Top 10 Benefits of a Virtual Receptionist

Have you been spending tons of time taking phone calls for your startup? You may be spending too much of your valuable time on the phone and not enough time doing the important work – growing your business!

While you’ll always have to take phone calls, having someone to field calls can save you tons of time by only sending the important calls your way. That’s why receptionists have become a vital part of many offices.

But hiring a receptionist can be expensive and time-consuming. That’s why many businesses hire a virtual receptionist.

Do you want to know why? Keep reading to discover the top 10 benefits of a virtual receptionist.

1. You’ll Save Money

One of the biggest drawbacks you may have for bringing on a receptionist on your team is the cost. The average receptionist makes over $28,000 per year. Plus, you’ll also have to pay for benefits and paid time off.

Hiring a virtual receptionist is much more cost-effective. Since many works for a phone answering service, you won’t have to worry about providing benefits, and you’ll pay less by the hour.

2. There’s No Additional Overhead Cost

Bringing in a front office receptionist means that you’ll have to shell out some real cash for their desk, chair, computer, and office supplies. You could be looking at thousands of dollars right there!

The benefit of hiring a remote employee is they won’t need any of that. They’ll already have their own workspace set up, so you won’t have to worry about an extra startup or overhead costs.

3. They’ll Have More Availability

Do you come into the office to several messages in the morning? This can be a stressful (and time-consuming) way to start your day. A front office receptionist usually only works set office hours, so nobody will be around to answer the phone at night.

However, hiring a team of virtual receptionists through a phone answering service, like AnswerFirst, can provide your company with 24/7 coverage. You’ll be able to decide which calls need to be returned now, and which can wait.

4. You Won’t Need Automated Message Systems

One way to help raise customer satisfaction and brand loyalty are by having great customer service. When you have access to 24/7 virtual receptionists, you won’t need to use an automated message system again.

Your customers will love the fact that they get to talk to a real person every time they call, whether it’s at 3 p.m. or 3 a.m. This will help boost your company’s customer satisfaction ratings and keep customers coming back for more.

5. Your Callers Will Have More Language Options

Do some of your customers or clients speak a different language? Finding a full-time bilingual receptionist can be difficult, and it may mean you’ll have to pay them a larger salary.

If your callers speak several different languages, then you may be in trouble. It can be almost impossible to find one receptionist that speaks 3 or more languages.

However, going through a phone answering service can solve all your problems. They’ll likely have a wide array of virtual receptionists working for them and will be better suited to finding several bilingual receptionists to answer phones for you.

6. They Can Prove Web Chat Services Too

With the growing popularity of the internet, web chat services have become a convenient option for many potential customers.

A front office receptionist may get overwhelmed if they see one (or a couple) web chats pop up while they are talking on the phone with a customer and have another on hold. That’s a lot for one person to handle!

However, a phone answering service will make sure that there are enough virtual receptions assigned to your company. If several calls and chats come in at once, it won’t be up to one person to take care of it all – you’ll have a whole team of virtual assistants to help answer questions.

7. You Don’t Have to Find Them or Train Them

Finding and training a great receptionist can take a lot of time and money. Not only will you have to post the job opening, but you’ll have to review resumes, interview candidates, train them, and possibly purchase an online training software. If the employee quits, then you’ll have to repeat this process all over again.

Hiring a phone answering service is a lot easier. All you have to do is find the right company, and they’ll do the rest for you. If one of your virtual receptionists quits, the phone answering company will have another receptionist to take their place with no effort on your end.

8. It’s Stress-Free

What do you do when your front office receptionist goes on vacation or calls out sick? Most companies only have one receptionist, so who takes over the front desk? This can cause a lot of stress on you and the rest of your team.

You won’t have to worry about that when hiring a virtual receptionist. If they need to take a sick day, the company they work for will be the ones finding a replacement for the day.

9. You Can Get Messages on Your Off Time

If your startup is new and still growing, you may find yourself stressing about things on your time off, like whether that important client has called you back yet.

Since you can hire a team of 24/7 virtual assistants, you’ll be able to get messages on your off time (if you want), so you can return their calls quicker.

10. They’ll Be in A Distraction-Free Area

Managing noise in small offices can be difficult. Imagine how frustrating it may be for your customers if they constantly have to repeat themselves because the receptionist can’t hear them over the office distractions.

The best part about hiring a phone answering service is that the receptionists are all in a quiet, distraction-free area. They’ll be able to hear your callers clearly, and your callers won’t get distracted by all the noise coming from the other end.

Why Should You Hire a Virtual Receptionist?

If you’ve been spending too much time answering calls that somebody else could have fielded, you may want to invest in a receptionist. But front office receptionists can cost a lot of money.

Instead, you should consider hiring a virtual receptionist through a phone answering service. It’ll be cheaper and more convenient for both you and the various people calling your company.

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