Let’s be honest: most types of businesses and organizations can struggle when their phone lines are busy. Regardless of which type of business you’re running, communicating with your callers can set the tone for many different transactions and interactions.
There are some businesses that have a more obvious need for good customer service. Healthcare industries, sales, emergency services, and even home repair businesses all come to mind when we think of businesses that need to be constantly available to anyone who calls them. Otherwise, they may lose customers to their competition and gain a poor reputation among their target audience.
However, that doesn’t mean that other industries shouldn’t concern themselves with improving the quality of their customer service. In certain industries, it’s not uncommon for businesses to underestimate the impact that great customer service can have on their entire organization.
Providing 24-hour telephone assistance can be incredibly helpful when it comes to showing callers that you value them and are committed to satisfying their needs. This can result in higher customer satisfaction rates, a better reputation, and a growing customer base.
Here are three surprising businesses and organizations who need a virtual answering service.
Business #1. Financial services companies
Whether you’re working in a small financial advisory business or a large accounting firm, providing top-quality customer service can give you an advantage over your competition. The financial industry is packed with competition at every turn, and being available to your customers can make them feel more appreciated and secure.
Financial services are also prone to significant changes in the client influx depending on the season, which means that you may need reinforcements during certain months of the year. When everyone is busy, handling phone calls will probably be the last thing on your employees’ minds. And hiring temporary staff could be cost-prohibitive and impractical for many businesses.
That’s where an answering service can come in handy. While the rest of your staff focuses on your on-site responsibilities, operators will work around the clock to provide useful information to anyone who calls during the busier months. And during the rest of the year, operators can also help you schedule appointments and answer follow-up inquiries to ensure customer satisfaction.
Business #2. Non-profit organizations
Running a non-profit organization (NGO) comes with its own unique set of challenges. Working for an NGO can be incredibly rewarding, but it’s certainly difficult to be able to manage operations for one of these organizations. NGOs tend to have a limited budget, significant expenses on different projects, and a high expectation of accountability.
But NGOs, just like any other type of organization, still needs to be able to operate effectively. Many NGOs rely on volunteers to be able to handle day-to-day tasks, but in some cases, volunteers may not have the skills — or the time — required to handle responsibilities such as managing a call center, creating phone records, and transferring relevant messages appropriately.
Through a virtual answering service, your NGO will get to work with professional, previously-trained operators who can answer inquiries and manage donations over the phone.
An answering service will also provide a detailed phone call record that may be useful when your NGO needs to ask for donations for projects, communicate with your community, or even attract new volunteers. These services will also allow volunteers to handle different tasks without leaving any phone calls unanswered.
A virtual answering service will be able to protect your donors’ confidentiality as needed, while providing accurate, reliable information to each caller. Answering services provide an affordable, efficient, and useful alternative for NGOs.
Business #3. Real estate and property management businesses
A successful real estate or property management business needs to be able to provide a constant line of communication between buyers, sellers, agents, tennants, and landlords. Whether you’re trying to close a deal on a house, or finally rent that apartment unit, providing 24/7 communication can take your business from good to extraordinary.
Thanks to a virtual answering service, potential buyers or tenants will know that they can contact your business at any time, thus improving your returns and making investments more profitable. In real estate, a missed call could lead to a missed deal, a lower price, or a lost commission.
Having a virtual receptionist available to handle each phone call will ensure that your business will never miss one of these opportunities. Operators will be able to handle inquiries, give out information on listings, schedule appointments and showings, and transfer messages directly to you as needed. When it comes to rentals, operators can also help you handle tenant emergencies, send out reminders, and even manage maintenance schedules.
