Article Written by: Herb Kimble
Traditionally we think of larger businesses as being the types which would employ and answering service. However, these days many small businesses are employing answering services, virtual call centers, and so on. Before we get into why this is a good idea, let’s look at a few different types of phone answering service.
Receptionists
In this option, a small business simply hires one or several individuals to answer phones. This is the traditional method. This works find of the small business has the budget for it, but it tends to be one of the more expensive options. Receptionists need to be put on the payroll and paid hourly. This can add up to from several hundred to a few thousand dollars monthly, depending on how many receptionists are hired and how many hours they work.
Dedicated Answering Services
Another option is dedicated answering services. In this scenario, people at a remote location handle calls for the small business. In the past this was mainly done when the business was closed, but with today’s plethora of small and home run businesses, it has become a service that business use to handle all their calls. The advantage here is that it is generally much cheaper than hiring receptionists, doesn’t require that somebody is present at the location where business is done, and yet still delivers a live person to the caller. The callers at the remote location answer the phone in whatever manner is specified by the client and deal with customer information, customer service, callbacks, and so on.
Virtual Call Center
A virtual call center is another approach. These are essentially souped-up telephone/voicemail plans. They offer all kinds of perks over simply having voicemail on a landline or cell phone plan. Some of these are multiple extensions, 800 number, unlimited minutes, customized answer greetings, music while callers are on hold, and so on.
Bio: Herb Kimble is a sales and marketing professional with decades of experience growing and founding firms that achieved unprecedented success. Today, Herb Kimble is based out of Los Angeles and co-founded CineFocus Productions, a movie production and soundstage rental company.