So you have finally decided to take the next step to improve your business’ customer service — you’re going to take the plunge and hire a virtual answering service. Congratulations! You’ve made a choice that will help you consolidate an amazing customer service department, provide around-the-clock care to your clients, and improve your business’ image and reputation; all while reducing your costs and creating a more efficient work environment for your on-site staff.
However, you still have to take care of the most important step: making sure that you hire a call center that’s right for your business. There are a lot of factors that you need to consider when it comes to choosing a virtual answering service, such as costs, quality of service, and the specific features that you’re looking for in a call center.
Just as a good virtual answering service can elevate your company and provide numerous benefits, a bad company can produce the opposite effect. Trying to choose between different remote call center providers can be an overwhelming task if you don’t know how to identify what separates a mediocre or even average virtual answering service from a truly great one. With so many options available, you may be tempted to choose the cheapest company you can find — but in many cases, this can turn out to be a colossal mistake.
When you hire a virtual answering service, you’re trusting them to be able to communicate with your clients in a professional, warm, and knowledgeable manner. But not every call center provider conforms to the same standards, and hiring the wrong company could lead to negative customer experiences that can impact your business’ operations. Considering that your call center operators will be talking directly to your customers and handling different tasks, it’s important to research different providers before choosing the one you’ll hire.
Cheaper call centers may not provide adequate training for their operators
Providing great customer service is an art, and good agents require both experience and training to hone their skills. If you simply choose the cheapest provider, you could find yourself having to rely on operators who haven’t received proper training and who lack the skills needed to handle customers in an efficient, yet friendly manner.
Whenever possible, try to get references from other companies that have already worked with each provider. Previous clients will be able to give you an honest idea of what each call center provider can do for your business.
Your business’ reputation can be negatively impacted by poor customer service
A single bad phone call won’t define your business’ future, but if poor customer service becomes a trend, you could be at risk of losing clients and profits. Your clients’ relationship with your business begins the moment they decide to call you and make an inquiry. If their phone call is picked up by a customer service agent who is unprepared, disinterested, or rude, the rest of their experience will be tinged by that poor first impression. In some cases, they may choose to avoid working with you in the future, or they may steer other prospective customers away from your business.
To prevent this, it’s important to make sure that the virtual answering company that you choose is able to provide high-quality services and skilled operators. This is an investment that will pay off in the long run by making it easier for your business to thrive.
The benefits of investing on a high-quality virtual call center
The good news is that choosing the right call center can result in huge improvements for your business. Instead of having to allocate resources and staff to manage your business’ phone lines, you’ll get to work with professional customer service operators who have received extensive training before being assigned to your team.
Working with a virtual call center will give you the opportunity to improve your customer service without having to break the bank — operators will be able to work around the clock, but you will only be charged for the time that they actually spend on phone calls. Your on-site staff will also benefit from the addition, since they will now have more time to handle other tasks without having to worry about ringing phones.
Once you’ve chosen the right virtual call center for you, your new operators will help create a positive experience for each caller. Your business’ reputation will improve, customers will be satisfied with the care that they receive, and your customer base and revenue will grow.
