Businesses have been known to become wildly successful in a very short time. If that moment ever touches your business, you will be flooded with phone calls to make appointments, purchase products, etc. Do you even know what you will do? You cannot answer phones all day; the rest of your business would suffer. Here are some tips for dealing with success and your phone systems for business purposes:
Someone to Answer Phones
Secretary, administrative assistant, office assistant; whatever you call the position, be sure to hire some help to answer the phones. The primary line into the office becomes the receptionist's phone. He or she can then man the phones, transfer calls, and answer customer questions. As your business continues to grow and become even more successful, you will have to hire more phone reps.
Phone Relay Systems
If the person you hire to answer phones is going to put people on hold, answer more incoming calls, and transfer calls to you, you are going to need a phone relay system. Lucky for you, your phone service provider has this business option for anyone who needs it. Prior to the first day that your assistant starts work, make sure your phone company sets up the relay systems.
Voicemail
You cannot be in the office 24/7. Neither can the person answering the phone calls at the front desk. If you take lunches around the same time rather than staggered lunch times, calls can be missed. Do not miss an opportunity to make money. Make sure your phone system has voice mail.
Outsourcing Calls
You know that your business has really hit the big time when you cannot answer phone calls and voicemail messages fast enough. This can cause you to bleed money rather than acquire it. At this point, it may be a good idea to outsource your calls or hire a dozen phone reps to answer incoming calls. If you do not have the office space to or the money to hire that many people, then outsourcing is the perfect option.
If and when you finally need to outsource calls, there are several reputable companies that make this their primary business. They offer several service packages that can help. Ask your phone system installation technician about the companies that act as third-party responders for successful local businesses and their influx of daily calls. There is a good chance the technician has helped set up their phone systems.
Contact a company that specializes in phone systems for business for more information and assistance.
