#1. The Operators

Operators, or virtual receptionists, are the front line of your business at the answering service, which means they are often the first impression your customers have. If your customers can’t reach a live voice when they call and are either playing phone tag or waiting (and waiting) for a call back, they’re going to get the feeling like they don’t matter. Callers who are greeted with a warm, friendly voice who can help answer their questions are 70% more likely to become paying customers over callers who reach an impersonal answering machine.

Being your business’s voice takes more skill than being able to speak. Operators utilize a variety of different skills and easily adapt to many scenarios. For example, one moment they could be speaking to a senior citizen who may need the operator to patiently help them understand a specific insurance policy, while the next call could be someone seeking legal assistance regarding delicate matters. And of course, you can’t forget the phone calls from angry customers who just want their issue resolved now. Operators have:

• Excellent listening and communication skills
• Have an amazing phone demeanor
• Can be empathetic when the situation calls for it
• Have a strong attention to detail and are able to document calls and relay messages perfectly
• Have a great short term memory if they need to document calls after the caller has hung up
• Able to keep a steady composure and calmly diffuse even the most tense situations
• Have intuition and perception to quickly determine the needs of each individual caller

Agents have to learn to maintain their composure in tough situations and decipher what the caller needs to help them as quickly and efficiently as possible. This job can be tough but it can also be very rewarding. To learn more about what makes up a good operator, check out our virtual receptionist interview!

#2. The Programmers

Simple programming changes, like swapping one number for another, can usually be done by the operator while you’re on the phone. However, a change like adding a new script path or programming a complex on-call scenario is usually done by the programmers.  A successful answering service programmer is:

• Proficient in the specific programming and/or coding terminology the answering service uses
• Able to come up with creative solutions to build a script that will work for the operators as well as the customer
• Skilled at time management and able to prioritize their workload to the account changes that are urgent, and ones that can wait
• A great communicator and able to work with the support team to clarify programming notes to make sure what the client is asking for is actually something the answering service can do effectively

If you have concerns with the quality of your calls or how much usage you’re accruing, programmers are great at offering suggestions that will help cut down on calls and and usage. As an outsider, you may be quick to set up your call script to match your in-house protocols. However, the programmers at your answering service will know best if certain call handling procedures will work or not and how to come up with a solution that is suitable for everybody.

#3. The Team Leads

Operators are people. People will make mistakes from time to time, which is why Team Leads are so important. The Team Leads are typically responsible ensuring the quality of a small operator group. One way they do this is by pulling random calls for quality reviews and helping operators improve by offering advice and additional training classes. When things get busy, they can don the operator hat and hop on the phones as well. However, their main goal is to make sure the operators are always at their very best! Team leads are responsible for:

• Keeping their team of operators on track
• Answering questions and helping operators solve problems
• Handling escalations for irate callers before a floor supervisor needs to be involved

If you’re ever concerned with how a call was handled, the Team Lead is the go-to person to help get to the bottom of the issue.  A change in the scripted call handling may be warranted or the operator may need to receive some additional training. Essentially, the Team Lead is there to oversee their specific group of team members and make sure they are operating like a well-oiled machine.

#4. The Floor Supervisor

Similar to a Team Lead, the Floor Supervisor is crucial in day to day operations. Floor Supervisors typically have years of call center experience and understand what it takes to be an operator, as well as a manager. They oversee everyone, operators and Team Leads alike, and are the last line in phone escalations to diffuse tough situations. When calls are escalated to a floor supervisor it is because the operator and the team lead have tried all they can to appease the customer, but they need backup. Ultimately, the floor supervisor accepts responsibility for everyone they employ. They will always work with you to come to a solution that is best for both parties and improve your overall quality of service. Each day, the floor supervisor:

• Provides further training opportunities for employees
• Analyzes data from days, weeks, and even months prior to ensure they are always staffed accordingly and meeting call center goals
• Identifies operational issues and works to come to a solution
• Monitors agent performance and provides coaching as needed

#5. The Support Team

The answering service customer support team is a group of problem solvers and help desk gurus. If they are troubleshooting a call, they evaluate where caller interactions went wrong and who of the above choices needs to be tapped in to help rectify the situation. If they are asked a question, like “how can I update my script?”, they have a strong knowledge of the system you’re using to lend a helping hand. A lot of the time, customer service works as a team with one or all of the aforementioned departments to resolve any issue. They bring ideas and creative solutions to the table as well. If you aren’t happy with your script, start with support! They handle hundreds of accounts every day and will have a handful of tips and tricks, suggestions and advice on how to create the best answering service experience and ultimately help your business relationship succeed. The support team is responsible for:

• Handling customer communication
• Making updates that don’t require an escalation to the programmers
• Suggesting script reviews and updates
• Diffusing situations where customers are angry
• Multitasking and handling multiple channels of communication including email, phone support and live chat
• Engaging in ongoing training about the systems they are using

Every answering service of course has their own hierarchy and their own troubleshooting process. This overview consists of the “must have” roles in the answering service business, and why they are so important to have. When you use a 24/7 answering service, it’s important to know who is behind the scenes at all times. Assembling a quality answering service team requires people who are patient, kind, adaptable, thick-skinned, creative, and quick thinking! With the team described above, you can’t possibly go wrong!

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#1. Answer phones

Can an answering service do it? Yes!

It’s no surprise that “answer phones” would be on the top of our list. Not only do businesses deal with ringing phones on the daily, but answering those phone calls is what answering services excel at! As long as your company has people calling, you need people answering. An answering service can help take some of the load off by answering calls that might otherwise reach a voicemail or sit on hold, and help convert them into more business.

#2. Transfer calls

Can an answering service do it? Yes!

