Blog: Virtual Receptionist

You can use Twilio to personalize all of your customer experiences and help your business get a professional contact center in the cloud with all kinds of automation built in. There are plenty of plans and products to choose from to cover all of your essential business communication needs, as well. Then, you can add the power of Zapier to take it to the next level. Integrated workflows will let you set up all kinds of streamlined administrative tasks that embrace the power of AI, from notifications to data transfer to anything else that you need. Zapier is the automation tool that every business needs today.

How much time in the day does your business spend taking calls, making calls, returning messages, and otherwise trying to deal with the day-to-day logistics of scheduling, client communication, and running a business? No two businesses are the same, but there are several that could benefit from the addition of a 24/7 answering service. With the help of a 24/7 answering service, you can provide everything that your customers, clients, vendors, and others need without having to lose any of your own valuable resources.

As a business owner, you’ve got a lot on your plate. The average business is not equipped to handle 24-hour calls, emails, and online messages. Start thinking about hiring a dedicated answering service to handle all of your calls and messaging needs. Whether you’re just tired of picking up the phone or you simply don’t have the people to handle the work, virtual receptionists can be the face of your brand, fielding all kinds of communication while you focus on the other things that need your attention. 

We're thrilled to announce that Smith.ai has been recognized by the esteemed B2B ratings and review platform, Cluch.co, as the top voice services provider in San Francisco!

Universities and colleges focus on providing students with knowledge — surfacing information that helps them learn, grow, and develop. However, that process does not stop at the classroom door. The right university call center can help connect students, parents, alumni, faculty, and others with the information they need quickly and easily. Of course, staffing your own call center can be immensely challenging. It can be a challenging proposition, certainly. However, with a little guidance, it doesn’t have to be as frustrating as it might seem at first glance.

Outbound calling has gotten a bad rap for a long time. Like many things, a few bad eggs spoiled it for everyone else with spam calls and unprofessional telemarketing tactics that were enough to turn everyone off from being on the receiving end of phone calls from businesses. Yes, people hate spam calls and telemarketers that are unsolicited. In this guide, we’ll cover everything that you need to know, from the benefits of outbound calling, the costs for your business, and more.

In the call center and customer service world, there are two types of transfers that take place when an agent can no longer serve a customer and needs to send them on to the next person in line. The blind, or cold, transfer is when an agent simply transfers the call without speaking to anyone on the other end of the line. A warm transfer means a conversation takes place first. A warm transfer is often more helpful because it allows agents to have a conversation before transferring the caller. This means you can share valuable information about the caller’s needs, including the background, what solutions or issues have been discussed already, and why you are reaching out for further assistance. This article will help further explain the benefits of a warm transfer and its uses with virtual receptionists.

Thanks to AI and software platforms, along with outsourced virtual services, contact centers, and customer communication are easier and more efficient than ever before. An answering service is a third-party or AI-powered (automated) phone service that provides your clients or customers with a place to go when they have concerns, questions, or needs outside of normal business hours. However, to make the most of this new technology, you’ve got to understand what it is and what it offers, as well as which elements will benefit your business.

Live website chat was one of the first instant contact options for digital customers, and it remains a powerful business tool today. However, the ways that we use live chat have changed. Luckily, we’ve got you covered. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about live website chat, including best practices, benefits, and who you should leave in charge of the service.

Most people assume that they have a good idea of what a receptionist is and does. The very word conjures up an image of someone sitting behind the front desk, greeting visitors as they arrive and answering phone calls. The truth is that receptionists are lynchpins that hold entire organizations together. Without their critical skills and capabilities, the business would be unable to function. Let's take a deeper look into what it means to be a receptionist and dispel some key myths.