Do you ever feel like your company phone is ringing nonstop? Do you miss calls while you are handling business or personal matters?

Many business owners try to do it all. But let’s face it: Answering every call can consume a significant amount of your time. If you miss important business calls, you risk losing money — or even loyal or potential clients. That’s where an answering service comes in.

A telephone answering service or live answering service is a team of trained operators who answer calls on behalf of your business. They serve as an extension of your business and make sure you never miss any important communication. Best of all? They’re available when you’re not.

The scope of telephone answering services is fairly broad, covering everything from call dispatching to appointment scheduling. Most importantly, business owners use live answering services to provide exceptional customer service.

Not sure if you need a service like this? Here are five signs your business needs a telephone answering service.

1. You Keep Missing Calls

Do you pick up your phone when you’re driving? Hopefully not. Do you pick it up when you are talking to a customer face-to-face? Of course not. You don’t want to come off as rude. Or maybe you’ve set your phone to “Do Not Disturb” mode on a special weekend.

A missed call is a missed chance. That call could have been an after-hours emergency, a new customer, a referral, or a big order. Roughly 62 percent of business calls go unanswered, and the average cost of a lost customer is $243. The U.S. loses approximately $83 billion annually to poor customer service.

Remember, most customers don’t leave voicemails. If you don’t answer the phone, they may call your competitor next.

2. You’re Always on the Phone

There’s a lot that comes with running a business. You might be ordering supplies for the office or your next job, managing staff, or helping customers.

But what happens if you’re stuck on the phone all day? You can’t get to other things that only you can handle. Worse, multitasking could hurt the quality of your work.

When you focus on too much, little things fall through the cracks. Enough little things fall through and what do you have? A mountain of missed opportunities. Your customers, dissatisfied, will take their business elsewhere. This is called churn, and it costs U.S. companies an estimated $168 billion every year. 

With a live answering service, you can let someone else handle the calls while you focus on your craft and delivering excellent results.

3. You’re Only Available During Business Hours

Do you turn off your company phone at 5 p.m.? Or do you leave it in the office as you head home in the evening? Perhaps you’ll get back in the morning and find that two clients tried calling you while you were away.

It’s completely reasonable to allow yourself to rest after a hectic day. Nevertheless, your customers may call after work, during weekends, or even on holidays. This is why you need an answering service.

Emergencies don’t follow a 9-5 schedule. For a plumbing company, they need to be ready for an emergency call, day or night. But they’re also only human, and like anyone, they need their beauty rest. 

Without a plumbing answering service, potential clients move on, and the company loses business. A live answering team means no call goes unanswered, no matter when it comes in. Night agents can quickly dispatch on-call plumbers to handle such late-night emergencies. 

4. You Can’t Afford a Full-Time Receptionist

The cost-benefit analysis of an in-house receptionist may not make sense for every business. Adding staff requires setting up an office space, purchasing office supplies and equipment, and, of course, paying a full-time salary.

Still, determining whether there is enough work to justify adding a receptionist involves more than just simple math. When phone calls go unanswered during peak hours, that’s poor customer service, which can lead to lost customers. 

On the flip side, paying a receptionist to sit and wait for phone calls during off-peak hours is a waste of company resources. Hiring an answering service is the best way to guarantee you don’t disappoint customers or waste money. Many telephone answering services charge by the minute, which often costs less than hiring more full-time staff.

5. You’re Not Great at Answering the Phone

Not everyone enjoys picking up the phone. You may be great at your job, be it property management or IT support, but feel nervous on the phone. You may not know what to say. In other instances, you may be so busy that the person on the other side takes notice and becomes annoyed.

But that phone call might be your customer’s first impression of you and your business. You should build rapport over the phone by:

• Using the power of a “smiling” voice: For instance, “Good morning, thank you for calling…” sounds way more welcoming than “Hello.”
• Paying attention and being a good listener: You can ask clarifying questions and summarize what they’ve said to make sure you’re on the same page. Give little cues to signify engagement.
• Being friendly and empathetic: Step into the client’s shoes to understand their pain points. Use phrases such as, “I appreciate your patience while we figure this out,” or “I can absolutely understand how frustrating this must be.” These simple yet meaningful phrases demonstrate you genuinely care about their concerns.
• Providing reassurance: When calls end without a resolution, you can still build rapport. You can define the next steps by telling the client, “I’ll call you tomorrow with an update.” You can also set a timeframe for resolution. For instance, “Our IT team will reset your account details by the close of business tomorrow.”

If you sound annoyed or in a hurry, you may make the caller feel unimportant. They may opt for a competitor. Poor phone skills may hurt your reputation.

Never Miss a Call With Our Live Answering Services

If you notice any of the above signs, it may be time to consider a telephone answering service.

At Absent Answer, we specialize in providing top-notch answering services for our clients. Our human agents are available to take your calls 24/7/365. Rely on us to answer, screen, route, and dispatch calls on your behalf.

Get pricing today to find a plan that fits your needs. Never miss a call again.