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1stMay2015

What is a Virtual Receptionist?

What is a Virtual Receptionist?

We are going back to the basics today and want to share all the benefits your business can gain from outsourcing your business telephone lines. Here at A Courteous Communications, we take great pride in being the centralized hub for small to large businesses for all of your telecommunication needs. We are here to answer those lingering questions you might have like, “What is a virtual receptionist?” A modern day business answering service provides more than a live person answering your phone lines; we are an extension of your office, giving you the time and freedom to properly run your business.

What exactly is a Virtual Receptionist?

The Modern Day Reception Embracing eCommerce

This day and age, businesses run a bit different than they did twenty, even ten, years ago. The ol’ brick and mortar business plans have been swapped from more efficient and global methods of selling your products and services. Our own business and virtual receptionists have adapted to the new business styles since opening thirty years ago, but one thing remains constant within our business answering service: We are and have always been virtual employees for our valued clients.  


What is a virtual receptionist? Quite frankly, our virtual receptionists are trained to complete nearly all the tasks of an in-house receptionist and administrative assistant. Simply put, we act as the frontline of your business and give your business a professional presence by answering all of your calls 24 hours a day. Our award winning live receptionist team answers your calls within the first two rings, and we provide guidance and assistance to your calling customers. 

In the past, you would pay an employee $8 – $10 per hour to be alert and ready to transfer and direct your callers to the proper personnel or department extensions. With our live receptionist team, you can dramatically lower your overhead costs.

  • •Stop paying an employee to be available should your business telephone happen to ring. 

  • •With a virtual receptionist, you only pay for the calls your business actually receives. 

  • •Having employees on the payroll means you have to also invest in their benefit plans. Our answering service takes over those costs so you don’t have to worry about it.


How Can a Virtual Receptionist Know My Business
One question we get quite often is, “How does a virtual receptionist know the specifics of my business to help my callers?” During your initial consultation with one of our account experts, we go through specific customizations available to your business. From the onset, you teach us how to answer your phones and then we personally train our live receptionist team according to your exact specifications. 

By providing the details of how you want your business telephone lines to be answered and how you want your callers to be helped, we are able to deliver a custom personalized experience that will ensure customer satisfaction.   

Can a Virtual Receptionist Answer My Callers’ Questions?
Our live receptionist team can most certainly help answer your callers’ frequently asked questions about your products and services. When you hire our professional and friendly team of receptionists, you are making a small investment with a high return. 

To give you some examples of how detailed a virtual receptionist can get with your calling inquiries, take a look at some FAQ’s our current clients have their virtual team handle. We can give your business a personal touch by:

  • •Giving your product or service specifics and helping your potential customers make the decision to purchase. 

  • •Providing your hours of operation, business credentials or even driving directions to your on-site location and relieving you from having to answer these administrative calls. 

  • •Advising of your product or service prices and helping your office prequalify potential customers ensuring that when you personally speak with that lead, you are never wasting time and can focus on closing the sale.     


How Does a Virtual Receptionist Connect Me to Callers?
You tell us what calls to track you down with and what constitutes an emergency. This custom feature saves you precious time and also provides a guarantee that you will always be available for a customer ready to buy. 

If you are a service professional, the nights of rolling over in bed to answer an incoming business call are long gone. If you are a sales professional, sending your incoming calls to voicemail while in a meeting are issues of your past. We will not interrupt your days or nights unless the caller is ready to purchase and when your mobile phone rings, you know it’s your virtual receptionist ready to send a warm or even hot lead your way. 

Our live receptionist service team follows your custom specifications on how to handle these very important callers. We will:

  • •Call you on your mobile or home phone until we reach you; ensuring that you never miss another important sale again. 

  • •Provide you with a breakdown of what the caller is looking for and then patch that call directly to you, wherever you may be. 

  • •Even go as far as to call back after a service order has been dispatched to make certain that your on-call staff or service technician has handled the caller’s request or service call.  


What Other Services Do Virtual Receptionists Provide?
Since we are fully equipped to be an extension of your office, the sky is the limit as to how much we can assist you and your business. Virtual receptionists can:

  • •Handle all of your scheduling needs and synch up to your calendars in real-time 

  • •Take detailed messages and forward to you via text, phone, email or even fax for callbacks at your convenience 

  • •Initiate conference calls with multiple individuals
  • •Provide wake-up calls or custom reminders for you and your staff
  • •Process credit card and purchase orders 24 hours a day

  • •So much more!


Consultations Are Free. Let’s Talk About Your Business Today.
We hope we have answered that important question of yours: “What is a virtual receptionist?” As you can see, a virtual receptionist and business answering service can be your right-hand and give you back crucial time to run your business. Our initial consultations are free so why not pick up the phone and just discuss your business with one of our account experts and go from there. With our basic services starting at $10 a month, you have nothing to lose. Click here to request a quote today!

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