More than ever, consumers are expecting rapid replies and immediate outcomes from your business. The pressure to deliver relies on technology, such as chatbots, SMS texts, WhatsApp, and social media messaging, to speed up customer communications.
But are these digital platforms truly the best method to engage your target market and bring in fresh money for your business?
According to studies, 56% of business owners claim phone calls are their customers’ preferred method of communication, rejecting the idea of automated scripts and chatbots. Only 23% of businesses rated text messaging as the most popular, and 21% said WhatsApp.
This indicates customers desire a human voice on the other end of the phone. Despite the rise of digital communication, organisations experiencing repeat business cite the telephone as pivotal to their success.
The quality of Phoneta’s people, who can answer your calls, determines the value of a human voice. Our people are the secret to you converting inquiries into sales and attracting new clients. They’ll be well-versed in your company’s operations, goods and services – responding to any customer query.
Automated responses fall short when it comes to the importance of individualised service. It seems unlikely technology will ever be able to replicate spontaneous human contact accurately.
For most customers, answering machines, voicemail, being put on hold, tinny hold music, and not getting a call back are all turnoffs. These are some of the simplest ways to send them to your rivals. When your target audience is ready to buy, they’re more likely to pick up the phone to get an immediate answer or schedule an appointment.
At Phoneta, we’re on your phones 24/7/365, so you don’t have to be. Our team handles all your calls as if they’re in your office, with the same knowledge as your staff. This allows your business to have a constant telephone answering customer service capability – maximising your marketing, so you never miss a lead.
Instantly grow your team, increase your business hours, and get freedom away from the phone to focus on running your business. All safe in the knowledge that we’re looking after your staff and customers like they are our own. We tailor each call to your business and collect the information you need, passing it over to you within 30 seconds of a customer hanging up.
With three out of four people hanging up without leaving a message, find out precisely what a missed call is worth to your business by getting in touch with us today.
A telephone answering service is where your calls and admin tasks are outsourced. A virtual reception or telephone answering service operates much like a traditional in-house receptionist, but with the freedom of being outsourced and located virtually. From a customer’s perspective, they are none the wiser and the person answering your phone will still seem to be part of your business.
But there is so much more to a telephone answering service than, well, telephone answering. If you leverage our call answering service effectively, it can help your business convert more leads to customers, improve customer service, reduce staff stress levels and so much more.
So, what are our top tips for getting the most out of a call answering service?
Keep the team doing the telephone answering updated
If there are changes in your business, make sure you keep us informed. If your telephone answering team are in the dark about important business or procedure changes, then they can’t give you or your customers the level of service you deserve.
This could include staff changes or internal structure changes that might affect how messages are passed on to the relevant department or individual. Keeping us up to date ensures we are sending the right information to the right person or place as efficiently as possible.
For some clients, changes in procedures or escalation processes will need to be updated or regularly reviewed, especially if your business deals in emergency call-outs, for example, the construction trades or medical practices.
Put our telephone answering service to the test
One of the best ways to ensure that you are getting the most out of our telephone answering service is to mystery shop our service. Call your own business to see how we handle your calls. This will give you plenty of insight into how we interact with your customers and the processes we are using to get the right information to the right place. If you try this and feel that there are processes that could be improved, let us know, and our team can work with you to design call procedures that work for you, your business, and your customers.
Work with our team
If you are new to using a telephone answering service for your business or if you have recently moved to a new telephone answering provider, it can take time to make sure everything is working just so.
Every business will have its own nuances and processes that might be overlooked when first starting to work with a telephone answering provider. But at Phoneta, we take great care to fully understand our client’s businesses so we can support them in the most effective way possible. The more we can understand how your business operates and what your customers expect, the easier it is for us to provide the highest possible level of service for you.
Don’t be afraid to make changes to your telephone answering processes
Businesses never stand still. As your business grows and changes, there will come a time when your telephone protocols need to be updated. Don’t ever be afraid to change your protocols when you feel they are no longer working as you want them to.
