As far as CRM integrations are concerned, call centers and in-house staff can’t perform as well as an answering service. While they may be able to answer calls more frequently and consistently than employees with other duties, call centers and in-house receptionists rarely integrate with companies’ preferred systems. If they do, they tend to deliver sub-par quality on the calls, chats, and appointments they log.
Integrating with a company’s preferred software isn’t rocket science, yet still call centers and in-house staff often fail to offer it. If they do, they frequently integrate in a manner that fails to prioritize your teams’ time and your clients’ satisfaction. Call centers and in-house staff are often not equipped to integrate with CRM, calendars, or other external software. If they are able to do so, they still are unable to answer common questions callers have and come with excessive background noise as well as basic call handling, leaving callers understandably annoyed.Â
Answering services like Smith.ai offer thoughtful accommodations, like various software integration options. By paying attention to the details, Smith.ai’s answering service can relieve your busy team of call handling pressures, provide your callers with outstanding customer service, and help your business thrive. Hiring a call center or an in-house staff rather than outsourcing CRM integration to an answering service may risk your reputation, your productivity, and your customer satisfaction.Â
If you’re a small business, this rings especially true for you. Over 80% of consumers prefer to talk to a real person over the phone yet call center agents and in-house staff can sound rehearsed, impersonal, and unsettling. This can destroy any initial impression a caller may have and erode any trust they may have in your business, which is critical to establish in the initial conversation with a caller.Â
It’s well known that call centers customarily:
- Engage in poor phone etiquette
- Are unable to integrate with CRM and other preferred systems
- Lack the ability to regularly update CRM, calendars, and case management systems
- Fail to update businesses on data obtained during calls
With over 82% of customers wanting their issues resolved quickly, call centers fall short of providing satisfactory service to callers. Phone calls answered by call center agents take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, whereas calls answered by an answering service usually only take anywhere from 1 to 2 minutes. And with only 44% of callers reporting call centers to be helpful compared to nearly 76% of callers reporting non-call centers, like answering service, to be helpful, it’s clear to see that hiring a call center will result in longer call times and unsatisfactory customer service.
In-house staff also frequently:
- Come unequipped to utilize CRM and other systems
- Have limited availability and expertise
- Cost companies more than they bring in
- Have little to no ability to manage massive amounts of data
Even with a full-time in-house receptionist, over 62% of calls go to voicemail or are left unanswered. Despite being their sole purpose, in-house staff still fail to answer phone calls, which can cost your business potential customers, as up to 50% of sales go to businesses that answer first. With many in-house staff having limited customer service knowledge, current clients are lost as well since over 71% of clients will end a business relationship due to poor phone etiquette. Hiring an in-house staff to answer calls is arguably counterintuitive to your business’s success.Â
All of these common issues with call centers and in-house staff can lead to clients hanging up the phone and potential prospects taking their business elsewhere, resulting in your company losing leads, customer loyalty, money, and time. By hiring an answering service, such as Smith.ai, instead, your team can avoid losing out on clients by having a knowledgeable and friendly representative available at all times to answer clients’ questions, screen leads, and schedule appointments immediately in your system.
If that isn’t enough, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that on average, answering services cost only about 20% of what an in-house staff or call center costs despite offering more features and better quality services.Â
As a matter of fact, Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists can:
- Integrate with your CRM, calendar, and case management software
- Schedule times that your staff is available to accept transfers
- Send transfers to your team via text message, Slack, or Microsoft Teams
- Foster leads with personal and friendly customer service
- Prepare callers with information that allows for a smoother transition
Outsourcing CRM integration to an answering service like Smith.ai instead of a call center or in-house staff can save your business from overextended budgets, embarrassing client interactions, missed lead-capturing opportunities, and frustrating workplace complications. Rather than risk your revenue and client relationships on inexperienced or ineffective call center agents or in-house staff, trust Smith.ai’s reliable service to nurture callers, log important client info, and take the pressure off of your busy staff.Â
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