9 reasons to consider call answering services

Now, I know what you’re thinking – ‘Do I really need a call answering service?’ 

Well, as the heading suggests, there’s more than one reason why you might. And sure, you can physically answer the phone yourself, and you may know your business better than anybody else. But does that necessarily mean you’re the best person to answer the call? And is it the best use of your time every time it rings? 

Let’s face it, answering the phone and the other admin duties that come with that can be a full-time job. And of course, the busier you get, the more calls you receive. 

Sometimes it’s better to get someone else in to take care of customers and inbound leads.

So, in no particular order let’s go through 9 of the main reasons why a call answering service could help you grow, expand and (most importantly) stay in control of your business.

1. Never miss a call again

Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, our call answering services will help to ensure you never miss another call. 

There are few things more frustrating in running a small business than dragging yourself away from an important task to answer a call only to find it was a sales call or, worse still, a wrong number. 

And you’ll never know if that call you just couldn’t get to in time, would‘ve been that next big client. 

A trained and experienced virtual receptionist can answer every call you receive just the way you want before sharing the details with you. 

They can collect leads and deal with some customer questions on behalf of your business, and your clients get a professional and satisfying service.

Naturally, you’re not going to want to leave your reception spiel to chance. So, you can write a script for your call handler to follow and include your company name, any key information and a request for any data you want to be collected. Once the call is complete, they forward you the details for you to follow up at a convenient time.

You’re happy. Your client’s happy. And you’ll never miss a call again.

2. Focus on what you do best

Time is precious when you’re working for yourself. It’s amazing how tea breaks and water cooler moments are less frequent when every second counts. A call answering service helps make sure you dedicate as much of your own time as possible where it matters most. 

A virtual reception frees up you and your staff to focus on what you do best. Incoming calls and enquiries are important to keep your business flowing, but they’re not always convenient as the time they take up. 

Of course, if there’s an important call, it can be transferred right away. But most clients and customers understand and accept that there are times when you can’t take a call. 

They might get frustrated if they keep calling and nobody answers. But as long as their call is answered and you get back to them, most people are happy.

A virtual personal assistant can go one step further than a virtual receptionist and take orders, and book appointments, so your day is almost admin free. 

And if you need to make changes to your call script or your account information, you can log in to our online Virtually There Portal anytime from anywhere to update your account. Now, that is a tiny bit of admin for you – but at least it’s on a ‘when you want it’ basis.

3. 30-day trial

Services that don’t meet your needs are a waste of money. And few of us are in the business of just throwing money away. That’s why we offer new customers a £1 30-day trial for our Virtual Receptionist plan. 

If at the end of the trial you don’t see any value in the service and want to cancel, that’s fine. All of our services offer a cancel any time option. But we’re confident you’ll find it frees up your time, gives you greater control over your working day and adds an extra layer of professionalism to your business.

Which brings us neatly to how much our call answering services cost:

4. Services start from just £25 per month

Prices start from just £25 per month with a pay-per-call fee of £1.10. 

If you’re more interested in paying a set fee each month, we also have packages that offer inclusive monthly minutes and tailored call transfers starting at just £48 per month.

We’ll let you do the maths on how much of your hourly rate that eats into. But we’re fairly confident the answer is ‘not much’ and it is certainly more cost-effective than employing a receptionist or having you or another member of staff spend hours on the phone every month.

So, it’s easy to see why small, medium and large businesses use call answering services. For as little as £25 a month, you get a trained, trusted and professional UK-based receptionist. 

When you compare this to the recruitment and employment costs of hiring a new member of staff, or the impact of relying on another valued team member to man the phones, the savings are pretty obvious. And as the first 30 days are just £1, you have nothing to lose by trying it out.

5. Choose a local or national number 

If your business needs a local number, you can have one. In fact, we offer regional phone numbers for all locations across the UK. 

These numbers are a great way to advertise your company as a local business, even if you work elsewhere.

You can even pick a virtual office in any of the major cities across the UK. This can help you grow the stature of your brand and expand into new territories. And choosing a phone number for each location can help you deliver a more personalised service. 

6. Cancel any time with no penalties to pay

We’re so confident you’ll find value in our call answering services that we not only offer a 1 month trial for our Virtual Receptionist plan, but we offer terms that allow you to cancel any time.

 All costs are crystal clear and transparent with no hidden fees or small print. 

And as part of the arrangement, you can walk away anytime you like. If you decide phone answering services are not for you, you can cancel anytime with just a months’ notice.

Likewise, if you need to scale your call handling services up or down, our virtual receptionists and virtual personal assistant packages offer the flexibility to do so. 

A phone answering service should always unburden you, not give you more to worry about.

7. No set-up fees

There should be no set up costs when signing up to call answering services. As far as we’re concerned, you’re going to be paying for the services you want and need, so there is no reason to go chucking more money at this service.

And that goes for all of the services we provide. 

Once you decide to go ahead, we’ll get straight on it and have you set up within 24 hours. 

8. UK based receptionists 

We only use UK-based receptionists who have demonstrated clear, professional communication skills. 

Our clients rely on our virtual receptionists and virtual assistants’ understanding and knowledge of the UK and their industries to represent their businesses in the best way.

You basically get a fully-trained and reliable member of reception staff at a fraction of the cost of recruitment, let alone the ongoing costs of employment.

All of our reception team receive ongoing support and training to ensure they always meet your and your customers’ expectations.

9. Plans to suit all business sizes

However big or small your business, there are call answering packages to meet your needs. If you just need a virtual receptionist to take calls and share the details, rates start at £25 per month plus an additional £1.10 per call. 

If you’re a bigger business or have a higher call volume to deal with, you can take advantage of our six Virtual Personal Assistant plans which come with inclusive minutes. Your virtual PA can use a more detailed script, transfer live calls to your staff, book appointments, take orders, and more. 

Call answering services can hugely benefit almost all business types. Whether you need someone to cover a small part of your day or take on all of your inbound calls, phone answering services provide a flexible and affordable option for all businesses.

Paul Sandquest

Head of Marketing

Paul is Head of Marketing at Virtually There and has over a decade of experience supporting businesses across the globe.