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The start of a new year is the perfect time to reset how your business operates. Small changes now create momentum that builds throughout the year.

Here are seven strategies that work for businesses of every size … even solo operators and entrepreneurial startups.

1. Find out where your time actually goes

Most business owners are shocked when they track their time for one week. You’ll probably discover that 30-50% of your day goes to tasks that don’t directly make money – answering phones, scheduling meetings, organizing paperwork. 

A financial advisor tracked his week and found he spent 14 hours on administrative work. By delegating those tasks, he freed up time for three more client meetings per week. That change alone increased his monthly income by $4,500. 

What to do: Track every task for one week. Write down what you do every 30 minutes. At the end of the week, you’ll see exactly where your time goes and what you should stop doing yourself. 

2. Stop losing customers who can’t reach you 

Research shows that 80% of people won’t leave a voicemail. They’ll just call your competitor instead. And if you do get a voicemail, most callers have already moved on by the time you call back. 

What’s the solution? It isn’t working 24/7! It’s making sure that someone professional answers when customers call, whatever time that might be. During busy periods, after hours, or when you’re focused on other work, calls need to reach a real person who can help. 

If you’re ready to fix this problem but aren’t sure where to start, ReceptionHQ’s new ReceptionistPlus 15 plan offers a simple entry point at $39 per month. You get 15 professionally answered calls with US-based receptionists who can transfer urgent calls directly to you. As your business grows, you can easily upgrade to more comprehensive services. 

What to do: Check how many calls you missed last month. Multiply that number by what an average customer is worth to you. That’s how much money is slipping away. 

3. Cut expenses that don’t pull their weight 

Review every monthly charge on your credit card and bank statements. Many businesses pay for software they forgot about and duplicate services. 

One law firm found they were paying for three different document systems because different people liked different tools. By switching to one platform, they saved $3,600 per year and actually improved how their team worked together. 

What to do: Pull up your last three months of statements. Highlight every recurring charge over $20. Cancel anything you don’t actively use.

4. Make your online presence work harder 

Potential customers Google you before they call. If they find old information, no reviews, or an outdated website, they’ll choose a competitor instead. 

Update your website. Claim your Google Business Profile (if you haven’t already) and fill it out completely. Ask happy customers for reviews – most will do it if you just remind them. 

Businesses that add photos to their Google profiles get over 40% more direction requests and 35% more clicks to their website.

What to do: Google your business name right now. Write down the first three things you need to fix. Schedule two hours this week to update them. 

5. Partner with businesses that serve your customers 

The right partnerships put your business in front of people who already trust someone else’s recommendation. You don’t compete with these businesses – you complement them. 

A residential real estate agent built partnerships with mortgage brokers, home inspectors and moving companies. An accountant partnered with business attorneys who regularly referred clients needing tax help. 

One accounting firm’s partnerships with three local attorneys generated 40% of their new clients without any advertising costs. 

What to do: List five businesses that serve your ideal customers without competing with you. Research the owners on LinkedIn. Reach out to two of them this month with a specific partnership idea. 

Where to start?

You don’t need to implement all five strategies at once. Pick the one or two that solve your biggest problems right now. 

Most businesses see quick results by combining time-tracking with better customer communication. When you know where your time goes, you can decide what to delegate. When you improve how customers reach you, you stop losing leads to faster competitors. 

The best part? Most of these strategies scale naturally. For example, a basic virtual reception service today can become a full virtual assistant answering service tomorrow.

January and February are prime time for capturing new business. Customers are making decisions and setting budgets. Competitors who haven’t optimized yet are still stuck with last year’s problems. 

Make 2026 the year you work smarter and grow faster. 

Ready to stop missing customer calls? Try professional answering services free for 7 days and see the difference it makes. 

Common questions.

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Imagine not having to worry about important calls going unanswered. And having total peace of mind that customers reaching out to your business are being greeted by a friendly, professional voice – even when you’re tied up in meetings, working on critical projects, or simply enjoying some well-deserved time off?

That’s exactly what ReceptionHQ’s virtual receptionist services deliver.

Savvy business owners understand that every missed call represents a missed opportunity. Whether it’s a potential new client, an existing customer with an urgent question, or a supplier with important updates, each unanswered ring could be costing you more than you realize. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to choose between growing your business and being available to answer every call. 

Do virtual receptionists answer calls 24/7 and on weekends? 

Your business doesn’t sleep and neither do we! ReceptionHQ’s virtual receptionist services operate around the clock, ensuring that no matter when your customers need you, there’s always a real person ready to help. This isn’t about automated systems or robotic responses – we’re talking about genuine human connection, available 24/7. 

Think about those late-night emergencies, weekend inquiries, or early morning calls from different time zones. With traditional business hours, you’d miss these opportunities entirely. Our live call answering service bridges that gap, capturing leads and providing support when your customers need it most. 

Weekend coverage is valuable for businesses that serve both B2B and B2C markets. While your competitors’ phones ring endlessly on Saturday mornings, your customers reach a professional receptionist who can take messages – or even handle basic inquiries, process orders or schedule appointments. It’s like having a full-time reception team without the full-time costs. 

