The invention of the answering machine in 1898 and introduction of the first commercial answering machine to America in 1949 were considered by companies as a rescue from having unanswered concerns (i.e., unanswered phone calls).
Way back, an answering machine became a great advancement for companies in accommodating more calls. Further advancements were made and thenceforth came the voice mail feature; this time, companies are able to accommodate all their calls.
But let's face it. Getting the machine or voice mail doesn't readily translate to having an "answered" call, as opposed to having an actual person receive the call.
Nowadays, when clients or customers call a company and only hear an automated response at the other end of the line, they would immediately hang up, thinking that their call will just be ignored. In a study, 70% of callers do this.
How your company takes the calls of your clients or customers is also an indication of how much you value them and their concerns.
Many companies have availed of an answering service from BPO (business process outsourcing) service providers. The answering service has been an efficient means for companies to accommodate all of their customers' concerns, having a live person take every call of a client so as to give prompt solutions to the latter's problems.
With an answering service, anyone who usually has a lot customers or clients trying to reach him/her—especially business owners, physicians, company executives, and the like—can have a live operator address the concerns of the callers.The operator—who is usually called a virtual assistant, CSR (customer service representative), or call center agent—functions as a secretary per se, with the following tasks:
- answer the call/s of the customer
- take note of the concern
- relay the message to the "boss"
- get back to the caller
This is the common cycle of what an answering service operator does. Also, an operator has access to basic information a caller may need, enabling the former to readily assist customer concerns on his/her own. Apparently, a person who avails of an answering service can then have more time to focus on matters in greater need of attention.
There's no telling when a customer or client would need assistance; hence, an answering service is there to cater the clients' concerns even after-hours, holidays, weekends, or vacations. The service can also provide round-the-clock assistance, especially for companies with minimal manpower and yet have a steady influx of callers.
Answering service operators are commonly housed in a call center, which is an organization or a company itself that employs professionals with above-average communication skills and a good grasp of the English language. In turn, call center answering services are delivered with efficiency and quality.
Companies that availed of call center answering services have already attested to the advantages the service gives to the business. This type of outsourcing service may be set according to the standards of the company. BPO service providers usually have the resources needed to customize the service, incorporating a system or determining what communication tools are best for the company in order to attend to the needs of its customers and clients better.
It has been pointed out that call center answering services have changed the face of customer relationship management (CRM). The service has satisfied the preference of a caller to have an actual person take the call instead of a machine. Also, it not only met but also exceeded the expectations of all the parties involved—the company, its customers or clients, and even the service provider. It has enhanced business partnerships and professional relationships.
A BPO service by nature, call center answering services provide the main benefit of outsourcing, and that is for a company to run its business functions with cost-effectiveness. Having an answering service operator instead of a full-time employee for the position can eliminate training costs and salary budgets. Also, the cost of outsourcing the service is much lower than hiring a full-time employee. The service helps the company achieve the goal of maximizing the business's function (if not the necessity) to consistently accommodate the clients' calls at a very low cost.
In providing call center services, outsourcing companies in the Philippines have gained the preference of foreign businesses. An outsourcing company of note is Taking You Forward, Inc. (TYF, Inc.). When it comes to call center services, outsourcing to TYF, Inc. has become the foremost choice of several foreign companies. This is due to how Taking You Forward, Inc. creates a unique business partnership, offering reasonable rates, matching requirements, and having proficient professionals.
Now, it's high time for your company to make a difference—to your customers, from your competitors, and even to your revenue. Build up the advantages of your business by not only having an answering service but availing it from a reliable outsourcing company as well.
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