May 16, 2024
When you are struggling with keeping clients happy while your receptionist or other staff member is out of the office, it can be really frustrating. You want your clients to receive the best service and prompt service at that, but when your staff needs to call in sick or take time off for sick family members, it may feel like you are paying for a service that isn’t being provided.
You are paying that staff member to work for you during certain hours of the day in which you expect your clients to be helped during that time. The problem for you is that workers have a basic right to sick days and you don’t want to be the boss that guilts your staff into working with the flu. Instead of dealing with unhappy clients and feeling like replacing a staff member every time they call in sick, here is a look at why it might be time to hire a virtual receptionist.
Why a virtual receptionist?
You don’t have to feel like your staff member is the only person to depend on for helping your clients day in and out; a virtual receptionist is the perfect backup. If you feel like you could use a second person to help with the daily demands or you were considering hiring a receptionist for the first time as your business becomes busier, instead of hiring a physical employee, hire a virtual receptionist. Your employee can feel free to take sick days, lunch breaks, and vacation time while your virtual receptionist can handle the incoming calls for you.
Perhaps you don’t have a receptionist right now but could really use some extra help. The virtual receptionist can handle your incoming calls during business hours and even after, so that your clients can be helped any time of day. A virtual receptionist can handle any administrative tasks you need, from answering calls to scheduling appointments, answering frequent customer questions or even decluttering your inbox.
Sometimes people just want someone to help schedule their calendar, update their Facebook status, or help them with some research for their next blog post. A virtual receptionist can handle all of that without you worrying about being short-staffed during sick days.
Other perks of virtual receptionists
Not only do you not have to worry about sick leave anymore since your virtual receptionist company will always have more representatives to help you, but you can give them as many tasks as you see fit. They can handle your calls after hours, before hours, and/or during business hours. They are less expensive than a physical employee because they work from their own remote location and you’ll be saving money on that workspace and equipment you don’t have to provide anymore.
You won’t have to feel like you want to fire your staff for taking so much sick leave and risk yourself being a boss that fires employees that take their right to sick time off. Your clients won’t know the difference between one of your staff members and their professional voices on the other end of the line; they will simply notice how professional your business sounds and how quickly they are helped on the phone.
You’ll love bringing on a virtual receptionist as an addition to your already great team or as a more cost-efficient route compared to hiring a staff member.
