ImagesMagUK_March_2021

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT www.images-magazine.com 30 images MARCH 2021 I’d like to outsource answering my telephone calls, but how can I choose the right company, and what will it cost? C hoosing the right answering service for your business is crucial – after all, it will be the first experience most clients will have of your company, and first impressions count. ■ Don’t be impatient Same-day activation may impress at first sight, but it’s more important that the call- answering company has some training and knowledge about your business. A reputable telephone answering service will want to take time to tailor its offering to your needs, however large or small you are, and ensure that its team members are fully equipped to represent you to the best of their abilities and to suit your needs. ■ Who will be representing you? Your answering service needs to be handled by a professional, knowledgeable and friendly virtual team, who are simply an extension of your in-house team. Most answering service companies will have well- trained teams, but what you really want to know is how are they evaluated, what are their motivations and how are they kept consistently at the top of their game. The right answering service provider will be proud of its team. ■ What else can they offer you? A great telephone answering service should combine brilliant people with the best technology. And you should be able to access it. Do they offer a client portal and is it user-friendly? What else are they working on? How else can they optimise your communications and profitability? It could be that they offer something you’ve never heard of or, based on your requirements, can create a service bespoke to you. It could be offering a ‘live chat’ option, adding an office phone system on your mobile, tailoring self-screening bots to reassure customers and staff as we return to the office, or extending your answering service so that it offers more of a virtual office receptionist. As we have discovered in the past 12 months, a key factor for business success is the ability to be agile and responsive. Can your service provider do the same? Are you able to add or remove a service as your business requires? How will your account be monitored and reviewed? Not all telephone answering services are the same. You need to know if you are dealing with a quality company. Look for testimonials, external quality standards and overall proof that they’re dedicated to providing you with the best answering service to meet your requirements now and in the future. Five tips to help you continue to deliver exceptional customer service 1. Use your data to make informed decisions. It’s more important than ever to analyse your business data pre- and post-Covid. For example, at Moneypenny we’ve discovered that, despite a boom in the use of social media to contact businesses, the telephone still remains the most important communication method for customers to connect with businesses. Forty-three percent of businesses said phone calls were even more important during lockdown. 2. Respond to customers promptly. People are inherently impatient. Clients need and expect quick responses to their enquiries and phone calls. 3. People value human interaction. Phone call duration has increased for our clients during the lockdowns. This is largely due to callers craving human interaction. People will remember the businesses over the past year that made an effort to call to inform them of the status of their services, and are likely to repay them with brand loyalty. 4. Invest in tech. Tech has boomed over the past year with the use of tools like Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. The companies that embrace new tech, such as live chat bots and AI, will reap the benefits. 5. Don’t be afraid to outsource. Many businesses might be tempted to make savings by trying to do everything themselves, but it really does pay to outsource certain functions. Communications can be handled by experts more easily and cost- effectively than you think – you can expect to have your own dedicated PA from £109.95 per month, and live chat on your website from £60 per month – leaving your staff free to focus on the things they are good at. Expert advice on the business of running a garment decoration company Q&A Joanna Swash is the CEO of Moneypenny, an outsourced communications provider that delivers telephone answering, live chat, switchboards and multichannel customer services, and works with businesses of all shapes and sizes, from entrepreneurs to multinational corporations. www.moneypenny.com