We commissioned OnePoll to explore customer attitudes to AI and bots<\/a> and the results were clear. Of the 6,000 consumers polled:<\/p>\n\n\n\n AI and bots may offer companies convenience but they frustrate customers. They don\u2019t build trust. But a live answering service for small businesses does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Small businesses may struggle to compete with industry leaders on marketing budgets and reach. But they can compete on customer service. And a live answering service for small businesses can have a positive impact on your business within hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First impressions matter. And so does speed as customers don\u2019t want to keep calling trying to get through. A live answering service for small businesses makes sure every customer feels heard. Even if you can\u2019t solve issues right away, taking the call and providing great customer service goes a long way to building trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Answering services have been around for years because the ROI is undeniable. Today, where it takes seconds to find pages of companies offering the services you seek \u2013 being the company that always<\/em> picks up the phone to help is a powerful way to stand out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At AnswerConnect we know that 5 star customer service is an incredible way to build your brand and a great way for people to hear from other businesses that are in similar circumstances. Make sure that you make your Trustpilot page easily accessible for your customers, so that they can leave positive reviews after receiving exemplary service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can do this by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Enhancing customer satisfaction with live answering services provides excellent customer service 24\/7. The phone call is the most convenient and effective as it has the crucial \u201chuman touch\u201d customers want. With phone lines open at all times, you can capture high-interest leads and make more sales around the clock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leads entering your sales pipeline via capture forms and email inquiries is a good thing (of course). But that process is slower than direct 1:1 contact. Many leads drop out before they get to talk to a virtual receptionist. The average response time for web leads is 17 hours<\/a>. With a live answering service for small businesses, leads get instant customer service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A 24\/7 answering service makes it easy to capture, qualify, and prioritize leads faster. Speed is key, as after 5 minutes the odds of qualifying a lead drop by 80%<\/a>! A team of friendly receptionists uses your lead-qualification criteria to screen callers and send you the details afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It takes time and money to recruit staff and train them up to standard if you want to manage phone lines in-house. Plus, you\u2019ll need to regularly adjust as the number of calls fluctuates month to month. There\u2019s a risk of paying for receptionists you don\u2019t need, or struggling to find more ASAP when business picks up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A live answering service equipped to help small businesses saves you money as you can adjust your plan month to month; you only pay for what you need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Happy customers will recommend you to their friends and family. A simple way to make customers happy is by having a real person answering the phone. No matter the industry, customers love to know they can always talk to a real person whatever time they call. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Voicemail machines and bots catch the calls you miss but\u2026 they create a backlog of people to call back! You end up reaching callers\u2019 voicemail machines (oh the irony). Or it\u2019s too late and they\u2019ve found help elsewhere. Either way, voicemail machines and bots create more work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Employees spend an average of one day a week dealing with customer problems<\/a>. It makes you wonder \u2013 how many of those problems could have been solved with a quick phone call? <\/p>\n\n\n\n An answering service eases into a workflow with a customized protocol to manage calls, so you can focus on tasks that grow your business \u2013 minus the stress of managing phone lines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A reputable answering service adapts to your business model. You won\u2019t need to adapt to theirs! You can get up and running with a small business live answering service and start experiencing the benefits within 24 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many services offer a call-overflow service, after-hours only, or they can take every<\/em> call for you 24\/7. As part of their onboarding process, they\u2019ll help you create custom brand scripts so your values are reflected on every call. Plus, a protocol will be put in place to manage every type of query.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Live answering services for small businesses tend to offer flexible contracts too, so you can upgrade or downgrade your plan as call volume fluctuates throughout the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another common fear is that business owners won\u2019t be able to handle the workload that follows a higher influx of calls. This shouldn\u2019t be a problem as most live answering services offer more than just answering calls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Common answering services include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n McGraw Realtors was in the top ten fastest-growing real estate companies in the US. But with the rapid expansion came some growing pains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chris Swift, Director of Operations, needed help managing a high number of calls across multiple locations. But he was hesitant as he\u2019d worked with a live answering service before. And it was a disaster:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We met with Swift in 2021 and walked him through our process before we partnered; he\u2019s still a valued customer three years on. Swift is now managing 20 different locations with Answerconnect<\/a>. He said that customized scripts have made setting up customer service lines in new offices \u201ca breeze.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another long-standing client of ours, Kristen Fercho, Operations Director at Mosquito Squad of Columbia has been an AnswerConnect client since 2018. When COVID-19 shook the world, AnswerConnect helped her delight customers with exceptional customer service despite COVID-19\u2019s disruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Make 5-star customer service a competitive advantage with a live answering service for small businesses.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/answerconnect-blog\/1\/2024\/04\/Screenshot-2024-04-16-at-15.21.32.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nHow a live answering service drives ROI.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Make more sales<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Secure more high-quality leads and qualify them faster<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Reduce recruitment and training costs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Increased customer satisfaction<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Boost productivity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How answering services meet the needs of small businesses.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"blank](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/answerconnect-blog\/1\/2024\/04\/blank-flow-chart.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnswerConnect\u2019s positive impact on small businesses.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"team](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/answerconnect-blog\/1\/2024\/04\/team-discussing-about-a-project.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"team](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/answerconnect-blog\/1\/2024\/04\/team-working.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n