A virtual receptionist is an outsourced service provider for businesses who want a professional to:
- Answer incoming calls
- Schedule and confirm appointments
- Process orders
- Perform various administrative tasks
A virtual receptionist is trained to provide callers and customers with accurate information, on-brand messaging, and outstanding service.
The purpose of a virtual receptionist is to take away a business’s financial burden of hiring, training, and paying a full-time, on-site receptionist or multiple call agents.
What a Virtual Receptionist Does
A virtual receptionist answers incoming calls, forwards them to the appropriate person, and takes messages. However, there’s a lot more a virtual receptionist can do:
- After-hours coverage
- Customer care
- Schedule and confirm appointments and meetings
- Specialized sales support
- Process orders
- Tech support
- Collect customer feedback
- Inbound telemarketing
- Emergency dispatching and triage protocol
- Document calls and outcomes
- Administrative tasks
Here are a few scenarios to better illustrate what a virtual receptionist can do for customers and businesses.
Scenario One
Roday works long hours and hasn’t been able to call his doctor to make an appointment for a suspicious mole on his forehead. Medical office hours are 9 am-5 pm, but Roday can’t call until 9 pm. He expects to leave a message and play phone tag for the next several days before he can even get a time scheduled for a visit.
Unexpectedly, Roday reaches a virtual receptionist who can immediately set him up for the doctor’s next opening. Roday is relieved that it was so convenient and easy for him to take care of his health—without having to change doctors or wait days for a callback he likely won’t be available for.
Scenario Two
Ana has a question about her car insurance policy and needs to understand specific details about her coverage. Ana’s English is somewhat limited; she’s nervous she won’t fully understand what the insurance agent says, causing her to pay more to the mechanic than needed.
Ana nervously calls—and is relieved when given the option to speak to a bilingual agent who can explain everything easily. She hangs up knowing exactly what to do and becomes more loyal to her insurance company thanks to their excellent customer service.
Scenario Three
Purdy Pest Control is a one-person business, and must stay that way for now. Jo Purdy started their business from the ground up five years ago, which is getting more and more calls every day. Jo is so busy that answering constant calls takes its toll on their productivity—and health. But letting the calls go to voicemail loses leads and future business.
Jo can’t afford to hire a full-time receptionist, so they decide it’s time to hire a virtual receptionist to handle all incoming calls as professionally as they would themselves. The virtual receptionist uses Purdy Pest Control’s custom brand messaging and voice when speaking to leads and selling services. Jo quickly begins seeing an uptick in sales.
The Benefits of Having a Virtual Receptionist
There are many key benefits having a virtual receptionist can bring to your business:
- Saves money
- Secures leads
- Provides after-hours answering
- Gives a good reputation
Saves Money
Compared to the cost of hiring an in-house receptionist or an entire team of agents, hiring a virtual receptionist is a real bargain.
Your business can save a significant amount of money on hiring, training, and paying salary plus benefits to one or more employees. A virtual receptionist can do everything you need without increasing your headcount.
Secures Leads
A machine is the last thing you want a potential customer to encounter when giving your business a call. In fact, after only a single minute of hold time, almost 70% of people abandon the call. The abandonment rate rises to over 99% after waiting for four minutes.
Your business can’t afford to lose leads, and a virtual receptionist can address this problem.
Provides After-Hours Answering
Many businesses can benefit from having an after-hours receptionist who provides your customers, clients, or patients with 24/7/365 professional and personal assistance. This allows your business to:
- Give callers a live person to talk to instead of a machine.
- Dispatch emergency care to customers or patients who need immediate assistance.
- Ensure customer convenience and best interests are always at the forefront.
Gives a Good Reputation
Your business is in good hands with an expert virtual receptionist who can give your brand a good reputation. A trained, skilled customer service professional provides your customers with an exceptional experience built on consistent, accurate messaging.
Each caller is met with:
- Your preferred voice branding
- Up-to-date information
- Complete confidentiality
- Exceptional customer service
How Much a Virtual Receptionist Costs
A virtual receptionist plan costs between $75.00 and $825.00 per month. Plans range from 50 call minutes (for small businesses that only need after-hours emergency service) up to 750 call minutes (ideal for larger businesses that never want to miss a single call) monthly.
Custom pricing is available if you need an enterprise solution for high-volume corporate accounts and specialized administrative support.
All Answering365 virtual receptionist pricing plans include the following services:
- Award-winning answering service
- 24/7/365 coverage
- Personalized greetings and custom message delivery
- Full customization
- Bilingual operators
- No long-term contracts
- Full HIPAA compliance
- Secure client portal access
- Disaster recovery plan
The value soars when you factor in all the benefits you get with a virtual receptionist.
How to Get a Virtual Receptionist
You don’t have to look far when searching for a virtual receptionist—Answering365 is ready to take your call!
There are three simple steps to get started:
- Provide us with your business information and needs.
- Our consultants will develop a customized service solution.
- Choose the pricing plan that’s right for your business.
Contact us today to get a virtual receptionist who will expertly take care of all your customer calls with the utmost professionalism.