Benefits of 24/7 live answering include:

• Provide real human connection rather than automated systems
• Capture leads from late-night inquiries and early morning calls
• Handle emergency customer requests outside business hours
• Support clients across different time zones
• Maintain coverage during weekends when competitors are unavailable

Just how many calls you’ve been missing until now might astound you … we hear it all the time. For example, after a 7-day free trial with ReceptionHQ for her Pennsylvania care home, Katie Vivian stated in a 5-star Google review: “We couldn’t believe we had missed 50 calls in a week’s time.”

Will the receptionists understand customers?

When your customers call, they deserve to speak with someone who understands their needs, their culture and their expectations. That’s why ReceptionHQ’s primary reception team is located in Phoenix, Arizona, with additional US-based receptionists located in Florida, North Carolina and Missouri, ensuring your customers experience the professionalism and warmth that American businesses expect. 

This domestic foundation matters more than you might think. There’s an immediate sense of trust and familiarity when customers hear familiar accents and communication styles during regular business hours. After all, our US-based virtual receptionists don’t just answer your calls – they represent your brand with the cultural competency and local understanding that builds strong customer relationships. 

For overnight coverage and overflow support during particularly busy periods, our service seamlessly extends to include professionally trained English-speaking receptionists in Australia and the UK.  

These team members receive the same comprehensive training and follow identical protocols, ensuring consistent service quality regardless of when your customers call. You’ll never have to worry about language barriers or miscommunications that could impact your customer relationships. 

Will callers hear a brand-friendly greeting?

Your brand voice is unique and every customer interaction should reflect that personality. That’s where our customizable greetings and, on some plans, advanced call scripting comes into play. We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions because we know your business isn’t one-size-fits-all either. 

You can control everything from the receptionist’s initial greeting to callers to responses to frequently asked questions, message-taking protocols and appointment scheduling procedures. This can include specific instructions for handling different types of calls – sales inquiries, customer service issues, appointment requests and more. The result? Every caller feels like they’re speaking directly with your in-house team. 

If you’re on an eligible plan, as part of our onboarding process we can work closely with you to develop scripts that capture your brand’s essence.  

Whether you’re a playful startup that uses casual language or a professional law firm that requires formal communication, our receptionists can help to provide that all-important positive first impression. 

What you can customize:

• Initial greeting scripts
• Responses to frequently asked questions
• Message-taking procedures
• Appointment scheduling protocols
• Call handling instructions for different inquiry types (sales, customer service, support)

What does a virtual receptionist cost per call?

Forget about complicated pricing structures that leave you guessing about your monthly costs. We offer two different pricing models: 

• Pay-per-call – which improves cost-effectiveness for many businesses and also provides greater cost certainty

• Pay-per-minute – the default of most US virtual reception services, although we charge only for each second you use while most providers round up every call to the nearest minute (which can lead to considerable additional cost)

Having the choice between the two options puts you in complete control of your expenses.  

Additionally, we offer: 

• A PAYG option 

• Plans with a set number of calls or minutes 

• The ability to easily scale up or down, at any time and as often as needed within any given month, which is particularly beneficial for businesses with fluctuating call volume – or impacted by seasonality 

Check out our detailed virtual receptionist cost breakdown, comparing our various service offerings, to see how affordable professional call handling can be. We show our pricing upfront, unlike many of our competitors!

Transparency is key to building trust and that’s exactly what our pricing model delivers. No hidden fees, no surprise charges, everything detailed upfront on our website. You see exactly what each call costs, and you can track your usage in real-time through our client portal, which helps you make informed decisions about your communication strategy and budget allocation. 

How do virtual receptionists reduce administrative workload?

Here’s the reality that many business owners face: you didn’t start your business to spend hours answering phones and taking messages. You have bigger dreams, more important projects and strategic goals that require your full attention.  

Virtual receptionists free you from the constant interruption of ringing phones, allowing you to focus on what you do best. 

Consider the ripple effects of this freedom. When you’re not constantly fielding calls, you can dive deeper into client projects, spend more time on business development or finally tackle that strategic planning session you’ve been postponing. The productivity gains often far exceed the cost of the service itself. 

This is especially valuable for our small business answering service clients, who often wear multiple hats throughout their day. Instead of juggling phone calls while trying to serve customers, manage inventory or handle accounting, you can delegate call management to our professional team and focus entirely on growing your business. 

Virtual receptionists also help maintain consistency in your customer service. When you’re rushing between meetings or dealing with a crisis, it’s easy to sound hurried or distracted on the phone. Our receptionists are always prepared, always professional, and always focused entirely on providing excellent customer service. 

Virtual receptionists help business owners:

1. Focus uninterrupted time on client projects
2. Dedicate more hours to business development or strategic planning
3. Serve in-person customers without multitasking
4. Maintain professional phone presence even during busy periods

Transform your business communications

The decision to invest in virtual receptionist services isn’t just about answering calls – it’s about positioning your business for growth, improving customer satisfaction and reclaiming your time to focus on what matters most.

