How a Telephone Answering Service can streamline IT Support Services

A telephone answering service provides you with an external PA who takes your incoming calls on your behalf. Many PAs nowadays are virtual, with sophisticated telephony systems allowing them to work from anywhere with an internet connection.

For an IT support business in particular, most days are spent answering incoming calls and providing technical support over the phone. Therefore, communication and customer satisfaction are key.

In this blog, we explain the benefits of a telephone answering service for IT support businesses and how it can help streamline your daily operations.

24/7 coverage

For a busy technical support company, calls can be easily missed; you could be busy helping a customer, for instance, or you could be in an important business meeting. But whether someone has a technical emergency, or simply wants to find out more about your services, a telephone answering service ensures that your business offers 24/7 coverage.

This is vital for any customer-facing business. Unanswered calls can make people feel frustrated, undervalued and ignored, forcing them to explore other options, such as your competitors.

However, you can attract and retain customers with a telephone answering service. Even if someone calls out of hours, they can leave a message, which a virtual receptionist will relay to you, so that you can resolve their issue the next working day.

Swift technical support

If your IT business receives a high volume of calls about a common problem that’s easy to fix, a telephone answering service can provide quick technical support and troubleshooting.

A good-quality provider will conduct an onboarding session with you, to note your individual business needs and call-handling instructions. Use this opportunity to notify them about your FAQs and how you’d like them addressed.

• See also: How we answer your calls explained

For example, if you waste a lot of time instructing customers to turn their laptops off and on again or to clear their browser cookies, let your PA handle those common queries. This means that customers don’t have to wait to be connected to a support agent and, instead, receive prompt assistance and a pleasant and memorable experience with your business.

More complex enquiries can then be transferred to you and your team, allowing you to streamline your business operations.

Free up your schedule

Time is of the essence for any business owner. You have customers to attend to, a social media presence to maintain, marketing strategies to plan, clients to meet, and employees to manage – all on top of your personal commitments.

Responsibilities pile up quickly, but using a telephone answering service can alleviate a lot of the pressure. A professional personal assistant ensures that your incoming calls are handled for as long as required, allowing you to focus on other tasks.

Provide general product and service assistance

If someone calls up to simply find out more about your products and services, a telephone answering service can handle these queries on your behalf. Whether the answers exist on your website or not, many people still prefer to call up and speak to a human operator.

In fact, according to Forbes, 97% of customers consider customer service essential for maintaining brand loyalty. No matter how simple their question might be, it’s crucial to ensure that every caller is presented with professional and effective assistance.

Therefore, you can brief your virtual PA on your products and services, and they’ll advise callers in your preferred way – they won’t even notice they’re not talking to you.

Transfer calls to the right department

In many cases, when a customer wants to reach you by phone, the transfer options they are presented with don’t match the nature of their query. For instance, they could be calling to ask for help accessing their account, but instead, they hear: “Press one for our opening hours”, “Press two to report an IT emergency”, and “Press three to go back to the main menu.”

They’re frustrated and confused, leaving them with no option but to press one or two, even though it’s irrelevant to why they’re calling. As a result, they’re put through to the wrong department. This not only adds to their wait time, but also leaves them disappointed, because their problem still hasn’t been resolved, and your team’s time is wasted.

A telephone answering service can significantly help streamline this part of your business, by ensuring that calls are transferred to the right support agent or department the first time around, allowing your team to operate with maximum efficiency.

Save time on training

If your organisation needs a customer service agent, but you don’t have the time to onboard and train a new employee, a telephone answering service can help.

• See also: Telephone answering services – what you need to know
• See also: 7 benefits of using a telephone answering service

You’ll be paired with a professional and experienced agent from day one. Simply let them know how you’d like your incoming calls handled, and you can rest assured that a qualified individual will represent your brand from the moment you sign up.

There’s no need to wait for the right candidate to come along, or spend a month training them. Instead, opt for a telephone answering service for a fast-track way to obtain a top-quality support agent who will act as an extension of your existing team.

Plug skills gaps

According to a Forbes report, an overwhelming 93% of IT businesses in the UK say they have a skills gap in their organisation. Some of the problems cited include training and development, and competition in the job market.

If your business is experiencing a skills gap or doesn’t currently have the budget to hire permanent staff, you could benefit from a telephone answering service. Your dedicated virtual agent can provide professional and experienced assistance and, as we discussed earlier, even offer basic IT support.

That way, whether you’re struggling to find the right candidates, or waiting to secure additional finance, a telephone answering service will cover you during your time of need.

Improve financial planning

Most telephone answering services charge per minute rather than tying you into lengthy contracts. That way, you only pay for what you need and use.

Fees are also transparent, so you know exactly how much you’ll pay. This makes financial planning much easier and allows you to use your budget as efficiently as possible.

Operate flexibly

Finally, your business has complete autonomy while you’re signed up with a telephone answering service. Especially for a small business, we know that things can change suddenly – maybe you’ve been called into an important meeting, or you’re ready to scale up and need a few days to settle into a new office space.

No matter your schedule, your virtual receptionist can see your real-time availability and receive new instructions from you, as and when required. So, you can tend to important business matters – no matter how big or small – knowing that your phone lines won’t suffer.

Thanks for reading

A telephone answering service can be an incredibly helpful resource for an IT support business. With round-the-clock coverage, swift customer support, fully trained agents, and instant access to your schedule, it can significantly help streamline your business.

To benefit from a telephone answering service, look no further than Bizik. Whether you need a trained professional to answer general queries, provide product information, or assist with bookings and order placements, Bizik is ready to support your business and keep you organised and stress-free.

Discover how our telephone answering service can streamline your business by giving us a go for 7 days, completely free. Sign up for your free trial today, or give us a call on 020 3917 7444.