How a Virtual Receptionist Can Be Your Secret Weapon
Hi Dear Readers
My insight for the week,
If anyone every asks me what qualities you need to have to be a virtual receptionist, I think I scare the career thought right out of their mind.
I answer the phone for a huge variety of companies, one after the other, jumping from a graphic design company to a medical booking company and then to a law firm etc in the matter of minutes, each on with their own screen and own set of rules, dos and don’ts, employees. To the inexperience person this can be very intimidating.
But to name a few skills needed to be a “Secret Weapon” (as I like to call myself),
Here are the ones off the top of my head:
- Proficient writing
- Effective communication
- Technical ability
- Critical thinking
- Time management
- Organisational skills
- Customer service excellence
- Marketing knowledge
- Sales aptitude
- Self education
- Adaptability
- Data entry accuracy
- Discipline
So yes, I am just a receptionist, but I am your “Secret Weapon”
I am a brilliant receptionist, and I love working for Turnkey Receptionists.
Many businesses view virtual receptionist services as administrative tools to help their staff be more productive (and billable) by not having to answer their phones each time they ring.
But virtual receptionists can be much more than just outsourced phone answerers. They can also be a company’s valuable secret weapon for providing exceptional client service.
Whenever a caller—who could very well be a prospective or current client—dials the main phone number of a business working with Turnkey Receptionists, that phone call is automatically routed to multiple off-site receptionists who answer the call with a greeting that is personalised for that company. And that’s when the magic begins.
Based on the call-handling instructions provided by the company, Turnkey receptionists will direct calls accordingly.
For example, if an attorney only takes calls during the business day from judges, opposing counsel or referring attorneys, the receptionist can call the attorney when one of these people is on the line.
However, if the call is from a prospective or current client, the receptionist will handle those calls accordingly based on the firm’s call-handling instructions. That could mean that those calls are routed to a paralegal or another attorney or handled directly by the Turnkey receptionist.
MORE THAN JUST ANSWERING PHONE CALLS
The beauty of Turnkey Receptionists is that we can do more than just answer incoming phone calls.
Many businesses use us to handle intake for prospective clients. Our receptionists can perform intake where we obtain key information like names, preliminary information, how the prospective clients found the firm, contact information and the like.
Once this information is collected, the staff member who later contacts the prospective client has all the information necessary to make that follow-up call productive and to close the deal.
Turnkey Receptionists can make outbound calls to prospective and current clients.
For example, receptionists can follow up with prospective clients who began but did not finish filling out a “Contact Us” web form. Or the receptionists can remind clients of upcoming appointments booked.
A CLIENT SERVICE BONANZA
There are so many ways Turnkey Receptionists services can “wow” prospective and current clients that they practically leap off the page.
Take prospective clients, for example: 85 percent of potential customers don’t call back after placing an unanswered call. With Turnkey Receptionists, prospective clients will always get a live voice on the other end of the phone eager to help them. And if a business has us handle basic intake, imagine the impression made on a prospective client when a staff member from that firm calls that prospective client back armed with the information he or she provided during that intake.
From the very start, prospective clients are going to feel like they are getting great client service from that business.
When a prospective client becomes an actual client, Turnkey Receptionists will always be there to provide a live voice and to relay questions to the staff members.
On its own, that responsiveness will separate the business from most of its peers when it comes to providing client service. But the proactive outbound calls that Turnkey Receptionists can make regarding reminders and status updates is a service so rarely provided to clients—but one surely to be viewed by them as an example of great client service—that it is likely to be what clients talk about when referring others to your business.
A SECRET WEAPON FOR BOTH CLIENT SERVICE AND MARKETING
By putting a modern twist on call forwarding, Turnkey Receptionists enable companies to deliver a level of client service that is unrivalled even by businesses that are exponentially larger in size.
This enhanced client service also bolsters a company’s marketing efforts. When prospective clients feel they are getting great client service, they typically become clients.
When clients feel like they are getting great client service, they typically become happy clients. Happy clients tend to refer their friends and families, leave positive reviews and are willing to give favourable testimonials.
And, of course, referrals, positive reviews and testimonials are essential marketing tools for all businesses.
JUST A FEW BUSINESS TYPES USING TURNKEY RECEPTIONIST’S SERVICES
- Vehicle – Window replacement, tinting, valets, parts, inspections
- Security – CCTV, Access control
- Software – Business management software
- Finance – Loans, mortgages, Super fund
- Digital Print
- Shipping container homes
- Metal Manufactures
- Shower screens and Wardrobes
- First aid courses
- Beauty – courses, appointments
- Training facilities
- Real Estate Agents
- Audio Visual
- Accounting firms
- Telecommunication systems
- Podiatry
- Psychology
- Dentistry
- Physiotherapy
- Importing and distributors
- Cleaning services
- Concrete and Asphalt
- Authors
- Strategic Management
- Home and Business Automation
- Business Advisory
- Personal Wealth Management
- Building and construction
- Drain and Pipe Relining
- Hypnosis
- Hiring products
- Swimming pools
- Appliance repairs
- Law Firms
- Plumbers
- Osteopathy
- Non-Profit Organisations
- Damp and ventilation
- Engineering
- Resorts
- Electricians
- Migration agents
- Hydrotherapy
