Every business owner knows from experience that not all leads are equal. Some have real potential to convert into a sale as the prospective customer has the money and desire to purchase your product or service. Others simply do not. Understanding which leads have the potential to convert and which do not can have a direct impact on your conversion rate and is an important answering service best practice to follow.
The secret to a successful call center or answering service is the ability to maximize opportunity and aim at converting every qualified lead into a sale. The bottom line of every campaign boils down to how many sales you can generate over time. Those conversions require proper tactics on behalf of the answering service’s phone representative, which, though demanding, is the difference between being successful or not.
Consider these 5 tips on how to turn every lead into a sale.
Although these tips are helpful in closing leads, at Pittsburgh Telephone Answering Service, we believe in addressing all leads professionally and treating every lead as a potential sale. Our trained phone representatives will handle every call with the utmost respect and follow your directives in terms of gathering information from your callers. As your trusted answering service, we are available to help you analyze which leads convert into sales.
Pittsburgh Telephone Answering Services knows how to handle leads no matter how unique or varied leads may be. We know that ignoring or failing to properly address any lead is a common error that makes other call centers or answering services fail at turning every lead into a sale. We take pride in our ability to ensure that leads are all equally addressed and provided with exceptional care.
Call us to discuss what we can do to help your business convert leads into sales.
Source: https://pittsburghanswering.com/blog/five-tips-for-turning-every-lead-into-a-sale/
Publish Date: October 21, 2021 |
Many businesses consider outsourcing their answering services process when they are in growth mode or would like to be. If you are considering outsourcing your business’s call answering services, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of doing so.
An answering service is designed to handle your business calls allowing you to focus your time on the demands of your business. Your business calls are routed to the answering service where a highly trained agent takes the call and provides your callers with exceptional customer service. Additionally, answering services are equipped to classify your calls and provide several other beneficial services. The goal of an answering service is to become an extension of your business while freeing up your team’s time so they can focus on more important tasks.
To the surprise of many, hiring an answering service is much less expensive on average than hiring an employee. Many factors go into determining the price of an answering service including the size of the business, the number of calls the business receives, and the average length of time per call. However, you will likely spend much less on an answering service that provides 24/7 service than you will hiring a 9-5 receptionist. Some answering services charge by the minute, some by call, and some offer monthly plans.
From learning about your business to providing excellent customer service, answering services are designed to help your business at a fraction of the cost of hiring new staff. Anyone answering your phone needs to not only offer friendly customer service, but they should also be able to answer a variety of commonly asked questions and do so efficiently. Answering services have experience working with specific industries and are employed by a variety of industries including legal offices, medical practices, non-profits, hospitality, retail, professional services, and many more.
Business owners spend tens of thousands of dollars every year hiring and training receptionists, providing workspace and equipment, and paying for their benefits. Outsourcing allows you to save on those costs and benefit from professional operators who are trained specifically to represent your brand as you would do.
Your customers’ phone calls are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year or just when you need support – you choose what works for you. You don’t need to worry about operators taking vacations or time off for any reason because your calls are always covered.
When your staff only handles the calls that are relevant to them, they can effectively focus on other important aspects of your business. At the same time, you know that your customers’ calls are being handled professionally, consistent with your brand, and to your customers’ satisfaction.
An answering service can help you keep up with demand and provide the care your customers deserve no matter how quickly your business grows.
From keeping track of planned and unplanned employee absences to making arrangements for temporary replacements, answering services can also help your business organize absences.
Although this is a positive in many respects, it can be negative if you don’t take an active role in defining your expectations of the answering service at the onset. You will also need to stay in touch with them regularly and request the call metrics and recordings that are meaningful to you.
Sometimes, company employees take the idea of any aspect of business being outsourced the wrong way. Communicate clearly to them that the move to outsource telephone answering services will help them grow their expertise and value to the company.
When you work with any vendor, you add a layer of communication necessary to facilitate and make the most of the relationship. Make certain that you set up staff protocol for communication with your answering service early in the process and make adjustments as necessary.
Knowing when to outsource your calls to a call center is simple. Is the productivity of your business in any way diminished by an influx of calls or emails? Could your company answer more calls? Are they often forced to put aside other tasks because of incoming calls? Do you presently have calls, emails, or voicemails that have not been returned? If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, it is time to find out about what Pittsburgh Telephone Answering Service can do for you and your company to help you focus on your goals and grow your brand. Contact us today!
