While you’re no doubt familiar with the traditional role of in-house receptionists, in recent years, it’s become more and more common to start outsourcing receptionist roles in order to reduce overheads.
Now, that’s not to say that the role of an in-house receptionist is redundant. In many cases, the receptionist is the first person customers ever talk to, and having someone they can speak to in person can go a long way to making a good impression.
However, thanks to technological improvements and many businesses enjoying the benefits of remote work, a receptionist no longer has to be in the office to complete their assigned tasks.
Some companies have even opted to forgo in-office receptionists altogether, making use of outsourced receptionists Live Answering Services to get access to highly trained professionals you can trust at a fraction of the cost.
But just what is an outsourced receptionist, and how do they differ from traditional receptionists? Read on to learn more, as well as the benefits that an outsourced receptionist service can offer you.
What is an outsourced receptionist?
Without going into too much detail, an outsourced receptionist is simply a receptionist provided by another business who handles all of your calls, appointments, and bookings so that you don’t have to.
However, unlike traditional receptionists, they’re not based in your office, meaning you don’t have to worry about hiring them directly or providing them with a salary and place of work.
What is the difference between an outsourced receptionist and a traditional receptionist?
The major difference between an outsourced receptionist and a traditional in-house receptionist is that an outsourced receptionist service is entirely virtual. Thanks to modern computing and phone technology, this is entirely feasible, and in many cases, much cheaper for businesses to do.
On top of this, as they work for another company, you only have to concern yourself with paying for their services and providing information for them to use when answering client calls.
What are the advantages of outsourcing receptionist roles?
Even though the role of a Virtual Receptionist is exactly the same as one that works in-house, there are also several other unique benefits that come with outsourcing receptionist roles:
1. Better time management
For smaller or newer businesses, you may have to wear many hats, leaving you feeling like nothing is getting done the way you want it to. Answering phone calls, dealing with customers, and scheduling appointments are all crucial tasks for businesses, but they can be challenging to tackle on top of other job functions.
Hiring a virtual receptionist means you and your staff can shift your focus to other responsibilities while the receptionist easily tackles those other tasks without you ever needing to hire someone directly.
2. Lower costs
Not only does an in-house receptionist require a salary, but your business has to devote resources to taxes, benefits, and other expenses on top of this, which increases the overall outgoings of your business.
Hiring a Live Answering Service, on the other hand, costs you a fraction of this price, while still providing you with the same great quality of work.
3. The same level of training and skill
In most cases, hiring an in-office receptionist requires managers to train them, and you may have the constant worry that they can’t always handle the task of dealing with customers daily.
Virtual receptionists, however, are already trained in professionalism, customer service, and the other skills necessary to work effectively, so you get a quality team member, no matter what.
4. Constant availability
While an in-office receptionist is only available during business hours, A Virtual Receptionist is available 24/7, 365 days a year. So, even if your business is closed, you’ll still be able to take all your customers’ calls.
5. Improved customer satisfaction
While you may worry that only an in-office receptionist could give every client the personalization and time they deserve on every call, a Live Answering Service can do that as well!
In some cases, using a quality Virtual Receptionist can even lead to higher customer satisfaction because they’re often trained in empathizing and connecting with callers, which leads to higher client retention.
Hire a Virtual Receptionist with VoiceNation
As you can see, there are many advantages to outsourcing your receptionists needs to a virtual platform. And that’s exactly what we offer at VoiceNation. All of our receptionists are professionally trained in handling a variety of business needs, all while answering every call your customers make.
Reach out to our team today to learn more about our pricing packages and our free trial period. And don’t forget that we have plenty of similar blogs to this one on our website, including pieces explaining what a virtual receptionist is, 5 qualities to look for in a virtual receptionist, virtual hotel receptionist services, and more!