The Real Skills You Should Look for in a Virtual Receptionist
Often, business owners don’t have time to answer their own phone. They look for a virtual receptionist to help since it is usually less expensive than hiring a traditional receptionist. Yet, it’s important that you know which skills to look for in a virtual receptionist.
Communication Skills
It may seem obvious, but your virtual receptionist needs to have excellent communication skills. Your virtual receptionist should be able to communicate well with you and should be personable toward your clients and potential clients that call your business. When you interview virtual receptionists, pay attention to how they speak with you. That is a good indication of how they will speak to the people who call your business.
This is an important skill because it reflects directly on your business.
Professional Image
Your virtual receptionist should know how to project a professional image over the phone. This includes acting as an extension of your company. The person you choose should be open to accepting and displaying the values and mission statement of your company when they are taking or returning calls on your behalf.
Basic Knowledge About Your Industry
The virtual assistant should have basic knowledge about your industry. This means that the person knows basic terms that may be used by you or those who call your business. In cases where you plan to use the virtual receptionist to return phone calls on your behalf, this person should understand basic concepts so that they can, if necessary, explain them to those who have questions.
Punctuality Is Important
As you interview virtual receptionists, it is important that you look for someone who can meet the time demands of your business. People in different time zones should be made aware of the hours that you need them to be available to receive phone calls on your behalf. They should also have a history of positive job performance.
Clear Grasp of English
It’s important that your clients and prospective clients are able to understand what your virtual receptionist says. You should ensure that you hire someone who understands and speaks clear English. This is particularly important if you work with a demographic who may have a hard time understanding people on the phone. In addition to speaking good English, they should be able to enunciate their words and speak clearly on the phone.
Experience with Equipment
Remember that your virtual assistant will be the first line of contact for your clients and prospective clients. As such, you should choose someone who is experienced in using the equipment that is required for them to receive and make calls on your behalf. Unanswered calls and more than occasional software or hardware glitch can cause your business to look bad. Ask potential virtual receptionists what equipment and software they are using, how the process works, and how much experience they have using it.
U.S. Based Virtual Receptionist
Clients ARM provides U.S. based virtual receptionists for businesses. With more than 30 years of experience, we provide excellent customer service. Your clients continue to call a number at your office and their calls are seamlessly rolled over to our U.S. based center. Clients ARM is around 40% less expensive than hiring a traditional employee and we make it easy to get started. Contact us today to learn how we can help you.
