How to Choose the Right Virtual Receptionist For Your Business

If you’re looking for a way to streamline your small business while increasing or maintaining a high level of customer service, there’s a good chance you’ve already read or heard about virtual or off-site receptionist services.

A fairly recent development thanks to technological advances, a virtual receptionist Texas actually allows you to send all calls to your business through a professional receptionist service – whether through a “hosted” telephone number or by forwarding your current business number – thus eliminating the need to hire a costly, in-house administrative assistant.

This method offers small businesses a more personal touch than large, impersonal call centers or limited-ability answering services. But how should one choose the right virtual receptionist service?

The typical answer is that you should find the one that offers the most services relative to cost. But there is much more to it than that. A remote receptionist will be the first live representative that your customers will encounter, so ask yourself, what type of greeting would you like your customers to receive?

The best virtual receptionist service will ensure that the person answering your customers’ calls is not a faceless, robotic voice but rather a warm and friendly individual acting just like a member of your office staff.

Some virtual receptionist services go to great lengths to ensure this and employ several methods to please both the companies they serve and their customers.

One method that ensures quality comes through encouraging businesses to work hand-in-hand with their virtual receptionists, keeping them informed of their products and services. Scripts are also created for the receptionists, allowing them to aid callers in the most effective and quickest manner possible.

Quality assurance doesn’t stop there, however. Be sure to inquire about the hiring processes that each virtual receptionist company employs. Does the company feature friendly people who can converse freely and easily with your clients? Are their receptionists trained once hired and kept up to date on new methods? Are their receptionists put through background checks? How much emphasis do they place on customer service?

And exactly what kind of options does each virtual receptionist service offer?

A friendly voice isn’t much help if it can’t direct your callers to the right person inside your office, so a virtual receptionist must be able to transfer calls to the correct extension. Further, does said service provide the ability to take messages should you be away from your desk? What about the ability to take simple orders over the phone or even schedule appointments (in the event they know your schedule)?

As you can see, it’s not as simple as price – though price is always a major factor. Also, make sure that you’re not roped into any contracts for services you don’t want or need. Be thorough – and be sure that your choice for a virtual receptionist offers the services that make sense for your business needs.