Call Diversion and Virtual Reception Services for Your Business

When you're hard at work, there are times when you just can't get to the phone, or don't want to be disturbed - wouldn't it be great to be able to just press a button and divert your call to a ready and waiting professional call handler? Oh right, you can do exactly that with Zoom Answer Call's diversion service! When you divert your calls to a call answering service from Zoom Answer Call, you can relax, knowing that you'll never miss a call again - whether your incoming calls are going straight to our professional team, or whether you decide to send an extra call through to us using your personal call diversion service. 

You have complete control over your call diverting - deciding how often or how little you divert calls to our Zoomettes. Incoming calls can be diverted to Zoom by activating the call diversion system from your phone keypad and are totally undetectable for the customer. We can set up your call diversion to be controlled in a number of ways, including:

• Automatic diversion after four rings to make sure your call is answered swiftly if you can't reach the phone in time
• Automatic diversion when the line is engaged so that your customer never hears an engaged tone
• Divert all calls for when you're out of the office, in a meeting, or simply are too busy to answer the phone!
• Manual diversion via your telephone keypad when you are unable to take a call

You'll receive a unique divert number that allows you to control your incoming calls when you're in the office, at home, or out and about. Missing calls costs your business money - never miss another enquiry with a team of dedicated Zoom call handlers waiting to answer your calls! Zoom's divert system works much like a virtual reception service - providing your business with a committed presence to handle every single call that you receive and ensuring they go to the right person as quickly as possible. For sales, enquiries, customer service, appointments, advertising, marketing, recruitment or technical support - Zoom are there for you to make sure you never miss another call.

Business Phone Answering Dos and Don'ts

The way your business handles its calls can make or break your company. At Zoom Answer Call we offer professional call handling and phone management services that can really make a difference to your sales, your customer retention and your business growth.

Have a look at our dos and don'ts for handling your business calls and see how many you achieve and avoid - and if you're scoring more heavily in the 'don't' department, maybe it's time to give us a call!

Business Call Handling Dos:

• Do answer all your calls as quickly as possible, preferably within the first three rings;
• Do smile when you pick up the phone - it's nice to feel like someone is pleased to receive your call;
• Do introduce yourself and identify your company when you answer;
• Do speak clearly and politely; 
• Do repeat and reiterate details where necessary;
• Do keep accurate records of existing customers and refer to their previous interactions so they know you are on the same page;
• Do take accurate messages and act on them swiftly;
• Do transfer calls to the right person or department as quickly as possible;
• Do go the extra mile - customers really appreciate a call that answers all their queries;
• Do focus on the conversation - if you allow distractions or boredom to cause your mind to wander you'll find yourself in an awkward situation or you'll miss a vital piece of information;
• Do follow up any messages or call backs within one business day;
• Do ask before you put someone on hold - it's the phone equivalent of turning your back on someone;
• Do make sure any answerphones provide basic information that callers might need;
• Do offer a consistent approach to phone answering - each operator should handle calls in the same way and in the same manner. 

Business Call Handling Don'ts:

• Don't allow noise and disruption when answering calls;
• Don't be impatient or brusque - even if you're stressed and busy. If you're finding it hard to politely deal with calls then it's definitely time to call in some professionals to do it for you!
• Don't use slang, overly informal language or 'fillers' such as 'like', 'you know', and 'uh huh';
• Don't use negative language or speak rudely to customers on the phone;
• Don't pretend you know the answer or guess - ALWAYS find out before you give a customer the answer to a question you don't know, even if it means offering to call them back or putting them on hold;
• Don't lose your temper! 
• Don't forget to call customers back if you need to follow up on something;
• Don't keep customers on hold for more than a minute or two, or send them round a neverending cycle of automated button-pressing;
• Don't guess when writing down names and addresses you're not sure how to spell - ask the customer to spell it out for you and make sure it's accurate;
• Don't use a speaker phone - they're hard to hear and sound unprofessional;

Phone answering skills are so important for businesses, whether you're a tiny start up or a multi-national company! Your incoming and outgoing calls are a fundamental part of your customer acquisition and retention, so it's worth making the effort to make your call handling as high quality as possible. If you're finding it difficult to keep on top of your business calls then let us do it for you! Our Zoom operators are experts in customer service and can help your company to run smoothly and efficiently while you get on with managing everything else!

How Does Business Call Answering Work?

It's so easy to get set up with a call answering service for your business, and our 7-Day Free Trial allows you to see if our phone handling options are right for you before you commit to anything. Professional call services can help your company to manage the customers you already have as well as acquire new ones, making sure you never miss a call again and that your staff are able to focus their energy and time on other tasks while we handle your incoming and outgoing phone calls.

