Author: Touch Communications

Bilingual Answering Services for your Business

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woman on phone

If your business serves French speaking customers, then it is just good business to ensure that you can provide them with a positive experience from the very first time that they pick up the phone to contact your business. So, you want to make sure that whatever call centre you work with offers a bilingual answering service.

Even if you do not have any French speaking customers now, the fact is that someday a French speaking caller may want to contact you and do business with you. Having a trained bilingual customer service representative on the other end of the line can help to give you a huge advantage over your competition – who without bilingual service – will simply not be able to deliver the same kind of customer care that you can.  You’ll find yourself expanding your customer base while delivering better service.

But my employees aren’t fluent in French!

One of the arguments that many people raise against needed bilingual answering services is the fact that they don’t have bilingual employees – so while a caller may get service in French over the phone, eventually they are going to have to deal with someone who doesn’t speak the language.

The fact is, however, that even if not one of your employees speaks a word of French, it still makes sense to be able to have French speaking customer service representatives. This is because most French speaking Canadians speak some English but they will likely feel more comfortable explaining their need in French. Your service people don’t necessarily have to speak French if the customer’s issue has been clearly communicated prior to their arrival.

And if you do have French speaking employees?

All the better! Our bilingual customer service reps can forward French speaking callers directly to their lines so there is no interruption in service in French once they are transferred to your company lines.

Use your bilingual answering service as a marketing tool!

Imagine living in a community where your primary language is not the one commonly spoken. You may speak the language but it just isn’t quite as comfortable to you as your mother tongue. Then one day, you see a business not only advertising a service that you need, but they advertise that they can speak to you in your language! How much likelier are you to contact that business over the others?

Using a bilingual answering service is a smart move – but advertising that you have French speaking customer service representatives is pure genius. For some would be customers, the fact that someone can speak their language may be the main reason that they call your business and not the competition.

Let Touch Communications help you say bonjour!

At Touch Communications, we employ many professional customer service representatives who can provide service in French to your customers. We can provide a wide array of services to those customers including answering basic questions, setting up or changing appointments, and call forwarding to name a few.

Contact us today to learn how we can help you!

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Call Answering Services aren’t Just for Big Businesses

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Woman on Phone

When your customers call your company, it’s always better if they can talk to a real person rather than voice mail. But if you run a small business, it might be outside of your budget to hire someone just to sit at a desk and wait for customers to call. This is where outsourcing might make sense for your company. While many people have the impression that call answering services are just for big business, the fact is that hiring a live answering service can be extremely beneficial for your small business – and here’s why.

Your customers get the best service

Your customers come back to you because they have received service they were satisfied with previously, so there’s no reason you shouldn’t extend that phenomenal service to all interactions. Your customers don’t want to have to deal with a voice mail and will probably hang up if they aren’t able to speak to someone to resolve their concern.

What’s more, is that potential customers are impressionable, so by having a live person answer the phone the first impression they have will be one they remember for a long time. Having a live answering service will provide excellent customer service and will ensure your customers, and potential customers, remain loyal to your business for years to come.

Generate business at any time

When you run a small business you can’t be working 24/7 but if you don’t have sufficient staff to cover off the hours you can’t be there then you may be at risk of losing business. By hiring an answering service, you can have someone answering the phone for your business at any time and this could even lead to generate more business than you could have on your own.

Since new customers will likely hang up and try another business if they can’t get through to you, an answering service will help to ensure you capture any potential customers.

Save on office space

If you don’t have customers actually coming into your place of business, then it doesn’t really make sense to pay someone to sit behind a desk. If you hire an employee whose sole job is to sit and wait for the phone to ring you might be paying out unnecessary money.

By hiring an answering service, the phone will still always be answered but likely for a lesser cost than paying a full-time employee. You will also save on office space because you don’t have to find room for another employee. This is especially important if you run a business that doesn’t have a traditional office, or you are constantly moving between different job sites.

Having a conversation with a live person when calling a business is vital, and it will leave a lasting impression on your customers. Potential customers are more likely to hang up and try another business if they can’t reach you on the first try. By hiring an answering service you can ensure there’s always someone to provide answers to your customers and. generate potential business. So if you’ve been holding on to the impression that call answering services are just for big business, think again! The benefits to your small business are many.

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What is a Virtual Receptionist?

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Woman on Phone

Do you own a small business or a start-up that does not have the capital to pay a receptionist’s wages? Are you a business owner who wants to offer extended hours – without having to work them yourself? Or, are you just looking for a way to be able to better focus on the growth of your business by eliminating some of the routine, administrative tasks that are currently consuming your time? If so, Touch Communication’s virtual receptionist services may be the solution you’ve been waiting for!