The telephone answering team are there to help your business, so give them a call, let them know what you are trying to achieve, and they may even have suggestions for you. Our team have a wealth of experience, and they can often provide frontline feedback on what is working and how things could be improved, so make sure you use that experience to your advantage.
Involve your internal team in decisions
Bringing in an external telephone answering service will benefit your whole team, but each department or team member may benefit in different ways. By involving your whole team in the decision-making process, especially in the creation of protocols, you can ensure that each team member is getting the maximum benefit from the service. Different individuals in your business are likely to have different needs and different ideas, so involve them in the process when planning the setup of your telephone answering protocols.
Reply to messages from the telephone answering team
Make sure you are receiving messages from the telephone answering team and that they are going to the right person/place with all the information you require. During the design and set up of protocols, steps can be overlooked, so by replying to messages confirms that information can be received. You can also use it as an opportunity to feedback on anything that was missed.
Quick responses also mean that when a crucial message needs to be acted on, you can allow the telephone answering team to handle the issue with the customer if it is appropriate to do so. This will save your team time in busy periods and ensure that the customer gets a rapid response for their issue.
Ask our telephone answering team for advice
Telephone answering services are useful for many different types of business and as such our telephone answering team has worked with countless different businesses across many sectors. So there is a good chance our team has worked with a similar business to yours before.
Businesses may have different goals for using a telephone answering service, and by talking to the team about your goals and how your business works, we can often provide insight into the types of protocols that have worked for similar businesses in the past. This can help your business to thrive and achieve its goals.
To find out more about our telephone answering service get in touch with the team.
It’s mental health awareness week and we want to talk about the elusive ‘work-life balance’, highlighted as one of the main contributors to mental health problems. In the UK 1 in 4 people will experience mental health problems at some point in their lives, and the Mental Health Foundation highlights the pressure of an increasingly demanding work culture as one of the most pressing challenges to the mental health of the general population.
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This famous quote resonates with the team here: “If you do not make time for your wellness, you will be forced to make time for your illness” and it is along these lines we are creating our work-life balance policies and incorporating wellbeing into everything we do for our staff. But what about when you are starting or running your own company?
It’s a socially accepted narrative that ‘putting in the hours’ in business is praised, and start-up companies are expected to take over the owner’s life. But it doesn’t have to be like this, there are strategies that can be put in place to help improve your own work-life balance. Based on our own policies we have some advice on how you can improve your work-life balance when starting or running your own company.
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Give yourself dedicated working hours.
By setting specific work hours you set your own time frames to work and will have greater focus and productivity within these times.
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Remember to say no.
We all got so caught up in other people’s demands that sometimes we forget we can say no. Haven’t got the time to attend that meeting? A friend asks you to go to a networking session? Remember you can say no.
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Schedule family/personal time
In the same way we can schedule working hours, we can also take the same approach and make sure we plan personal time into our calendar. Having a regular routine and planned hours means we are expecting to spend that time doing what we love, and are less likely to get caught up in any work demands during this time.
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Eliminate distractions
Imagine if every hour you spent at work was a productive hour, how much more free time you would have. We all fall foul to a social media scroll or an unimportant call distracting us from our current task. There are programmes available to block yourself from unproductive websites, notifications are easily turned off, and your phone doesn’t have to always be on. Give yourself some dedicated focus time, so when your scheduled work finish time arrives you know you have achieved as much as you can, and you deserve the time to relax.
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5. Play to your own strengths
Focus on what you’re good at and do it. You don’t have to be perfect at everything, and you certainly won’t have the time to do it all. Not sure about social media? Outsource. Need some copy for the website? Outsource? Need someone to answer your calls whilst you’re busy? Outsource.
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f6. Spend some time in nature.
This year’s theme from the Mental health Foundation is Nature. Studies have shown that spending time in nature can lift your mood, reduce anxiety and is part of the Mental Health Foundation, awareness week campaign.
