Answering Service, Live or Automated?
Owning your own business is a challenging and rewarding thing to do. You are faced with numerous decisions that will affect the success or failure of your business. When making a choice for your phone calling needs, one thing to consider is whether to have a live or automated answering service handling your incoming phone calls. If you want to portray a professional image and provide great customer service an answering machine is not a good option. Both the live answering service and the automated answering service have their advantages and limitations. In this article we will discuss the positives and negatives of both to help you make the right decision for your business.
A live answering service offers lots of positive benefits. Your phone calls are answered by a live operator who can answer basic customer questions, take messages and direct phone calls where they need to go. A live person is able to make a determination of the urgency of the phone call and route those calls which require your immediate decision straight to you. The live answering service provides your business with a professional appearance and allows the caller to believe they are speaking with a member of your staff which lends credibility to your business.
One of the drawbacks of a live answering service is that it costs a bit more and also it is an ongoing expense for your business. Another potential drawback is the human element. While on one hand, a friendly, courteous and knowledgeable answering machine operator can be a real benefit to your business the reverse is also true. A live operator having a bad day could potentially lose an important account for you, or drive away customers that may have otherwise chosen to do business with you.
There are also many positive benefits to having an automated answering service as well. Callers hear a friendly welcome message and are given options to find the answers to frequently asked questions, leave a message or have their calls immediately routed to you if they feel the matter is urgent. The automated system also lends credibility and professionalism to your business. The automated answering service typically costs less per month and you also have the option to purchase a system and eventually eliminate this as an expense to your business.
The downside of the automated system is that some people have an aversion to reaching a "machine" instead of a live person, although since it is becoming such a regular part of life anymore, most people are at least used to it. Another drawback is that it is up to the caller's discretion as to how urgent their call is and you may be interrupted over things that could have waited until you were more available.
With the many decisions you, as a business owner, have to make, I hope this comparison makes your choices in telephone answering a little clearer. The decision will have an impact on your business and hopefully it will be a positive one.