With 24/7 coverage, US-based professionals, the ability to customize your call handling, transparent pricing and the freedom to focus on your core business, ReceptionHQ delivers everything you need to never miss a call again.

ReceptionHQ handles more than 6 million inbound calls annually for clients across various industries. Ready to see how our virtual receptionists can transform your business, too? Contact us today to learn more about our solutions and start your journey toward better customer communication. 

Frequently Asked Questions.

Stay in control of your virtual reception service

Every live call answering service and free trial includes full access to our client portal

Access Anywhere

Manage your communications wherever you’re in the office or on the move.

• Desktop, laptop & mobile compatible
• Accessible from multiple devices
• Multi user access
• Real-time updates

No extra setup or learning curve required.

While a record number of Americans have been vacationing this summer, the season tends to mean a slower pace for most business owners regardless of whether they’re personally able to take a break. Deals take longer to close and major decisions get pushed to September.  

But now it’s time to kick things back into high gear.  

Ready to make this fall your best quarter yet? It starts with getting your communication game back on track. ASAP. 

The real cost of the summer break

Although 85% of SMB owners still check email, answer some calls or do some admin work on vacation, it’s not unusual to still return to a cluttered inbox and a stack of voicemails that haven’t been responded to. 

If you’ve been soaking up some well-deserved downtime, the fact is your competitors might have been quietly capturing the leads you missed. Especially if you didn’t have a reliable virtual reception service in place, such as the solutions offered by ReceptionHQ. 

Every unanswered call over summer may have been a potential customer who couldn’t reach you when they needed you most. 

Here’s what many small business owners don’t realize: across the entire year, up to half of all calls to small businesses go unanswered. Worse, most callers (estimated to be more than 4 out of 5) won’t leave a voicemail and won’t try again. 

As those callers will be calling a competitor instead, it’s clear fast responses aren’t just polite – they’re essential to winning business.

Your back-to-business checklist 

Now you’re back in business mode and your customers are back from vacation too, it’s easy to get sucked straight into your email inbox and the day-to-day. But, with almost 80% of consumers in the digital age still valuing phone call communication with businesses, it’s crucial to first: 

1. Sort through voicemails, if you’re fortunate enough not to simply have hangups – prioritize client calls over emails 
2. Respond to anything urgent first – the faster you connect, the more likely a near-miss can be turned into a sale 
3. Ensure any client callbacks aren’t missed 

Why September is your comeback month

September usually feels more like the new year than January 1st. There’s an aura of excitement and optimism about the months ahead, and your customers feel it too. They’re back from vacation, ready to make decisions, and looking for solutions to the challenges they’ve been putting off all summer. 

This is your moment to capture that renewed energy – but only if you’re ready to answer when opportunity calls. 

The fresh-start advantage: professional call answering 

Think about it: when you’re getting back into business mode, what’s the first thing that needs to happen? You need to reconnect with your customers, capture new leads, and make sure no opportunity slips through the cracks. 

That’s where a professional call answering service becomes your secret weapon. 

Here’s how it transforms your back-to-business strategy

• Instant credibility: While your competitors are still catching up on voicemails from August, you’re answering every call live – professionally and promptly 
• No more missed opportunities: Whether it’s 9 AM or 9 PM, every caller reaches a real person who can help 
• Seamless follow-up: All messages and caller details are instantly delivered, so you can prioritize and respond fast 
• Professional presence: Even when you’re in back-to-back meetings or focused on strategic planning, your business sounds polished and accessible 

If you can’t guarantee you won’t miss any inbound calls, 24/7, you need ReceptionHQ’s help. 

Making the most of Q4 momentum

With Q4 following on from the “September surge”, now is also a good time to reevaluate your projections, and plan how to increase revenue and boost profits before 2025 is over. 

A reliable call answering service can helps you maximize this crucial period by: 

• Capturing every lead while motivation is high 
• Building trust with prospects who need immediate responses 
• Freeing up your time to focus on closing deals and strategic growth 
• Maintaining momentum even during busy periods when you can’t personally answer calls 

Here’s a clear, step-by-step guide on how to answer business calls professionally, tailored for businesses in the United States – especially startups and small business owners.

1. Answer promptly – within four rings

Aim to pick up by the fourth ring to show attentiveness and respect for the caller’s time. The majority of customers will hang up if their call isn’t answered promptly.

Then, according to SellCell, 80% of calls to cell phones go to voicemail and only 20% leave a message – meaning most callers quietly hang up without connecting. In other words, you’re likely losing nearly two out of every three callers if you’re not answering promptly.

As those callers will be calling a competitor instead, it’s clear fast responses aren’t just polite – they’re essential to winning business.

2. Smile before you speak

Even though the caller can’t see you, they can hear the difference. A genuine smile projects warmth and helps you sound more approachable – essential when mastering how to answer business calls.

3. Use a polished greeting

Here’s a simple, professional structure that works: “Good morning/afternoon. Thank you for calling [Your Business Name]. This is [Your Name]. How may I help you?”

