Back in 2016, I was first introduced to the phone answering service and virtual receptionist industry. As we set off to start Easybee from scratch, we thought we were pioneering the use of shared resources to take on such a fundamental business process like answering incoming calls. Little did I know that the phone answering service industry had been around for years. It was born in the switchboard rooms of big office buildings and hospitals back when voice travelled to cables and not the internet. Like any other industry, it has mutated dramatically, even through the last 6 years that I have been with Easybee. Today, I have the pleasure of sharing some advice for you to maximize your experience with us.
Advice 1: Remember we are part of your team
This may seem obvious. Unfortunately, most often than not, our clients forget that we are here in the same way that a receptionist or assistant is just down the hall from your office. After each call, we send out a message to you. This does not mean that communication between your phone answering service and you should only flow in one direction. Our clients that enjoy our services the most, understand that engaging with Easybee is like having a conversation with a team member. If something in the message did not make sense, feel free to reply to it and someone at Easybee can follow up with more detail. If a client says something about the call, make sure to double check with Easybee if that is in fact what happened. We se calls as an assignment, and the fact that the call has disconnected does not mean that the assignment is over.
Advice 2: Let the Script Flow
Very often I see clients looking to set up their phone answering service and creating a very rigid script. Though they have handled countless of calls for their business themselves, they tend to forget how each of those calls can be unique. As we work with clients in setting up a script, we always recommend setting more of a guideline or protocol rather than a script operators should read verbatim. Nine times out of ten, callers will have a unique way of approaching the call which may not be considered in the script. Using a script that is too rigid or being demanding when it comes to reading off the script makes operators sound like robots and this undermines their effort to deliver great customer service.
Advice 3: Trust the Operators
Operators at Easybee are professionals. Even before they are hired, our recruitment team does a careful job of testing for qualities and skills that we have identified make a great operator. A successful phone answering service operator needs to be assertive enough to grab and maintain control of a call while being gentle and professional enough to marvel the caller with excellent customer service. Our operators are carefully selected and trained to fit that description. Earlier, I mentioned that not all calls are equal. Because of this, we have trained operators to deliver protocol completion on each call even if staying off script is nearly impossible. Some callers are talkative, some are dry, some are rude, and some are kind. Regardless, operators are trained to extract all the necessary information to relay the best message to you. It is important that we trust them as they do their job and to know that they are always working with your best interest in mind.
As you set off in your search for a phone answering service or you are reevaluating your current service, keep in mind these three pointers from someone who has dedicated the last six years of their life to this great industry.
At the end of the day, our main goal is to make your life easier and to extend our business relationship indefinitely. We take pride in being part of your team and we want to work constantly to deliver better services always. If you are looking for a great phone answering service, look no further than Easybee Answering Services.
