As a business owner, you need to give a great first impression to potential clients and customers. One way to make this possible is to ensure proper communication. This means that calls, appointments and inquiries need to be professionally handled. Doing this will help build a strong reputation. It will also ensure customer satisfaction.
When thinking of the right communication for your business, you mainly have two options to choose from. You can decide to get virtual receptionists or work with in-house staff. Both have their own pros and cons. However, the true difference lies in the cost.
This article gives a real cost breakdown of the two. With this information, you will be able to choose the most affordable option for you.
Salary and Compensation
Customer Service Agents Are Always Here For You
Hiring full-time employees can be quite expensive. This is because it entails paying a consistent paycheck. You also have to pay benefits such as health insurance and paid leave. In addition to this, you will have to incur payroll taxes and retirement contributions. All these costs can add up quite fast.
This isn’t the same thing that you will experience with outsourcing. When you get a professional answering service, all you need to do is pay a fixed monthly fee. You can even negotiate a usage-based rate. With this kind of arrangement, you get to enjoy specialized call handling. You will get this incredible service while managing to keep overall costs down.
Hidden Overhead Costs
Maintaining an internal team comes with so many hidden costs. Apart from normal salaries, you have to think about extra expenses. Some of these include recruitment and onboarding. You also have to add utilities and workplace setup onto the overall cost. These extra expenses can significantly affect the bottom line. This is especially true for small and medium-sized businesses working with tight budgets.
Even what may seem like minor expenses, such as internet plans and office supplies, can lead to financial constraints.
It’s important that you pay attention to these less visible costs. Doing this will help you make the right decisions on where to allocate resources.
Availability and Coverage
When you have a dedicated call service, you can be sure that incoming calls will be promptly answered. This will be the case no matter the time a customer wants to reach out. You can hence be sure no missed calls even outside normal working hours or during weekends.
With this kind of consistency, you can’t miss opportunities. You will also be able to build customer trust immensely.
This is quite different from what you get by relying on employees. This is because they will only be working during office hours. You also have to factor in sick days and vacation schedules. Therefore, if you have to work with an in-house team, you need to get more employees. This can result in an increase in your overall expenses.
Training and Management
You have to train your staff on a regular basis. This is the only way that you are able to ensure consistency and professionalism. You also need to conduct performance reviews and do ongoing supervision. These tasks end up taking valuable time and resources from you and your team.
Since you don’t want that, it’s best to outsource to an answering team. Doing this helps eliminate administrative burdens. This is because the provider will take care of recruitment, onboarding, and quality control.
The result of this will be streamlined operations. This will be achieved without ongoing managerial demands.
Scalability and Flexibility
As your business grows, you can easily adjust the level of support you need. This will be achieved without the hassle of hiring or managing new employees. With this kind of flexibility, you will always have the needed coverage. This will be the case no matter whether it’s during peak periods or quieter times.
This is different from your experience with a fixed team. You may underutilize or overwhelm your staff depending on the demand.
Instead of going through this, consider getting experts. The right service can always be adjusted based on your needs.
Choosing a virtual receptionist and in-house staff depends on your goals, budget, and operational needs. Going the in-house route offers direct oversight and physical presence. However, it attracts higher costs. On the other hand, a virtual receptionist provides professional and 24/7 call handling at a fraction of the cost. This will be achieved without the added overhead.
Ready to enjoy affordable, flexible, and reliable call handling services? Consider partnering with AB Universal Messaging. We’ll ensure your customers are always greeted with professionalism and care.