This format shows you know how to answer the phone professionally – with clarity, courtesy and confidence. And remember, first impressions happen fast – often within a few seconds, according to researchers at Princeton University. Make each opportunity count!

4. Be as consistent as possible

Use the same greeting format every time you answer the phone. Consistency creates a strong sense of brand reliability – whether you’re answering yourself or using a virtual receptionist.

5. Speak clearly and at a steady pace

Avoid talking too quickly or using unclear language. Clear, confident speech helps your caller stay engaged and reassured that they’re in capable hands.

6. Listen actively and confirm details

Pay close attention to the caller’s reason for contacting you. Repeating key info – like their name, number or appointment time – shows care and ensures accuracy, which is key in professional phone etiquette.

7. Stay organized

Always have business details – like hours, pricing or addresses – ready for quick reference.

8. Stay calm, even with difficult calls

Remain positive and helpful, even when handling a complaint or frustrated caller. A calm tone shows professionalism and can help de-escalate tense situations.

9. Follow through on promises

If you say you’ll call someone back – do it. Even a quick update reassures the caller that they haven’t been forgotten. This simple follow-up builds trust and reflects well on your business.

10. Enjoy the connection

Every phone call is a chance to create a positive experience. Think of it not as a task, but as an opportunity to build rapport, trust, and loyalty – just by being present and professional.

11. Have a backup plan for missed calls

Sometimes you’re in a meeting or with a client. That’s why it’s important to have a call overflow answering service to catch calls when you can’t.

Because as mentioned earlier, missed calls are often missed opportunities, and the average lost value per call could easily range from $100 to $10,000 depending on your industry.

Want every call answered with professionalism?

ReceptionHQ’s 24/7 virtual receptionist services ensure your calls are answered quickly, warmly, and accurately – even when you’re unavailable. Our team is trained in professional call handling and customized scripts that sound like part of your team.

• Available around the clock
• Real people – not robots
• Flexible plans for every budget

Get started today or try our free trial to see the difference a professional first impression can make.

Outsourcing call answering to a team of offsite receptionists who can answer your business’s calls 24/7 is one solution that offers both a competitive advantage and cost savings.

ReceptionHQ offers small businesses in the United States an opportunity to streamline their operations and focus on core tasks while maintaining professional and efficient customer service.

Let’s explore the key reasons why small business owners should consider outsourcing call answering to ReceptionHQ.

Cost savings

Hiring an in-house receptionist or your own reception team can be a significant financial burden for small businesses. The costs associated with recruitment, training, salaries, benefits and infrastructure can quickly add up.

With ReceptionHQ, small businesses can forget all those expenses and simply pay per call (or per minute) for the calls we answer on their behalf. This flexible approach can result in substantial cost savings, while also providing peace of mind that concurrent calls and calls after-hours will be answered.

While we also answer calls for larger businesses including major corporations, at ReceptionHQ we’re driven to ensure we remain affordable for even the smallest of businesses. That’s why we even offer extremely flexible, pay-as-you-go options with no long-term contracts.

Enhanced customer experience

Customers are the lifeblood of any business, so it’s vital that:

1. You project a professional image that generates a positive first impression that instills confidence in prospective customers and helps you stand out from competitors
2. You continue to provide exceptional customer service every time customers call your business

By outsourcing call answering to a specialized virtual reception service provider like ReceptionHQ, small businesses can have peace of mind that their calls are answered promptly, in a courteous and professional manner.

With trained receptionists mostly based in the US, your callers can always speak to a human rather than getting through to your voicemail and hanging up in frustration. No more missed opportunities! Plus you can even support both English and Spanish speakers with our bilingual answering service options.

Best of all, ReceptionHQ’s receptionists can not only take messages, but provide information, handle customer inquiries, triage calls and transfer when appropriate to do so and even schedule appointments if required.

Increased productivity and focus

Outsourcing call answering frees up valuable time and resources for small business owners and their employees. Instead of constantly interrupting important tasks to answer phone calls, they can concentrate on core business activities such as strategic planning, product development and sales.

By delegating call-answering responsibilities to ReceptionHQ, small businesses can enhance their productivity and overall efficiency.

Scalability and flexibility

Small businesses often face fluctuating call volumes, making it challenging to allocate resources accordingly. Outsourcing call answering provides the scalability and flexibility necessary to handle peak periods and manage call overflow seamlessly.

Having ReceptionHQ supporting your business makes it easier to avoid missed calls, regardless of the time of day or call volume, providing a reliable solution that adapts to the needs of your business.

Is it time you outsourced your reception?

Gain a competitive edge in your market while reducing your business costs! Outsourcing call answering to ReceptionHQ provides substantial savings to most businesses, improved customer experiences and productivity gains, with the ability to scale as your business grows.

By partnering with ReceptionHQ, you can focus on your core activities while ensuring that your callers receive 5-star service.

Take the first step towards success now with a 7-day free trial.

The Hispanic population in America is rapidly growing and becoming an important demographic for businesses to target. The US already has the second-most Spanish speakers of any country in the world – and it’s expected to overtake Mexico by 2050.