The Answer to Your Administrative Challenges!

Virtual receptionists are the best solution for busy companies looking for ways to increase productivity and customer service. Not only does hiring a virtual receptionist eliminate the need for you to recruit, hire and train a receptionist yourself, but it will also play a major part in your business’ growth. There will no longer be a need to reserve office space for a full-time receptionist or worry about coverage during breaks and vacations. Virtual receptionists are trained to get to know your business, so they can represent it just like you would expect from a full-time staff member. Let us show you how Touch Communications’ virtual receptionists can make running your business much easier!

Providing Solutions for Your Business’ Needs

Touch Communications can provide the administrative solution your business requires. Since we do not have long-term contracts, you can easily hire a virtual receptionist for whatever time specification is required. Our account activation is easy, and all accounts are set-up and customized within approximately 24 hours. Since we offer around the clock service, it does not matter where your business is located. We promise that it won’t take long to see how hiring Touch Communications’ virtual receptionist service can benefit your business!

The Difference that Touch Communications Provides

Touch Communications is unlike its competitors in that we think outside the box. Instead of directly answering each call generically, our virtual receptionists will provide a voice for your company. They will consistently provide your clients with quality customer service, without them ever knowing that the person providing it is not located in your company’s office! The virtual receptionist that you use through Touch Communications will quickly become an extension of your business. Let Touch Communications provide your customers with a similar quality of customer service that they have come to appreciate from you!

Extended Customer Service Hours!

Gone are the days when business happened only between the hours of nine-to-five. Instead, today’s busy lives often result in customers requiring service outside of traditional business hours. Customers calling companies after hours and getting an answering machine for an answer can often result in potential lost business. One way of avoiding losing business to your competition is by hiring Touch Communications to provide a virtual receptionist service for your company. Not only can we offer your business extended customer service hours, but we can even provide you with 24/7 live answering service! Don’t let those unanswered calls go to your competition – call Touch Communications today or contact us on our Facebook page!

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How can a call answering service seamlessly represent my business?

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Even when business owners fully understand the benefits of using a call answering service, they may be hesitant because they are unsure how the transition process is going to work. What will my regular customers think when they call in and don’t get someone other than me? Will the transition be a smooth one? These are valid questions. So it’s important to know that your call answering service will represent your business seamlessly.

Three people in a Call Answering office.

To understand how this can be the case, it helps to know what happens BEFORE your company calls are transferred to TOUCH Communications.

Step 1: Getting your call forwarding number

When you sign up with TOUCH Communications, your business number stays the same, but you receive a call forwarding number. When callers dial your business, their calls can then be forwarded to the professional customer service reps at TOUCH Communications. For the caller, this is a seamless transition since they are always dialing your number.

Step 2: Customizing your account down to the last detail

Working with TOUCH Communications is like having a whole team of knowledgeable call answering service professionals working for your company around the clock. We start by gathering pertinent details about your business, such as the names and contact information for staff members, the type of information you will require from callers and what you wish us to do with the messages that we take.

Step 3: Representing your company and brand according to your instructions

Every business is different, so it’s understandable that you wouldn’t want a cookie cutter approach when someone is representing it. We work with you to develop how you would like our operators to greet the phone as well as questions that they should ask the caller.

We also develop processes which guide our operators on what to do with any given call. Depending on how you’d like us to represent your business, we can take messages, answer basic questions, set up or cancel appointments, forward calls to a designated person in your company and more.

Usually, we will divide calls up into different categories (e.g., Urgent, informational, appointments, etc.). Once we have these standards and processes in place, we will have you review it to determine if any changes are needed. Once you are happy and have been given the ‘all clear’ from you, we are ready to go live.

Step 4: We become an extension of your business

All the preparation leading up to this final step helps to ensure that we can seamlessly represent your business. In working with TOUCH, you can ensure that your callers will always reach a live receptionist who is able to give them the personalized service they simply couldn’t get from an automated system or voicemail.

Callers always feel that they are dealing with your business because they are!

If you have been considering using a professional call answering service such as TOUCH Communications but held back for fear that the transition might be a bumpy one, you can put those fears to rest. Our team understands that you need a seamless transition and that is exactly what we provide.

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How Live Call Answering Can Raise Your Company’s Prestige

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If you’re looking for a great way to easily impress customers, increase sales and boost your company’s professional image, then look no further. Touch Communications provides businesses with live, 24-hour live call answering services from professional staff who care just as much about your business as you do.

