How an outsourced telephone answering service can streamline your working day 

If you are an entrepreneur or small business owner, you likely have to take on many duties during each working day.

For example, whilst you may spend most of your time working on the core of the business, chances are, you spend a lot of time answering telephone calls, scheduling meetings, replying to emails and arranging appointments. You may also have to act as the company’s graphic designer and social media manager.

Whilst hiring employees to share the workload might seem like an expensive commitment, outsourcing can provide the same standard of service with more flexibility. Outsourcing also tends to be more affordable, with less paperwork and no upfront costs.

With outsourcing you truly can, work smarter, not harder!

What are the benefits of outsourcing?

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many companies into a remote-working model. This forced-experiment answered many of the doubts and questions people had regarding online security, productivity and collaboration when working from home.

With giant tech companies, including Twitter, stating that many of their employees can work from home permanently if they choose, remote working has finally gone mainstream.

Flexibility

Remote working and “distributed teams” give businesses greater flexibility in terms of who they can hire, but outsourcing can provide an additional level of agility to a company, allowing it to grow whilst mitigating financial risk.

For example, with outsourcing, there are generally no permanent contracts. This lack of commitment is great if your business is seasonal or unpredictable in any way in terms of workload. With many freelancers and agencies, you can pay per project or month by month. With outsourcing, if a company’s workload suddenly reduces – they don’t have any ongoing commitment.

Save time

With outsourcing, you can save a substantial amount of time when it comes to recruiting, hiring and training. Whilst you may have to spend some time researching and trialing different freelancers or agencies, this can be done quickly online and without commitment.

When businesses are looking to recruit a full-time, permanent employee, it can take a lot of time, effort, and money to advertise a position, interview candidates, and train the successful hire.

There is no need to invest time and money into training with outsourcing, and the commitment can be minimal. For example, if a freelancer or provider doesn’t meet the job requirements in any way, you can stop using them, usually within a matter of days or weeks.

You don’t have to deal with as much paperwork and red tape when you outsource rather than hire a permanent employee. Taxes, holidays, pension contributions, insurance – a lot of paperwork comes with hiring an employee. With outsourcing, there is virtually no paperwork. If you use a platform such as PeoplePerHour, you simply hire someone for the job, pay in escrow, release the payment when you’re happy the work is complete – and that’s it!

Save money

Outsourcing can also save you a lot of money. For example, with our outsourced telephone answering service, you only pay for what you use. Compared to an in-house receptionist, there is no monthly wage or permanent contract.

In addition, with outsourcing, there is no need to invest in expensive hardware, software and office space. With Moneypenny, you can get set up with a dedicated receptionist within 24 hours and without any upfront costs. You can also take advantage of the Moneypenny telephone answering app, which effectively acts as an office telephone system from your mobile!

What are the benefits of an outsourced telephone answering service?

Whilst it is possible to outsource everything from email filtering to web development, to free up more time and enhance productivity, using a telephone answering service can be a great place to start.

Never miss a business call

Our research suggests that one in three business calls are missed. This statistic is quite astonishing when you consider how calls are such a valuable source of leads and sales. If someone is taking the time and effort to pick up the telephone and call your business, chances are they are ready to buy or sign up.

What’s more, people are unlikely to leave a voicemail message and will often go on to call a direct competitor.

With a telephone answering service, you can capture every call during regular office hours, whilst a 24/7 service allows you to capture leads while you sleep! With a polite and professional receptionist answering your calls promptly and in your business name, you can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your callers are in safe hands if you are unable to take a call.

Provide 24/7 customer service & lead capture

With Moneypenny’s telephone answering service, you can enjoy the benefits of a dedicated receptionist during regular office hours. Your receptionist will be handpicked to match your business in accordance with their experience and credentials. Outside of office hours, we have a specialist team of receptionists who can take your calls throughout the evening, night and early hours.

With more people than ever working shifts and many people stating that they find it easier to call businesses outside of regular working hours, providing a 24-hour point of contact can prove a significant competitive advantage.

Increase productivity

Arguably the most significant advantage of hiring a telephone answering service is the positive impact it can have on your productivity levels.

While telephone calls are an essential source of leads for many businesses, they can also generate many unwanted interruptions each day. With spam and scam calls increasing in recent years, it can be frustrating to drop the work that you are doing, answer the telephone – only to realize it’s a scam call.

What’s more, research suggests that interruptions can increase levels of frustration and dramatically increase the number of errors made. In fact, in one study, a single interruption lasting for just 4.4 seconds tripled the rate of errors that occurred in a sequence-related task.

If you are looking for an affordable and efficient way to get more done each day, then a telephone answering service could well be the answer.

Improve your work/life balance

With a 24/7 answering service, you can more easily switch off your business telephone and relax when you finish the working day. Whether that be at the office or home, it is important to separate work-life from personal life to avoid burnout and stress.

With an out-of-hours, 24/7 service, you can relax completely during your leisure and recreational time, without having to listen out for your telephone constantly.

Create a great first impression

For every business, building a brand is essential. A brand is more than a logo, a colour scheme and a website – it’s all the tangible touchpoints that form the customer journey.

Your callers will feel important and valued with a polite and professional Moneypenny receptionist answering your calls and providing the best possible customer service. 

How you make your callers feel is very important when it comes to building a successful brand. Consumers will remember how you made them feel, almost as much as how good the end product or service was.

Conversely, if a call goes to voicemail, a potential customer will often feel frustrated, and when they think of your brand in the future, it is this feeling that they will probably remember! Providing a positive human touch can make all the difference.

Conclusion

Outsourcing has many benefits. It can provide an efficient way to grow your business whilst mitigating financial risk. It can also provide you with a global talent pool of freelancers who don’t require training or employee benefits such as vacation leave! To free up more time and become more productive, using an outsourced telephone answering service can be a simple and highly effective way to achieve this and more.

For more information – please visit our telephone answering service page