SPEND LESS TIME ON THE PHONE AND MORE TIME WORKING ON BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS
It’s important that you have someone other than yourself to answer the phones for you. Aside from the simple fact that answering calls is a hassle, there are several reasons why it’s worth it to have someone help you answer your business calls. Not only is it a nuisance, when you answer your own business’s main line, but you’re also interrupting your important work as an owner or manager. You have to drop everything you’re doing, and after you’ve been interrupted, it can be hard to get back on track. Then, once you’re back in the groove, the phone rings again.
Answering your own calls can also make you look bad, especially if you sound annoyed and rushed. It could cause negative feedback, and you may lose potential clients. You might also give clients the impression that you’ll always be able to answer the phone for them, which probably isn’t the case.
YOU’RE KILLING YOUR PRODUCTIVITY
One of the biggest problems with answering your own business calls is getting interrupted. You have to stop what you’re doing and answer the phone, which gets you off track. Studies show it may take up to 30 minutes to truly get back to work after being interrupted. Depending on how many phone calls you get throughout the day, there could be a lot of time wasted. Nobody likes to be interrupted when they’re trying to get work done, and if you’re the main decision maker at your company, your time is more valuable than most.
YOU’RE MAKING YOURSELF LOOK BAD
Everybody has had the experience of calling a business and having the person on the other end of the line sound angry or annoyed. The person might be plain rude or bad at customer service, but they might also just be busy and don’t realize that it’s coming through in their tone. Answering the phone when you’re busy or stressed can easily cost you business. Potential clients will go where they can get good customer service. Even if you have the best intentions, simply rushing the conversation along can leave a bad taste in the customer’s mouth.
YOU’RE SENDING THE WRONG MESSAGE
By answering your own business calls, you could be sending your clients the wrong message. It’s not always a positive thing to have your clients believe that they may call you whenever they please and you’ll always answer the call. You need to set strong boundaries with your customers and stick to them in order to protect your time and sanity. By having a virtual receptionist service, you get the best of both worlds; clients will feel taken care of any time they call, and you won’t be setting a precedent that you’ll always be the one to answer.
When there’s support staff there to answer the call for you, it can even be impressive and reassuring to clients. It shows that you’re busy and successful.