10 Reasons Why We Love Our Virtual Receptionist Careers

Working in a business answering service is a highly underrated career; we’re more than just a voice on the other end of a telephone. Our team is responsible for acting as a gatekeeper and assistant for thousands of businesses. We must be on our game 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year to deliver superior services to our clients. It’s an extremely stressful and challenging career that not everyone can handle.   

Although being a virtual receptionist is a highly demanding profession, it also comes with many rewards. Here are 10 reasons why we love answering the business lines for our clients.  

Being A Virtual Receptionist Rocks and Here’s Why:

1. Flextime Shifts in a 24-Hour Period 

One of the many perks of working for a business that never closes is the flexible shifts available. Flextime operator shifts allow us to work around our lifestyle and personal life responsibilities. While some benefit from working the 9 to 5 weekday, others can choose from weekend and odd-hour shifts. 

The late night, graveyard shifts also pay more; which is a definite incentive for our team that would rather work through the night.

2. A Casual Work Environment 

We get the best of both worlds in that we get to conduct ourselves in a very professional manner, while still enjoying a very casual work environment. Many in-house receptionists are forced to adhere to strict dress codes, but we get to wear jeans and comfortable clothing options. 

Being heard and not seen also means that we get to participate in wacky dress days like pajama day, weird sock day and other casual holidays that allow us to dress in a fun theme.

3. Work is Always Changing

Answering for many businesses gives us the freedom to constantly experience a change in our work life. In an 8-hour workday we experience a wide array of tasks and duties. One minute we can be scheduling a dentist appointment for a patient and in the next minute, we could be taking down an RSVP and meal preference for a wedding event. 

We enjoy this fast-paced environment as it allows us to never grow complacent in our day-to-day responsibilities.

4. A Job Role That Has Structure

There are some occupations that constantly change and leave an employee with a feeling of confusion as to what is required of them. Our virtual receptionists all share a very structured job role that allows each team member to know what is expected of them. The additional benefit of working in a structured job is that when it’s time to clock out, you’re not going to be taking work home with you.    

Everyone from the Operating Room Manager to the Virtual Scheduler to the Telephone Dispatcher all know their roles within the organization. Having such a structured work environment reduces our team’s overall stress levels and allows us to work together more efficiently.    

5. We Never Have a Chance to Grow Bored 

Some workers grow bored of their jobs and spend a lot of time staring out the window waiting for their workday to end. Not us here at A Courteous Communications. We’re constantly busy attending to high volume phone calls all day, every day. Sure, it’s hard work but one of the benefits of constantly being productive is completely losing track of time.

We never scour the office looking for work; it comes straight to our desk. Before we know it, our workday is over and it’s quittin’ time. As a virtual receptionist, we hardly ever experience downtime that leads to boring workdays that feel like they’ll never end.

6. We’re Trained in Multiple Industries

Our job is so fascinating because we get to learn about a variety of different industries, services and products. When you’re working as an on-site receptionist for a law firm, you get to learn the ins and outs of the legal system. Receptionists and dispatchers for service professionals get to learn more about the FAQ’s of homeowners regarding the service they provide.

As virtual receptionists, we have the unique opportunity of learning a little bit about every industry we answer for.  

7. Helping People on a Daily Basis

95% of answering business phone lines is being able to help a caller with their specific question or need. Each day we’re presented with various ways we can help total strangers and we get to be a part of so many positive interactions. Our communication and problem solving skills get a daily workout as we try to assist each caller with their custom situation. In short, it feels good to help others find solutions to their problems.     

The gratitude we receive from complete strangers is a humbling and unique experience that keeps us coming back for more each day.

8. Being a Part of Important Work

We must stress that being in the telecommunications’ industry is no easy task. Some of the calls received are a matter of life and death. When those calls come in, we rely on our intense training to be able to steer the caller in the right direction. 

Whether we’re answering the after-hour calls for hospitals, bully hotlines or mental health professionals, our ability to effectively communicate is crucial. Being able to assist in important and time-sensitive work can be extremely fulfilling.   

9. Turning Frowns Upside Down

A large responsibility that all customer service representatives share is helping an angry customer better manage and communicate their complaints. When a customer is angry, they can forget that they’re talking to a human being and when that happens, we’re on the receiving end of a verbal beating. It’s not pretty.

However, when we utilize our compassion and sympathy training, we can change someone’s mood from mad to happy. It’s a challenge working with so many different personalities and helping each caller feel understood. But when you’re able to turn that angry customer into a satisfied customer, you feel a great sense of accomplishment.     

10. Working Hard and Playing Hard as a Team

As you may have noticed, our team here at A Courteous Communications works extremely hard each day. To keep our energy and our morale up, we play hard as well.

We often go out into the community, as a team, to volunteer and help those in need. We celebrate crazy holidays in the office like National Hot Fudge Sundae Day and Wear a Tiara Day. Each year we have a Halloween costume contest and dance our hearts out during a festive end of year Christmas party. Company potluck lunches, BBQ’s and family days sprinkle our annual event calendar.

Want to Join Our Virtual Receptionist Team?    

Think you have what it takes to join our awarding winning answering service as a virtual receptionist? Click here to shoot us a message and see what roles we’re currently hiring for. 

We also suggest learning more about our intense hiring process by reading our article, How Our Phone Answering Service Hires Talented Virtual Receptionists.