Here's how you can test out professional phone answering services for your company in three easy steps:

	Get in touch with us by calling us on 0800 583 5020 or by filling out our online form here. Based on your individual business requirements, we will advise you on the most cost-effective and efficient method of handling your phone services and adjust our services to suit your needs. Once you're happy with all the details of your package we will take some details from you and begin the trial set up process.
	Once your calls have been transferred your Free 7-Day Trial begins! Our expertly trained customer service operators can help your company to answer enquiries, follow up leads, carry out marketing and recruitment campaigns, provide customer service and technical support, send out brochures and promotional material, take orders, make appointments, divert calls and manage franchises. And of course if at any time during the week you need to adjust your services or get in touch we'll be right on the other end of the phone to help you!
	After the trial is finished we'll provide you with detailed reports along with a breakdown of projected costs for the services you may like to take on. This monthly estimate can help you to decide on how best we can help you to manage your business phone services - whether you require a year-round arrangement or temporary holiday cover. We welcome your feedback so let us know how you found your Zoom experience, and if you're ready to continue with our professional call handling services simply give us a call or sign up online!

Tips for Professional Call Handling

When you're answering the phone to clients and customers, it's important to retain a professional attitude at all times - but that doesn't mean being cold or overly formal. Think about how you'd like to be treated when calling an enquiry line, customer services or technical support.

Providing a friendly but professional response to your business calls helps to make each enquiry count - it's what turns a call into a sale, or a complaining customer into a happy one. Here are a few tips from our professional call answering team on how to give your clients a great experience when calling your business:

• Remember to say "hello". Taking a few moments to greet your caller and ask how they are can dramatically affect the rest of the call. Every caller is an individual and deserves to be treated as such - it doesn't take much to be polite with a simple hello!
• Quality wins over quantity when it comes to call handling. It's far better to leave your customers feeling good about your company (even without making a sale) than feeling as if they were rushed off the phone or dismissed. Especially when generating leads, quality call answering can make a massive difference to your conversion rate.
• Have the right information at the right time. When a customer calls to ask a question, they don't want to be passed round to several different departments or end up on hold. Ensure that your call network takes your caller to the right person as quickly as possible. Our phone answering services can provide an information gathering service to determine the best department to direct each call to and simplify your operation, keeping your customers as happy as possible!
• SMILE! You really can hear the difference when a call handler answers with a smile! Our Zoom call agents answer each and every call with a smile and a friendly, polite attitude. Starting each phone call with a positive spin helps us to provide the very best call handling service we can, passing on our great customer service to your clients.

Business Extras - Brochure Sending

We know how busy running a business can be, and sometimes it's impossible to juggle sales, calls, enquiries, travelling, meetings, deliveries and information requests. Often it's this last item on the list that gets left behind - sending out brochures, information, samples and letters in response to enquiries - but keeping on top of your information requests can really make a difference to your company. When a customer fails to receive your info or samples, or has to wait weeks (or months!) for their delivery, it makes for bad customer service, and they may question whether they have the time to deal with you again. Keeping your reputation golden and responding swiftly to ALL requests is a real asset to your business, and Zoom Answer Call can help!

Did you know we don't just handle calls? We're also able to help with sending out information to your customers in response to the enquiries we receive while acting as your call handlers. When we receive a call asking for a brochure or additional info, we will send them out promptly by 1st or 2nd class post, along with your company stationary or a cover letter provided by you.

We're always looking for extra ways to help each company we work with to maximise their efficiency, increase their customer base and retain their customers for the long term. Brochure sending is just one little added extra we offer as part of our telephone answering services - get in touch to find out how else we can help your company thrive and grow!

The Benefits of a Call Answering Service

The benefits of a call answering service are huge, and can make a real difference to your business' efficiency, productivity and sales. It can also reduce stress and relieve pressures that are needlessly put on management and staff who have had to answer calls when this is not, strictly speaking, part of their job description.

Outsourcing your phone answering has many advantages, including:

- providing a consistently professional face to your company
- answering each call with a smile!
- allowing staff to get on with other tasks
- ensuring you never miss a call or message
- covering busy periods, holidays, leave or difficult times
- the choice between call centre services, virtual reception, call answering, telemarketing, diary management and brochure sending

Using a call answering service is a simple and valuable decision - but if you are still unsure, then take advantage of our 7 day FREE trial and let us change your mind!
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The Importance of Customer Service

What do your customers get when they call your company? An attentive call answering service or a busy, harried, inefficient staff member trying to do several things at once?

