October 31, 2024
Some industries, such as the web hosting and home health care industry, require more than just traditional phone support. When you hire virtual receptionist to handle your phone support, you may need more than the traditional option. This means, you need a company specializing in one area or another.
There are several reasons why traditional phone support may not cut it for your company. Here are a few reasons why you might need to hire a company specializing in the right type of virtual reception.
Need for 24/7/365 Support
Not every virtual receptionist firm will provide 24/7/365 support. Some of the best companies don’t cover you around the clock and not every company needs full coverage. However, if you do need 24/7 phone support, you need a virtual receptionist company specializing in this type of support.
When you start looking for the right virtual receptionist, you will need to choose a company offering full coverage. Anything less won’t do it for you.
Paying Full Time Staff for Overtime
Maybe you have a staff that is supposed to work from 9 to 5, but you end up paying them to work from 8 to 8 on busy days. If they are answering the phones for any significant amount of time each day, you can lighten their load and your need to pay overtime with a virtual receptionist.
When you hire the right virtual receptionist with the ability to handle all of your incoming calls, they will take the burden off your staff. This may allow you to cut them back to their typical 9 to 5 shift or even make it shorter, provided they produce the amount of work you need done.
Employees not needing to answer the phone as much and not interrupted by phone calls all day long become more productive. The same amount of work they were doing in an 8 to 12 hour shift, may only take them 6 to 8 hours once phone calls are eliminated.
Avoiding Staff Burnout
Allowing your staff time off to go on vacation, be with family and just to get away from work is very important. Many studies have shown employees getting regular time off and regular vacations are more productive. However, you’re not sure how you will handle the phones when they are gone.
Instead of passing the phone answering duties on to those with other things to do, you can hire a virtual receptionist. Using a virtual receptionist just to cover vacations, breaks, sick days and other times your full-time staff is away is a cost-effective back up plan. Not every virtual receptionist firm will offer a customizable package to fit your part-time needs.
When you find the right company specializing in back up phone support, you won’t need to worry anymore. Your employees can take vacation or a day off without your company missing a beat.
You Work in a Specific Industry
Some industries cannot just hire any virtual receptionist. For example, if your company is in the healthcare industry, you will need a HIPPA Compliant virtual receptionist. This is important due to the sensitive nature of patient communication.
There are virtual receptionist firms specializing in specific areas. Some specialize in the healthcare industry, while others may specialize in website hosting. Finding one that fits with your specific industry is very important.
High Level of Professionalism
Most virtual receptionist services will claim to provide the most professional VRs possible. However, this isn’t always the truth. It’s best to call the company and speak with them directly. The way they answer your call will tell you quite a bit about their philosophy.
Along with speaking with the company directly, you want to look at online reviews. What are other people saying about the company and what is their overall reputation? These are important things to factor in when you need the best professionalism possible.
There are several reasons why traditional phone support may not cut it for you. Maybe you need more coverage or less coverage than they offer. With the right virtual receptionist firm, you will be able to get just what you need, when you need it the most.
