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 […]
How to Make a Great Company Phone Greeting

First impressions matter, and even if someone is familiar enough with your business to get on the phone and reach out, that first call can have a big impact on how they perceive your business. Your company greeting should be created with that in mind. A strong company greeting will start the […]
7 Ways An Answering Service Puts Money Back Into Your Pocket

Answering services get dismissed by business owners due to the initial cost. Yet, partnering with one is an investment that will pay for itself repeatedly. One huge benefit of answering services: they provide all your customers with a live person on every call. But there’s more. Answering service agents help with tasks […]
What an Answering Service Can Do For My Business

As your business grows, however, it’s not possible to be on call 24/7; it’s not really possible even if you’re a single-member business. If you and your key employees spend all your time fielding customer calls, you won’t be able to actually do the work or run the business. Too many business […]
Comparing The Costs of an In-House vs. Virtual Receptionist

Every small business owner wants to save money, because every dollar you save is money you can invest in another area of your business – or simply add to your bottom line. Have you considered what you could save by switching from an in-house receptionist to a 24/7 live answering service? You […]
Sample Script for Answering Phone Calls: A Guide for Small Businesses

Answering the phone with a professional and consistent tone is crucial, as it can make or break a caller’s first impression. A well-structured phone call not only sets the tone for the entire interaction but also ensures that your customer experience is seamless from the start. Every call is an opportunity to […]
Even More Customer Service Advice from Small Business Consultants

A few weeks ago, we asked a bunch of consultants and marketers from lots of different industries to weigh in on the most useful advice they could think to give a small business. (You can check that out here.) We’re back today with a few more gleaming nuggets of customer service gold, […]
Customer Service Advice from 17 Small Business Consultants

That’s right! Here’s a treasure trove of customer service knowledge from 17 leading consultants, from accounting wizards to content-creating wordsmiths. We asked each of them to weigh-in on the topic of customer service and communication, and each of them delivered with a unique perspective. Topics range from clever branding to enhancing responsiveness […]
What are Virtual Receptionists? The PATLive Guide

You might’ve heard the term “virtual receptionist” before, and it’s not immediately clear what exactly they are or what purpose they serve. Are they robots? Do they sit in the corner of your office, beeping like the Jetsons’ robot maid? (We’ll get that one out of the way now—no.) If you don’t […]
Read if You Dare: The Most Dreadful Customer Service Stats of All Time

There’s no stopping it: bad customer service is everywhere. Even worse is that customers have a very low bar for what equates good service; a scant one percent of customers feel that their expectations of good customer service are always met. And yet businesses still miss the mark. We all know that […]