Benefits of outsourcing your phone handling

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Benefits of outsourcing your phone handling

Outsourcing your phone handling can enhance various aspects of your business.

From boosting customer service and improving financial efficiency to relieving your employees, a dedicated call management provider can positively affect every part of your operation.

Customer service benefits of outsourcing your phone handling
  • Extend Your Availability

If you or your team aren’t prepared to work beyond standard hours, handling calls outside of regular business times can be challenging. This limits your ability to engage with clients who can only reach you outside of the usual 9-5 due to their own work schedules.

By outsourcing your call management, you can extend your availability to handle customer calls well beyond traditional hours, without requiring your team to work late or start early.

This is crucial because 90% of customers expect a prompt response to their inquiries, even outside of regular hours. Covering calls for extended periods enhances your ability to meet this expectation.

  • Enhance Professionalism

Outsourcing your call handling provides you with a team of experienced PAs who are equipped to handle calls, manage transfers, and take messages efficiently.

This ensures that every call is answered with a high level of professionalism, creating a consistent and polished experience for every caller.

  • Flexible Customer Service

Managing customer service can become challenging during periods of growth or spikes in demand, which might strain your current resources and affect service quality.

Outsourcing allows you to scale your customer service efficiently and affordably, adapting to your needs without the costs and commitments associated with hiring additional staff. This ensures you consistently maintain a high level of service even as demands fluctuate.

  • Shorter Wait Times

Customers find long wait times frustrating, particularly when they're stuck listening to monotonous hold music.

Outsourcing your call answering can minimize wait times by promptly answering calls, directing them to the appropriate person, taking messages for follow-up, or handling basic inquiries directly. This ensures quicker resolution of issues and enhances the efficiency and reliability of your customer service.

  • Ensure Consistent Call Management

In an office setting, call handling can vary from one employee to another. Sometimes, crucial details are missed as employees rush to move on to their next task.

Outsourcing your call answering streamlines this process by standardizing how calls are handled. This consistency enhances the customer experience, as every call is managed uniformly. Additionally, outsourced receptionists collect all the necessary information for effective follow-up, so customers don’t have to repeat themselves.

The financial benefits of outsourcing your call answering
Save Costs Effectively

Outsourcing your call handling offers significant cost savings compared to hiring a full-time or part-time receptionist.

Employing staff can be costly, with average salaries nearing $50,000+ annually, plus additional expenses such as taxes, insurance, vacation pay, sick leave, and training.

By choosing an outsourced solution, you can avoid these overheads and benefit from predictable pricing. For instance, our popular call answering packages start at about $199 per month, including out-of-hours coverage. We also optimize your plan based on usage, ensuring you only pay for the services you need.

Boost Productivity

Handling phone calls may seem like a minor task, but the time it consumes can add up quickly, especially with numerous calls each day. This time loss extends to the interruptions caused while trying to return to your previous tasks.

By outsourcing your call answering, you and your team can concentrate on essential projects and activities that add real value, without the distraction of missed calls or lost business. This allows for more uninterrupted focus on high-priority tasks, ultimately creating more opportunities for revenue generation.

Maximize Out-of-Hours Opportunities

Many potential clients can't reach you during standard 9-5 hours due to their own work schedules or urgent needs outside of regular business times. Their issues and inquiries don’t stop at 5 pm, and your customer service shouldn't either.

Outsourcing your call handling allows you to extend your availability into early mornings, late evenings, and weekends, ensuring you capture more opportunities and address client needs outside traditional office hours.

Adjust Costs Based on Demand

One drawback of hiring staff is that you pay their full salary regardless of your workload. If you bring on a receptionist for a busy period but business slows down, you still incur the same expense even if the demand decreases.

Outsourcing your call handling offers flexibility by allowing you to adjust your service level according to your needs. During quieter times, you can lower your costs by switching to a less comprehensive plan. When demand picks up again, you can easily scale up the service.

