It is completely understandable if you’re on the fence about hiring an answering service for small businesses. Choosing between a friendly in-person receptionist and a live answering service call representative is a difficult decision. But in actuality, the decision isn’t all that difficult when the benefits of a live answering service are considered. 

Here are a few benefits of foregoing the traditional receptionist and using a live answering service as an alternative. 

Benefit #1: Scheduling Will Be Easier than Ever

Relying on one single receptionist to handle all of your business’ scheduling needs is not a good idea. With a live answering service, there will be multiple representatives in charge of answering the phones and taking care of the schedule. For businesses that handle a high volume of appointments, investing in a live answering service is a must. Most law and medical officers with a great deal of clients already take advantage of a LAS, and you should too. 

Benefit #2: There Will Be a Boost in Productivity and Overall Efficiency

According to one of the leading live answering services of our time, “when customers call in, they have to move through a process. They need to state their reason for calling and get transferred to the right department, where they may need to leave a message. A live answering service increases the efficiency of this process, by handling basic requests for you.”

The representatives of a live answering service assigned to your company are highly trained in scheduling appointments, taking messages, creating calendars, and customer service. Ensuring that customer service is a main priority of these call representatives is extremely important. These reps will be the ones manning the phones day and night, communicating directly with customers. 

Benefit #3: After Hours Service Is Possible

This is a huge perk of investing in a live answering service and ditching the traditional receptionist. It is highly unlikely that your receptionist will stay at the office 24/7 answering phones. However, this is exactly what you’ll get when you hire a live answering service. No matter what, there will be someone answering the phones, even if it’s in the middle of the night or on an international holiday. 

Benefit #4: There is No Need for Training

Training a new receptionist takes long hours and hard work. This is not the case with a live answering service. In fact, there is no training required whatsoever. The agency you hire will be responsible for everything from hiring to training to firing. Not only does this save you time, but also money. 

Benefit #5: Speaking of Money Savings…

The amount of money you’ll end up saving with a live answering service is enough to pick up the phone and fire your current receptionist. As the boss, you have to see to it that the receptionist makes a fair salary and employee benefits. With a live answering service, you just need to pay for the service itself, saving you thousands every year.