In today’s marketplace, having a competitive advantage can make the difference between a business that does well and a business that simply fizzles away. But finding a competitive advantage is not always easy. Let’s face it – there is not much difference between the way one mechanic changes your oil and the way another one does it. And most companies will never be like Apple, offering that one exclusive product that everybody wants.

But one way a company can gain a competitive advantage is by using a live call answering service like TOUCH Communications.

What is live call answering?

Live call answering, put simply is directing your incoming calls to a call centre when you or your staff are not available to take the call yourselves. To the caller, they only know that they are calling your business. Our representatives are your representatives, answering the phone in the way you instruct and helping the customer accordingly either by answering simple questions, redirecting their call to an appointed person in your company, setting up an appointment etc.

Now, you may be wondering how this gives you a competitive advantage. After all, these are all things you would do yourself if you answered the telephone. The fact is however, that you can’t always be available to answer the phone during business hours – never mind, 24/7.

So here are a few ways live call answering gives you a competitive advantage:

• 24/7 – As we mentioned, live call answering service is 24/7 – that means the customer can get the answers they want when they want them. They will learn to call your business and not your competitor.
• Increased sales – When someone calls your business and gets put through to voicemail, chances are, they will not leave a message. Instead, they will go to your competition and do business with them. Likewise, when they get voicemail calling your competition, there is a good chance that they will hang up and call you. By always having someone answer your incoming calls, you are setting the stage for increased sales and for growing your customer base.
• Brand perception – Even though it may not be your fault, it can make a bad impression when no one is available to take a call – especially during business hours. Always having a friendly and helpful customer service representative to answer calls helps to improve your company’s image in the eyes of your customers.
• Spend more time helping customers face to face – the more time you and your staff spend talking to people on the telephone, the less attention you can give to customers face to face. Whether you have a storefront that customers visit or whether you provide services at the customer’s home, it is rude to be constantly stopping your interaction with them in order to take phone calls. With live call answering service, you can have peace of mind that the caller is being helped while you are focusing your attention on the current customer.

As a business owner, you know the importance of gaining a competitive advantage. But you also know that such advantages are hard to come by. Live call answering is one area where we can help.

Some of the best tradespeople do their work without a lot of office support. Many are one-man operations that mostly work out of their truck in between service calls. They may have an administrative assistant or a part-time bookkeeper, but often this is not enough to answer and transfer all the calls that are coming in for their services. A live call answering service such as that offered by TOUCH Communications can benefit those working in the trades in a number of ways.

Whether you’re a home renovator, plumber or HVAC technician, if you’re in your office, it means that you’re not earning money. Most successful tradespeople today, can usually be found in the homes of their clients, or in their trucks and vans driving from one client to the next.

The downside of this, of course, is that you may be missing important phone calls from other potential clients.

But with a live call answering service, calls can be answered, screened and directed to the appropriate person in your organization. Not only does this help you improve your overall customer service, but it actually helps you get more business since many people would simply call the next company in the Yellow Pages rather than leave a message or wait for a call back.

It allows you to offer 24/7 emergency service

There is never a convenient time for a basement to flood, a sewer to back up, or a roof to leak. And these kinds of emergencies don’t always happen from Monday to Friday during regular business hours. One way for tradespeople to generate more business is to offer 24/7 emergency services.

After all, if you do a great job for a customer during an emergency, they are also more likely to use your services for more routine applications.

But how can you offer 24/7 emergency services and still have a personal life? With live call answering from TOUCH Communications, a real person will answer your calls. Using the instructions that you give, they will determine whether the call is an emergency or not. If it is, they will redirect it to you or an employee that you designate. If it’s not an emergency, they can arrange a service call during business hours.

Booking service calls

Just because someone calls your business, doesn’t necessarily mean that they need to speak to you right away. They may simply wish to book an appointment to have their home inspected, their furnace serviced or their new dishwasher installed.

Using a shared online calendar, a representative can book these appointments for you. This leaves you more time to serve your customers.

Employee Check-in

If you have employees who are regularly on the road or working on job sites alone, consider using an employee check-in service. This not only helps you to know when and where they are working, but it also gives you peace of mind that they are safe.

With just a quick call, your employees can check in with a customer service representative at TOUCH Communications, and if they fail to check in, someone can be sent to check on them and ensure that everything is ok.

As someone who works in the trades, you know how important it is to have the right tools for the job. A live call answering service is a tool that you can use to help bring your business to the next level, and TOUCH Communications can help you get there. Contact us, and our team will be ready to help.

There has never been such a push in our society and culture for a healthy and active lifestyle. Because most people spend eight hours a day working at a computer, it has become more and more of a challenge to be physically active every day. Paired with this modern and inherently unhealthy lifestyle, there has never been more pressure to be in shape. This creates a lot of stress for men and women to achieve a healthy lifestyle while dedicating much of their time to unhealthy activities.

The idea of a 24-hour gym was once a rare feature offered only by the biggest companies in the business, but now most gyms are either 24 hours or at least 15 – 20 hours per day. People like the flexibility of being able to work out whenever they choose, even if that means at 4:00 a.m. before a 6:00 a.m. shift at work. One of the most important factors that gym users consider is availability and hours of operation. Therefore, if you are in the business of fitness you need to be accessible 24 hours, 7 days a week.

How TOUCH Communications can Help

TOUCH Communications provides a call answering service that benefits gym owners and personal trainers. Allowing them to live a normal life while still being “available” at all hours for their customers and clients. TOUCH Communications provides more than just messaging and paging. By understanding the company and getting to know the business, customers are treated with the same care they would receive if they were speaking to the gym owner or personal trainer directly.

Even if a gym is open 24 hours, most gym owners do not have staff available for reception beyond the hours of 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. With TOUCH Communications, reception services can be available to your customers at all hours whether it’s questions about the facilities, membership fees or other services.

A personal trainer can become a very important role model and a key influencer in their clients’ lives. Although a trainer may wish to go on vacation or take the weekend off without having to worry about their clients, this can be extremely difficult as clients often reschedule appointments and call with inquiries concerning injuries, diet and nutrition. Personal trainers never have to worry about leaving a client hanging when they are unavailable by using TOUCH Communication services. A trainer is able to have all calls received by certain numbers automatically forwarded to a TOUCH Communications customer service representative, who can assist their clients with all of their needs, or, if urgent, they can have the trainer call them back. The quality of the service, whether it be a great trainer or a helpful gym receptionist will help keep clients on track with their fitness and continue supporting the business.

Operating a gym that is open 24/7 is not an easy task, but with the help of TOUCH Communications operating your gym can be uncomplicated and painless. Contact us today and we’ll be ready to help.