The idea of having someone else answer the phone on your behalf may seem a bit over the top, especially if you’re just starting a new business. However, as the business grows, your clientele and workforce expand, making simple tasks like answering calls to become a problem.

Nowadays, telephony has evolved drastically through innovations such as VoIP and smartphone technology. This means that it’s much easier and cheaper to make calls than ever before; the result is increased call traffic, which could be bad news for your growing business if you’re incapable of handling incoming calls. Here are three signs that show your business could use an answering service.

Your Phone is Ringing Off-The-Hook

Are your work phone and even personal phone ringing constantly and often going unanswered? Is your voicemail always full, or does the phone always over-ring before it’s picked up? If your answer is yes to any of these questions, it means that your staff and yourself are completely overwhelmed by the call traffic.

Business calls going unanswered can be a huge red flag; you could lose customers and damage your business relations. Get someone to answer the phone for you to ensure that every single caller is taken care of.

Using Your Personal and Home Phone to Answer Business Calls

You might find that the best solution to handling your business calls is to give out your personal phone numbers to clients and associates. This often happens with business owners who prefer to take some business calls during their free time, usually because the work lines are overworked.

It may seem like a good idea to answer business calls over your private lines, but it comes off as highly unprofessional. Besides, answering calls on private phones cuts into your free time, which should be spent resting or with family and friends. Don’t let your business encroach into your personal space.

Making Drastic Changes to The Business Process

If you are in the process of making some major changes to your business model and its operations, then you should expect sharp spikes in your call volume. Some of the drastic changes may include taking your enterprise online, revising the transaction process, rebranding, or adding a new range of products and services.

Such changes are likely to create confusion and raise a lot of questions, so be sure that your customers will continually call to get some answers. When making directional changes in your business, consider how your customers will reach you to get clarification and reassurance.

If you’ve already observed some of these signs in your business, then it’s time to really think about outsourcing your phone services. An answering agency might be just what you need to keep up with the demands of your growing business.

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