It is cost effective. A traditional full-time employee has to be given a full salary regardless of how many calls they answer but a virtual office receptionist is billed by the hour and there are no other needs to be met like training and baby-sitting them during work hours which is practically the whole day!
Now the cost-cutting is astronomical, sometimes ranging between 60-70% of finances.
Along with the reduction in costs, it creates a healthy environment of competition in matters directly related to the main work such as decision making, model design and investments. It also improves the overall reputation of the company because customers tend to formulate a better opinion on companies outsourcing calls, deeming the company to be organized and professional.
Cons
In the process of outsourcing calls, there is a higher possibility of customer dissatisfaction. This could be attributed to many reasons like lack of training or expertise and the inability of reaching out directly to the supervisor or authority. In smaller business ventures, this could be a very expensive affair as deploying other people outside workspace will end up burning a hole in the pocket which can otherwise be perfectly managed by one full-time employee.
In some cases, these virtual assistants can have a recalcitrant attitude, owing to the lack of discipline that is normally enforced in a workplace.
Their designated task is also limited to only answering calls, not greeting in person or typing documents and such.
How to decide what is your best option?
There are a number of factors that should be taken into account before you decide to outsource calls. These are:
- The nature and size of your business startup.
- The number of calls received
- Budget
- To be conscious of the time involved. This factor is fundamental in determining whether it may potentially deter the natural functioning of your enterprise.
