Should You Ring or Should You Reply?

A virtual receptionist is not only tied to the phone. Emails are also used by VRs to touchbase with their clients. However, since telephone communication is their main strength, the contention whether to ring instead of to reply a client is always present.

When is it best to ring (phone) than to reply (email)?

• Ring if, for some reason, your client is upset. When addressing sensitive matters with strong emotions involved, giving an urgent call shows that you care. It also eliminates the possibility of misinterpreting even a carefully-written reply sent through an email. The power of a friendly and concerned tone over the phone can spell a world of difference.
• Ring if you need to explain a complicated call or a long message received. When providing the details of a complicated call or message, you will have to make a long retaliation about it as well. It will take time if you do it on email. You need to find the right words, string them coherently and hope that the client will not have any questions or need for clarifications after that. Calling to explain not only saves you time and effort of explaining, but also provides your client the opportunity to ask you when something is not so clear.
• Reply if it is just a minor, non-urgent matter you need to inform the client about. If it is just to remind your client about an upcoming meeting he will be having (which your client will be most likely informed about too through an alternate route such as a phone or calendar notification), then a simple email should do. Otherwise, calling your client to remind him of every minor detail about his day can potentially be a source of annoyance. 
• Reply if you need to send clients’ files of official documents he specifically requested you to accomplish or gather. The age of snail mail is definitely out and the convenience of an email reply should not be discounted at all costs. 

At the end of the day, if you feel like calling, trust your instincts and go ahead. More often than not, it is easier, quicker and better for virtual receptionists to just give their clients a call than emailing them. You get their attention and you can engage with them with  thorough feedback process. Also, calling allows you to make a great impression. Whenever there is an opportunity to make an impressionable statement, get it. It doesn’t come so often. 

Why you Should Outsource your Customer Service?

More often than not, customer service is the backbone of any business. It indicates success and it’s opposite. While customer service is mostly kept in-house, a good number of small and large businesses today are outsourcing it. 

If you are not one of many industrial organizations still not outsourcing customer services, you might be missing out on a lot of benefits. 

Should you be outsourcing your customer service requirements? You should and we have 4 reasons here to help you do so, if not, even consider it.

Adding help without breaking the bank

More often than not, the quality of customer service can be improved by adding more people to answer the hotline. Increase manpower to your customer service department by outsourcing customer service representatives. Today where the process of recruitment and actual hiring can be done through digital means (Skype, anyone?) it is possible to get the best and most experienced set of people to add to your customer service department with confidence and ease. 

Immediate support available

We are all consumers at some point and all of us share the sentiment that being put on hold for 30 seconds translates to 30 minutes on the customer mood metre. The act of waiting can make customers angry, especially if they are calling to report a problem that needs immediate support as much as possible. 

As you double your customer service capacity, it means you can accommodate more people who are calling the hotline. Minimise, if not eliminate, the waiting time and greet customers who are calling quickly on the first 2 rings. Even if you cannot readily address the issue or the problem being reported, answering the phone immediately is good customer support at its finest.

Streamline customer service in general

Customers call the hotline for a variety of reasons. Some call for a very minor issue while some call for a major disappointment. By outsourcing your customer service needs, you can streamline the entire customer service process.

You can filter the customer’s query according to the level of complexity. If the query is simple, your outsourced customer service representatives can take it. If the query is quite complicated, then your in-house full-time customer service reps have to handle it since it goes without saying that they know more about the product or the service than the outsourced team. 

By streamlining your customer service in general, you can eliminate and reduce customer waiting times, produce happier customers and maintain a healthier customer service operation. 

Make a 24/7 operation possible

Ideally, customer service should not sleep even if your store is officially closed for the day. A 24/7 operation is best to have to give your customers the support they require when they need it. Your availability truly shows that you care.

Make the 24/7 operation possible by outsourcing your customer service. The beauty of outsourcing lies in the time zone. When you outsource people from the other side of the globe, you can achieve business continuity as there are people who will proceed running and answering the hotline even if you are asleep on your side of the world. 

Reap the benefits that only outsourcing customer service can offer. With so many contact centres available, it is certain to meet the provider who will meet your needs and specific customer service requirements.