How to increase productivity with a live phone answering service

When was the last time you took a vacation? If you own a startup, chances are you haven’t taken one recently. In fact, 57% of Australian small business owners haven't taken time off in over a year, while 23% haven’t gone on holiday in over 2 years. So what’s the best way to get to the point where you’re comfortable enough to take a break? Make the most out of your work hours. Here’s how you can do it with a live phone answering service.

Set your priorities for the day with Messages 24/7

The great thing about having a Messages 24/7 phone answering service is that you can capture all calls whenever you’re busy at work, or out of the office. Take advantage of the fact that the retrieval and archiving of messages is extremely convenient since they can be accessed through email, SMS, or your self-managed web portal.

Start each day by going through the messages you’ve received and identify your priorities for the day. Classify which need immediate response and which ones can be done throughout the day.

Let go and delegate with Team Messenger

It’s normal for entrepreneurs to want to do everything themselves. But if you work with a group, this might stifle growth and innovation. Distribute work among team members, even messages, to make it easier for you to focus on your own tasks. A Team Messenger live phone answering service allows you to do just this.

Through this service, an Australian based operator not only takes messages for you, but your entire department. Their messages are forwarded immediately to them via SMS, email, and web portal. This ensures that messages aren’t left unanswered and no sales lead ever grows cold.

Concentrate on your own tasks through Reception Connect

Studies show that it takes more than 20 minutes for a person to regain focus after any distraction. Think about how many times you get calls that are for your team members, or calls from misdialled numbers for the day and multiply it by that figure. You could be losing hours and hours a week from these distractions.

Having a receptionist lets you focus on your own tasks by having someone else take messages for you, or transfer calls to you depending on your availability. But for small businesses, an in-house receptionist may not be within the budget. A great alternative is a live answering service. Have your calls answered by a professionally trained virtual receptionist that take messages for you when you’re unavailable. With a concierge service, you also have the option to have calls transferred to you when it is convenient.

Step back and breathe

A well-rested body helps you be more efficient, productive, and make better business decisions. Let us, at Alltel, setup your live answering service so you can go on a much deserved holiday, or simply enjoy your weekend off without worries. Call us today at 1300 ALLTEL or visit us at ALLTEL to get started!