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!

Some Basic Tips For Answering Telephone Calls Professionally

The telephone is still the preferred communication tool of choice for many when it comes to business, even when web enquiries, emails, social media and live chat facilities are available. So here are our top tips on telephone answering.. 

ANSWER THE CALL QUICKLY - There is nothing more unprofessional than leaving a caller waiting. Research shows that if most of us wait longer that 24 seconds on the phone, we'll hang up. 

ANSWER WITH A SMILE -  You can always tell if someone is smiling or not over the phone. Smiling when delivering customer service when answering the phone is just as important as smiling face to face. If you are happy, the customers happy!

SPEAK CLEARLY & PROFESSIONALLY  – Words like ‘cheers’, ‘uh-huh’, ‘mate ‘,’yeah’ etc. are not professional ways to speak to customers over the phone, keep it friendly but remember they are a customer and not a pal and remember to enunciate every word.

LEARN THE PHONETIC ALPHABET- and use it when you are confirming spellings back, Sounds a lot more professional than saying the first thing that comes to your head! 

REMAIN POSITIVE AND PROFESSIONAL - Even if you have no idea what they are talking about. By using ‘let me find that out for you and come back to you’ rather than ‘I don’t know’ as it shows interest and a willingness to help.

KEEP THE CUSTOMER HAPPY- make sure you go back to update them every few seconds if you have to put people on hold, and remember to keep offering to have them called back

Why Choose Zoom Answer Call Services

At Zoom Answer Call we pride ourselves on offering high quality bespoke business phone services to each and every client, whether they need straightforward telephone answering service or comprehensive diary management, virtual reception and call centre services.

So why should your business choose Zoom for your business phone handling? Well, here's what we think makes us the first choice for companies large and small looking for dedicated and efficient call answering services:

• We adapt to you: Our call operators are highly trained in customer service and will be trained individually on the subject of your specific services and products so they are able to provide seamless service to your customers. We offer flexible call services however you need them, whether it's call diverting, brochure sending, appointment making or technical support.
• We use state-of-the-art technology: We're efficient, fast, and reliable, ensuring that your customers receive the best possible service and you are kept in the loop every step of the way. Our SMS and postcode software can accurately retrieve caller details and our high speed internet link helps us to keep up to date with your website and carry out sales and orders securely. 
• We are professional and genuine: Our call handlers answer each call with a smile and never respond with robotic scripts; we're friendly, helpful and offer top notch customer services however you use our business phone service.

Try our 7-day trial and see for yourself how Zoom Answer Call can revamp your business phone services, boost sales and improve your customer services. 

Franchise Phone Services

Running a franchise or working as a franchisee means ensuring a consistent image for your company and helping customers to find the information they want in their local area quickly and easily. By using a dedicated franchise phone service you can boost customer satisfaction and provide a professional front to individual franchise operators as well as head office and regional areas.

As a franchisor, we can help you by offering a central call centre number which will handle individual enquiries and pass them on to the right franchisee. When you're running a small business you can't afford to miss even one call, but you may not always be able to answer the phone - that's where we come in! Zoom Answer Call handlers ensure that all your calls are answered and directed to appropriate person, or that a message is taken so that the franchisee can call the customer back at a more convenient time. We also use postcode software to allow us to quickly divert general enquiries to the right location. 

Customised reporting allow you to see how many enquiries are coming in each month according to area, so that you can adjust your marketing strategy accordingly and follow up with franchisee progress. For franchisees, a central point of contact is useful to provide your business with a uniform and professional appearance, and you no longer have to worry about missing calls when you're busy with other work responsibilities and family duties.  

We are experts in franchise call handling and have been helping national franchises across the UK grow and develop for ten years. Zoom Answer Call began as a franchise so we know what it takes to be successful and manage the challenges posed by working as a regional arm of a larger business. Give us a call on 0800 583 5020 to get set up today!

Beat 'the Summer Slump' with Call Centre Services

Call centre services can help businesses avoid 'the summer slump' - a period of slow growth as customers and staff take time off for holidays, and sales drop. There's a tendency to accept this phenomenon as a natural dip in productivity but a few minor changes to your business operations during this time can really make a difference to your numbers during the summer months. A call answering service is one of them, re-energising your company and ensuring you don't miss a single enquiry over the summer, keeping momentum and building stronger business contacts so that when September rolls around your company is in the best position to take on competitors.