Happy professional woman talking on a headset

Our Professional Touch

We know that you place a large amount of trust in the people you employ to be the first voice that your customers hear. That’s why we at Touch Communications only employ individuals who are professional, respectful, smart and caring. We don’t just take messages and page business owners with caller’s information. Instead, we take the time to carefully listen to all incoming calls and answer them with the same amount of professional care that customers have come to expect from you. We consider ourselves an extension of your business and take pride in providing your customers with the best experience possible.

Always Open for Business

Businesses are finding it challenging to keep up with the pressing need to always be available for customers. Gone are the days of customers being able to call only during business hours. In order to keep ahead of your competitors and to provide customers with an experience that they will remember, your company requires a live answer service. Customers will not only be happy that their call has been answered right away by a caring professional, but they will be impressed knowing that their call will always be answered, regardless of when they call.

Only One Chance to Make a Great First Impression

First impressions are everything to customers. As a business owner, you don’t want an answering machine to be the first thing that a potential customer hears, or worse – the last thing, before they dial your direct competitor who does use a live answering service. Instead, you want an experienced customer service provider who will answer your business’ calls with the highest degree of professionalism, at all times of the day, which can easily raise your company’s prestige.

Your Own Personal Secretary!

Are you a small business or a start-up enterprise who cannot afford a large staff at this time? If so, then using Touch Communications is like employing the best personal secretary as your own staff! Having a professional answer your company’s calls can give your business an enhanced status to customers. Choosing Touch Communications to be that live answering service is a simple, cost-effective way to add prestige to your company.

Around-the-Clock Service

Employing Touch Communications as your call answering service means providing customers with excellent customer service at all hours of the day. Regardless of where your business is located, we can help you. We offer a variety of package options, but all options have one commonality: to raise the profile of your company. Don’t trust anyone else with increasing your company’s image – call Touch Communications today!

Multi-tasking isn’t as efficient as you think

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If you operate a business, no doubt there are times when your plate is very full. Many entrepreneurs handle this by – and even pride themselves – in multitasking.  It has been said by some however, that multitasking is just task-switching. After all, you really can’t be assisting a customer and doing your bookkeeping at the same time.

Man shaving at computer while he works

The truth is, that “multitasking” is not nearly as efficient as you may think it is. One study, conducted by the University of Michigan revealed that by switching tasks midway, it can actually increase the total time by up to 25%.[i]

So, if multitasking isn’t the answer what is? Here are a few tips to help you stop multitasking and truly become more productive.

Just Do It

This slogan doesn’t just work for Nike – it can work for you too. When you begin a task, see it through to completion rather than jumping around. If you are going through your emails, either answer them, forward them to someone else who can handle them, or decide if they are unimportant and delete them.

Delegate, Delegate, Delegate

The more tasks that you can delegate to someone else, the more focus you can put toward building your business. Certain jobs in your business can be transferred to your employees, partners or even third party suppliers, such as a call answering service.

Eat Your Frogs First

It’s a gross expression, but this is something that works well in business. Get the less enjoyable tasks out of the way. Then you can put your complete focus on more enjoyable tasks without feeling the dread of the tasks you’d rather avoid.

Resist the Tyranny of the Urgent

If you are not careful, it can be easy to allow urgent, yet not overly important issues take up your time. As a business owner, there are times when you will have to let go – or pass the issue to someone else in your organization in order to allow you to focus on more important matters.

Just Say No

Entrepreneurs by nature, are ambitious people. But if you take on every single challenge that comes your way, burn-out can follow close behind. This, in turn, can lead to less than ideal performance in the commitments that you already have.

When a new challenge arises, you need to ask yourself if it fits your overall mission and vision and whether you have the resources (time, money, and people) to handle it. If the answer is no, then no needs to be your answer as well.

Do Not Multitask!

The key to learning any new skill is repetition. If you have been accustomed to multitasking, you need to unlearn it by deliberately and repetitively not multitasking. Multitasking hurts productivity and leads to time wasted.

So, the next time that you feel tempted to multitask, remember that while it may feel efficient, the evidence suggests otherwise. Follow these tips to stop multitasking and boost your productivity.

Allow Touch Communications to help simplify your tasks. We provide 24/7 live answering for your business, which leaves you with one last task to worry about.

[i] https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/254840

Is it Time to Find a New Live Answering Service?

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There is no doubt that an answering service can be a real benefit to businesses that might not be able to afford or that may not require a full-time receptionist. A live answering service should make your business better, save you money, and help you with your brand image. But just as in any other industry, there are live call answering providers that are better than others, and there are some that may start out great but then lose quality over time. If you’re wondering whether it is time to hang up on your current live call answering service and call on a new one, here are three signs that it may be time to switch.