Publish Date: June 28, 2021 |
Excellent marketing campaigns result from research, dedication, and a true understanding of a business’s relationship with its audience. However, the fruits of your labor can quickly disappear if your staff cannot keep up with calls, properly screen prospects and clients, or follow up promptly. Part of any good marketing campaign or year-round marketing effort is having a strategy in place to properly handle all of the leads (phone calls) that result from your campaign. Working with a professional answering service company to be sure that you don’t miss any of those calls can make the difference between gaining sales or losing sales.
How can an answering service maximize your marketing campaign?
As your company grows, so will your call volume. As your call volume increases, your ability to turn calls into new customers can become more challenging. Organizing calls based on importance requires a great deal of time and attention dedicated to lead management. A professional answering service is highly experienced in handling an increase in call volume from marketing campaigns whether they are running for a limited time or running indefinitely. An answering service will also know how to prioritize your needs and help you get to the best leads first, giving you an incredible advantage over your competition.
Wouldn’t hiring more staff be cheaper than hiring an answering service?
Hiring an answering service is much more cost-efficient than hiring employees for a few reasons. If you decide to hire new employees to handle your new business, you will have to dedicate time and resources to the hiring and training process. You will also have to offer a salary, benefits, and paid time off. By hiring an answering service, you do not have to spend extra time and money on any of those things. Our experts have years of customer service experience and come ready to work and improve your lead management. Additionally, when you hire employees, you make them a permanent part of your team, even if you do not always need their assistance. By hiring an answering service, you can scale these services up or down, depending on your needs. The best call answering services are designed to run as a seamless part of your marketing operation as you need assistance. Your live operator team can work 365/24/7 and is fully trained per your specifications for call handling and call routing.
Is hiring an answering service worth it?
Yes! Answering services do not just offer help by answering the phone. We offer an incredible variety of services that get to the bottom of what your business needs. We take pride in our ability to get to know the businesses we assist. Our goal is to become familiar with your needs and seamlessly become the first interaction your clients have. Our agents understand how to provide quality customer service and how to maximize the potential of every call they take on your behalf.
What are other benefits to working with an answering service?
Your answering service operators are supported by the most current telephony software and equipment in the industry. This ensures their efficiency in call answering and routing and facilitates their ability to sync with your systems. They can also sell, cross-sell, conduct research, and cold call for you. This sophisticated equipment works in combination with our service’s quality assurance programs, procedures, and implementation. In addition to offering technology that assists with answering and organizing calls, the right answering service can provide you with the analytics that are particularly important to you in a concentrated marketing effort – or even in your day-to-day efforts. From these, you receive key insights into your customer service operations and sales activities. Your marketing campaigns work hard to deliver the sales results your business needs. Ensure their success by using a top-quality, professional answering service to take all of your call overflow so you never miss a customer contact.
Pittsburgh Telephone Answering Service: Your Marketing Calls Experts
Quick increases in call volume should never impede your success. By allowing our team of experts at Pittsburgh Telephone Answering Service to handle your marketing lead management, you can effectively maximize your marketing campaigns. We have a team of professionals at your constant disposal to act as a member of your marketing team. We specialize in assisting independent business owners or mobile professionals with small and large businesses. Our professionals know that missed calls can result in lost revenue and dissatisfied clients so we make sure you are covered with a wide array of answering services customized to meet the demands of your specific business - no matter the industry.
Contact us today to find out more about how we can help your business with its marketing lead management efforts.
Publish Date: March 31, 2021 |
Many businesses consider outsourcing their answering services process when they are in growth mode or would like to be. If you are considering outsourcing your business’s call answering services, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of doing so.
Knowing when to outsource your calls to a call center is simple. Is the productivity of your business in any way diminished by an influx of calls or emails? Could your company answer more calls? Are they often forced to put aside other tasks because of incoming calls? Do you presently have calls, emails or voicemails that have not been returned? If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, it is time to find out about what Pittsburgh Telephone Answering Service can do for you and your company to help you focus on your goals and grow your brand. Contact us today!
Source: https://www.pittsburghanswering.com/pros-and-cons-of-outsourcing-answering-services/
Publish Date: March 7, 2019 |
Many businesses consider outsourcing their answering services process when they are in growth mode or would like to be. If you are considering outsourcing your business’s call answering services, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of doing so.
Knowing when to outsource your calls to a call center is simple. Is the productivity of your business in any way diminished by an influx of calls or emails? Could your company answer more calls? Are they often forced to put aside other tasks because of incoming calls? Do you presently have calls, emails or voicemails that have not been returned? If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, it is time to find out about what Pittsburgh Telephone Answering Service can do for you and your company to help you focus on your goals and grow your brand. Contact us today!
