Self-sufficiency is an ideal many business owners aspire to: Rather than spend money on outside agencies to handle key business tasks, they prefer to handle all aspects of running their businesses in-house. However, while this sounds like good business sense, especially for small and new businesses, there are advantages to outsourcing certain office tasks. Even small businesses can benefit from hiring an answering service; Not only can they save money on overhead, but an answering service can even facilitate rapid growth. More and more businesses are recognizing the value of hiring an answering service to handle their customer service, and there’s no reason aspiring entrepreneurs can’t take advantage of it for their own businesses.
Saving money through outsourcing may seem counterintuitive at first: how can hiring an outside agency to work for you cost less than an in-house receptionist? First, consider the hidden costs of having an in-house receptionist. Not only do you have to pay their salary, but you also have to pay for their equipment: computer, headphones, high-speed Internet connection, etc. You also can’t always rely on having them around to do your job due to vacations, holidays, and sick leave, and worse yet, you have to pay them for the time they spend away from work. If there is bad weather or heavy traffic on your daily commute, you may be late for work, or not at all. There is even the possibility that they will leave, with or without giving two weeks’ notice. Finding a suitable replacement, temporary or otherwise, can be a difficult task, and training them to do the job amounts to another expense.
By contrast, offshore agents not only work for significantly less than in-house staff, but also provide their own training and equipment, at no additional cost. Better yet, a call answering service can provide professional customer service 24/7 – no more missing work due to vacations, sick leave, traffic, or other variables. Whenever your clients need them, day or night, rain or shine, overseas agents will be there to take your calls and answer your questions. Outsourcing your customer service means that quality of service is no longer tied to the whims of one person: all your customers can expect service with a smile from an agent who will treat their issues with the importance they deserve. . If the quality of your customer service leaves a good impression on your customers, they will be more than happy to continue doing business with you.
Another advantage of offshore call answering services is that your customer service will be almost impossible to interrupt for any reason: power outages, technical difficulties, natural disasters, etc. Offshore call centers are prepared for any type of potential outage – if the power goes out, they even come equipped with backup generators so they can continue to operate normally. Even if your business is affected by a tornado, hailstorm, and earthquake at the same time, your customers will still be able to reach someone who can take their calls.
Outsourcing call answering services may seem like overkill for a small business, but it can be an effective way to reduce your overhead and improve the quality of your customer service. Small businesses can take advantage of all the benefits that call answering services provide. Try them and see for yourself!