About 1 in 8 American residents speak Spanish at home and, while the majority also speak English fluently, about one-third do not.

How to connect with more Spanish speakers in business

A bilingual answering service with Spanish-speaking receptionists is the easiest, most cost-effective way to expand into new markets in the US. Especially for small business owners.

It’s probable that your business already serves at least some Spanish-speaking customers. Yet it’s likely you have the potential to serve many more – including those who speak little, if any, English – if only you could overcome the language barrier.

Consider this: if you and your competitors are failing to connect with native Spanish speakers, they may currently feel inadequately serviced or even alienated within your market.

By providing bilingual support, your business can cater to this wider audience and increase your customer base without incurring significant costs. This has the potential to provide you with a significant competitive advantage. Of course, even if you have a fluent Spanish speaker on your team, unless the receptionist answering calls to your business number also speaks Spanish you will have a problem.

Benefits of using a bilingual answering service

While hiring and training bilingual reception staff can be expensive and time-consuming, outsourcing Spanish-speaking customer service to a team of bilingual virtual receptionists is far more cost-effective.

ReceptionHQ employs dedicated bilingual receptionists who are either fluent or native Spanish speakers. Working remotely – rather than at your business premises – they can handle customer inquiries over the phone and provide support to callers in either Spanish or English, including taking messages, qualifying leads, answering FAQs and even setting appointments.

By utilizing ReceptionHQ’s bilingual live call answering services, businesses can offer support in each customer’s preferred language and provide a meaningful human connection. This in turn can translate into a more positive experience, increase overall satisfaction levels and help to generate repeat business.

However you look at it, bilingual virtual receptionists enable your business to better capitalize on more opportunities. Imagine if your business becomes known for offering exceptional customer service for Spanish speakers. Through word-of-mouth recommendations and targeted marketing strategies, you’re almost certain to thrive!

Will all calls be answered in Spanish?

Whether your callers are predominantly Spanish speakers or your business expects to receive only a few calls from Spanish speakers each month, ReceptionHQ has the solution!

Our bilingual virtual receptionists are available to answer incoming calls from 5am to 7pm MST every day, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. If most or all of your callers speak Spanish, all of your calls can be answered in Spanish by a bilingual virtual receptionist during these hours (with after-hours surcharges applicable Saturdays and Sundays, plus English call answering still available outside of those hours if you haven’t opted out of after-hours live answering).

If your Spanish call volumes are low and you want bilingual receptionists as a backup only, your calls can still be answered in English by a non-bilingual receptionist:

1. If the caller speaks in English and doesn’t request wanting assistance in Spanish, the call is handled in English.
2. If the caller speaks in Spanish or asks for assistance in Spanish, they are asked to hold briefly and transferred to a bilingual team member for the call to proceed in Spanish.

Either way, there’s no additional cost compared to standard call answering in English.

You can even put our service to the test with a 7-day free trial. No credit card required.

Customer connections are crucial in business. And every call to your business is an opportunity to make a connection.

Over 90% of callers want to speak with a live person. But what happens when you’re unable to take that call? Studies have shown that providing your callers with a live answering service will more than double the chance of them leaving a message and they are more likely to wait for a return call, rather than calling your competitor.

ReceptionHQ understands the importance of customer connections.

And that a great first impression increases sales and lead referrals.

Ensure your business calls are professionally answered 24/7

ReceptionHQ’s secret to helping you increase your sales and lead referrals is simple. With our team of highly-trained, courteous, friendly and professional receptionists, we’re an extension of your business.

We answer your calls with your customized greeting, screen your calls and handle them as you wish.

Take a message? No problem.

Transfer a call? Absolutely.

Schedule an appointment? It’s our pleasure.

ReceptionHQ provides options and features as customizable as your business requires.

All your calls are answered by a live receptionist.

Need call transfers? These are customizable too and directed by you.

Not available to take a call right now? Let us know in real-time via our ReceptionHQ online client portal.

We will send you your messages by text, email, or both.

Are you looking for more?

We can book appointments, fill out online forms – such as Helpdesk tickets – and answer frequently asked questions, place orders through your website and even navigate your callers to your location.

Do you need even more customization? Ask us. Chances are, we’ve been asked before.

And the best part? We’re ready to answer your calls 24/7.

Reliable call answering services for any size business

ReceptionHQ provides live answering solutions to a multitude of different companies, ranging from small businesses to large enterprises.

Some of the clients include:

• Law offices – for messaging services, call transfers and after-hours support
• Medical professions – for appointment-booking and urgent or emergency services
• Real estate and consumer service companies – for assistance with on-call management
• And even large call centers – for assistance with overflow and 24/7 support

Our clients love to share their business success stories with us, on how we saved them time, money and helped them grow their business.

So, what are you waiting for?

Activate your 7-day virtual reception free trial today

With our 7-day free trial and month-to-month subscriptions, you have nothing to lose.

Contact our team at 866-913-3533 or request a call back for help determining the best answering service solution for your business. Or go ahead and sign up for your free trial to start maximizing your customer connections today.