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We know when reading these many of you will be thinking ‘how can I stop working or turn off my phone?’ You’ll be worried about missing leads, or your current customers being unable to get hold of you.
This is where an answering service can help, outside of your dedicated working hours you can set up your divert so all your calls are still answered, details captured and emailed through to you, ready for your reply once you are back at work. Allowing you to prepare before replying and prioritising the most important calls first. An answering service can even filter your calls, meaning any sales or marketing calls no longer disturb your day. Phoneta are more than just an answering service, we become an extension of your team, and whilst we can’t promise to make your business a success, we can be here to help improve your work-life balance on the journey.
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Get in touch today to find out how we can help you.
In 1993, LaVerne Caddy bid farewell to his 35-year career in the ambulance service, unwilling to fully retire. He embarked on a new venture, Wenvern Paging, operating from his own kitchen. LaVerne’s innovative business answered late-night and emergency calls for doctors.
These calls were meticulously routed to on-call emergency physicians, addressing a pressing need at the time – the lack of a service offering such coverage. Back then, doctors juggled their late-night calls, compromising their work-life balance. Moreover, even mundane appointment requests disrupted their rest.
Wenvern Paging revolutionised this scenario, filtering calls and ensuring doctors were only alerted for genuine emergencies. With a mere two telephones in the kitchen, the venture extended its service to cover 90% of doctors’ surgeries in Cornwall and numerous others across the South West.
However, as the healthcare landscape evolved, so did Wenvern Paging. The emergence of Kernow doc and subsequently the 111 service led to decreased demand for Wenvern’s services. Adapting to the changing environment, the company rebranded as Kernow Business Messaging Service (KBMS) and identified a new market – veterinarians.
Over the next few years, KBMS extended its after-hours emergency cover to veterinary practices. This not only helped vets achieve a better work-life balance but also ensured reliable assistance for distressed animals. As time passed, KBMS’s scope expanded further. It evolved into Phoneta, a 24/7, 365-day telephone answering service catering to diverse businesses across various industries nationwide. The company’s workforce grew substantially, currently employing over 60 individuals across two office spaces.
In 2017, Phoneta emerged as the definitive solution for those requiring professional telephone answering services. While serving clients from myriad sectors, a remarkable trend emerged – a significant number of doctors’ surgeries began to return to Phoneta’s fold.
The advent of the 111 service prompted most surgeries to route calls to 111 after 6:30 pm, resuming direct operations at 08:00 am. However, operational hours often clashed with certain surgeries, resulting in gaps in their service coverage. Phoneta seized this opportunity, offering a “top and tail” service. This bridge service effectively covered the interval between the end of the 111 service and the surgery’s opening and closing times.
During this span, Phoneta managed calls on behalf of doctors, promptly addressing patient concerns. In cases where the surgery remained closed, patients were informed and emergencies were routed to the appropriate channels. Notably, Phoneta isn’t just bridging the gap left by the 111 service; it also addresses closures during lunch breaks, staff training, and unforeseen situations such as staff shortages or COVID-19 risks.
Phoneta’s rekindled relationship with its early adopters speaks volumes. The doctors who once valued its services 29 years ago are returning with excitement, confident in the reliability of Phoneta’s solutions.
If you’re seeking assistance for your business or require more information about our comprehensive call-answering services, please reach out to us at 01209 311311.
2020 has been a tough time for all businesses. The grip of the pandemic has been inescapable; however, business must go on. Many companies have taken advantage of the government help available, such as bounce back loans and grants, and are using these to fund marketing campaigns in a bid to reach potential customers. But how many of these are still falling at the final hurdle, not answering their phone when a customer calls?