Source: https://www.pittsburghanswering.com/pros-and-cons-of-outsourcing-answering-services/
Publish Date: March 7, 2019 |
Virtually any type of business will benefit from the opportunity to always be in touch with customers by using a call answering service. Some industries, in particular, find the services vital to their success. Here are the top industries that use call answering services and an explanation of how each depends on companies that make sure they never miss a call.
How Answering Services Can Help Your Business Within…
Medical Industry
For the medical industry, missing a call may be a life or death matter. Medical professionals use call answering services that are compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to handle a variety of important communication tasks depending on the area they practice in:
Medical Practices
Nursing Services and Home Healthcare
Home IV Infusions
Hospice
Pharmacies
Medical Equipment
HVAC and Plumbing Industries
The HVAC and plumbing industries depend on having access to customer calls 24/7, 365 days a year. Here’s how a call answering service can help:
Property Management and Real Estate Industries
Missing calls is not an option for those who want to succeed in the property management and real estate industries. Call answering services provide assistance with:
Legal Industry
Both attorneys and court reporters benefit from call answering services:
Attorneys
Court Reporters
Funeral Directors
It is essential that all calls are handled with the highest level of respect, compassion, and urgency in the funeral industry. Call services can help with:
Contractors and Construction Industry
When contractors and others who work in construction miss a call, they likely miss getting business or risk losing what they have. Here’s how call answering services help make certain that doesn’t happen by handling:
Government Agencies
Many of the calls that government agencies receive can’t wait to be handled. This is why call answering services support governments by facilitating contact regarding:
Insurance Industry
Customers contact insurance companies on a regular basis. To handle the call volume, call answering services assist them with:
Disaster Restoration Industry
The urgency of calls related to disaster restoration services is clear, which is why companies in this industry depend on call answering services 24/7 to address:
Transportation Industry
Constant contact between customers and transportation businesses is the norm. Here’s what call answering services do for them:
Non-Profit and Charities
Over the course of any year, non-profits and charities experience high call numbers multiple times. To make sure that none are lost, they often work with call answering services for help with:
Locksmiths
Most of the calls that locksmiths receive are urgent so their call answering services address:
Oil and Gas Industry
Urgent contact from customers is routine in the oil and gas industry, which often relies on call answering services to field:
Professional and Commercial Services
No matter what business you’re in, a call answering service can facilitate:
Pittsburgh Telephone Answering Service is Right for Your Business
Pittsburgh Telephone Answering Service is a virtual receptionist company that provides live telephone answering services that replace the need for voicemail. With us, you have a team of professionals at your constant disposal, acting as your very important virtual personal assistant. We specialize in partnering with independent business owners or mobile professionals with small and large businesses. Missed calls are missed opportunities and can result in lost revenue, dissatisfied customers or a medical emergency left in the balance. PTAS provides a wide array of customized services to meet the demands of multiple industries. Contact us today to find out more about how we can help your business handle your call volume, regardless of the industry.
Source: https://www.pittsburghanswering.com/top-industries-using-call-answering-services/
Publish Date: February 1, 2019 |
As the new year is quickly approaching, now is a good time to refine your strategy for providing the best service to customers who call your company. With many companies turning to professional telephone answering services, there are numerous technologies that can seamlessly integrate these services with your sales and customer relationship management (CRM) systems in real time.
One vehicle that has emerged as a way to accomplish this is the Application Programming Interface (API). APIs allow for the creation of web-based forms that your telephone answering services company can use to communicate with your systems in real time. Using the API system, their agents can see the parts of your company’s systems that you would like them to see and communicate with, without their having access to the administrative portions of your software and systems. It essentially removes the need to train non-employees on your systems and protects the integrity of your systems and data – as well as that of your customers.
Many companies that provide business software solutions also provide APIs – either in cloud or software form. Following are several vendors to consider:
Pittsburgh Telephone Answering Service (PTAS) provides live telephone operator and answering services that replace the need for voicemail and increase customer satisfaction. With PTAS on your team, you have professional agents at your constant disposal, acting as your very important virtual personal assistant. At PTAS, we help independent business owners and mobile professionals with small and large businesses with their daily tasks. Missing customer calls can lead to lost revenue from upset customers or for a healthcare professional, it can mean a medical emergency left in the balance. We are able to provide custom solutions that meet the demands of multiple industries.
Contact us today to talk about how we can help you grow your business in 2019 with a call answering solution that integrates seamlessly with your CRM or Sales software.
Source: https://www.pittsburghanswering.com/telephone-answering-solution-2019/
Publish Date: November 28, 2018 |
As the new year is quickly approaching, now is a good time to refine your strategy for providing the best service to customers who call your company. With many companies turning to professional telephone answering services, there are numerous technologies that can seamlessly integrate these services with your sales and customer relationship management (CRM) systems in real time.
