2021 Business Guide to Virtual Receptionist Service
What if you could reclaim one hour every day? 30 minutes, perhaps?
You have the option of leaving the office on time or concentrating on the next big deal that will propel your company forward.
Answering inbound phone calls is a major source of wasted time and money for businesses.
You have a few choices for resolving this issue:
- Recruit a new employee
- enlist the services of a virtual receptionist
- Calls are routed to a voicemail box.
According to one data source, firms can save up to 78 percent by using a virtual receptionist instead of a full-time employee.
This option will do much more than just answer the phones for all types of businesses that demand a receptionist’s service.
This guide is for you if you’re thinking about hiring one. We’ll look at:
- What is the definition of a virtual receptionist?
- What can they do for your company?
- Virtual Receptionists: On-Site vs. Remote
- What is the price of this service?
Let’s get this party started…
What is a Virtual Receptionist, and how does it work?
It’s critical to understand that they are not machines delivering pre-recorded messages. They are professional human beings who answer phone calls from a distance.
You’ll get the expertise of highly qualified experts without the hassle of arranging and preparing interviews if you hire a real receptionist. Furthermore, you will pay significantly less for their services than if you hired an on-site receptionist.
They take calls and represent your company. They are call handling experts who can manage hundreds of calls each day and are always available for your customers.
Virtual receptionists do nearly all of the functions of an in-house receptionist at a cheaper cost.
They provide a live answering service from their virtual offices or contact centers, and are also known as virtual assistants. Virtual assistants are available from companies that specialise in phone answering services to take your calls and give customer service. Many services offer receptionists that are available 24 hours a day and are always willing to answer questions.
What can they do for your company?
Any phone call that goes unanswered is a potential client that is lost. You’ll never miss another call with a virtual receptionist. All of your calls should be answered and managed by a professional voice. They’ll do the following:
Return phone calls
A virtual assistant’s principal responsibility is to answer phone calls. They take your company’s phone calls and respond according to a script you set.
Take notes on the messages.
Live virtual receptionists take calls according to your scripts, jot down the caller’s information and messages, and give them to you so you don’t miss any important facts.
Make appointments and keep track of cancellations.
A virtual receptionist can plan, reschedule, or cancel appointments for any business if you have scheduling software in place.
Management of orders
Any order can be handled by a virtual assistant. They may accept and process a wide range of orders, including maintenance requests and even outage reports in the event of a natural disaster.
Customer service is important.
Offering a live receptionist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week means you’ll always be available to answer your customers’ questions, whether they’re calling.
In the late evening,
- Outside of normal business hours,
- Over the weekends or during holidays
- Customers will know that they can always get a live person to answer their inquiries about your company.
Changing phone numbers
Their job description includes call transfer, which means your consumers will be sent to the appropriate people or departments. Furthermore, call transfer allows you to answer important calls directly or have them transferred to you after you give your approval. If you don’t answer, the call is transferred to your capable virtual receptionist, who will know what to do next after a few rings.
Filtering of phone calls
Do you only need to be contacted about important matters? Do you get a lot of obnoxious phone calls?
Unwanted calls can be qualified and filtered out by a receptionist. Make sure you have more time to focus on the calls that are most important to you.
Virtual Receptionists: On-Site vs. Remote
Virtual receptionists are becoming increasingly popular among enterprises.
Working with live receptionists, like hiring on-premise receptionists, has its perks and cons.
You must evaluate whether an on-premise receptionist’s service or the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of a virtual receptionist will be more beneficial to your company.
The benefits and drawbacks of hiring on-site receptionists include:
Pros:
- Face-to-face instruction
- share the values of the company.
- assists with on-site office tasks.
- In-person surveillance
- Face-to-face assessment
Cons:
- A higher salary
- The cost of training
- Spend money on vacations.
- benefits
- Working area
- supplies for the workplace
- The cost of utilities
- I’m unable to work 24 hours a day.
As you can see, while on-premises receptionists may be more professional and involved in the company’s interests than remote receptionists, they are also more expensive and add to common personnel overhead difficulties.
The benefits and drawbacks of hiring a virtual assistant include:
Pros:
- more cost-effective
- More alternatives
- There is no vacation pay.
- There are no advantages.
- There will be no personal days.
- There are no healthcare costs.
- There are no charges associated with overtime.
- There are fewer concerns about staffing.
- There are no fees for IT equipment (they have their own).
- Maintenance costs are reduced.
Cons
- No, not in-house.
- There is no assurance that you will receive the same virtual assistant.
- can’t assist with on-site activities.
- It’s more difficult to manage/monitor their actions.
A badly trained remote receptionist or a live assistant with a bad attitude can damage your company’s reputation and hurt your bottom line. Remote receptionists may not be as committed to the company’s success as on-site employees because they are not part of the team. That is why you should select a virtual receptionist service that is well-known for its knowledgeable receptionists and flawless reputation.
How much does it cost to hire a virtual receptionist?
The cost of this service is determined by a number of criteria, including call volume and the sort of business you operate. For a corporation that wishes to hire these services, there are normally four sorts of plans:
You can pay by the minute.
Services commonly charge by the minute, so you only pay for the time you use. This is the model that most firms favour. You pay for both outgoing and incoming calls with this strategy.
At Votiko, for example, we only charge for live agent time. This means you only pay for the time agents spend on your account.
Other providers may charge a flat fee plus a per-minute fee.
You must comprehend how the service provider determines the call time. The simplest approach to obtaining this information is to request a detailed breakdown of all the charges.
Pay as you go
Some businesses might rather pay per call. You do not pay per minute with this arrangement, but rather for the number of phone calls you get. The majority of plans feature a basic rate as well as a per-call fee.
See how a connection is classified by providers. The following are some fundamental questions you can ask:
- What if someone calls and then hangs up?
- What if the number is incorrect?
- Is there a time limit on how long I can talk on the phone?
Imagine receiving your bill and seeing hundreds of calls, despite the fact that you only got a few dozen.
Finally, you want to give a great customer experience, and limiting call time may have a negative influence on the caller.
Fees are charged on a monthly basis.
The majority of businesses operate on a month-to-month basis. A set number of minutes is included in the plan, as well as a predetermined charge for additional minutes.
Depending on your monthly call volume, a monthly subscription can be a cost-effective approach.
This could be a useful model for you if you can precisely calculate your monthly call volume.
Differentiated pricing
Tiered pricing is when a company offers several levels of prices for its services.
The higher tiers are more expensive and come with more features than the lower tiers.
Make sure you understand what each stage entails. Check for any additional fees in addition to the standard fee.
Trials are available for free.
Call centers frequently offer a free trial period for their services. Keep an eye out for any hidden fees or setup prices in the fine print.
The majority of free trials are insufficient in length to allow you to evaluate the service’s quality.
Can you make a decision in 7 days if you want to integrate a new service into your process?
Conclusion
Virtual receptionists are becoming increasingly popular among small and large firms that have a high volume of client calls. It’s a low-cost solution that ensures that all consumers get their answers and adds to increased customer satisfaction.