Businesses across the US are facing a new challenge thrown up by the COVID-19 pandemic: unprecedented disruption outside of a lockdown, with workforces being decimated due to staff being ill or having to isolate due to being close contacts.

Closures, reduced opening hours and cuts to service offerings are becoming more and more common as Omicron cases spread, creating chaos for staff who are able to work and customers alike.

Too short-staffed to answer the phone?

Small business owners and the hospitality sector have arguably been hit hardest, but regardless of your industry and whether your business has been forced to shut its doors or you’re doing your best to stay open, one fact remains constant: You cannot afford to disregard phone calls or allow your customer service standards to slip.

Operating any business with a skeleton staff, whether it is planned over a holiday period or forced upon you as a result of unforeseen circumstances, means it can be difficult to ensure your business phone number is always answered, customers are not made to wait on hold for lengthy periods or customers are given undivided attention when they finally get through to speak to someone.

Let the phone ring out at your peril

While we’re all in this together and in an ideal world every customer would be completely understanding given the circumstances, the reality is this can be hugely detrimental for any business. Missed phone calls and poor customer experience will only put your business under even more pressure.

Let’s face it, in an ideal world COVID-19 wouldn’t exist either.

So, how do you ensure business calls are still answered?

ReceptionHQ’s virtual receptionists have proudly been helping American businesses navigate the pandemic since the very beginning with some of our clients crediting us for their survival.

Now, in the midst of possibly the most uncertain time faced by business communities, we’re continuing to support businesses in the USA who are needing to change how they operate … whether temporarily or permanently.

Whether or not you’re temporarily closed or still open for business, our range of low-cost coronavirus support business solutions include:

1. Call answering with message taking, provision of updated business information to callers and transfers of calls (when appropriate) to staff working remotely
2. Providing coverage if your in-house receptionist is sick or isolating, call overflow coverage or after-hours call answering support
3. Setting up an ‘absentee line’ so employees can easily notify if they’re unable to attend work
4. Taking customer orders over the phone
5. Booking appointments, handling cancellations and managing waitlists

You can even try our services for free

Our seven-day call answering free trial based on our ReceptionistPlus virtual reception service may well be the perfect option for you, depending on your specific business needs, enabling you to experience exactly how we can assist your business during these challenging times and beyond. Otherwise, if you’re proceeding straight to a paid subscription, you can do so with absolute peace of mind knowing there are no long-term contracts and you can cancel any time.

Dealing with an automated voice-over when you need customer service is extremely frustrating. That’s how your customers feel too, and it can leave a negative impression of your business.

Luckily, there’s now an affordable and reliable alternative thanks to outsourcing companies that can provide a live receptionist to ensure every single call is answered. With a US-based answering service, you no longer need to worry about calls going unanswered, and potential customers deciding not to do business with you.

It is perfect for a small business that is experiencing growth. A telephone answering service can provide a professional look and feel which strengthens your brand, and gives you an edge over your competitors. A strong first impression can be a huge factor in a potential customer deciding to do business with you.

What is a live answering service?

A live answering service is provided by an outsourced company who use virtual offices within the United States. A virtual answering service offers a range of services which includes everything from answering phone calls and scheduling appointments to full virtual receptionist services, such as asking screening questions and providing customer service and support.
The services can be tailored to suit your business requirements and your budget.

A professional answering service offers many benefits to small business and can assist you in scaling and ensuring smooth operations for your business quickly.

Besides just call answerings, there are many other advantages a phone answering service can provide, such as:

Call screening

Before calls are transferred to you, a virtual receptionist can ask screening questions, set an appointment, and brief and prepare you for a follow-up call.

Improve customer loyalty

A live answering service helps build confidence from your customers that you provide excellent customer service and value them. By always speaking to a virtual receptionist, they know that someone can help them when they need it, and are more likely to stay with your business.

Never miss an important call again

On average, calls to your business will be answered in less than 15 seconds. Many callers will hang up if their call goes to voicemail rather than being answered by a live receptionist. If so, they may immediately call your competitor afterwards. By having a live phone answering service, you can convert more leads into sales.

Cost

You can reduce your costs while improving your customer service. Instead of having a full-time receptionist on staff, a live answering service offers a per call price, to allow you to manage your budget accurately.

There are different plans to choose from, so you are covered for when your business grows or needs extra help during peak periods. There’s also the savings of both time and money of not having to train additional part-time or full-time staff members.

Appointment scheduling

Do you have a business that heavily relies on appointments? Well, there’s no need to worry. With a virtual answering service, you will never miss another appointment again! A virtual receptionist is highly trained and can set and reschedule appointments for you.

Eliminates spam

Robocalls, spam and phishing attempts do not only waste time and resources, but can be majorly annoying and inconvenient. A virtual answering service receptionist allows you to spend your valuable time being productive while screening the telemarketers, robocalls, and spam for you.

Never miss a call again

When you are on a call with a client or patient, or on a lunch break, are you missing important calls? A live answering service is available around the clock, to allow you to take a break or spend more time with your family, without having to worry about ever missing a call.

