What Does A Virtual Receptionist Do?
You may have heard of virtual receptionists or assistants, but what do they actually do? Virtual receptionists are responsible for answering calls and emails, scheduling appointments, conducting research, and more.
They can also handle administrative tasks, like filing paperwork or taking inventory. These tasks are done remotely, which means your business doesn’t have to pay for an office space while you’re getting off the ground.
What Are The Benefits Of Virtual Receptionists?
Virtual receptionists are a great way to grow your business, save money and help you run your office more efficiently. The benefits of using a virtual assistant include the following:
· Reduced costs
Virtual receptionists cost less than full-time employees. They also don’t take up space in the office, which saves on rent or lease payments.
· Cheaper insurance premiums
The cost of insurance for a small business can be prohibitively high if you have injured employees. Virtual receptionists will not require insurance policies such as worker’s compensation or liability coverage because they do not work in the office with other employees.
· Improved customer service
A virtual receptionist will provide an excellent first impression for your customers by greeting them warmly when they call and answering questions about the products or services they may need.
These professionals can also help resolve customer concerns quickly by forwarding messages to appropriate staff members in the company. This ensures issues are addressed promptly without waiting for hours, particularly on weekends and out of hours.
· Save Time
Often, a virtual assistant handles telephone answering and other mundane tasks, allowing you more time to concentrate on other important aspects of your business. As a result, you get additional time for vital functions like marketing or increasing sales numbers through new product development or customer service initiatives within your organisation so your business can grow.
· Reduced stress levels
When running a small business with limited resources, every hour counts, and every minute saved is crucial! A virtual receptionist can help reduce the stress levels associated with managing multiple phone lines by recording all incoming calls so you can listen back later – perfect if your clients need to leave a message or you need to check in with them after hours.
You will also save valuable time when dealing with problems because everything from technical issues to missed appointments and payments can be resolved quickly and efficiently.
What Do Virtual Receptionists Actually Do?
Virtual receptionists are a relatively new breed of customer service professionals. They work remotely, often from home offices, and handle incoming calls and messages for companies that don’t have enough employees to run a traditional customer service centre.
There are plenty of misconceptions about their roles, so let’s clear up some confusion.
1. Answer your phone
Virtual assistants are the first line of communication between your business, clients, and customers. They answer your phone, screen calls, and schedule appointments.
In addition to these duties, a virtual receptionist manages incoming faxes and emails and directs visitors to the right person in your office.
You can hire virtual receptionists on a part-time or full-time basis, depending on your needs for coverage during normal business hours. Additionally, you can hire them after hours when you need someone on call to handle emergencies or unexpected meetings with clients or customers who drop by unexpectedly.
2. Schedule appointments and book meetings
A virtual receptionist schedules appointments and books meetings for your company. Your clients can schedule their appointments directly with the receptionist, who will notify you of the appointment time.
They also help to book conference rooms, make hotel reservations, and answer phones.
3. Handle social media inquiries
In addition to answering calls, a virtual assistant can handle your company’s social media. This includes responding to customer questions and comments on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and other platforms you use to promote your business.
The receptionist will also schedule posts for the week on each channel: these might be photos of new products or videos showing how they’re made. They can also handle complaints via your socials.
4. Manage reviews
Reviews are an important part of marketing and should be assessed regularly. A virtual receptionist can help you manage reviews and respond to them when necessary.
They’ll also send out surveys to ensure clients have a positive experience with your company, which can help improve future reviews. Virtual receptionists may also track the number of reviews you receive each month so that you know how many to expect going forward, which helps keep everything on track with minimal effort from you.
What’s more, a virtual receptionist uses review management software to simplify the entire process for both parties involved. This means less time spent reviewing individual reviews or responding to each one individually, allowing more time for other work instead!
Are you hiring a virtual receptionist?
Virtual receptionists are in so many ways similar to traditional receptionists. They can handle calls, take messages, schedule appointments, and perform other clerical duties.
However, they often do so from a remote location—sometimes even overseas. Because of this, it’s essential to choose the right person for the job.
Here are some factors to consider when hiring a virtual receptionist:
· Personality
Personality is an important trait for virtual receptionists. You need someone friendly and engaging. A friendly voice will go a long way toward establishing trust with clients on the phone (or via email).
· Availability
You’ll need someone available not only during regular business hours but also during off-hours when needed (i.e., weekends and holidays).
· Cost
Hiring a virtual receptionist shouldn’t be prohibitively expensive—there are many freelancers available at reasonable rates. However, make sure you’re comparing apples to apples when looking at prices from different providers.
· Communication skills
A good virtual receptionist needs to have excellent communication skills to handle any questions clients may have and ensure customers are happy with the service they’re receiving from your company. They also need to follow up with clients if there are any issues with their requests or inquiries. This requires them to be proactive and diligent in their work.
Are you looking for a virtual receptionist in the UK?
If so, you’ve come to the right place. Clyde Offices offer virtual receptionist services to help your business grow with a highly personalised approach that you can trust.
Our professional virtual receptionists are on hand to take your calls, answer your emails and manage your diary. Our dedicated virtual receptionist services are designed for small businesses that want to get more out of their day-to-day operations without adding additional costs or overheads.
As one of the UK’s leading providers of virtual receptionist services, our experienced professionals can provide a bespoke solution that suits your needs perfectly. Besides, we offer flexible working hours to cater to all your clients.
So whether you’re working from home or travelling abroad, we can provide an exceptional service that fits your schedule. Our team will work closely with you to understand what’s essential to ensure that all your communications are handled efficiently and professionally – whether it’s answering calls or responding to emails.
Conclusion
A virtual receptionist can be an asset to your business if you’re looking to outsource some of the more mundane tasks, like scheduling appointments and answering phones. They can also provide services like social media management or customer service. If you are considering adding one to your team, it’s important to find someone reliable who will do what they say they will do—and do it well!
