decreased hold times & better customer experience with
auto attendant
A common sign of growth for small and medium businesses is an increase of inbound calls. No matter what stage of growth your company is in, how many employees are staffed, or how often you receive a spike in inbound calls, it is important that customers are properly greeted when they dial your number. If you are experiencing call spikes, a looming decision is coming on whether to hire more receptionists or to invest in better technology to improve customer experience.
what is auto attendant?
An auto attendant phone system is a custom, pre-recorded automated answering system that directs your callers to the appropriate department in your company without the need of a receptionist. Having a phone system with an auto attendant feature frees up the main phone line, saving your operator or current receptionist time and increasing productivity. Depending on the size of your business or office, it can also operate in place of a receptionist that takes every single incoming call. With an automated attendant, the receptionist can bypass call redirection and focus only on callers who need direction on who to speak with or have an emergency requiring immediate attention beyond what your auto attendant options may offer.
From the time when you have few incoming calls up until your business has a constant stream of incoming calls that need to be directed to different personnel, departments, or office branches, an auto attendant can be an economical, efficient solution, even if you already have a receptionist. A well-engineered, customized auto attendant that fits the mold of your growing company also bridges the gap during the transition from being temporarily understaffed from time to time prior to hiring an additional receptionist to ensure customer expectations are met.
improved perception
Auto attendants have become increasingly acceptable and even expected in the marketplace. In fact, companies who do not use an auto attendant may have the perception of being a small business who may or may not meet customer expectations. Small businesses have made the decision to have an auto attendant just for the purpose of having the perception that they are a growing company with several departments, although it may be the same individual answering the phone each time. If the intention is to grow, why not prepare for growth with a sophisticated, professional auto attendant with a great voice recording to prompt your prospects and customers alike with corporate branding and perception.
decreased hold times
Auto attendants are practically a must for any company that offers direct extensions for staff and employees. Vendors, customers, prospects, and business partners are accustomed to contacting business peers by dialing their direct extension from an auto attendant. Rather than having to be held up by the gatekeeper who is paid well to sort calls appropriately, ensure that those important customers can reach their desired departments rapidly with direction extension through your auto attendant.
RealmConnect offers flexible and custom auto attendant solutions to meet spike volume head on. These auto attendant systems include the ability to have a hybrid approach where your receptionist may have an opportunity to answer the phone prior to the customer being prompted by the auto attendant, or the most popular option is for all incoming traffic to come through the auto attendant. Regardless, auto attendants empower the customer to dictate where their call should go without the need for a receptionist to answer the phone and transfer the caller.