Today’s increased expectation of speaking directly with someone has caused customers to avoid leaving voicemails. They would rather call the next available business until someone answers the phone. The potentially frantic urgency that people can experience when they need to speak with a funeral service sends all remaining patience out the window.
24/7 phone support
An answering service ensures that the phones are answered all times of the day and night, and every day of the week. As a funeral service, your schedule is full. You’re meeting with clients, researching, and planning. During busy times, your receptionist might not be able to answer all the incoming calls and requests from clients. Neither you nor your receptionist will be in the office twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week to ensure that you’re not missing a single lead.
Voicemails are a thing of the past
Because clients who require the assistance of a funeral service will likely be in crisis, they won’t have the patience to leave a voicemail with no guarantee of a response. If clients must leave voicemails, they won’t feel like they’re being heard because they have no way of knowing if their message is received. Speaking to someone, even a middle-man, until you can return their call will assure them that they’re being acknowledged and that a response is on the way. Otherwise, they’ll keep calling other funeral home offices until someone answers a phone, and you’ll miss your chance to help them.
What makes a great telephone answering service
Search for a phone answering service that has exceptional customer service skills and the capability to screen calls for telemarketing. The ideal phone support service understands that the calls they will be receiving could be urgent and that the person on the other end of the line could be extremely emotional. They can recognize unwanted calls from telemarketers, take note of them, and pass on the information. Lastly, they need to be able to take detailed and accurate messages.
To capture every lead heading toward you, always ensure that someone is available to answer the phone. Contact us for more information about how a twenty-four seven phone answering service can help you.