This approach ensures you have the appropriate level of support when you need it, while also enabling you to reduce both service levels and costs when business is slower.

Reduce Recruitment and Training Expenses

Managing in-house call answering can be costly, particularly when factoring in the expenses related to hiring and training staff.

By outsourcing your call handling, you not only cut down on monthly service costs but also avoid the time and expense associated with recruiting and training new employees. Instead, you gain immediate access to a team of skilled professionals who are ready to handle your calls effectively from the start.

Win more on customer service reputation

In today’s competitive market, customers are increasingly drawn to companies known for their exceptional customer service across all platforms, including phone and online interactions.

Instead of relying on staff to juggle call handling with their primary responsibilities, you can ensure a high standard of service by employing professionals who specialize in customer interactions. This approach helps provide each caller with outstanding service, leaving them with a positive impression of your business.

Reduce sales and marketing costs

Acquiring new customers through sales and marketing campaigns often involves high costs, whereas retaining and upselling existing customers is generally more cost-effective.

A key factor in customer retention is providing exceptional service that encourages loyalty. By using an outsourced call answering service, you can enhance the professionalism and reliability of your customer service, ensuring that every call is managed efficiently and effectively.

Employee Advantages of Outsourcing Telephone Answering

While handling phone calls is crucial for customer service, it may not be a primary responsibility for your team. When employees are focused on projects and deadlines, answering calls professionally can easily become a secondary concern. Outsourcing telephone answering helps alleviate this burden, allowing your team to concentrate on their core tasks without the added pressure of managing calls.

Reduce the pressure of phone calls

Our research indicates that many employees experience anxiety when answering work calls. Often, phone duties are secondary to their main responsibilities, yet they frequently get diverted to handle calls and inquiries.

Outsourcing call handling can ease this pressure, allowing your team to concentrate on their primary tasks without the constant distraction of phone calls.

Allow Teams to Concentrate on Key Tasks

Outsourcing your call answering can significantly benefit your team by freeing up their time to focus on important projects, meet deadlines, and engage in work that adds value to your business. When phone management is left to a dedicated service, your staff can concentrate on their core responsibilities, enhancing their productivity and ultimately supporting your company's success.

Enhance Workplace Flexibility

Today's work environment demands flexibility, with employees increasingly seeking a better work-life balance and the option to work remotely. By outsourcing your phone management, you can support this flexibility, allowing staff to work from anywhere without concerns about missing calls or managing the office phone line.

An outsourced call answering service integrates seamlessly into a remote work setup, maintaining a central phone system for customer calls while giving employees the freedom to work from various locations. Additionally, with out-of-hours call handling, your team can enjoy a true work-life balance, knowing that phone calls will be managed even after their workday ends.

Increase Investment in Employee Benefits

Outsourcing your call handling can cut costs significantly, allowing you to redirect those savings into other areas of your business. This could include enhancing employee benefits and incentives, ultimately boosting staff wellbeing and satisfaction.

Increase efficiency and productivity

Outsourcing your call handling not only reduces stress but also allows employees to dedicate more time to their core projects.

With fewer interruptions from phone calls, your team can focus better and contribute more effectively, leading to greater productivity and a more efficient work environment.

Improve your employee operations with outsourced call handling

Outsourcing your telephone answering isn’t just a boost to the bottom line or about improving the customer experience, it can have a tangible impact on the wellbeing and productivity of your team.

By removing the stress and burden of constantly dealing with phone calls and interruptions while they’re trying to complete tasks, employees will have more time to be productive and focus on the work that will show real value to your business and customers.

If you want to talk about how our outsourced call handling could benefit your business then give us a call on +1 833-415-3341 or fill out a contact form and one of the team will reach out to you.

We can talk about the challenges you’re trying to solve by outsourcing part of your customer service, give you a no obligation free quote and also get you started on a 7-day free trial of our telephone answering service so you can experience the benefits up close.