Never miss a call with 24/7 live receptionists.

There's a lot of chaos that goes on in the day-to-day life of a wedding and event planner, and because of that, work days can get understandably intense. Whether they're providing a list of vendor referrals for an interested client or creating detailed event timelines for an upcoming party, wedding and event planners have more than their fair share of urgent projects that require their full and undivided attention. With so much to do, it can be easy for event planners to neglect their slightly more frivolous duties, like appointment scheduling or call answering. This leaves client relationships and lead conversions opportunities up in the air. If left unattended to, a wedding and event planning agency's reputation and revenue could be at stake. Luckily, busy event planners can save themselves the headache of trying to get it all done and instead, place their administrative duties into the hands of trained professionals via a wedding and event planning answering service. A reliable answering service provides wedding and event planning agencies of all shapes and sizes the support they need, where they need it. To give you an inside scoop, here are a few of the benefits that wedding and event planners can expect when hiring an answering service like Smith.ai:

• Expanded availability‍

With an answering service available around-the-clock, your clients will always speak with a real human being, regardless of whether you're preoccupied, away from your desk, or on vacation. Entrusting a dedicated professional with your calls allows your clients will receive the exceptional customer service you hope to be known for.

• Increased lead captured  

Missed calls lead to missed opportunities. Don’t let leads slip away just because you can't reach the phone. Answering services provide nighttime, overflow, weekend, and after-hours availability, so your leads will be captured and nurtured on your behalf.  

• Boosted work productivity 

By placing your administrative responsibilities on the shoulders of a trusted wedding and event planning answering service, you can recycle the time you used to spend on the phone and put it towards more productive work, like scheduling menu tastings. This can open the door for a whole bunch of growth opportunities for your event planning agency.

• Enhanced client satisfaction and business reputation

Smith.ai knows how to deliver a stellar customer experience, so whatever your business size, know that our virtual receptionist got you covered. Each and every Smith.ai virtual receptionist is highly-trained in customer service, so let us put our award-winning practices to work for you by delivering the responsiveness your clients will love. 

• Get more for less

Wedding and event planners can receive all the benefits of several highly-trained in-house receptionists wrapped into one easy-to-use service, all for the small price of a gym membership. Customers who use Smith.ai instead of hiring in-house receptionists can save upwards of $30,000/year, not to mention on-boarding hours.

• Keep up with leads and clients

Phone answering services can deliver detailed call summaries after every call, and even offer your clients chat, social media, and text messaging, so your clients have more than one way to get in contact with you, allowing for ten-times as many lead conversion possibilities to come your way.

A live wedding and event planning answering service can revolutionize the way you do business. Smith.ai's virtual receptionist services are specifically designed to fit your business needs, whatever they may be. Whether you're on a limited budget, overwhelmed by growing business demands, or simply looking to enrich your customer service, Smith.ai can provide the unique support you need wherever you need it. You can receive all the benefits of several in-house receptionists combined into one simple service, and with a seemingly endless supply of features available for you to take advantage of, Smith.ai can empower your event planning agency to accomplish even it's most optimistic goals.

Smith.ai’s answering service can provide wedding and event planners convenient services, like…

24/7 availability

After-hours & overflow answering

Bilingual answering

Outbound call-backs

Spam blocking

Appointment scheduling

Sales development

Payment collection

CRM Integration

Lead development

And much, much more…‍

With an extensive list of features and resources, Smith.ai’s answering service is the clear choice for wedding and event planners hoping to build and strengthen their productivity, revenue, and outreach. Smith.ai has long been dedicated to offering comprehensive administrative support to wedding and event planners like yourself. For years now, our staff has been able to provide our award-winning services to thousands of satisfied clients. Read some of the 5-star reviews from clients like these to learn why wedding and event planning agencies from across the nation trust Smith.ai to deliver exceptional virtual receptionist services.

