When you’re in the market for an answering service, it’s easy to be dizzied by the possibilities. There are countless options on the market, each promising their own unique approach to customer service. You might be tempted to partner with the most affordable option. While saving money is a reasonable goal, it’s important not to skimp where it matters most. Your callers deserve quality conversations every time they dial your business. In many ways, an untrustworthy, unreliable call answering service is worse than none at all.
If you’re dipping your toe into the answering service world for the first time, here are a few reasons to invest in a high-quality provider:
Budget Answering Services Don’t Measure Up
It’s understandable that budget would be among your top priorities when searching for a phone answering service. After all, you likely have strict limits on what you’re able to invest in such support. Though tempting at first glance, budget answering services are rarely a wise investment. Bare bones support means leaving your inbound calls at risk.
It’s true what they say: you don’t get a second chance at a first impression. If a caller can’t reach a live agent or feels put off by the service they receive over the phone, they may hang up and dial your competition instead. This could impact your reputation around town and translate to fewer sales in the long run. With so much at stake, such a partnership is just not worth it.
Budget answering services aren’t always as affordable as they seem, either. Many use deceptive pricing strategies and hidden fees to recoup costs. It may take you a few billing cycles to see through such policies. By that point, you may have already paid more for mediocre service than you would have with a reputable telephone answering service. When you do the math, budget services rarely measure up.
Quality Partnerships Lead to Business Growth
Should you decide to partner with the best answering service around, on the other hand, the impact can be felt almost immediately. Callers will be handled seamlessly – many may never realize they’re speaking with a third-party virtual receptionist. Instead, they assume they have the full attention of your team (and in a way, they do!) After such a positive experience on the phone, customers are more likely to bring future business your way and recommend your services to friends.
With a quality answering service at your disposal, you’ll gain the time and focus necessary for bigger projects and campaigns. It’s hard to achieve anything with your telephone constantly interrupting your train of thought. Instead of putting out fires, you’ll be able to fully engage with in-house employees and customers. It’s amazing what you can pull off when you’re present and distraction-free! Business growth is inevitable with your newly designed customer experience and free time.
Callers Can Sniff Out Bad Service
Today’s consumers are more sophisticated than ever. They have more options to choose from and more insight into how businesses are supposed to run. At the first sign of a problem, many customers will take their business elsewhere. That’s especially true in the early phases of the buyer’s journey. Cheap answering services deliver subpar assistance to callers. Even when the support isn’t outright bad, callers may leave the interaction feeling like something is missing.
Compare such experiences with those offered by the very best virtual answering services. At MAP Communications, for instance, customized call scripts help bring a sense of consistency to every conversation. We use the same vocabulary and greetings you use within your operation, ensuring that callers aren’t caught off guard by awkward hellos or differing policies. Instead, we’re an extension of your organization, providing the same great service you would offer if you had the time.
More Features Make for Better Customization
One of the benefits of an answering service is the ability to finely tune your customer experience. Rather than micromanaging your in-house team, you can spell out exactly how callers should be helped. Virtual receptionists are trained to meet these standards and use a wide range of tools and strategies to execute your vision with fidelity. Unfortunately, though, cheap phone answering services typically offer boilerplate customer service that rarely reflects your vision.
With MAP Communications, customization is key. We’ll work with you to develop a customized call script and routine to ensure your callers are handled with care. You can turn our coverage on and off at will, check on call recordings with our online portal, and increase or decrease support as you ramp up or close down new campaigns. When you partner with a trusted answering service, there’s no limit to what you can achieve.
Auto-Answering Alienates Customers
Many of the most affordable answering services rely on auto-answering technology to handle inbound calls. There’s no faster way to alienate your callers than to use these kinds of tools. While somewhat more effective than a voicemail, most callers are impatient. They’ll often hang up at the first sign of a pre-recorded message.
When callers need help with something, they want to speak with a real, live human being who is knowledgeable about their issue. They want to know that their problems matter, and that resolution is only a conversation away. Auto-answering accomplishes none of this.
Try MAP Today for Free
If you’re searching for the cheapest answering service around, you’ll find no shortage of companies that provide rock bottom prices and rock bottom service. If, on the other hand, you’re hoping to find the best value for your money, MAP Communications is the answer. Our team of experienced, highly trained virtual receptionists work tirelessly to deliver quality customer experiences at an affordable rate.
You don’t need to take our word for it, of course. See for yourself with our free week trial. For seven days, you’ll be privy to all the perks of a partnership with MAP Communications. Once the week is up, there’s zero pressure to continue using our services. Get started now.