The summer is the perfect time to refine your lead generation strategy, which is tied into your outgoing and incoming calls. Analyse your enquiries, conversions and customer acquisitions and see where you can streamline and make your business more efficient. Zoom Answer Call's many telephone answering services include: 

• Outsourcing call answering and call centre services - save time and money by letting us handle your enquiries, your phone marketing campaigns, recruitment drives, sales, technical support and customer services;
• Telephone answering and redirecting calls - concentrate on other areas of your business while we man your phones;
• Virtual reception phone services - your customers won't know the difference but we can help your business run smoothly and be the first port of call for enquiries;
• Franchise call answering - provide a professional phone service for customers enquiring into your business, no matter how large and diverse your franchise is.

The summer is also a great time to re-evaluate your marketing strategy, refresh employee training, or re-connect with existing customers via a friendly call, email or letter. If you need help to spruce up your business phone services this summer, get in touch with us at Zoom UK and let our Zoomettes boost your business with a smile. 

Improve Your Business Call Answering Service

Have you taken our telephone tips quiz yet? See how effective your business call answering skills are and find out how to improve them. At Zoom Answer Call we are dedicated to excellent customer service in whatever we do, from virtual reception services to brochure sending, diary management to temporary holiday cover. By outsourcing your phone answering to a professional service you know that every call your business receives will be dealt with in the most effective and polite manner possible. That's why we smile when we answer every single call!

Some of the most important elements of good customer service and phone answering are plain common sense, and come down to responding to each customer in a genuine and helpful way. For example:

• We listen careful to customer enquiries, complaints and orders so that we can pass on the correct information to the appropriate member of staff, and can respond in the most effective manner.
• We are always polite, professional and pleased to receive a call, and you'd be surprised what a difference a pleasant response makes to customers. Compare this calm and collected method to a busy day at your office when no one really has the time or patience to deal with yet another enquiry. We make every single call count.
• We make sure you never miss a call, ensuring that you are able to convert as many sales as possible. And just as importantly, we make sure you are able to deal with negative calls swiftly and appropriately so your reputation remains positive. 
• We are here for you all year round, so there's no need to find extra cover or lose sales during busy periods, or if your employees go on sick leave, maternity leave or holiday. 

If you need a little extra help to get your business running smoothly and efficiently, outsourcing your phone answering is a quick, easy and affordable step to help you on your way. We tailor our call handling packages to suit your company so get in touch to find out how we can help you! You can even try our services for seven days absolutely FREE!

Call us on 0800 583 5020 to speak to a Zoomette today.

Cut the Costs of Employee Sick Days and Holidays

Did you know the average sick day costs employees £75 per employee? Not only that but absent employees mean the rest of your team are under a greater strain and less work is able to be completed. Hiring cover only costs extra, so how do business cut the cost of staff holidays and sick leave?

A simple and effective method of reducing the cost of unavoidable sick days and annual leave is to incorporate a dedicated call answering service into your company's operations. By having a reliable team of call handlers on hand every single day of the year, you won't ever need to worry about missed calls, unmanned reception desks or slow responses to enquiries and orders. You can even opt for extra cover during holidays and busy periods to ensure your business stays on track all year round.

At Zoom Answer Call we are committed to helping businesses big and small make the best of their time and money, providing call handling services, virtual reception desks, call centre services, brochure sending, appointment making and many other valuable services to help you manage your customer services department as efficiently as possible. Outsourcing helps you to free up time and manpower that is essential for the daily running of your business - don't keep your trained employees tied up behind a desk waiting for the phone to ring, leave that to us!

One of the best things about having a call handling service associated with your company is that there is no longer any need to worry about employees taking sick days or holiday at awkward times. With Zoom Answer Call you know that your phones will be covered whenever you need them to be, at no extra cost than usual. Try our FREE 7-day trial for yourself and see how effective and productive phone answering services can be for your company. Call on 0800 583 5020 to speak to one of of expert advisers, or email us at sales@zoomuk.co.uk.