Sometimes, call answering services get a bad rep. Customers can get agitated or confused talking to a machine, and just wish they could talk to a real, live person to help them find a solution to their problem or want. When you call a business phone, you’re expecting to be received by a representative of the business themselves, not a call answering service. However, there are benefits for both businesses and customers that call answering services can bring to light.
Call Answering Service vs Call Center
A business phone answering service usually address specific businesses, like vets or high-tech companies, home health services, or other places where a caller absolutely must speak to a real, live human being, in a more one-on-one situation (quality.) Answering services can address more complex issues that require more investigation, time, and are more involved, or needing more than a single step to address the issue. Answering services are usually industry specific, so their people on the line understand why you’re calling, and can help solve the issues at-hand. You don’t want to call for an HVAC problem in the middle of the blistering heat, only to get someone who specializes in furnaces.
Call Centers deal with (usually) relatively large businesses, addressing quantity. Handle one complaint, move on. These are services that aren’t urgent, usually fit in a box, and are easily addressed with little to no decision making.
How Can a Call Answering Service Can Benefit Businesses?
If your business handles complex problems, and needs more than “Do you want that in a size small or medium,” a call answering service can alleviate some of the information-gathering that needs to happen. For example, say you’re a home hospice service. If a business phone answering service can gather important details, and pull up the patient files, all before ever speaking to a doctor, that frees up the doctor’s time to address other medical issues. For technology companies, this can mean getting someone sorted to the right department to address the issue.
A call answering service can alleviate the time spent on hold, freeing up the employee to get back to their work faster. These services can even have the same business phone number, so there’s no confusion for potential or current customers.
How Can Call Answering Services Benefit Customers?
A call answering service can benefit the customer because you are delivered to an expert in the field. Rather than talk to some machine that doesn’t understand your voice (no more yelling at automated machines!), you’re talking to a real, live person – someone with experience in the industry, empathy, and the knowledge to not only address the issue, but to help with a solution. When you spend less time on hold listening to hold or elevator music, you’re spending more time getting to the conclusion of your issue.
All in all, a call answering service can alleviate hold times for customers, and help businesses spend more time getting back to their work.