Business Woman not sure which phone to choose to answer

1. You’ve Been Getting Poor Reports from Customers

If you’ve been in business any length of time, you know that some customers are hard to please. But if you’re getting several reports from your customers that they did not have a positive experience calling your business, then consider it a red flag.

Complaints such as long on-hold times, being given the wrong information, or simply being treated in a way that wasn’t courteous and respectful should be taken seriously. If you wouldn’t tolerate a certain behaviour from your employees, then you shouldn’t tolerate it from your live answering service.

2. They don’t Offer 24 Hour Answering Service

If you are not getting 24/7 service from your call answering company, then you are missing out on one of the biggest advantages of having a live answering service.

Customers today are used to getting an immediate response whether they are surfing the web or calling a local business. The fact is, that if a customer calls after hours and doesn’t get their call answered they will likely call your competition rather than waiting for your office to open the next day.

There are all kinds of ways that a call answering service can be helping your customers after hours including providing general information, taking payments, scheduling appointments, and transferring emergency calls to the appropriate person.

3. Lack of Service

Your live answering service is responsible not only for providing good customer service to your customers, but it should also be providing good customer service to you.

If you are having trouble getting through to your service, or are having technical or billing issues that are not being resolved in a prompt and efficient manner then you will end up wasting a lot of time that could have been better spent working on your business.

As a business owner, you know the importance of getting the best value for your dollar – but you won’t be getting that from a live call answering company that is providing poor service.

If you are looking to switch your live answering service, then it’s important to find a company that is going to treat your customers with respect and provide them with a high level of service. These days, working with a company that provides a 24 hour answering service is a must. And finally, you want to know that you as a customer are getting the attention and accuracy you deserve.

At TOUCH Communications, we consider ourselves an extension of your business. Providing a 24 hour answering service, our staff consisting of smart and professional individuals provide a seamless experience for your customers with the same care they have come to expect from you. So, if you’re ready to switch providers contact us today and our team of experts will help you get started.

Live Call Answering Services for Funeral Directors

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As the adage goes, the only two certain things in life are death and taxes. But at least when it comes to taxes, things happen on a predictable schedule. Death, however, can be more unpredictable – which is why funeral directors can benefit from live call answering services.

Funeral Director Assisting Client
If you operate a funeral home, then you understand that you must be available to families at a moment’s notice when they lose a loved one. But being tethered to your telephone simply isn’t practical – and having staff always on call is expensive.

Fortunately, live call answering services from Touch Communications can provide many benefits to your funeral service business. Here are four reasons why using live call answering services from Touch Communications might be right for your business:

24/7 Services

As mentioned, a call to a funeral home can take place any time of day or night. In fact, many deaths occur late at night or early in the morning outside of what most people would consider normal business hours. Even if the death has occurred earlier and the body of the deceased is already with the funeral home, distraught families may still call at odd hours with questions or concerns.

Professional and Sympathetic Customer Service Representatives

Funeral directors must walk a fine line between keeping things professional and showing empathy for the families that use their services. Naturally, they don’t want to pass off their callers to just anyone. The CSRs from Touch Communications always show the highest level of professionalism and are trained to deal with a wide range of clients. Our CSRs understand the importance of treating your customers as if they were their own and representing your brand accordingly.

Call Forwarding

Obviously, there are some things that Touch’s CSRs can’t do for your funeral business – such as visit a home to pick up a body. At Touch, we offer call forwarding services so that you or a designated staff person can still get emergency calls that only you can handle.

Appointment Setting

Of course, not every call to a funeral home happens because a death has occurred. These days, more and more people are understanding the benefits of pre-paid and pre-arranged funeral arrangements. Many callers simply want to book an appointment to ensure that final arrangements are made according to their wishes and that families are spared the burden of having to arrange things themselves.

While these types of calls typically do take place during regular business hours, you don’t want to take them if you are busy with a funeral or tending to a grieving family. Allowing Touch to take the call and make the appointment using an online calendar frees you up to give your best service to those who are physically present at the funeral home.

While some funeral directors might find the idea of using a call centre to be somewhat impersonal, the truth is that it really makes a lot of sense. It helps to provide a high-quality service to your callers no matter what the time, and helps your business to run more efficiently.

At TOUCH Communications, we consider ourselves an extension of your business and provide a 24/7 seamless live answering service. If you’re ready to improve your business’s customer service experience, contact us today and our team of experts will get you started.

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Does your local holiday charity event need the support of a telephone answering service?

