There are many benefits of using an answering service to manage the calls in a small business. However, selection of the right service plan can be somewhat intimidating. You can take the stress out of this decision by considering the intended usage of answering service in your business. Here are some essential factors to help in making an informed selection:
Assess the Volume of Calls:
The call volume in your business is a key factor for choosing the best answering services for small businesses. Determining the volume of calls can be easier if you are currently using these services. You can check the incoming call report for the entire month to ascertain the same. For seasonal businesses, you may seek the reports for peak season and sluggish period. The best service providers offer a flexibility to switch the plans depending on your needs.
If in case you are not using an answering service, you should determine the phone volumes with the help of call reports generated by VOIP service providers. When determining this metric, you should include only those calls that are received during the hours when you want answering services to handle the phones.
Assess the Duration of Calls:
Apart from the number of calls, you also need to ascertain the average duration of these calls. You can make an estimate depending on the type of calls. It also relies on the specific needs of each business. These may include calls for requesting office hours, asking for directions, seeking answers to FAQs, placing the orders, or highly specialized calls for specific business purposes.
Assess the Usage Hours:
The selection of the right plan of answering services for small businesses should also depend on the desired usage hours. Mostly, these services are available on a 24/7 basis. However, you may determine the time period when you want the calls to be forwarded to your phone. It may include during office hours, after-hours, holidays, or weekends.
With daytime coverage of the calls, you can save more costs. It does not require additional staff or extra phone lines to manage the phone overflow during the regular working hours. Here, you can also consider using call forwarding feature to control the hours when calls are sent to answering services.
Assess the Message Delivery Requirements:
If your business receives urgent calls, they should be answered immediately by the right person. Hence, the answering service companies provide different options to suit specific message delivery requirements. For cost savings, you can choose text messaging or email messaging to receive urgent calls. It also depends on the responsiveness of your staff to receive the messages.
With these tips, you can find the correct plan suitable for your phone answering needs. Always lay your trust in an experienced service provider.