Hiring a virtual receptionist service is a big decision. Why? Because it costs you money and affects your company’s image. This easy-to-consume guide helps you make an informed decision so you only hire a service that represents you right.

We want to make sure small business owners are making the smart choice, not the flashy choice. In our Visual Guide to Virtual Reception, you’ll learn:

The different types of live answering services
Signs that you need a virtual receptionist
The benefits of live virtual receptionists
How to choose the most cost effective option
Competitor analysis of top services
How to pick a no-strings attached free trial
BONUS: Virtual Receptionist Features Checklist for your research

The Different Types of Live Answering Services

There are a few options for live answering services: answering service, virtual receptionist service, and virtual assistant service. The quality, customization, and features offered varies drastically. Understanding the similarities and differences is the best way to pick a service that is right for your business.

Signs That You Need a Live Virtual Receptionist

If you’re like me, you were probably surprised (or relieved!) to learn that not every administrative task has to take place at your business’ physical location. This is where a virtual receptionist comes in.

Virtual receptionists roles and responsibilities constantly evolve and their bandwidth is never slim. There are always customers who need help, callers that need to schedule an appointment, mail that needs to be sent out, and eventually calls get missed and the customer experience starts to suffer. No fault to you and your staff, work just gets busy.

The Benefits of Live Virtual Receptionists

Like most people, I’ve had more worthwhile experiences with businesses over the phone than on any other medium. I can’t remember an ‘amazing’ email or flyer, but I can definitely recall many positive phone conversations. That’s because there’s an intimacy with a voice conversation that you don’t get with the written word.

Small businesses have started hiring virtual receptionists to provide this great customer service. We break down 4 game-changing benefits of a virtual receptionist that can make a great impact to your small business’ bottom line.

How to Choose the Most Cost Effective Option

Unfortunately, many companies are slapped with unexpected fees and overage charges by their seemingly “inexpensive” virtual receptionist service. Some are even billed for minutes related to spam calls or unengaged calls.

We want to let you know that this doesn’t have to be the norm. Here are a few pointers on what to look for when researching and choosing a virtual receptionist service.

Competitor Analysis of Live Virtual Receptionist Services

You want to choose a virtual receptionist service that has proven quality with small businesses just like you. We pulled these 2021 reviews and ratings from Clutch.co to help with your decision.

Virtual Receptionist Features Checklist

Live virtual receptionist companies offer many features and it is difficult to understand what you need and don’t need. We curated a checklist of the features you should look out for to ensure you get the “bang for your buck”.