Effective switchboard top tips
Julie Hulme, Business Development Manager for the FM sector at Moneypenny and newly appointed Deputy Chair of BIFM (Wales Region) outlines the ten most common reasons FM Managers approach Moneypenny for professional telephone answering support:
As a central hub for all things FM, the way businesses operate their helpdesk can be fundamental to the overall smooth running of their operation. Helpdesks often need a helping hand to capture all the calls coming in and to guarantee callers receive a consistent service.
Recognising that staffing for the peaks and troughs of telephone traffic is a challenge, organisations are making positive decisions on how they would like their calls handled; whether on an overflow or fully outsourced basis to guarantee every call receives the professional response it deserves every time.
Moving offices is often a catalyst for seeking better solutions for front of house services. Many companies are finding that the high cost of office space, especially in central London, is encouraging them to seek alternative ways of managing their telephone systems and reception areas.
Out of office hours telephone calls are often answered by untrained security staff whose primary function is to protect the company’s assets. Staff need to be focussed on their core activities, while callers need to receive a quality telephone response whatever the time of day or night.
With highly scrutinised budgets, organisations are under more pressure than ever to reduce costs. FM managers are tasked with seeking out new ways of working smarter and recognise that an outsourced partner can provide a cost effective solution while delivering a first-rate service.
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity are huge issues in FM, whether it be the ability to survive a telecoms outage, adverse weather, a staff emergency or something else that affects business as usual. FMs are looking for a failsafe back-up solution.
More and more large organisations are choosing to procure their switchboard services directly from a specialist outsourced switchboard provider rather than bundling it into an FM contract where too often the service will be become part of a helpdesk facility or a non-specialist call centre with staff ill-equipped to deal with the types of calls received by corporate sector business.
A new contract win or business acquisition inevitably leads to increased call volumes and this can happen very quickly. It’s critical to deliver the right impression from the off so FMs are looking for flexible resources to deliver this.
There is greater recognition that separating telephone answering from the front desk ‘meet and greet’ function makes for less of a juggle and an improved customer experience as a result.
Bespoke reports via our online portal which outline call history and call trends are appealing to FMs as useful management information tools.
12 Feb 2024
Stok Cold Brew’s Super Bowl ad featuring Sir Anthony Hopkins gets us excited to show off our heritage
Your own Moneypenny PA to answer calls exactly as if based in your office.
Discover >All the functions and support of an office phone system, minus the hardware.
Discover >
