How A Virtual Receptionist Works

Remote working has become and is continuing to become more popular in modern times. With that being said, lots of positions that were traditionally in-person are becoming virtual. One of those said positions is a receptionist. Now, virtual receptionists are not a brand-new concept, but just like many other positions that are now becoming remote, the popularity of virtual receptionists is growing.

If virtual receptionists are a new concept to you, we are here to teach you how they work and how they can benefit your business. The working world is changing, and you will have to start changing with it.

Clyde Offices can assist you in your journey! We provide several virtual office services from our city centre offices in Glasgow, including telephone answering, appointment booking, virtual assistance services, and more.

Continue reading to learn how a virtual receptionist can maximize your business’s productivity!

What a Virtual Receptionist Does

A regular, in-office receptionist answers incoming mobile calls, calls people, takes messages, and performs other administrative tasks while inside the office. A virtual receptionist does all those same tasks, but from somewhere else that is not in the office.

How A Virtual Receptionist Works

While a virtual receptionist’s job description is not that different from an in-office receptionist, the difference is that you must trust that your virtual receptionist is handling calls, transferring calls, handling leads, informing you of calls and messages, and acting like a professional because they are not physically there for you to see in action. Having a good virtual receptionist means that your administrative needs will be met, and they will help your business run smoothly and efficiently.

Tasks that Your Virtual Receptionist Will Do

Receive Calls

Your virtual receptionist can receive and answer your mobile calls for you. To do that, you can forward your calls to your virtual receptionist if you or your team are unable to answer them quickly enough. You can even make it to that your calls will automatically be transferred to your virtual receptionist if you are not able to answer them at a given time. This way makes it much easier for your calls to be handled, so you are not constantly missing calls or having to call clients back because you are busy with other tasks.

Transfer Calls

With a virtual receptionist, you can have mobile calls transferred to you as well. Calls will be transferred only if you are available to take them, which you can let your receptionist know by setting your status. Let your receptionist know if you are or are not accepting call transfers, and they can do the work from there.

Your virtual receptionist can also filter calls so that you aren’t bombarded with rings from things that do not require your immediate attention. Not only will your receptionist transfer and filter calls, but they will also make sure calls are being transferred properly. Your virtual receptionist will transfer calls to whichever department the caller needs to speak with, whether that be the customer service department, sales, tech support, etc.

Taking Messages

Your virtual receptionist will also handle taking and sending messages. If you cannot answer the phone immediately, your receptionist can take a detailed message from the caller and send you, via text or email, all the important information you need from the caller. That way, you will have all the information you need to follow up with the caller when you have time to do so.

Other Important Tasks Your VR Can Do

Customer Support- Your virtual assistant can handle customer support tickets and message customers through the system, so you don’t have to worry about answering every single customer invoice.

Scheduling Appointments- Your VR can schedule important meetings, calls, and more for you, according to your current schedule. You don’t have to worry about your receptionist scheduling something that conflicts with your current timeline because your VR pays great attention to what it can and can’t fit in.

Add New Leads- If new leads have been found through your CRM system, your VR can add those leads to your list so you can reach out to them when it is most convenient for you. No more having to search for and record leads by yourself!

What Can a Virtual Receptionist Do for Clients?

Now you know how a virtual receptionist can help you. So, what can a virtual receptionist do for your clients? Providing great service for your clients is just as important as handling your business tasks, so here is what your virtual receptionist can do from the client side:

Personal Conversations with Clients: Just because your secretary is virtual, it doesn’t mean your clients will have to deal with the annoying automated or pre-recorded prompts. When a client wants to speak to a person, they will be transferred to a real human so they can converse about their topic. Nothing is more annoying to clients than having to deal with a wonky, automated prompt. With a virtual receptionist, your clients can speak to actual people.

Ideal Communication and Problem Solving: The goal of a virtual receptionist is to make handling your business tasks easier. That also applies to communicating with clients and helping them with any issues. Once you give your business details to your virtual receptionist program, it will know how to answer customer questions and communicate with them in a way that is professional and personable. Your virtual receptionist will use your information to help callers by scheduling appointments, answering questions, prompting them to leave a message, transferring them to another department, and much more.

Why Choose a Virtual Receptionist?

Technology has advanced so much in the past several years. Gone are the days when you must rely on one person to remember all your business information to say the right thing to a client or handle your business tasks. A virtual receptionist learns about your business and uses that information to handle administrative assignments and provide quality 24/7 service to your clients, all on your terms and up to your standards.

If you are ready to expand your business, opt for getting a virtual receptionist! We at Clyde Offices would love to help you take the next step in your business! Click here to learn how our virtual assistant can maximize your business productivity!