"Front desk" support can be a game-changer for wedding and event planners looking to simplify their workload, and when considering hiring an in-house receptionist or an answering service, costs tend to be the deciding factor. Keeping prices as low as possible without sacrificing the quality of work is key, but with an in-house receptionist, your dollar might not stretch as far as you might think. To give you a better look at the cost comparisons, we've compiled a brief list of the average expenses wedding and event planning agencies can anticipate when hiring an in-house receptionist.

The average salary nation-wide for an in-house receptionist is about $37,000 and they usually come with hefty, often unspoken fees, such as:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance, costing about $11,000/year
• Life and disability insurance, costing about $2,000/year
• 401K’s, retirement and pension plans, costing about $2,000/year
• Paid sick leave, holidays, and vacations, costing about $5,500/year
• Commuting reimbursement, costing about $5,000/year
• Child care subsidy and parental leave, costing about $3,000/year
• Health and wellness programs, costing about $1,000/year
• Bonus pay, costing about $2,000/year
• Company retreats, team bonding events, and employee outings, costing about $4,000/year
• Free lunch, snacks, and drinks, costing about $3,500/year
  

Total Cost in Addition to Salary: $77,000/year

If your wedding and event planning agency is located in any large city, that final price tag is guaranteed to be a lot higher. And with all the time you'll have to spend on-boarding and training your new hire, the up-front costs will be devastating to say the least. Unfortunately, those costs never seem to balance out over time. When your in-house receptionist inevitably comes in late, calls in sick, requests time off, takes personal leaves of absence, goes on vacation, etc., it's your agency that will be getting the short end of the stick. On the other hand, Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists can accomplish nearly the same tasks as an in-house receptionist can, and they're even well-equipped to complete those tasks better than an in-house receptionist can. In addition, our virtual receptionists are much more affordable, both up-front and overall, so your agency can get so much more for a fraction of the cost.

Smith.ai’s answering service costs as little as $255/month, with no hidden fees. Ever. By hiring an answering service instead of an in-house receptionist, your business could save over $33,000/year on salary alone, and possibly up to $40,000/year in benefits beyond salary payments. So not only will you get more bang for your buck, but you'll also gain a virtual team of highly-trained professionals who can work on your behalf to boost your productivity, lead conversion rates, and net profit. Unlike in-house receptionists, virtual receptionists can answer calls outside of regular business hours, enabling you to capture and covert nearly 27% more leads. Smith.ai’s agents can even respond to live chats, texts, and social media messages, which is how 46% of customers prefer communicating with businesses, empowering your agency to connect with potential leads you may have never even known existed.

Virtual receptionists can also provide additional sales assistance as well by making outbound calls to capture potentially interested leads, providing the responsiveness that over 67% of clients base their decision to hire a business on. With potential clients receiving the timely, professional responses they expect, the amount of leads your team will be able to convert will skyrocket. With Smith.ai’s reliable wedding and event planning answering service, you can receive all the benefits of an in-house receptionist and so much more without the unnecessary costs. Read our article to learn more about the differences between an in-house vs. a virtual receptionist.

Whether they're planning a same-day event for one of their top clients or assisting a bridal party in avoiding another last minute disaster, wedding and event planners regularly have plenty of time-sensitive projects on their plate. With fast-paced work environments like this, it can be challenging for event planners to find the time in their schedule to get everything done, let alone tackle less urgent projects, like sending off invoices. That's where an answering service comes in. By bringing in professional outsourced support, wedding and event planners can better manage their massive workloads and effectively tackle any problems that may sneak up. Common scenarios that we've noticed wedding and event planners experience that have required a virtual receptionist service for are:

• I need administrative support, but can't afford it

"Front desk” support in any form is an absolute must for just about every business. Entrusting a trained professional to take on your tedious administrative duties can be a huge help. But with limited office space and budgets, many smaller wedding agencies or solo event planners can't afford to bring in expensive in-house receptionists, and without that invaluable administrative support, there's no telling how many lead conversion opportunities they'll miss out on.

