3 Undeniable Reasons Your Business Needs a Live Receptionist Now

The phone is ringing. Again.

It’s ringing when you’re trying to finish an expense report. It’s ringing when you’re trying to take ten minutes for lunch. It’s even ringing while you’re on the phone with another client.

Whether it’s an employee trying to get in touch, a vendor who needs clarification, or a customer who wants help, someone is always trying to reach you, and it’s both exhausting and distracting.

Live receptionists are the solution here, and in this post, we’re going to take a look at 3 undeniable reasons why your business needs to hire a live receptionist right now.

What Is a Live Receptionist?

Live receptionists are skilled agents who typically work through an answering service and who have been trained to treat your customers exactly like you do. They understand your branding, the basics of how your business works, and they can help your customers when you’re unavailable for whatever reason.

Live receptionists can do more than just direct calls, too; our expert agents at PATLive, for example, can help you by answering basic client questions about your business, setting up appointments on your calendar, taking lead information, and even taking payments or setting up event registration over the phone. All this can happen without anyone needing to set foot in your office.

1. They’ll Improve Your Productivity

Phones ringing off the hook can be draining, and make you feel like you’ve got too much on your plate at any one time.

They’re also distracting to the point that they can start taking a big hit on your productivity. A recent study found that even receiving a cell phone notification had the potential to severely impact productivity, so imagine the toll trying to get to all those ringing phones is taking.

It only takes a three second distraction to impact your productivity, after all, and the amount of time it takes to notice the phone is ringing and even consciously decide whether or not to answer can send you off track.

Live receptionists can solve this problem. You don’t have to worry about running towards that phone; they’ll answer the call if you can’t. Go ahead and give your undivided attention to whatever it is that you’re working on, even if it’s a client call that you’re already on!

2. They’re 24/7, 365 Days a Year So You Don’t Have to Be

Live receptionists come through answering services, meaning that you have an entire team of agents ready to take on those incoming calls for your business. As a result, you’ve got more than just a single team member pulling their weight, and you get the benefit of more agents to answer those calls at all hours of the day.

And when we say all hours, we mean it. Live receptionists here at PATLive will answer your calls during those graveyard shift hours, happily resolving customer issues at 4AM if needed. They’re available 24/7, 365 days a year, so you never have to worry about missing a single phone call. Each one will be answered by our team members (who have each received a minimum of 80 hours of training), so you can go ahead and take the evening off to kick back and relax. Don’t worry; if it’s something we can’t resolve and that needs your urgent attention, we’ll call you.

More agents available to help your customers whenever they decide to call means that you’re never missing a single opportunity. This means more sales, more revenue, and some very, very happy customers in the mix.  

3. They Can Take Simple Tasks Off Your Hands

Speaking from experience, business owners often take on a lot and end up getting strapped doing a lot of administrative work that sucks up a lot of time.

Live receptionists can help with that, too, improving your productivity significantly yet again. Don’t worry about taking calls only to have someone ask about their order tracking number for the fourth time or to argue about a return policy; we can take care of that for you! Our agents can also act as a barrier, setting up appointment times instead of letting people ambush you constantly when you don’t have the availability, and we can process payments, offer help desk support, and take care of event registration, all over the phone.

You have a lot on your to-do list, so don’t worry about the menial-but-crucial tasks that you can hand off. By letting your live receptionists take care of this work, you can focus on the job you need to be doing, and your customers get near-instant access to someone who can help them with whatever they need. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Live receptionists are effective and an incredible time-saver, but it’s also important to point out they’re extremely cost-efficient in a number of different ways.

A boost in productivity, after all, typically means more time working, which can directly translate into more revenue.

The ability to convert more leads and process more sales at all hours of every day? An increased likelihood of a positive customer interaction every time? That means more sales, too.

All of these benefits make a live receptionist an easy decision, but it’s particularly appealing when you consider that conventional, in-office receptionists will cost more between training, salary, and benefits, and they’re only available to work so many hours in a day for 5 days per week, meaning less work at a higher cost. This is one area where it’s definitely more effective and more profitable to outsource, making it a powerful and easy choice.

Are you ready to see how a live receptionist can change your workday for the better? Start your free trial with PATLive today!