In addition to answering calls, answering services can take messages or transfer calls as needed, just as your regular in-house receptionist would. Usually services will be able to set up specific protocols depending on the type of call which would help determine how that call is handled. For example, a call from a new client might result in a warm transfer to your sales team, whereas a call from an existing client might just result in a message.

#3. Make outbound calls

Can an answering service do it? Yes!

Making calls is just as important as taking calls, and answering services can help with this, too. Depending on the type of outbound calling you need, from telemarketing and market research to simple follow up calls and reminders, doing this in house may be cost prohibitive. However, answering services use smart call center technology like predictive dialing, which helps reduce time in between phone calls and increases agent productivity. So, having someone tasked with this will be worthwhile!

#4. Greet visitors

Can an answering service do it? No

Virtual receptionists are great at greeting people on the phone, but not so good at doing it in person. While a regular receptionist would be able to greet visitors all day long, virtual receptionists at an answering service would not be able to greet visitors who may come into your establishment. If your business has a lot of foot traffic,  you may want to keep an in-house receptionist on staff to make sure your customers are greeted with a friendly face each time they visit.

#5. Generate reports

Can an answering service do it? Maybe

Unless your answering service agents can access your internal system and are trained on how to generate specific reports, they most likely won’t be able to help you with this. However, many answering services offer dedicated agents that are specifically trained on your account and your account only. Taking advantage of a dedicated agent could be a more cost effective alternative than hiring more staff.

#6. File paperwork

Can an answering service do it? Maybe

Your answering service would not be able to file paperwork for you. However, if your business uses a CRM (customer relationship management) platform like Salesforce to manage customer data, an answering service could potentially update records through a simple integration each time they take a new call.

#7. Respond to emails

Can an answering service do it? Maybe

Depending on their capabilities, it’s possible that your answering service could help you respond to emails. Typically this would be done through the use of a dedicated agent service, where operators would be handling your account only, and would therefore be able to access your specific software and learn your protocols. Other services may be able to receive incoming emails and then dispatch calls accordingly based on the service request or need.

#8. Make sales

Can an answering service do it? Yes!

Hot tip – virtual receptionists can be a great addition to your sales team! Agents that are trained in sales are able to use up-sell and cross-sell techniques at the time of check out which will help drive up your numbers and save you some green in the office budget.

#9. Handle bookkeeping duties

Can an answering service do it? Maybe

Unless your answering service has access to your billing systems and are trained directly on your particular policies and procedures, then they probably won’t be able to help handle accounting duties like creating and processing invoices. However, they could help triage billing calls, create support tickets, process payments and transfer urgent calls on your behalf.

#10. Provide IT support

Can an answering service do it? Yes!

While an answering service won’t be able to fix computers or re-wire routers, they can definitely act as your tier 1 help desk on behalf of your IT team. By following a scripted workflow, they can troubleshoot basic issues and escalate any errors that are out of their realm of expertise. By having your answering service triage calls first, your IT team won’t be bogged down with calls that aren’t priority.

#11. Manage social media platforms

Can an answering service do it? Maybe

Keeping up with the latest trends on Twitter is not always as easy as it sounds, especially for busy employees. Unless you have a marketing or public relations team specifically designated to stay on top of your social media pages every day, it’s possible you could be missing out on what’s hot. In our current day in age where being present on social media is crucial for a business to prosper among their competition, an answering service with a dedicated team of agents designated to your account would be a great way to stay on top of your social platforms while keeping your employees focused on other tasks.

#12. Handle live chats

Can an answering service do it? Maybe

Many businesses have live chat as an additional channel to funnel customer support and sales requests. Through a dedicated agent service level, an answering service should be able to help you manage this channel as well. As long as they are able to work with the software you are already using and are trained on your specific procedures, outsourcing your live chat support to your answering service is another great way to alleviate the work load on your in-house staff and keep great customer service at the forefront of your operations.

#13. Schedule, cancel, and reschedule appointments

Can an answering service do it? Yes!

As long as you’re not scheduling with a desk calendar and with a pencil, answering services can usually help you schedule, reschedule and cancel appointments. Through web-based software like Google Calendar, answering services can usually integrate with systems you are already using to create a seamless transition. Some services may even offer advanced features like appointment confirmation emails, appointment reminders, and payment processing.

#14. Provide customer support

Can an answering service do it? Yes!

Answering services are great at providing additional customer support to your patrons, since they can usually be available 24/7. Whether you’re using your answering service during business hours alongside your own staff, after hours when you close up shop for the day or both, your virtual agents can help your callers by answering questions, dispatching urgent messages, scheduling appointments and creating support tickets around the clock. Do your customers a favor and ditch your voicemail and opt for live support instead!

#15. Meet with clients

Can an answering service do it? No

While an answering service can help get new customers through your doors, they won’t be able to meet with them personally.

#16. Process orders

Can an answering service do it? Maybe

As long as your answering service is PCI compliant and have the correct systems in place, then they would be able to help your business process orders. By implementing custom FAQs catered to your product catalog, they should also be able to answer questions to assist customers who may be on the fence about buying that new lawn mower.

#17. Water plants

Can an answering service do it? No

Taking care of the office foliage is always someone’s job, but unfortunately it’s one you won’t be able to pass off to your answering service. Unless your operators are located in the same building you are, Nancy from accounting is just going to have to suck it up and keep watering those plants!

#18. Perform HR duties

Can an answering service do it? Yes!

For anyone not familiar with office lingo, HR stands for Human Resources, which is the department that handles hiring, firing, and office complaints, among other tasks. While your answering service won’t be able to hire or fire anyone, they can certainly serve as various hotlines. For example, you could have one line designated as a whistleblower hotline and another line designated as an absence reporting line for employees to use when they need to call out for the day.

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