Top Ten Reasons People give for NOT using an Answering Service
Americans love ranking things. For years David Letterman satisfied audiences with his iconic “Top Ten List,” and today the College Football rankings even have their own TV show. So in the spirit of staying relevant, we have compiled a somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but entirely accurate list for companies that are struggling with the decision of whether to use an answering service.
- 1) I can’t afford another expense!!… If you cannot afford a service that could cost as little as $35 per month, while potentially providing multiple new customers, it is already too late to start pinching pennies. You may as well bring out the storage boxes and put your resume on Monster.
- 2) We want to give our callers personal attention… There is nothing less personal than telling a caller to “please hold” unless it is simply not answering at all because you are busy with something else. An answering service like ProComm can make sure every call gets answered and every caller speaks to a live person (as opposed to a disembodied digital voice).
- 3) We already have someone to answer the phone… .That is perfect as long as that person: is never out sick, on another call, ruining your Workers Comp rates by falling in the break room, or being rude to a caller because they had a long night. Our agents never miss a call because they are on a bathroom break (don’t ask how).
- 4) We have the calls forwarded to our cell phone… Hopefully the caller won’t be able to tell that your car doubles as your office. Give your business a professional sound and feel by having every call answered by a live Virtual Assistant.
- 5) We have an answering machine… .It may be more profitable to donate that machine to a local museum and prove to your customers that you have embraced more progressive solutions like a professional answering service!
- 6) An answering service could never have all the answers for every question… You are absolutely correct. But we will always know where to find you and your on-call staff. Plus an answering service like ProComm can screen your calls to maximize the use of your time (and avoid those fake Microsoft calls).
- 7) I am our best salesman… .This is why you need to focus on selling and not answering phones or talking to callers that can wait. Let our live Virtual Assistants screen your calls, take your messages, and replace that impersonal screening system known as “caller ID.”
- 8) It’s too much trouble to forward lines… .It takes less time to forward your calls than it takes to check your SnapChats or take a selfie. An even better option is to have the answering service simply answer all of your calls through 24/7 service or set up a “No answer transfer” that forwards any call that rings more than 2-3 times. Now that’s easy!
- 9) I’ve never had an answering service before… Sure, and there was a time when you had never had a smart phone either, but you still tried one!! It’s always a good time to make a smart decision.
- 10) I don’t understand how it works… Amazon Prime, Uber, and Google maps are all things that we do not understand, but we use them anyway because they are super helpful. We can explain all the benefits of an answering service, and make your business more profitable and efficient in the process.