Managing incoming calls is often one of the most challenging operational tasks, especially for small businesses that have limited staff and resources. No matter what type of product or service you have, ensuring your customers have a good experience is non-negotiable. Scaling your existing team may not be the most feasible option, especially if you aren’t sure of the call volume or experience seasonal spikes.
A great alternative would be an AI voice receptionist. Designed to handle routine calls and improve customer experience, AI can support your team and help them do better. Many providers, such as signpost.com, offer flexible AI voice agents that are designed to help small businesses. In this post, let’s talk more about better customer support and operations using AI.
What Is an AI Voice Receptionist?
True to the name, an AI voice receptionist takes calls for your business using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. Today, AI can answer routine calls, schedule appointments, provide information about services, and take caller details. These systems work 24/7, which means no call ever goes unanswered.
Evaluating the constraints of your existing team
Human receptionists and front desk executives usually work standard hours. All income calls beyond those timings go to voicemail automatically. Each missed call is a lost opportunity to capture details of a potential lead or to serve a customer, and in a month, your business is probably dealing with numerous lost revenue opportunities. Also, when the phone is ringing all the time, employees handling the front desk cannot focus on every caller. Just taking calls all the time also means they cannot do a lot of other things that require attention.
Help your team do better with AI
Unlike people who need to take breaks, go on holidays, or stay home on weekends, AI receptionists can work around the clock and take millions of calls at the same time. Expectedly, callers don’t have to wait in line for long, which automatically enhances customer satisfaction. Also, AI offers accurate, consistent responses, and there are fewer chances of errors. Providers are also allowing features like integrating AI receptionists with existing CRM systems and calendars, which further enhances operations. Also, if AI cannot help a caller with their query, it will automatically transfer the call to a customer care expert. By focusing on the most relevant and essential calls, even your team can focus on quality support rather than the volume of calls attended in a day.
Cost Savings and Scalability
Hiring front desk executives and customer support staff is anything but cheap. Besides the expected recruitment costs, there are also additional expenses for training, benefits, and salaries. Also, when the demand is only for a limited time, scaling the team isn’t the best way forward. With AI, you don’t have to worry about all that. Many AI receptionists cost as low as $80 per month, and if you expect an increase in call volume, you just have to pay for the extra calls or time.
Choosing the right AI voice receptionist
Not all AI voice receptionists have the same features, and the first step is to start with your requirements. Find providers who have solutions for your niche, business size, and domain. The next aspect is the initial setup, which should be simple. Whether you can integrate the solution with your existing systems, and to what extent you can customize the scripts. One critical aspect to consider is the data security and access. Having complete control over call information is essential to enhance AI responses and train your team better.
Take the tech leap to enhance your customer service & productivity at work – Get an AI voice receptionist now!