Many small businesses are nowadays learning that they do not need to employ a full time receptionist to answer their calls and are instead outsourcing many or all of their inbound calls. One of the hardest aspects for many to understand is how the call answering service actually fits into their day-to-day running of the business. The answer is very easily but the main stumbling block can just be getting set-up in the first place.
The majority of businesses using a call answering service choose to divert their calls to the service. Call answering services will give each client a unique telephone number which they divert to, in this way the operators (or Virtual PAs) are able to recognize which company is using the service and answer accordingly. By diverting calls to this unique number rather than giving the number out directly means that the small business is always in control of the calls coming in. They can choose to divert all calls, calls when their line is engaged or simply divert when they wish - for instance during lunches or meetings.
The process of diverting calls in most instances is quite simple and usually only requires the client to input a short code into their phone followed by their unique virtual PA telephone number. This way when a client of the small business calls they still call the same number they always would have done, the call is then diverted at the small businesses end to the call answering service, this is all done instantly and the caller should never know that the call has been diverted.
Not all businesses chose to divert their calls, some actually give their unique virtual PA number out direct to clients. This method is especially popular with many dot.com businesses which may be nothing more than a single person running their company from home in their spare-time, indeed many may have another 9 to 5 job. In this instance the operators are usually told to advise callers that call-backs will not be until after normal office hours.
Once the call comes through to the call answering service the operator is guided on screen on how to handle the call. She/he will answer the call as instructed by the small business and send a message through with whatever details requested via email, SMS or by fax. Alternatively many businesses like to use their Virtual PA as if they were an in-house receptionist and where appropriate transfer calls through to their direct dial line or mobile phone.
However the virtual PA deals with the call be they take a message or transfer it, the same impression of a larger, more professional business is given to the caller. What a call handling service offers clients is the ability to communicate with their customers without being bound by the telephone. A businesses that misses a phone call because they were to busy to answer it is effectively falling at the last hurdle- they've done all the hard work marketing, they've convinced someone that their business is worth the phone call to find out more, they've done everything except answer the phone when is mattered most.
Disclaimer
NB: This web log is in the public domain and is presented here for public benefit, not for the purposes of business generation.