Today's business world relies on the positive word of mouth and recommendation of customers - the rise of social media and the internet has made this ever more relevant, since customers can easily broadcast their good (or bad) experiences via Twitter, Facebook, review sites and forums.

When new customers research your company and products, they will ultimately discover these opinions and views, and are far more likely to trust peer reviews and recommendations than the salestalk of your website. And what's the biggest element in keeping your customers happy? Quality, quick, attentive and knowledgeable customer service.

Your job - or should we say, OUR job - is to ensure that your customer service is top notch. Most customers still prefer to speak to a real person when they have a query, complaint, question or problem. Our call answering operators are highly trained to act as the face of your company, providing helpful and efficient advice and service to your valued clients and customers. Having a call answering service means that your customers will not be left waiting for their call to be answered, or get lost in a maze of "please press 1..." automated responses, or never get through to anyone at all!

Our Zoomettes answer each call with a smile, and are capable and professional call handlers, who can take on any aspect of your customer service as required. Improve your customer service, increase the amount of good word of mouth about your company and watch new customers roll in...

Professional Call Answering Services

"Answering the phone badly is like saying 'I don't want your business' to callers," says Zoom founder Chella Heyes.

Zoom Answer Call, set up in 1998 was her solution to this, providing professional call answering services to businesses of all sizes. From virtual receptions, call centre services, sales lines, support services and customer helplines, Zoom ensures you never miss a call again, and all calls are handled in the right way.

The 'Zoomettes' are fully trained in telephone techniques and given client-specific training so that they are perfectly prepared to respond to customer enquiries, without callers even realising they are talking to an answering service.

Zoom Answer Call reduces customer frustration, increases leads and sales and above all, puts a professional face (or should that be voice?) to your company at all times.

Reduce Costs and Increase Productivity

We're all feeling the pinch in the current economy, and many businesses are looking for ways to save money and cut costs. One easy way to free up time and expenditure is to outsource some of your company's services - for example answering phones - so that your staff can make better use of the time that they have.

At Zoom UK, we specialise in making things easy for our clients - no matter the size of business, and no matter the extent of our responsibility. By investing in outsourcing your phone answering, you can dramatically increase productivity of your staff, who will be free to work on their primary jobs rather than stopping to answer calls and field off telemarketers.

We also provide a virtual receptionist service, to seamlessly manage calls and transfers - once again, freeing up your business time and effort and making sure your work day runs as smoothly as possible.

You'll never miss a call again with Zoom Answer Call.

Try our FREE 7 day trial and see for yourself.

Give your business an extra Zoom!

Zoom UK isn't just a call answering service. Although our Zoomettes are the best in the business, and our award-winning services are loved by our customers, we don't just stop at call answering, re-routing and management. The following Zoom UK extras are available to assist in streamlining your company's daily tasks and increasing efficiency in every facet of your business.

Brochure Sending:

Keep on top of information requests and never send out a late brochure again. We can send out your brochures along with a specified cover letter and your own stationary to customers whenever requested. Brochures can be sent by 1st or 2nd class post, ensuring your reputation stays positive and your clients stay happy.

Diary Management:

Let us take the stress out of organising and keeping track of meetings, appointments and important dates. We can provide you with an online diary (or use your existing one) to book and remind you of your appointments, allowing you to concentrate on your clients, prospects and day to day tasks. We can be your own virtual personal assistant! Ideal for clinics, restaurants, recruitment companies, limousine drivers, or any company that requires regular management of reservations and appointments in a professional manner.

Holiday and Sickness Cover:

You can't always plan for the unexpected, but you can ensure that you're covered when you need back up. Zoom is here to cover holidays, sickness, emergencies and line faults, or even just to provide extra cover at particularly busy times of the year, including bank holidays, Christmas and shut downs.

Non Geographical Numbers:

If your company is expanding and you need to look a little bigger, Zoom can organise rental of non-geographical numbers (such as 0870, 0845 and 0800 numbers) that can be pointed to your Unique Zoom Divert Number. Non geographical numbers give a professional image, present you as a large, national company and are great for sales, technical support lines, short-term advertising and marketing campaigns and all the needs of a growing business.

Flexible Service:

At Zoom UK, we believe that service is everything, not just to you, but to your clients as well. Therefore all our services are completely flexible. Just call us on 0800 583 5020 and be on line within 10 minutes or click on the links below to find out how extensively we can help you.

Click here if you need someone to manage the response from your recruitment or marketing campaign, or to act as your call centre.

Click here if you need a team of receptionists transferring calls seamlessly to your employees