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Diary of an Agent | Why I Love Answering Business Telephone Lines

You read that right, yes, I love my job and I look forward to the varying scenarios I am faced with each day I am answering business telephone lines. 

I am not writing this diary entry for the benefit of my telephone answering service supervisor, lol, I am writing it to share the hidden beauties of my job that not everyone gets to witness. Why did I choose a career in the business answering service industry? Well, I sort of fell into it and after learning the many hats I get to wear while performing the tasks of a virtual receptionist and virtual assistant, I began to fall in love with the constant change my workday provides me.

No matter how many similar telephone calls I receive no one call is exactly like another. I like the diversity of not knowing what my daily tasks are going to be like. I have a strict routine that consists of clocking in and out to answer the busy telephone lines of A Courteous Communications answering services’ customers, but the strict routine ends there. I know that I may answer for Dr. X’s office or that during my shift I will take ABC’s Tree Service calls, but my daily tasks are very flexible and the ringing of a telephone comes with a surprise. Who is calling, what they are calling in regards to and how can I help them; these scenarios are a mystery waiting for me to discover.

I also have a very friendly and bubbly personality that is well suited for answering and fielding customer service calls for my incoming lines. I enjoy speaking to people with friendliness and a sincere desire to help and please them. I think my past years of being a go getting cheerleader definitely should be seen as an acquired skill to make people feel happy and at ease that everything is going to turn out just fine.

Being a virtual receptionist requires a constant smile because most callers are potentially calling our customers’ lines for the first time and you only have one chance to make a lasting first impression. Who wants to be introduced to a company by a sourpuss receptionist that sounds bored and disgruntled? When I call an office, I want someone to make me smile and I strive to do just that for my callers.

If I were to accept a position as an on-site receptionist, I would know that for 40 hours a week, I will be answering one telephone line for one company. With my bursts of energy, I assume that this would get old pretty quickly. So instead of answering the telephone lines all day every day for a pet shop, a mechanic’s garage, an apartment complex, a physician’s office, a pest control business; I get to answer the business telephone lines for all of them combined. It ensures that I can never possibly get bored with my day to day tasks as they are constantly changing.

Speaking of constant change, our customers’ accounts at A Courteous Communications telephone answering service are all unique and custom to fit their specific needs. As such we professional virtual receptionists must stay on our toes to make sure we are always giving accurate and up to date information to the incoming caller inquiries. Our customers are assigned account specialists and programmers that they work with to provide real time information to be relayed to their callers. It is my job as a telephone agent to review with speed and accuracy those specific requests and procedures. This task can be challenging as all callers want answers right there and right then. I like that I am pushed to provide elite customer service and I like researching answers and procedures. As such, the challenges I am faced with aren’t too intense but aren’t too simple as well. A nice balance of challenge and ease is available to me and I never get complacent.

Last but most certainly not least, I love being a telephone virtual receptionist because of my employer, A Courteous Communications. Being in Central Florida for almost 30 years speaks volumes as to why I would want to find a role within this highly sought after 24 hour call center. They treat their staff like family and the majority of the employees have been with the company for 15 to 20 years. In the business telephone answering service industry, the staff turnaround time is usually really high but here at A Courteous Business Answering Service, employees stay with the company because of the perks that follow.

If you have come across this specific telephone answering service industry topic because you are considering becoming a telephone answering agent or virtual receptionist, I highly recommend contacting human resources at A Courteous Communications to see if we have any open call center positions. I can tell you from firsthand experience, answering business telephone lines is rewarding, fun and extremely interesting. 

“Love what you do and you will never have to work a day in your life.”