• Constant phone calls distract from work

Calls come in whether you're available to answer them or not. When event planners repeatedly have to step out from clients appointments to answer the phone throughout their day, it can lead to a number of problems. And when it takes, on average, about 23 minutes to get back to a task after being interrupted by a phone call, clients receive subpar service and event planners can wave their productivity, and possibly their reputation, goodbye.

• Growing business demands are overwhelming

Without a doubt, growth can be a major sign of success for any business, however, growth can present a unique obstacle for small wedding agencies or independent event planners. Growth means more: more calls to answer, more consults to book, more clients to meet with. More and more gets added to those pesky to-do lists by the hour, leaving already-overwhelmed wedding and event planners struggling to catch up on their ever-growing workload.

• I can't offer the around-the-clock availability clients want

When the work day ends, wedding and event planners should be able to enjoy some much-needed time away from clients. But just because you clock out for the day doesn't mean calls stop coming in. And when you're unavailable to answer their calls, you miss the over 27% of leads who call outside of regular business hours. Despite being interested in offering after-hours answering, many wedding and event planners simply can't afford multiple in-house receptionists or pricey call centers.

If any one of these scenarios sounds like something you've gone through, this is your reminder that there's no need to fight through these sticky situations alone. Allow a group of highly-trained virtual receptionists to take those overwhelming administrative demands off of your shoulder and finally receive the support your business has always needed. Your clients will be thrilled about the top-tier customer service they can come to rely on each time they contact your agency, and your team will be freed from under the weight of the growing list of administrative duties that have so often dominated their workdays. So whether your agency could use an extra hand responding to leads, collecting deposits, or answering texts, our team of well-trained virtual receptionists can provide you with the unique support you need to keep your clients happy, your team uplifted, and your work days stress-free.

There is so much that falls on your shoulders as a wedding and event planner. And while it would be nice to be able to get everything done yourself, it simply isn't realistic. Inevitably, issues will come up that you won't be able to resolve on your own, and you shouldn't have to. Outsourced support, like an answering service, can give you the support you need to make your way out of even the toughest spots unscathed. Some of the most frequently reported problems we've seen wedding and event planners need virtual receptionist services for are:

• I can't offer the responsiveness leads demand

Tight schedules and intense workloads leave an event planners little time to cater to potential customers. Responsiveness has time-and-time again been proven crucial for any business interested in converting leads, but small wedding agencies and solo event planners usually don't have the flexibility in their schedule that allows them to provide the exceptional and reliable customer service that leads want.

• Productive work falls to the wayside under growing administrative demands

Rising prices for in-house receptionists force many wedding and event planners to try and tackle administrative duties themselves. But with a never-ending list of responsibilities falling on their shoulders, and theirs alone, small wedding agencies and independent planners frequently buckle under the endless administrative pressures. It's completely impractical to expect an event planner to complete all their regular duties and still find the time and energy to answer calls, book consultations, and respond to web leads.

• I can't get to the phone in time to answer leads, and it's costing me money

Whether they're preoccupied servicing an existing client or simply away from the phone, wedding and event planners can't be expected to answer every call that comes in. Juggling existing projects with customer service demands can be a hurdle even the most skilled wedding and event planner can have trouble clearing, and when the work days get down to the wire (which they often do for wedding and event planners), call handling and lead screening duties are the first of many priorities to be sacrificed, leaving leads unanswered and unconverted.

• My competitors are responding to potential clients faster than me

There are plenty of wedding and event planners in the job market, which unfortunately leaves smaller agencies and solo event planners at a major disadvantage when it comes to setting their services apart from their competitors. Providing superior customer experiences through immediate, thoughtful responses can place any professional in good standing with potential clients, but high-quality customer service takes time that many busy wedding and event planners just don't have.

