Archive for March, 2010

Consider the Benefits of Business Answering Services

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

In real estate, it all boils down to three things — location, location, location. In business, it’s not so simple when you’re looking to turn prospective customers into paying customers.

Moving customers from the first to the second category basically boils down to how great an experience they have with you starting with their first phone call. So what can you do to favorably impact their overall experience? Consider business answering services.

People like reaching and talking to other people, not machines. If you don’t already have a business answering service, give it some thought so your phones are covered during lunch hours, while you’re out on service calls or attending to other customers, or after hours and on the weekends.

As soon as your business answering service takes that first call, opportunity is knocking, so take advantage of it. Depending on the answering service options you choose, you may be able to immediately receive call messages and/or have calls patched through. Quick response to potential customers is sometimes all it takes to win their business.

If your business receives emergency calls, then be sure your business answering service knows how to handle them, too. Set up specialized protocols so the answering service can gather the information you need from callers to make the right decision quickly. Once potential customers are interested enough in your company, it’s up to you to impress them enough to become paying customers.

Your knowledge and enthusiasm combined with great customer service will win you repeat business and/or great word-of-mouth advertising. Choosing the right business answering service is just one way to get things started.

Live Receptionist vs. Voicemail?

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Just for kicks, go to Google and type in “how to reach a live person.” One of the top listings shows “Phone numbers, shortcuts and customer service tips” — on a site called GetHuman.com. It made me smile.

A live receptionist is as “human” as you can get.  If you can’t afford an onsite receptionist then try a virtual receptionist service.  Many offer their services in Spanish as well as English.

We know what so many companies are finding out — people want to talk to people, not machines. And it helps if they speak the same language. When your customers call, they want a live person to answer the phone and talk with them.  There is definately value in human interaction and a personal touch.  It doesn’t matter whether their handling emergency calls or covering your office while you’re out to lunch, live receptionists care about your customers as much as you do, and are dedicated to providing a professional, courteous service when you’re not there.

A machine never goes out of its way to calm someone down, get the right information or can’t determine just how urgent a call is. A live person, given the right training, can.  A machine may very well make an upset customer irate or overwhelmed. A live person, given the right training, won’t.

If you want to get your company’s name off the GetHuman.com list — or ensure your business never makes the list — try a virtual receptionist service. You can “get human” in no time.

Frances Starr, Director of Sales & Marketing for Alert Communications.  Alert Communications is a 24/7bilingual inbound call center, specializing in professional attorney answering, virtual receptionistSpanish answering and business answering solutions.

Melody in Green for 2010

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

At Alert Communications, we’re revising the recycling tune we’ve been playing here for years.  The old version simply redeemed beverage containers for cash to purchase break room magazines.  This year the original melody is developing several new variations as we further “green” our business with expanded recycling efforts.

In January we orchestrated a new process for destroying sensitive documents and routing waste paper from our Dumpster.  This material is now deposited in locked, sixty gallon containers provided by a mobile shredding service.  Once per month its truck will service these containers.   The contents will be shredded onsite and carried to a recycling facility.

Last month we also learned the score on the Dumpster service we retain with our local rubbish company.  We discovered our Dumpster is part of a “unicycling” program that permits both recyclables and “messy” trash in it.  The “messy” trash must be bagged and tied shut.  Recyclables, such as hard plastics, containers numbered 1 through 7, and cardboard may be put loose inside the Dumpster.

The dynamics of recycling at Alert are improving.  Most of us now have desk caddies for collecting paper during our shifts that is easily transferred to the sixty gallon containers at the end of the day.  Break rooms now have four bins for sorting various types of trash: aluminum cans, plastic beverage bottles, all “other” recyclables, and one for “messy” trash.  We’ll continue to redeem aluminum and plastic beverage containers for cash while depositing the other types of trash in our “unicycling” Dumpster.  Our answering services representatives and others in the company are eagerly participating in the recycling efforts.

Over the next few months we’ll be rehearsing this new version to an old song when sorting our trash plus developing a process for recycling hazardous items that cannot safely be put in our Dumpster such as electronic equipment, batteries, and computer hardware.    It may take time to perfect our performance, but the melody we’re playing now will take us to the top of the chart as we pursue our “green” goals at Alert Communications.