Top 5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a An Answering Service This Summer

It’s the middle of July. If you haven’t already, it’s high time you traded in those oxfords or stilettos for a pair of flip flops. Summer vacation is in full swing. As a business owner, that means not only planning for your own getaway, but planning around your employees’ time off, too. If you’re currently using an answering service, then you know the drill. Business hours adjustments, on-call updates, script changes, vacation greetings, and the like. If you haven’t yet experienced the wonders that a live answering service can do for your customer care initiative, then the season of Hawaiian shirts, polka dot bikinis and sunblock is as good a time as any to give it a whirl. Read on for the top 5 reasons why your business needs to ride the wave with a summertime answering service.

#1. Because voicemail stinks

Remember way back in the day when voicemail was cool? Well, in case you’re living about 40 years in retrograde, newsflash: voicemail is annoying. It just doesn’t give you the same instant gratification as sending a text, and if you have voicemail, you actually have to check it. Umm, no thanks. Then there’s the old out-of-office message. If you’re like most people, yours still says that you’ll be out until January 2nd. 2 Januaries ago. No one ever remembers to change those things! Enter the answering service. Live operators, personalized scripting based on the current date, and messages delivered in real-time.

#2. Because your staff deserves a break

Are you one of those bosses who puts the kibosh on your receptionist being out of the office on the same dates as you? But what if they have a 5-star trip planned to the exotic beaches of Bali when you decide you want to hit the links for a week? Are you going to postpone your lesson with Tiger Woods’ caddy? Or are you going to tell the front desk that Bali is a no-go? Neither. You’re going to sign up for an answering service. And you’ll vacate, and the front desk will vacate, and heck – even the plant lady will vacate. Business will not halt. Sales will not suffer. Your 24-hour virtual receptionists have you covered, no matter where in the world you find yourself.

#3. Because round-the-clock availability makes you a superstar among merchants

Have you ever woken up at 3am, feeling a little funky from the cheese curls and cherry soda you had for dinner? Like any normal insomniac, you turn on the TV and flip through about 5,000 different infomercials to lull you back to sleep. But then, the inevitable happens. You get sucked in. And at 3:05am, you’re buying the sock drawer sachets you never knew you always needed. Are you talking to a computer? Nope. That’s an actual person taking your call. So, whether someone decides to ring your business up at 3:05am or 12:30pm, they’ll be met with a friendly, knowledgeable operator. That cinches your reputation for incredible service, any time of day.

#4. Because it’s cheaper than working with temps

Let’s say that your assistant wins the trip of a lifetime adventure to ride a glacier in Iceland. Without her around to keep up with your appointment calendar, you’re a sinking ship. So, you hire a temp. Did you know that staffing agencies can markup hourly wages by as much as 50%? If you would normally pay $15 per hour for some extra help, you’re actually paying $30. Talk about overhead! Why in the world would you ever spend that kind of cash when you can hire a virtual assistant to answer your calls, set appointments, and shield you from solicitors? You wouldn’t. You’re smarter than that.

#5. Because holidays happen

After summer comes Labor Day. Then Thanksgiving. Then Christmas. And so on, and so forth. Once you’ve been spoiled by the benefits of a vacation answering service, you’re going to want one all year long. It’s way easier than worrying about being glued to your phone or stuck on live chat for the better part of your week. Comprehensive call center services can do everything you can do: field inbound calls, handle outbound promotion calls, monitor your chat and social media channels, answer email, respond to sales inquiries, and more. It’s just like your office, only better. Because someone else is making you look good.

In any season, and for any reason, our professionals are waiting to design a service that will complement your customer care platform at a price you can afford. And most providers offer a 2-week free trial. You get to try before you buy and tweak things along the way to ensure that your business looks and sounds exactly like it would if you were able to answer every call yourself. What’s not to love? So, go ahead. Take some well-deserved time away from your desk, and encourage your office team to do the same. With the right service on your side, it will be smooth sailing, all summer long.