One vehicle that has emerged as a way to accomplish this is the Application Programming Interface (API). APIs allow for the creation of web-based forms that your telephone answering services company can use to communicate with your systems in real time. Using the API system, their agents can see the parts of your company’s systems that you would like them to see and communicate with, without their having access to the administrative portions of your software and systems. It essentially removes the need to train non-employees on your systems and protects the integrity of your systems and data – as well as that of your customers.
Many companies that provide business software solutions also provide APIs – either in cloud or software form. Following are several vendors to consider:
Pittsburgh Telephone Answering Service (PTAS) provides live telephone operator and answering services that replace the need for voicemail and increase customer satisfaction. With PTAS on your team, you have professional agents at your constant disposal, acting as your very important virtual personal assistant. At PTAS, we help independent business owners and mobile professionals with small and large businesses with their daily tasks. Missing customer calls can lead to lost revenue from upset customers or for a healthcare professional, it can mean a medical emergency left in the balance. We are able to provide custom solutions that meet the demands of multiple industries.
Contact us today to talk about how we can help you grow your business in 2019 with a call answering solution that integrates seamlessly with your CRM or Sales software.
Source: https://www.pittsburghanswering.com/telephone-answering-solution-2019/
Publish Date: November 28, 2018 |
Did you know that over 60% of consumers prefer speaking to a live agent rather than an automated system? Large companies often struggle with customer satisfaction because with such a large client-base, it’s nearly impossible to provide quality customer service and brand communication. Small and medium-sized businesses, or SMBs, don’t experience the same demands and therefore can differentiate themselves by allowing customers to seek answers to their questions and information about their accounts in real-time instead of waiting for an email response back from an agent.
It can be difficult for a large company to connect directly to each of their customers and maintain the same entrepreneurial spirit they started with once they operate at a large scale. This gives SMBs quite a competitive edge over larger companies. However, this can become tricky as customers have that expectation and often choose a business that operates on a smaller scale because they want closer contact and better customer satisfaction. This also poses a challenge to medium-sized companies who experience several demands but rely on positive public relations to retain their client base. Thus, having a call answering service where you can be reached should be the goal of every company that strives to connect with their customer base.
With an answering service, you won’t ever have to miss a call because you were busy helping a customer in-store, managing employees or completing any of the other hundreds of tasks SMB owners are confronted with. Spend time focusing on critically important tasks that you are constantly faced with and leave the call answering to a call answering service.
Properly equipped call answering services can make things as personalized as any SMB may need; from personalized scripts to custom messaging, call answering services can be made to fit the precise needs of any company. By outsourcing customer calls to a call answering service who is properly equipped, businesses can easily save time by not having to manage calls or train employees with proper call answering protocol. Having a dedicated team taking care of calls will provide customers with the individualized attention they crave and seek and will ultimately strengthen customer satisfaction and brand communication.
Are you the owner of a small- or medium-sized business looking to keep your customers happy? Regardless of your industry or field, contact Pittsburgh Telephone Answering Service today to discuss the answering service options available to provide your customers with optimal customer service, 24/7.
Source: https://www.pittsburghanswering.com/communication-is-key-smb-customer-service/
Publish Date: September 12, 2018 |
Call answering solutions go through various dispositions to understand the call volume, level of importance of the call, and where the call should be queued. Should the call route directly to the associate or forward to the telephone answering service for a later response? The infographic below outlines the call flow.
Technology has vastly improved how we live; however, new users often have questions. IT questions from customers can range from minor problems to intricate issues that quickly become very technical. Regardless of the issue, IT customer calls are usually paired with frustration which can escalate if not handled properly. Many IT developers are confronted with the challenge of balancing time, efforts and personnel between creating new products and customer support. Properly handling a frustrated caller by knowing how to identify the level of importance for each call and knowing where a call should be queued can drastically improve an IT business’ call flow by managing calls and ensuring that calls are answered quickly and correctly. This, in turn, provides developers more time and attention to focus on creating and enhancing products.
Customer satisfaction is perhaps the most critical component to the success of a manufacturing business. A large factor in ensuring customer satisfaction deals with not only properly handling the answering of calls but also maintaining a positive brand identity. Preserving a positive brand identity starts with customer interactions. By outsourcing customer support calls to a call answering service that is experienced in providing stellar customer service, manufacturing businesses save time by not having to manage calls or needing to train employees on proper call flow and call management. This also ensures that customers will speak positively of their experience and help strengthen their brand loyalty in addition to acquiring loyalty from customers’ family and acquaintances.
