February 29, 2024
Whoa, hold it right there – a virtual receptionist provider writes an article about the scenarios when virtual receptionists are a bad business decision? Sounds like a bad business decision in the making, right?
Not necessarily. We’re not the only virtual receptionist providers out there. While many small companies employ teams of skilled virtual receptionists the same way we do, many are individual contractors and freelancers providing virtual receptionist services independently. Some are employed at large, foreign call centers that route and reroute phone calls all over the place while delivering sub-par customer service.
Are you starting to get a sense of when virtual receptionists are a bad business decision? You should be.
There’s a big difference in the level of skill and service North American, native English-speaking virtual receptionists provide compared to that of their foreign call center or completely independent, freelancing counterparts.
The wrong working conditions can take a good idea – the virtual receptionist – and turn it into a business nightmare.
If you make the decision to work with a virtual receptionist, we recommend doing your research first. Why not start here? Here are 3 examples of scenarios when a virtual receptionist may be a bad business decision.
When a Virtual Receptionist is a Bad Business Decision
Basically, the working conditions a virtual receptionist faces are a major factor in determining how suitable their work and services will be. Where a virtual receptionist works from (and how they work) can be a pretty solid indicator of how consistent and useful their services will be. A virtual receptionist can be a bad business decision when…
1. The virtual receptionist is an independent freelancer
There’s a difference in the consistency and level of service full-time virtual receptionists (employed by providers like Conversational) deliver compared to part-time, independent virtual receptionists who may work from home.
A freelance virtual receptionist who is working from home while caring for her young toddler is going to be less organized and available than a full-time virtual receptionist who is employed by a virtual receptionist provider and receives benefits.
2. The virtual receptionist isn’t a native English speaker
As a business owner, it’s your job to make sure your customers receive the best service and assistance possible when they contact your company. That’s not possible if your virtual receptionist isn’t a native English speaker.
Even if they’ve mastered the language pretty well, accent and usage differences are sometimes enough to turn customers off.
Don’t let language differences be a barrier to your customer service – instead, opt for North American virtual receptionists that will share a cultural and lingual base with your customers.
3. The provider you use offers 24/7 automated service
Offering 24/7 automated service might sound like a good idea at first, but when it comes to customer service and call answering, it’s a seriously bad business decision. Studies have shown that more customers hang up and never call back when they realize they’re speaking to a machine instead of a real human being.
Every hang up could be a potential sale, lost forever. Don’t make that mistake! Always ensure there’s a live person answering your phone, even if that means your phone hours are limited to business hours only.
A virtual receptionist is usually a wonderful idea for business, but the above scenarios are the cases when a virtual receptionist may be a bad business decision. Look for a provider that employs skilled, experienced virtual receptionists full time and guarantees your satisfaction.
Bonus: We offer a full 30 day money back guarantee to new customers – click here to get started!
