4 Ways an Answering Service Can Help You Maximize Office Workflows

Phones ringing off the hook at the office? It’s an irritation, for sure – and definitely a distraction when there’s work to be done. But before you sink precious dollars into the costly gamble of a new hire simply to stop the incessant ringing, consider hiring a quality answering service. An outsourced team can relieve your on-site team of monotonous tasks, while helping you to maximize office workflows.

Here’s how answering services can maximize office workflows:

• Customized message tickets: Answering service agents are trained to take highly detailed and accurate messages, which can then be sent to you quickly and efficiently via your preferred platform, be it email, text message, our client web portal, or telephone call. Emergency calls are defined using protocols that you, as the business owner, specifically establish and can be immediately escalated to preauthorized on-call personnel. Otherwise, after-hour messages that don’t fit the criteria can be held until the next workday. Ultimately, this saves you and your team stress, frustration, and sleepless nights.
• Customized recorded informational greetings: Customized greetings maximize workflows by simply keeping your customers informed. Messages, which can be scheduled to play for a predetermined period of time before defaulting to a standard greeting, can provide your callers with the basics, such as hours, locations, directions, closings, and so much more – freeing your on-site staff from repeatedly answering the same questions.
• Customized account procedures: The best answering services provide 100% personalized and customizable client accounts. Essentially, what this means, is that your customers will always be greeted in a swift and professional manner that is entirely based on your brand of customer service. Pair basic answering solutions with optional add-ons, such as secured texting and other message retrieval/delivery options, and discover virtually endless ways to maximize office workflows.
• Automatic call forwarding: Call forwarding options maximize office workflows by redirecting customers to an answering service whenever your in-house team is busy or otherwise indisposed. Whether seasonal spikes in traffic require added coverage, or you simply need overflow relief to make certain your customers aren’t discouraged by voicemail – call forwarding solutions, offered by your telephone service provider, are a sensational tool.
  • Delayed Call Forwarding reroutes calls to your answering service after a certain number of rings go unanswered.
  • Busy Call Forwarding directs calls to your answering service whenever your office line is occupied, ensuring that your customers are never greeted by a busy signal.
  • Scheduled Call Forwarding is just what it sounds like. Calls are forwarded to your answering service at predetermined times throughout the day.

Additionally, automatic call forwarding solutions relieve your on-site staff of monotonous phone duties, allowing them to focus on more mission critical tasks, like making sales and generating leads.  Still, it is important to remember to always inform the phone company when your practice is closed for holidays, inclement weather, or vacations.

Edwards Answering Service is dedicated to helping your business run smoothly. We regularly assist diverse businesses from multiple industries, no matter where they are or what kind of work they do. Contact us today to find out how we can help you maximize office workflows and ask about our free 1-week trial.