Every interaction you have with your customers is crucial and failing to answer the phone can leave them frustrated and damage your brand. How many of your customers have called and been left on hold, placed in a queue or gone through to the dreaded answerphone. Customers have no interest in the fact you are short-staffed, busy or in a meeting, and more than likely will call the next available business, your competitor, who can fulfil their needs. Just one of these missed calls a week is 52 potential customers your business may have missed in a year. Make that one a day, and the numbers begin to stack up. £31.6 Billion is lost each year in the UK from unanswered calls, and 3 out of 4 customers will not leave a voicemail.
This is where Phoneta can help. During lockdown new rules, protocols and restrictions have led to an increase in the call’s businesses are receiving creating an even larger problem. Outsourcing calls means your business can manage the communications with your customers, prioritising messages and leaving all customers safe in the knowledge that they have spoken to your company and have no need to contact your competitors.
We are a call answering service with a difference, we are always on the phone, so you don’t have to be. From less than £1 a call you can have round the clock cover and be able to communicate with your customers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. With a simple divert process, your calls can pass through to our agents who are trained to remain anonymous, courteous and efficient. They can answer simple questions regarding a business’s opening times and address’, take requested information from your customers, book appointments, take orders and then pass this information over to you within 30 seconds of the caller hanging up. Creating an expansion of your team, less disruption in your own office and lets you give your current customers your undivided attention. Meaning all the hard work and money you have spent on marketing isn’t wasted, and you can capitalise on every single potential lead.
Don’t fall at the final hurdle; make sure your business will never miss a call, or a new customer, again.
2020 has been a year like no other. The worldwide pandemic has forced businesses to adapt dramatically, we have seen staff isolation periods, enforced closures, staff being placed on furlough, customer limitations, and social distancing to name only a few. The event sector is one that has fundamentally changed, with a blanket ban on mass gatherings, and there is currently no end to these restrictions in sight. This has lead to many businesses losing crucial networking opportunities, however, there is a silver lining to the Covid-19 cloud, the growth of the virtual event.
Virtual events have been held for many years, but with the onset of social distancing measures, they are set to grow in numbers and popularity. With new specifically designed software, you can have the in-person event experience live at your desk. If you’re attending you can hear talks in the conference theatre from world-class speakers, use the AI networking to match with you the people you need to meet, and browse the exhibition at your own pace. If you’re planning on exhibiting virtual events are a great way to network, increase brand awareness, generate leads, and sell products or services.
Phoneta, in conjunction with commercial partners Inspired Motive, are launching a new range of Virtual Business Events. The Cornwall Business Revival Conference is coming to you on the 24th of February and the South West edition on the 19thof May.
To book a stand or tickets call us on: 01209 823456
Together, we have faced a truly extraordinary situation, the global Covid-19 pandemic has affected all of our lives, personally and professionally. At Phoneta, we consider ourselves as one team with your business and take our role in supporting you very seriously. We have endeavored to be your one constant in this crazy period. To achieve this Phoneta has been focused on three key areas:
Committing to the support of your business and success in planning and forecasting for this unprecedented situation.
Taking proactive measures to protect and support our employees and their families.
A continued focus on customer service and business continuity.
To hit these targets we have had to adjust our key operating procedures, and we thank you all for your continued support and understanding whilst these adjustments were made:
The creation of a new operating system, allowing us to move from our existing system to a wholly digital way of working, allowing our staff to work remotely for the first time. This gave us greater flexibility, allowing your business to keep up with staffing changes and closures throughout the period.
The implementation of a home working policy for our staff, meaning those who needed to shield to protect themselves and their families could do so whilst still being able to work.
A training plan for all staff on the new system and continual training in call handling and customer service, providing business continuity for our customers.
This crisis has affected us all in unexpected ways, however, we cannot deny that some of the effects have created positive outcomes. Our new system has streamlined and improved our service, and our home working option gives us greater cover and flexibility for the times you need us most. Whilst the future may be much different than we expected, Phoneta hopes to keep improving and innovating to bring you the best possible service. We are here 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, whenever you need us.
Thank you for your support and loyalty at this time.
