digby wrote: »

in my opinion, if the customer wants to talk to someone they will probably not be entirely happy if each time they ring all they can do is leave a message and never speak to someone who has product/service knowledge. however in your current position, its probably a compromise you will need to make.

what will be critical is how responsive you can be to potential clients.

however, i do agree that people are more likely to leave a message with a person than if its simply redirected to a voicemail.

I total agree. The client is not going to be happy if they find it hard to get in touch with you. I don't want lose a client before they have even been in touch.

chickmug wrote: »

ukbill69 wrote: »

I create a service/product that customer wants and will always leave a message, if not then its a customer you dont need.

Are you being serious?

If I don't have clients I don't have bussines so I can't afford risk losing a potential one.

scbk

Personally, phone systems annoy me. I hate having to go through various people/options to speak to who I want, and I don't like calling one number and getting diverted to another

Why don't you try and encourage people to email you, and give out your mobile number as your "direct number". Record a personal voicemail message and keep your phone on silent whilst at work, you can then nip out the back to answer a call, or phone the person back on your break

Nednats

scbk wrote: »

Personally, phone systems annoy me. I hate having to go through various people/options to speak to who I want, and I don't like calling one number and getting diverted to another

Why don't you try and encourage people to email you, and give out your mobile number as your "direct number". Record a personal voicemail message and keep your phone on silent whilst at work, you can then nip out the back to answer a call, or phone the person back on your break

Most of my potential clients will contact me by email or the website anyway. But there are some people who just prefer to speak to a real person and they need to be considered too.

chickmug

Nednats wrote: »

Most of my potential clients will contact me by email or the website anyway. But there are some people who just prefer to speak to a real person and they need to be considered too.

You really do have the right attitude and hope you get this and other things sorted. Self Employment has to be taken very seriously and as you have said you value your customers and so you should as they pay your wages. When you get established it is a good feeling to get a high number of return clients thus proving you are doing something right.

I have tried to look for an option for your answer phone service but bear in mind they can be located anywhere in the country. We used one based about 70 miles away. Hope someone comes up with a suggestion but have you tried Business Link?

paulwf

My mad thought for the day...loads of people on the Up Your Income board spend significant amounts of time doing surveys, click throughs and reviews for very little money. Could you find someone to give a cheap mobile to, give them some training, then divert calls to that phone when you are busy? 50p to process a call (total processing time 5 minutes) would pay min wage.

cally6008

I've been wondering what I would need in order to become a virtual receptionist or phone answering service for someone. I guess a single person would only be able to deal with one company at a time ?

Nednats

chickmug wrote: »

You really do have the right attitude and hope you get this and other things sorted. Self Employment has to be taken very seriously and as you have said you value your customers and so you should as they pay your wages. When you get established it is a good feeling to get a high number of return clients thus proving you are doing something right.

I have tried to look for an option for your answer phone service but bear in mind they can be located anywhere in the country. We used one based about 70 miles away. Hope someone comes up with a suggestion but have you tried Business Link?

Thank You

paulwf wrote: »

My mad thought for the day...loads of people on the Up Your Income board spend significant amounts of time doing surveys, click throughs and reviews for very little money. Could you find someone to give a cheap mobile to, give them some training, then divert calls to that phone when you are busy? 50p to process a call (total processing time 5 minutes) would pay min wage.

This is very risky and requires alot of trust. The person who is answering the phone is representing company. Also it is still possible for them to miss calls. I believe a company even though they charge more will work better as they have trained and expereienced staff and no other distractions.

fuzzball172

It looks like there could be a potential business opportunity here... How much would you be willing to spend per phone call? Any stay at home parents could make a little sideline out of being a virtual receptionist. My second telephone number company offer this service...
Call Whisper - Audio Solution

Identify your Inbound Call

Our Call Whisper service will play a Voice Message to the Receiver of the Call before connecting it, informing them which Phone Number, Company or Advert the Caller is responding to.
This service is particularly useful for Businesses with more than one Brand or for a receptionist answering calls for than one Business.

ttnc.co.uk

Might be worth looking in to...