Customer service is about expedience, availability, assistance, and reliability. Your callers expect your answering service provider to offer just that. Relying on an ineffective team is a gamble, so knowing which pitfalls to avoid when deciding whether or not to switch providers can make the choice as easy and advantageous as possible. Here are 5 signs that you have a poor answering service and should consider making the change to something better.
Lacks 24-hour availability
Not having representatives available around the clock isn’t just inconvenient for your customers, it could be losing you business. Studies have shown that 80% of incoming callers won’t leave voicemail messages if someone doesn’t pick up their call.
Has poorly-trained representatives
Relying on inadequately trained and inexperienced agents leads to poor customer interactions, misinformed employees, and even a loss of business. Having the right people be the face of your company goes a long way.
Only offers message-taking
Although the ability to relay messages to and from customers is a cornerstone of customer service, that alone will not get you very far. Especially for certain industries, companies may benefit the most from answering services that offer employee dispatching, knowledge resources for callers, and more.
Responds slowly
Your callers want and expect solutions and progress just as quickly as your employees need all information those callers provide. Your answering service needs to understand that and strive to give everyone exactly what they need when they need it. Slow response times don’t just frustrate callers; they cost companies thousands in revenue each year.
Has low standards
Steer clear of answering services that don’t put the effort into the metrics like average hold time, calls per operator at once, average call duration, call quality, and any other focal points your company and callers care about.
As you can see, your choice of answering service affects much more than the messages callers may leave; it is the foundation upon which you build your company’s reputation and connection with its clients outside of the office. Relying on an answering service that displays any one (or more) of the warning signs above is the wrong choice for your business, regardless of which industry you’re in. Make the right choice by switching to Insta Answer’s 24/7 virtual answering service. With a team of dedicated, hard-working talent from across the globe, we can be there to give you and your callers exactly what you’re looking for.