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Tis the season for giving! At this special time of year, local organizations of all sizes are hosting charity events in order to help those less fortunate. If your organization is hosting a holiday charity event whether it be a raffle, a winter 5k or black tie Christmas gala, enlisting the help of others can be the key to making a good event a great one.

flying red christmas gift boxes

If you’ve ever wondered whether your event could use the support of a telephone answering service, here are a few questions that may help you decide:

  1. How large is your event?

Some charitable events are pretty small – a food drive done by company employees or a bake sale put on by the “church ladies”. These can be wonderful events that help the community but you don’t necessarily need a call centre to help you take orders for Betty’s Christmas sugar cookies!

On the other hand, if you’ve got a larger event such as a charity lottery or a winter festival, then it might just make sense to enlist a call center to help you manage it.

  1. Do you need to sell tickets?

A call answering service can really come in handy if you need to sell tickets for your charitable event. Experienced CSRs can answer incoming calls, respond to general questions, and take ticket orders. This is especially useful since many people will prefer to purchase tickets outside of regular business hours when they are not at work.

Since Touch’s call centre operates 24/7 those supporting your charitable events will be able to get their tickets at the time most convenient for them.

  1. Does your event need a more professional image?

Let’s face it. With the amount of scams out there, a lot of people have become skeptical of people asking for money or support this time of year. You may have a wonderful cause and be doing everything by the book, but if your organization comes across as being less than professional, it could make people doubt your credibility.

While volunteers may do a great job at other things, they are not always the best when it comes to making sales or taking people’s personal information. If you would like to give your holiday charitable event a more professional face (or perhaps we should say a more professional voice!), then Touch’s trained CSRs may be exactly what you need.

  1. Do you need to manage volunteers?

Call answering services can do more than just sell tickets for your holiday charitable event. They can also manage volunteer schedules. If you’ve got a lot of volunteers that need to check in and schedule and re-schedule time slots, then a call answering service can use an online calendar to help with the logistics.

  1. Do you simply need more help?

Sometimes holiday charitable events can take on a life of their own. You may have employees. You may have great volunteers. But sometimes, this simply isn’t enough. Instead of letting yourself get burned out right before the holidays, let Touch Communications make the job a little easier.

 

Elevate your Business with an After Hours Call Answering Service

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Maybe your business doesn’t operate 24/7. Perhaps there is no need for it to. Even if this is the case, there may still be benefits to having live call answering in the evening. Working with a call centre like TOUCH Communications allows customers to contact your business any time of day, and this can often be the difference between making the sale or giving the sale away to your competitors.

business man in the kitchen talking on the phone

The following are just a few of the ways that an after hours call answering service can help your business:

Create a Better Work-Life Balance

Many professionals like real estate agents and financial advisors work independently or are independent contractors with a larger firm. Since they are on commission, they often feel tied to their phones. This can put quite a strain on personal and family time when someone wants to reach them in the evening.

You definitely do not want to be THAT person who spends their child’s entire little league game on their phone!

Using TOUCH Communication’s night service can take away some of that burden. When someone calls, a professional customer service agent takes the call, answers basic questions and lets the caller know when they can expect to hear back from you.

Provide More Value for Your Customers

In business, ones who provide the greatest value to their customers win. Since customers want service when they want it, it makes sense to at least provide some basic services to your customers even after hours.

Services that could be provided with TOUCH’s night service include providing basic information and answering questions, scheduling and canceling appointments, as well as taking payments and registrations.

Offer Emergency Services

Perhaps you own a business that would benefit from offering emergency after-hours service. Dental offices, plumbing companies, and auto repair shops could all fit this bill. Since emergencies don’t happen every night (thank goodness!), it might not make sense to pay someone to be on-call.

But you’d still like your customers to be able to get through to someone. TOUCH Communications’ night service helps to solve that problem. A TOUCH CSR can answer the call, determine whether in fact, it is an emergency, and then transfer the call either to yourself or to the appropriate person in your company.

Project a More Professional Image

Starting a business has never been easier – sometimes all it takes is a website and a handful of business cards. But you don’t necessarily want to let your customers know how small your business is.

Whether you are a freelance website designer, a bookkeeper, or running your own e-commerce store, making use of an after hours call answering service can project a more competent and professional image to your callers.

After all, if it’s just you, you can’t possibly answer the phone every time it rings!

These are just a few of the benefits to having an after hours call answering service. Just because you are not working at night doesn’t mean that your business can’t be accessible to potential customers and project a professional brand image. Ready to elevate your business? Contact us today and our team of experts at TOUCH Communications will help set you up with an after hours call answering service right away.