• Capturing and converting leads is increasingly challenging

Generating and converting new clients is undeniably time-consuming. Many wedding and event planners are, unfortunately, hard-pressed for time, often struggling to balance their everyday duties with their growing lead conversion demands. With so many important projects and events to focus on as it is, wedding and event planners simply don't have the time to provide the quality of customer service leads expect. Consistently poor responsiveness and customer service, however, can cost event planners more leads than they may realize.

• I'm unsure of how to properly track and store my clients’ data

Maintaining detailed phone records and call summaries can be incredibly confusing for wedding and event planners who, like many client-facing businesses, often distribute client data across a few different software platforms. It goes without saying that knowing exactly how, when, and why clients call is crucial for wedding and event planners growing their client base, but when information about a customer's experience is improperly stored or mismanaged, wedding and event planners can easily miss out on valuable lead generation and conversion opportunities.

Any of these ring a bell? If so, a virtual receptionist service can be just the fix. Smith.ai is well-equipped to help business of all kinds and address and resolve common problems just like these. Smith.ai's services aren't a "one-size-fits-all" – our virtual receptionists adjust their service to deliver unique and customized assistance that fits your needs. This means that our virtual receptionists will spend their time on the problems you need the most help with, whether that's something as straightforward as call handling or something more complicated, like deposit collecting. Smith.ai caters to your business needs, no matter how simple or complex, so you get the most for what you pay for. Sign up risk-free with our 14-day money-back guarantee and experience first-hand how Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists can help you tackle all of the common problems your wedding and event planning agency faces.

When considering a virtual receptionist service, a good place to start is to consider what administrative tasks tend to be the most demanding for you and your team. To better understand which services you might benefit from, consider the on-going issues that impact your wedding and event planning agency's ability to remain productive. For instance:

• Do call handling responsibilities overwhelm your team? 
• Could lead screening support help you convert those leads you've been neglecting? 
• Do you have a hard time collecting deposits from new clients? 
  

Whatever you struggle with, Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists prepared to make changes to their service so they can pick up wherever you leave off. 

Once you've pin-pointed a handful of the issues that Smith.ai receptionists can help you with, consider your agency's activity level: 

• Does your agency receive more social media inquiries than phone calls?
• Could you use more hands on deck to reach out to potential web leads?
• Would your agency benefit from 24/7 phone answering or would you prefer a particular time frame, such as 9-to-5, for answering calls? 
  

Whether you get twenty calls a month or 2,000, Smith.ai can customize your virtual receptionist service to fit your business activity so you only ever pay for exactly what you need. 

All you have to do next is sign up. Getting started with Smith.ai’s virtual receptionist service is quick and simple. No annual contracts, no hidden setup fees, and no scripts required. 

To sign up with Smith.ai, follow these three easy steps:

1. Customize your instructions – Just answer a few, quick questions about your team and the preferences you have, and we’ll get you started. We’ll use your answers to customize the way our virtual receptionists answer your calls and your clients’ questions. 
2. Send your calls to us – We work with every major phone system and can set up customized rules for when we answer your calls, or we can answer every call, 24/7!
3. Try risk-free with our 14-day money-back guarantee – Fully experience our call answering, scheduling, payments, and other phone services completely risk free for 14 days. If you find that we're not the right fit for you, you can receive up to $1,000 back within the first 14 days.

So whether your wedding and event planning agency could use a full-time virtual receptionist or just an overflow or after-hours call answering service, Smith.ai can check off all the boxes to fulfill each and every one of your administrative needs. From lead screening and consultation booking to payment collecting and call handling, our team of virtual receptionists are available around-the-clock to give your agency the comprehensive support it needs. And when you sign up with Smith.ai, you aren't just gaining a virtual receptionist service, you’re gaining a professional, reliable, and friendly team of well-trained experts who can transform the way you do business for good. And once you start using Smith.ai's virtual receptionist service, you'll wonder how you ever got anything done without us.

‍Learn how to get started with Smith.ai’s virtual receptionist service.