A 24-hour answering service is always available, including holidays and weekends, which means your business never needs to close.

Flexibility

Whether you need a live receptionist 24/7 or after hours or only on weekends, there is full flexibility with a call answering service to meet your business needs. Every business is different, which is why a package can be tailored to suit you.

Perhaps you only require the service for an overflow when your receptionist is already preoccupied with another call, or only during certain times of the day to cover for a lunch break.
Whatever your needs, a telephone answering service has got you covered.

Exceptional customer support

When your phone is ringing out of control, it’s not always possible for someone to phone answer every time. Perhaps you’re in the middle of a sale, or your latest marketing campaign has gone viral, and you can’t cope with the boom in business. Even in the digital age, up to 90% of business transactions occur over the phone. Any missed call is a missed business opportunity.

Get an edge over your competition when every single call is answered in a professional way, and each customer is given personalized customer service and the attention they expect and deserve.

Are you still unsure if a live answering service is right for your business? ReceptionHQ provides a 7-day virtual reception free trial to see the results for yourself.

You have the option to pay as you go for each call individually, or you can sign up for a package that includes a set number of calls per month to suit your business needs.
See the immediate difference a business phone answering service can make today.

A reliable, well-trained, and experienced virtual receptionist can be ready to provide phone answering and represent your business within minutes. Best of all is that you can save money and time from having to hire and train new staff.

Doing so can also free up existing staff and allow them to be more productive, rather than be distracted by answering phone calls constantly.

A live answering service gives you peace of mind that all the phone calls your business receives will be handled by a professional and experienced virtual receptionist. You can also provide your own approved greetings and script, to fully customize the experience to your customers.

What is a telephone answering service?

A telephone answering service is an outsourced business service that answers inbound calls on your company’s behalf and acts as a virtual receptionist. We are located in the US and can provide a local customer service experience for your clients anywhere in America.

Whenever someone calls your business phone number, a virtual receptionist will answer phone calls within 15 seconds, instead of it going to voicemail.

The virtual answering service can screen calls, take messages, provide customer service, as well as scheduling appointments, all in real-time.

To make sure you never miss an important call again, there is a 24-hour answering service available around the clock. Not only does it save your business time and money, but it also ensures that someone is always available to answer client calls.

Customers place significant value on customer service, and it can be the difference between keeping a customer, or them going to a competitor instead.

How is a telephone answering service different from a call center?

People often mistake a telephone answering service for a call center, which is known for cold-calling or outbound marketing. However, this couldn’t be further from the case.
A call answering service instead provides your business with support for inbound calls from callers who are contacting your business directly.

While a business phone answering service may be in a call center environment, a professional virtual receptionist has a very different set of skills. Instead of having sales skills, they instead are experienced in providing excellent customer service and resolving any query that the caller has.

Benefits of a phone answering service

Having professional outsourced phone answering has many benefits to help set you apart from your competition. These include:

Every call being answered

A live answering service lets your company instantly respond to every call during peak periods. Whether you are running a marketing campaign, have an unexpectedly high volume of calls, seasonal products or services, or team members on vacation or out sick, there’s no need to stress. You can ensure that every single call will be answered and resolved.

Virtual receptionist services can fill in during peak times, with only a moment’s notice, to provide seamless support for your business.

Calls answered according to your script

The telephone answering service uses your script to ensure that all instructions and advice is consistent, which strengthens your brand and company values. It’s also possible to add a custom on-hold message for your callers to listen to.

Cost effectiveness

You only pay for phone answering for calls you receive, instead of paying a fixed wage for a real receptionist who may otherwise be bored and unproductive during quiet times. Packages are available ranging from a call-by-call basis for small businesses, as well as monthly packages.

Customer service outside of business hours

A telephone answering service lets you be available to answer any calls you may receive outside of business hours. It ensures that every call gets answered and professionally dealt with, at a time which is most convenient for your customers, including federal holidays and weekends.

Real-time resolution

A live receptionist can provide real-time problem resolution and prevent calls being escalated to you. Based on the FAQs you provide, they can give your customers consistent answers for any queries related to your product or service.

Ability to scale as your business grows

As your business grows, there is no need to hire and train more staff. Instead, you can change to a different package that best suits your business objectives. As well as having an increased number of live receptionists available to handle the calls, you can take advantage of the full range of virtual receptionist services while increasing their responsibility and outsourcing more tasks over time thanks to flexible packages.

The importance of outsourcing to US-based virtual receptionists

Instead of outsourcing your calls to an overseas call center, ReceptionHQ’s phone answering service is based in the United States. The majority of calls for our clients are answered by professional virtual receptionists in the USA, with our international teams assisting with overflow during peak times and after hours. This means that typically a local live receptionist will be handling queries for your business and understand the unique culture and dialect of each city and state.

ReceptionHQ offers a free 7-day telephone answering service trial. Try it for yourself with no risk and no credit card required to see if phone answering is right for your business. You can get set up and have a friendly and helpful virtual receptionist answering your calls within minutes.

