There is no question that COVID-19 and the current recession have affected the health of small businesses. In fact, 38% of small businesses facing closure plan to lay off employees to survive.
In the current economic environment, small businesses are facing many challenges. Some include a decrease in sales and the need to cut costs wherever possible. Among these costs is the number of employees they have on payroll. Plus, studies have shown that employee wages average 70% of all expenses in a given business.
Considering that number comes close to three-fourths of costs, there is no way one person can meet all of a business’s needs and provide excellent customer service. Therefore, owners are in need of more employees.
Answering customer inquiries and booking appointments, for example, are two crucial responsibilities many (if not all) small business owners need assistance with.
Why You’re Struggling to Hire an In-House Receptionist
As a small business owner, you have limited time to handle everything on your plate. For example, creating business plans and marketing campaigns, ensuring profitability, and increasing research and development (R&D) efforts.
With so many moving parts, it is nearly impossible to provide top-notch customer service to your customers. This is why you might feel inclined to hire a receptionist in the first place. But again, hiring an in-house employee during an unsettling economic state can be difficult.
In addition to taking up revenue, hiring an in-house receptionist adds to the stress of having to onboard them. After spending time teaching your company’s language, values, and how you want them to treat customers, you may find they leave soon after or do not perform. This may be due to the lack of flexibility, work-life balance, or competitive pay. Luckily there is a better option—a remote receptionist.
How Hiring a Remote Receptionist Solves Your Hiring Challenges
As a business owner, you have to deal with a lot of administrative work to keep the business running. You may get stuck behind the desk, answering phone calls, dealing with customer inquiries, and scheduling appointments.
While these factors are essential to the health of any business, you cannot thrive in other areas of the company. For example, handling marketing and financial planning, while onboarding new clients, and nurturing their relationships with existing ones becomes challenging.
Now, let’s look at how a remote receptionist can help you solve all of your hiring problems and grow your business!
1. Remote Receptionists Give You Quality Time Back
Remote receptionists give you your precious time back and allow you to easily work on your other priorities. They come ready with the necessary skills, so you don’t have to worry about training them.
Smiledog has professional remote receptionists who can confidently answer phone calls, book appointments, and answer any inquiries.
The benefits don’t stop there. Outsourcing your receptionist allows you to focus on other aspects of your business. For instance, they allow you to spend more time with your clients.
It is easier to prioritize your day when you have assistance managing a specific part of your business (aka, reception). Having a ringing phone or checking your email constantly will no longer be an interruption.
2. They Ensure Your Calls To Answer Every Call
It’s normal for an in-house receptionist to miss calls while on a lunch break or because they get off the clock at 5 p.m. But a missed call is a missed opportunity.
With Smiledog, you can prevent missed calls and increase customer satisfaction with a warm smile.
With multiple receptionists available to support, you no longer have to worry about your in-house receptionist missing calls because they arrive late, take lunch breaks, or are out of the office for vacation.
Our team of remote receptionists is always available, 70 hours a week. That’s right, we’re there a few hours after 5 p.m. to ensure you capture more business opportunities.
Not only do we remove all of the stressful receptionist tasks, but we also eliminate the headache of finding a replacement.
3. Remote Receptionists Save You Money
Remote receptionists eliminate the need to hire an additional employee or compensate for PTO and sick days because they are available as needed. As a result, your business will save money.
Our receptionists here at Smiledog are ready to handle any and all of the same responsibilities as an in-house receptionist.
Unlike an in-house receptionist that you would pay to work 8-5 Monday through Friday, Smiledog remote receptionists are available whenever necessary. You can tailor their schedules to your needs, so you won’t have to pay for their services if it’s not necessary for them to assist.
Get Smiledog’s Support to Spend More Time With Clients
You can count on our Smiledog remote receptionists to manage all of your phone calls and appointments whenever it is convenient for you. They will ensure you capture more business opportunities, capture all calls, and keep more money in your pockets.
Invest your time and energy into onboarding your clients who have invested in your business, and we’ll take care of the rest.
When you work with our team, it’s seamless, and we’re here to ensure you succeed and are free to do what you love and know best – catering to your clients.