Online shopping has presented retail businesses with new challenges on managing calls. Call flow patterns are rapidly changing as online customers are not able to ask questions about products at the point of purchase. These challenges are creating growing demands for superb customer support and immediacy in finding answers. In the age of busy schedules, instant gratification, and constant urgency, retailers are often faced with customers who want to address their questions or complaints with speed and accuracy. A telephone answering service knows how to manage calls properly and create a call flow pattern that will best meet the specific needs of varied retailers.
As an experienced answering service, at Pittsburgh Telephone Answering Service, we train all of our representatives thoroughly to help them understand how to better assist your callers. The goal is always to have the caller feel so well taken care of that they believe they are speaking to a member of your own team. If you are interested in discussing the services available to your IT, manufacturing or retail business, contact Pittsburgh Telephone Answering Service today.
Source: http://www.pittsburghanswering.com/industry-customer-service-efficiency/
Publish Date: July 23, 2018 |
An area that commonly needs a little more attention from business owners is catching up with missed or unanswered calls and emails and finding new ways to keep up with clients and vendors. If your company is being weighed down with missed calls, unanswered voicemails or emails piling up quicker than you can answer them, maybe it’s time to consider a spring cleaning for your call answering services. Don’t have the time to do so? Outsourcing call answering services to a call center might be right for your business, whether you’re a construction company, plumber or accounting firm.
Hiring a call center is an easy and effective solution to outsourcing old missed calls and emails as well organize new calls and emails that come in. Many businesses find that hiring a receptionist who can tackle every call effectively, patiently and correctly is not easy, as receptionists often end up handling additional tasks such as greeting guests and directing visitors. Receptionists also mean wages, benefits and a workspace; businesses typically spend tens of thousands of dollars on hiring someone to answer the phone, save and outsource! No matter how experienced they may be, hiring a new receptionist will also require hours of training for your specific business; training new hires can mean 30 or more hours of paid training time as well as first-time errors. By outsourcing calls, you not only guarantee that your calls will be answered by a trained call-answering specialist, but you will not fall behind in getting back to your clients, vendors, etc. while spending less.
Knowing when to outsource your calls to a call center is simple. Is the productivity of your business in any way diminished by an influx of calls or emails? Are your employees bogged down with unanswered calls? Are they often forced to put aside other tasks because of incoming calls? Do you presently have calls, emails or voicemails that have not been returned? If you answered yes to any of those questions then investing in an answering service might just be the spring cleaning routine your business needs most to be more successful.
Contact our team at Pittsburgh Telephone Answering Service today to discuss the best approach for a spring cleaning of your business’s calls. Our team of experienced, professional telephone representatives is ready to help you succeed!
Source: http://www.pittsburghanswering.com/benefits-of-outsourcing-call-answering/
Publish Date: June 22, 2018 |
Do you have ideas on how to bring about fresh changes to your business now that spring is here? An area that commonly needs a little more attention from business owners is catching up with missed or unanswered calls and emails and finding new ways to keep up with clients and vendors. If your company is being weighed down with missed calls, unanswered voicemails or emails piling up quicker than you can answer them, maybe it’s time to consider a spring cleaning for your business practices. Don’t have the time to do so? Outsourcing call answering services to a call center might be right for your business, whether you’re a construction company, plumber or accounting firm.
Hiring a call center is an easy and effective solution to outsourcing old missed calls and emails as well as organize new calls and emails that come in. Many businesses find that hiring a receptionist who can tackle every call effectively, patiently and correctly is not easy, as receptionists often end up handling additional tasks such as greeting guests and directing visitors. Receptionists also mean wages, benefits and a workspace; instead of spending funds on hiring someone to answer the phone, consider saving money by outsourcing calls to an answering service. No matter how experienced they may be, hiring a new receptionist will also require hours of training for your specific business; training new hires can mean 30 or more hours of paid training time as well as first-time errors. By outsourcing calls, you not only guarantee that your calls will be answered by a trained call-answering specialist, but you will not fall behind in getting back to your clients, vendors, etc. while spending less.
Knowing when to outsource calls to a call center is simple. Is the productivity of your business in any way diminished by an influx of calls or emails? Are your employees bogged down with unanswered calls? Are they often forced to put aside other tasks because of incoming calls? Do you presently have calls, emails or voicemails that have not been returned? If you answered yes to any of those questions then investing in outsourcing calls to an answering service might just be the spring cleaning routine your business needs most to be more successful.
Contact our team at Pittsburgh Telephone Answering Service today to discuss the best approach for a spring cleaning of your business’s calls. Our team of experienced, professional telephone representatives is ready to help you succeed!
Source: http://www.pittsburghanswering.com/spring-call-cleaning/
Publish Date: April 24, 2018 |
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