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.