Are you running a one-person business on your own? If so, we feel for you! Solopreneurs are a fairly common phenomenon, though. In fact, “Over half of all companies operate with fewer than 5 people,” according to research by Tidio.
And we know that such ventures face a daunting array of unique challenges. That’s because many of the tasks in such operations are full-time jobs in and of themselves. For example, managing incoming calls is obviously a crucial task, but it’s hard to do right when you’ve got a hundred cats to juggle.
How do single-person shops maneuver the maze of daily tasks when they’re pulled in every direction at once? Easy! They outsource their call handling to a virtual receptionist service.
What are virtual receptionists?
Virtual receptionists are remote workers who engage with your business’s callers, freeing you and your team to focus on other tasks.
They can integrate seamlessly into any business, managing incoming calls, taking messages, answering FAQs, and scheduling appointments. They offer most of the services of an in-house receptionist but at a fraction of the cost.
And because they work in shifts, they’re able to cover lines 24/7, ensuring no call or opportunity gets missed!
How do virtual receptionists make life easier for one-person businesses?
Small businesses = tight budgets. And since time is money, every minute counts and they can’t afford wasteful practices.
Virtual receptionist services are specifically designed to boost efficiency and save time and money. How, exactly? Let’s do a quick breakdown of virtual receptionist services to find out.
Tackling time-consuming tasks
Every business must deal with mundane duties like answering caller questions, booking appointments, doing client intakes, processing payments, etc.
But surprise—as the owner, you shouldn’t have to do these things yourself! In fact, it’s inefficient if you do because your valuable time is better spent on other work. So outsource those chores to a professional service that can knock them out as they come up.
Capturing every opportunity
What’s so great about virtual receptionists when businesses can opt for an automated service? For starters, customers hate automated services, especially Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems.
“IVR remains a wildly unpopular choice amongst consumers, with 98% admitting they try to bypass company IVR systems to get straight to a human service agent,” writes customer service platform Gladly.
Every call could mean a new client or a significant sale. Virtual receptionists ensure calls are answered by real people, providing responsive customer service that can make the difference between capturing an opportunity—or blowing one.
Enhancing business image
Having a receptionist answer your calls projects a professional image. It helps you come across as a larger or more established operation.
That doesn’t mean your receptionist has to be sitting at a desk by your office, though. Ruby virtual receptionists have access to all the major information and details about your business. When they pick up, it’s like they’re right there in the building with you.
Cost efficiency
Ever hired an employee? It’s a ton of work, and costly, too.
Between the salary, taxes, benefits, training, and equipment costs, the “true employer cost” of an in-house receptionist goes as high as $53,900 a year.
A virtual receptionist service eliminates these expenses, providing professional service at an affordable price point. No onboarding, no training, and no equipment costs.
Flexibility and scalability
One-person businesses often experience fluctuating volumes of customer interactions.
Alas, with a full-time receptionist, when they’re on the clock they’re getting paid whether they have things to do or not.
Compare that with the flexibility of scalable virtual receptionist packages. During busy months, it’s a breeze to scale up with more receptionist minutes. When things slow down, you can adjust accordingly. You only pay for what you need, when you need it.
What can virtual receptionists do for your one-person business?
Clearly, virtual receptionists are helpful for certain businesses in certain situations. What about yours? Let’s talk about a few ways Ruby’s virtual receptionists can help your business immediately.
1. Help you reclaim your time
You’re wearing multiple hats, from accounting and supplies to inventory, computer issues, marketing, in-person customer assistance, and so on. Even if you’re the time management ninja, there are only so many hours in the day to get everything done.
But that phone keeps ringing!
You also can’t afford to spend every waking hour working, because that’s a surefire way to suffer burnout. So that’s why you should let a virtual receptionist step in and manage those calls for you.
2. Delight your callers
Customers have high expectations when it comes to service these days.
Since most callers are also leads, you’ve got to give them your full attention. You can’t afford to blow a sale or potential new client by giving anything less than 100% when those calls come in.
Luckily, Ruby receptionists are specifically trained in the art of customer experience. We not only handle calls with courtesy and efficiency, they also ensure callers get the highest level of personalized service possible.
3. Handle scheduling
Scheduling is as important as it is mundane.
No one-person shop should ever have to spend time performing basic tasks like booking appointments when they could be using that time working and making money instead.
Virtual receptionists are the best and most affordable solution to this common issue! And at Ruby, we can do it using more than 20 of the most popular scheduling tools, including:
4. Process payments
Processing payments is at least a little more fun than scheduling since there’s money involved. Still, this is yet another function your small business can easily outsource.
Ruby receptionists can manage your payment processing functions seamlessly using our integrated software solutions.
5. Make outbound calls
Whether it’s confirming appointments, conducting surveys, or making other routine outbound calls, virtual receptionists can perform these support tasks for you.
In fact, outbound calls are opportunities to demonstrate how much you care about your customers or clients! And Ruby receptionists are more than happy to tackle that for your business, too!
Ready to get started?
Virtual receptionists can free businesses of any size to focus on other tasks, such as growth and revenue.
But for one-person shops, they’re an indispensable tool, a flexible, affordable solution that can boost your image and customer service while improving operational efficiency.