Best of all is your customers will receive the highest customer service possible while being able to contact your business 24/7. They will also have no idea that you are using a live receptionist service, instead of a receptionist physically in the office.

Of course, we get it. As a small business owner, you’re no doubt busy. You can’t waste time answering phone calls all day long when there is work to be done. You haven’t hired an administrative assistant to help you either – perhaps it’s simply not in the budget to hire someone full-time to help you out. So what can you do?

This is where a virtual receptionist comes in. As a US business owner, when you use a virtual, professional answering service, you can relax knowing your calls are answered by someone professional, friendly, and locally-based. It is a cost-effective, 24-hour service that could prevent you from missing the most important call of your business’ history! That’s a call you can’t afford to miss.

What is a virtual receptionist?

A virtual receptionist, or virtual answering service, is a person who is hired to work for you, from an external office. They could be located next door, or anywhere in the United States; it doesn’t matter. It’s their job to answer your calls, so you don’t miss any important work.

Although there are a number of options available in the marketplace, such as virtual chat functions, holographs, automated call answering services; at ReceptionHQ, we specialize in two types of virtual receptionist services:

Virtual assistant: A remote worker who will not only act as your virtual receptionist, but also assist with clerical and administration tasks, among many other things.
Telephone answering service: A live receptionist who is solely hired to answer your calls, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so you never miss an opportunity.

How does virtual answering service work?

Running a business is tough, particularly for small business owners. Not only do you have to keep the work moving at a successful pace, but you also have to make sure everyone is doing their job, and that there is more work to come once a job is complete. A builder, for example, is often onsite, high up on the beams, making sure everything is safe and efficient. When you’re standing ten stories high on a foot-wide beam, the last thing you want to be doing is fumbling through your pockets and answering your phone.

Sure, you might have message bank, but as we’ve already mentioned – 75% of callers actually hang up when it hits message bank. Do they call back? Or do they just find another business that does answer the phone?

That’s when a phone answering service could save your business.
It works like this:

1. You are hiring a live answering service with a live receptionist. They may be based locally, but they work remotely.
2. When your phone rings, it will transfer to that person, who will answer the call using your preferred commentary.
3. The virtual receptionist will then take a message to pass on to you, or someone else at your business.
4. They will email or SMS the details, so you can call the person back

Virtual receptionists are highly trained and always available, providing call handling and call transfer services for inbound calls. But they don’t have to stop with phone answering. Virtual receptionist services are also useful for scheduling appointments, general customer support, and customer service, and can do any of the following:

Collect Leads: If the person calling you is interested in purchasing your products, or using your services, the virtual receptionist will be able to take down all the details required so you can make the sale.

Answer Questions: Sometimes people will call your business to ask simple questions about the business itself, such as your opening hours, or the products you have on-hand. Using a business phone answering service for this will leave you time to do the work, while also providing a service your clients and potential customers need to be fulfilled.

Making Appointments: If a client calls saying they need to change a meeting time or cancel an appointment, your virtual receptionist can do this. They will work with any scheduling software you currently use.

24-Hour Support: Phone waking you up in the middle of the night with customer questions that could have waited until morning? Not anymore. Using a virtual receptionist will take care of those late-night calls. You can even have weekends and holidays back again!

Benefits of a virtual receptionist

There are many benefits to using a virtual answering service, including:

Cost-effective: When you hire a full-time live receptionist service, someone who works directly for you, you pay them an hourly rate, based on a set number of hours per day. You also generally need to include holiday rates, sick pay, personal and other leave entitlements. Not to mention you need to rent an office. Hiring a virtual phone answering service, you simply pay for the hours they work. If an assistant is sick, another will take their place. You don’t lose any time or money.

Professionalism: When you’re too busy to take a call, or you forget to call someone back who has left a message on your voicemail, it shows a lack of professionalism on your part. Having someone on-hand to take the calls for you, gives your customers a good impression. Calls are answered fast and professionally, ensuring your clients know they are your priority.

Flexibility: You can choose to have a virtual receptionist working for you for 4 hours a day, or 24 hours a day. It’s up to you. If you deal with international clients who tend to call you in the middle of the night, a virtual receptionist will allow you to sleep through it all.

Better Productivity: According to research, people who work 8 hours a day at an office actually only work around 30% of that time. That’s right. About 3 hours of the workday is productive. The rest of the time is spent reading news websites, chatting with colleagues, eating, drinking coffee, and so on. A virtual receptionist is available to work, non-stop, for hours on end. You can hire them for four hours, and you’ll get four hours of quality work, where they focus solely on answering your calls, booking appointments, and generating leads.

More Time: Hiring someone to take care of your phone calls could save you hours of unnecessary chit-chat. As you receive messages from your virtual receptionist, you have the ability to prioritize who you call back and when. This gives you time to focus on the business that matters.

How can ReceptionHQ help?

ReceptionHQ provides a high-quality virtual receptionist and business phone answering service for your business in the United States.

It doesn’t matter what size your business is, or the services you provide, there is a friendly, professional receptionist waiting to take your calls. ReceptionHQ receptionists are local and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Get in touch today to find out more.